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LTC 159-2012 Filming in Miami Beach ® MIAMI BEACH OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER NO. LTC# 159-2012 LETTER TO COMMISSION TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager -ref-W, DATE: June 12, 2012 SUBJECT: Filming in Miami Beach As you may know, last weekend the premiere of New Line Cinema's "Rock of Ages" was held on Miami Beach. This full length feature film was partially shot in our City, and features such stars as Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Russell Brand. In addition to this production, our community recently hosted a great number of significant productions, including the feature"Step Up Revolution" premiering in July; major television series"Burn Notice"for USA, "Charlie's Angels"for ABC, and "The Finder"for Fox, as well as numerous telenovelas for Telemundo and other Spanish language television and reality shows for Bravo and many other networks. Paramount Pictures has recently completed work on the feature film "Pain and Gain," starring Dwayne"The Rock" Johnson, Mark Wahlberg and Ed Harris, and directed by Miami Beach resident Michael Bay ("Transformers"). In September, Disney/Marvel will film several weeks for the third sequel to the action franchise "Iron Man." As you may know, this past April, cable Television network Starz debuted their new eight- episode fictional series,titled"Magic City,"which is a period drama set in 1959 Miami Beach. The series is written and created by Miami beach native Mitch Glazer ("Scrooged," "The Recruit"), stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("Grey's Anatomy") and is produced by Emmy-winner Dwayne Schattuck ("Mad Men"). This production chose to film in South Florida, not only because the setting takes place here and we have the greatest preserved collection of MiMo and Art Deco architecture required to create the illusion of the period, but also because of the state film incentive and heavy recruitment by a select few, including Miami Beach's Tourism and Cultural Development Department. Attached is a recent segment on NBC Nightly News highlighting film productions in South Florida, as well as copies of a recent article about the film production industry in Florida. 'Magic City,' Tom Cruise, James Franco Join Hollywood's Flight to Florida- The Hollyw... Page 1 of 4 Follow QTHR® Subscribe Industry Tools Newsletters Daily PDF Register Log In Y�oM�opi�io�N"$$110 i PLEASE TAKE A SHORT SURVEY. • ® t�4:1+N4L4111 Holt#woo d REPORTER � SWU t 'Magic City,' Tom Cruise, James Franco Join Hollywood's Flight to Florida 8:40 AM PDT 416=12 by Tim Appelo SHARE 171 Comments Aftming"Magic 'ty How film and television are saving millions by shooting in the Sunshine State. This story originally appeared in theAnril i.3 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Last summer,actress Olga Kurylenko got ready to wade OUR EWOR RECOMMENDS naked into the ocean at 5 a.m.in Miami Beach in front of the 'Maglc�y`Now equally gorgeous Deauville Hotel for a scene in Starz's buzay the Upcoming new series Magic City,a Mad Men-meets-Casino saga set in Starz Drama Handled a mobbed-up,glamorous 1959 Miami.Kurylenko plays the ex- on Unlgty Halry showgirl wife of hotel owner Ike Evans(Jeffrey Dean • Morgan). Tom Cruise to PHOTOS:'Mad Men'Season g Premiere Red Carnet Receive the Friar Foundation's AL11YB1s Entertainment Icon Award In.tune 'They go out there,and to and behold,it was a real-life crime e scene with lots of police cars and crime tape,"says Miami Beach 'Magic City' film and events production manager Graham Winick,a Creator Mhch Gluer on Probing troubleshooter and coordinator for shows like Magic His Past and an City,"There had been a gunshot homicide on a boat offshore, Uncomfortable Polkical Storyllne(OdJ►I and the body washed ashore right there.Olga was a little e hesitant to skinny-dip in that area."But after cops removed the Florida TV corpse and sand-sifters cleaned the beach,the scene was filmed Stations Set to the next day."It's a case of life imitating art imitating life." Rake In S20 Million- Plus From GOP http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-filming-florida-magic-city-308784 04/10/2012 'Magic City,' Tom Cruise, James Franco Join Hollywood's Flight to Florida- The Hollyw... Page 2 of 4 It is amazing that Starz CEO Chris Albrecht is spending$io8 million to shoot the first two seasons of Magic City in Miami because until recently,Florida film and TV production looked as washed up as the unfortunate homicide victim who spoiled Kurylenko's morning. In 2009,production tax incentives in the state sank from a high of$25 million to$5 million,and producers and Florida crews fled for more tax-friendly neighboring states."We had to get to this crisis mode to convince our legislators to do something unprecedented,"says Winick,who also is past president of the lobbying group Film Florida. But production creates jobs,so in 2o11,Florida raised tax incentives to$242 million,and on March 29,Gov.Rick Scott signed a bill for an additional$42 million. TV REVIEW:Magic City_ The Hollywood production trade magazine P3 recently ranked the state the third-best place to shoot in the U.S.,behind Louisiana and Illinois,saying,"The heat is definitely on in Florida." "We didn't even make the P3 top 20 for the last couple of years,"says Winick. But producers are rushing to cash in on Florida's new 20 percent tax credit(raised to 25 percent during hurricane season).Michael Bay recently began directing Pain and Gain,a$25 million dark- comic action drama with Mark Wahlberg,based on a true tale of gym-rat extortionists.Steven Soderbergh shot Charming Tatum's Tampa stripper comedy Magic Mike in October. Most notably,Miami and environs recently played host to the$8o million,Los Angeles-set musical Rock of Ages,starring Tom Cruise as an Axl Rose-ish rock singer circa 1987."It's the biggest movie we've ever had since Miami Vice,"says Florida film commissioner Shari Kerrigan. Florida production revenue increased from$761 million in 2010 to$981 million in 2011.In Miami- Dade County alone,production is np 70 percent since 2010,to about$275 million. Notes Rock of Ages producer Garrett Grant:"They said,'If you guys are crazy enough to come down here during hurricane season,well give you 5 percent extra in tax incentives.'We said,'OK.'" PHOTOS:io Movie Milestones of Portland Although it has been a half-decade since a big hurricane hit,Hurricane Irene narrowly missed clobbering Florida in August,requiring Magic City to put up iron hurricane shutters for the giant panes of vulnerable glass on its hotel set and prepare to evacuate crew to 65 inland hotel rooms. "The hurricane stayed offshore,so we got lucky,"says Ages'Grant,who is glad he and director Adam Shankman spurned the other locations they considered,from North Carolina to Sydney."We had a very difficult time getting to our approved greenlight number.Thanks to the incentives,we hit it." This kind of cooperation is why Stari s Albrecht,revered for developing game-changing dramas like The Sopranos at HBO,is willing to risk$6 million an episode on Magic City.The shows creator- writer,Mitch Glazer,says it was smart to shoot in Miami,where midcentury modem(MiMo) buildings still stand thanks to the historic-preservation movement propelled by Miami Vice's success. "South Beach has probably the largest collection of pre-1959 architecture in the world,"says Glazer, who thinks his show could do for MiMo what Miami Vice did for Art Deco.His goal is a vivid sense of place."Chris'great successes were all based in the place where they happened:Sopranos,The Wire, Entourage.Sex and the City had to be shot in New York.For Magic City,when you see Stevie Evans [Steven Strait]driving his T-Bird along Lincoln Creek,there wouldn't have been all those 1920s mansions behind him if we'd shot in LA.All we had to do on Collins Avenue was CG-remove a few light poles."To shoot a period Miami drama in Los Angeles would be more CG-intensive. STORY:"Me Carrie Diaries':First Photos of AnnaSonhia Robb as a Young Carrie Bradshaw Surface And expensive."It would either look cheap,or you're going to spend an enormous amount of money,"says Matt Nix,creator of the USA Network hit Burn Notice,whose dramedy series kicked off a new wave of production in Florida when it filmed its pilot in 2007."And now Miami has more bench strength in crews.It's important because you can eat up the incentive savings quickly by having to fly in your own guys."Nix,now filming his sixth season,says hell have no problem meeting Florida's new law upping its requirement for hiring local crew from 5o percent to 60 percent. There is a growing spirit of film-friendliness in Florida,even among some who once notoriously blocked production.In 1982,Cuban-Americans protesting Al Pacino's gangster character in Scarface forced the film from Miami to LA.On April 13,Scarface will be the focus of a Miami Latino pride event,Hispanicize 2012,and giant Miami-based Spanish-language network Telemundo employs 400 people making telenovelas. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-filming-florida-magic-city-308784 04/10/2012 'Magic City,' Tom Cruise, James Franco Join Hollywood's Flight to Florida- The Hollyw... Page 3 of 4 "In Florida,people are actually excited to let you shoot there,"says Nix."A small airport in Miami let us blow up a plane on their tarmac.Who does that?God bless Opa-Locks Airport!" JAMES FRANCO MICHAEL BAY TOM CRUISE MAD MEN STARZI BURN NOTICE ROCK OF AGES SHARE 171 RUN]N'nE EMEE Chevy Trailer Back to the Future: The Twilight Saga: Lindsay Lohan's New Eric Stoltz Breaking Dawn-Part Look Is,Um, 2 Teaser Trailer [CafeMom] You might like: I fit (XXI ie I A.. Kris Jenner Posts 5 Calebs Who Rearot Jaramv Renner.$5 'Magic CIW:How the Togla$$.Preanant Getting Plastic Million for'Boums.' Upcomino Starz Photo For Son Rob g19�_and Should Advice From Tom Drama Handled a Kardashian's Birthdav [pHOTOSI Cruise.Brutallv Uniquely Hairy rraa ss.evC W,,W Honest About Fame Situation (vita Fb/tyamadRaoorrw/ I?] What is Kristen Wgq's'SNL'Future? The Tnrth About Cee Lo's Cat Punted 'That 70s'Show Star Denies Drug Use 'Jersey Shore'Star The Situation Leaves Rehab A Kardashian and a Pop Star are Dating PHOTOS:When Actors Play Rock Stars The Most Ridiculous Sex Comedy Posters Perez Hilton.Piers Morgan Feud Over Madonna A**rU"—a • ar.. COMMENTS t I Eugemauriello 3 days ago http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-filming-florida-magic-city-308784 04/10/2012 Starz renews'Magic City'before preem-Entertainment News,TV News,Media-Variety 4/10/12 12:02 PM I I Log In Online Subscription Help Slanguage Dictionary Search variety.com ISEARCH Home 1 4/10/2012 12:02 P.M. I Text size: a-A' Subscribe to VARIETY at 73%off the cover once Latest News Latest Reviews Features People News Charts Opinions Events Photos Videos VarietyMediaCareers.com FILM TV LEGIT MUSIC DIGITAL INTERNATIONAL Archives jTV News W Emall or Share U Print RSS Feed l*i Bookmark Posted.Tue.,Mar.20,201Z 4:00am PT Share I&Print . .................................................. Get Variety: I Starz renews 'Ma is City' before reem - — 9� tY' p Cabler orders 10 more episodes of period drama set in Miami By CYNTHIA LITTLETON,STUART LEVINE su Starz has given a second season renewal to"Magic City," three weeks before the period drama's premiere. Advertisement _ Drama set in Miami in 1959 stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a Music hotel magnate and family man who leads a double life and Licensing is tangled up with the mob. Starz has ordered another 10 Beyond segs of the series created and exec produced by Mitch Industry Glazer. The series, produced in-house by Starz, will have a Skx� sneak preview on March 30 following the season finale of "Spartacus:Vengeance"prior to its official April 6 debut. Moyiw"Twrsis"place 'Magic City' to so tar o flit"8 panics. music liceming isxpenence "'Magic City' is a beautifully written, superbly acted, and visually stunning series, and we feel the Oar exre.s"o c lal quality of the work accomplished deserves a second season," said Starz CEO Chris Albrecht. "It has raNes trom ouAmu.,Lot,n already been sold in more than 70 territories worldwide, and represents the kind of premium manic to loasta aladranico entertainment the Starz brand is seeking to create." your one.uo "rs p-�Aep fo. .ound and eey. Albrecht has a history of giving a pre-premiere vote of confidence to new series. Last September, he gave the soph season order to Kelsey Grammer starter"Boss" nearly a month before it bowed on --Advertisement-- http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118051667 Page 1 of 3 Starz renews'Magic City'before preem-Entertainment News,TV News,Media-Variety 4/10/12 12:02 PM the pay cabler. The early renewal can also help the production process,giving writers the jump on FMOW plotting arcs and allowing for efficiencies in production timetables. j Geyer Kosinski, Ed Bianchi and Dwayne Shattuck exec produce along with Glazer, who grew up in Miami Beach in the era depicted in the series. The feature scribe enthused that working on the show has been "the most fulfilling and complete creative experience of my life." i Production on season two will begin later this year for 2013. I j In an effort to generate as much sampling as possible for the show, Starz will make the first three segs available online via a handful of satcasters and cable operators, as well as the net's own website, starting the day after the March 30 preview airing. ;...„ "Magic City" also stars Olga Kurylenko and Danny Huston. I Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton @variety.com GUEST,HERE ARE OTHER ARTICLES RECOMMENDED FOR YOU... 'Titanic 3D':Depth becomes her 'Homeland;'Thrones'draw Peabody nods i 'Norbit i Pwwed by� , TICKETS PASSES Read Next Article: Questions to ponder at Variety panel > ON SALE NOW! join us i y 1 ti1�.LLl I CONFERENCES 2012 BrIltweek Film&TV Summit presented by Variety&the British Academy of Film and Television Arts,Los Angeles April 27,2012 Intercontinental Hotel,Los Angeles,Century City,CA Variety's Entertainment&Technology Summit Co-produced by Digital Hollywood April 30,2012 The Ritz Carlton Hotel,Marina Del Rey,CA 3rd Annual International Film Finance Forum presented by Winston Baker in association with Variety May 18,2012 Majestic Barrier,Cannes,France Massive The Advertising Summit Presented by Variety&Stillwell Partners June 7,2012 The Henson Soundstage,Hollywood,CA Family Entertainment&Faith-based Summit in Association with Rogers&Cowan June 21,2012 Sofitel Hotel,Los Angeles,CA Variety Venture Capital&New Media Summit In Association with International ESQ June 27,2012 Los Angeles,CA View all Conferericm mW Exeft http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118051667 Page 2 of 3 'Magic City,'Jewish Power Brokers in 1950s Miami Beach-NYTimes.com 4/10/12 12:01 PM HOME PAGE I TODAY'S PAPER I VIDEO I MOST POPULAR Edition:U.S./Global Subscribe:Digital/Home Delivery Log In Register Now ;Help ft New&*vm Television Search All NYTimes.com tN01i Dt>aBCt _ _ .._ _ _1 cai_! WORLD U.S. N.Y./REGION BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE HEALTH SPORTS OPINION ARTS STYLE TRAVEL JOBS REAL ESTATE AUTOS Search TV Shows,Movies and People More in Television Whars On This Week Media Decoder TV Listings -- Advertisement ARE I TELL BARAC'K YOU'RE IN Old Miami Beach: Sun, Schmaltz, Murder Log in to see what your friends Log In With Facebook are sharing on nytimes.com. Privacy Policy I What's This? What's Popular Now • � a The Benefits of Why I Am • 7 Bilingualism Leaving Goldman A i Sachs �a I A Craig BlankenhoMSta¢ Steven Strait,left,and Jeffrey Dean Morgan on the show"Magic City."More Photos s By AMY CHOZICK Published:March 30,2012 , skirts "cs BEN DIAMOND,known as the Butcher,a suntanned sociopath, RECOMMEND Advertise on NYTimes.com grew up in an Orthodox Jewish orphanage.He orders sable by the TWITTER - _ - pool and in passing conversation mentions the story of Abraham, LINKEDIN TicketWatch: Theater Offers by E-Mail Isaac and Jacob. Sign up for ticket offers from Broadway shows and other SIGN IN TO E- "" advertisers. MAIL Diamond, a gangster played by Danny PRINT See Sample I Privacy Policy �1 Multimedia Huston,inhabits the colorful, SINGLE PAGE debauched and very Jewish world of late-1950s Miami Beach in which REPRINTS MOST E-MAILED MOST VIEWED Starz's newest series, "Maide City," SHARE takes place. 1. WELL WATCH NOW Treating Sleep Apnea Without the Mask The period drama,beginning Friday, THE FIRST 12 MINUTES 2. PAUL KRUGMAN follows the early days of the Miramar The Gullible Center Jewish Rogues Gallery Playa hotel,a fictional composite of the giant Jewish- owned hotels that sprung up in South Florida in the 3. The Iceberg Was Only Part of It 1950s.Rather than glance over its main characters' I I http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/arts/television/magic-city-jewish-power-brokers-in-195Os-miami-beach.htm1?-r=1 Page 1 of 3 Magic City,'Jewish Power Brokers in 1950s Miami Beach-NYTimes.com 4/10/12 12:01 PM Related religion,the drama intersperses Jewish culture heavily Television Review I'Magic city 4, sirs':A throughout the series, departing from the nebbish Widespread Virus Proves Macs Are No Paradise of Sin,Swank and Sinatra neurotics popularized in sitcoms like"Seinfeld" and Longer Safe From Hackers (April 6,zo>z) "Friends."The series follows hunky power players in dark 5. Tightening the Lid on Pain Prescriptions ArftBOW 09a­ suits (and sometimes yarmulkes),more Tony Soprano than Larry David. Breaking news about the arts, 6. THE STONE coverage of live events,critical reviews,multimedia and more. While covering up a murder,the sleek hotelier Isaac The Taint of'Social Darwinism' Go to Arts Beat. Evans, called Ike,the protagonist played by Jeffrey Dean 7. For the Elderly,Emergency Rooms of Morgan, plans his daughter's bat mitzvah, an affair that Their Own Arts& includes the 13-year-old drifting down a winding staircase Entertainment Guide engulfed in pink dry-ice fumes.A gold Star of David 8• DAVID BROOKS A sortable calendar of noteworthy stands out against the tanned chest of Stevie Evans,Ike's The Two Economies cultural events in the New York help n oversexed so .And late at night Ike asks Stevie to he region,selected by Times critics. g p 9, OPINION Go to Event Listings a him protect a friend from Ben Diamond's wrath."Now?" The Non-Joie of Parenting Enlarge This Image Stevie asks."No,next Shavuot," Ike says,sarcastically referring to the Jewish holiday. ■ 10. MEXICO CITY JOURNAL Lush Walls Rise to Fight a Blanket of Pollution In television and in reality the corrupt,swaggering Jewish mobster type has countered the notion of the weakling Go to Complete List . snow My Rec«rrn«tdations Jew, said Vincent Brook, author of"Something Ain't Kosher Here:The Rise of the`Jewish'Sitcom."He pointed Craig Blankenhom/Starz to gangsters like Arnold Rothstein and Bugsy Siegel. Danny Huston plays a Jewish "There's a whole parallel history of these mobsters who in gangster on the new Starz series "Magic City."More Photos a their own way were reacting to stereotypes,"Mr. Brook said.That led to another,tougher stereotype in movies and television. Based on his experiences growing up in Miami Beach,the executive producer Mitch spinach ' Mark Bittmans s i Glazer first pitched"Magic City,"set in 1959,in 200'7,before AMC's"Mad Men"thrust Mar the period into the popular consciousness.CBS commissioned a pilot script but rejected recipes the project. Also on NYTimes.com Try the game On Starz"Magic City,"the channel's biggest investment yet,will join a lineup that What's the easiest way to cheat on your taxes? includes the bloody,stylized"Spartacus"and"Boss,"about a Chicago mayor. us,cOls� "I wanted to recreate the Jewish story in Miami Beach exactly as I remembered it,"Mr. ADVERTISEMENTS Glazer said. His father worked as an electrical engineer at the Fontainebleau Hotel, opened on South Beach in 1954 by the Jewish hotelier Ben Novack. Mr. Glazer recalls MY? View the Republican Primaries from Every Angle the Cuban revolution, a Meyer Lansky sighting and the Rat Pack roaming the marble lobby in iridescent suits. "If you went just over the causeway to Miami,you were aware you were a minority. But on the beach it was a world unto itself." Although the Jews in"Magic City"live like kings,they still run across the occasional t::,,anti-Semite.The Holocaust is a fresh memory,and Jews cling to the safety of tight-knit M 11AT �9rT AT communities.Like the sexism on"Mad Men"these details—a country club that bans COST To Jews,a sly reference to"you people"— are intended by Mr. Glazer to be viewed cringingly through the prism of contemporary culture. Jewish characters have long graced the small screen.On radio and later TV"fig Goldbem"broached topics like anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. In a 1939 episode someone threw a rock in the window as the Goldbergs prepared the Seder. In the late 195os and 196os, as television became a high-stakes game,networks played It " safe. Ethnic families gave way to white-bread families in sitcoms like"Father Knows " http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/arts/television/magic-city-jewish-power-brokers-in-195Os-miami-beach.htm1? r=1 Page 2 of 3 'Magic City,'Jewish Power Brokers in 1950s Miami Beach-NYTimes.com 4/10/12 12:01 PM Best"and"My Three Sons." By the 1970s viewers rebelled"against a hermetically sealed television environment they had grown up with,"said David Bushman,curator of television at the Paley Center for Media.In recent years Jews have become common staples on television,from Josh AI Lyman on"The West Wing"to Fran Fine on"The Nanny"and the power agent Ari Gold on"Entourage." Advertise on NYTimes.com 1 I NEXT PAGE s Ads by Google what's this? Facts About Pink Slime A version of this article appeared in print on April 1,2012,on page AR 15 of the New York edition with the headline:Old Miami Beach:Sun,Schmaltz,Murder. Learn What Scientists And Consumer Advocates Say About Pink Slime »Get 50% Off The New York Times&Free All Digital Access. www.BeeflsBeef.com Get Free E-mail Alerts on These Topics Television Jews and Judaism Glazer,Mitch Ads by Google what's this? Traditional Jewish Casket By Star of David Chapel serving the Long Island/entire New York area. jewish-funeral-home.com INSIDE NYTIMES.COM a OPINION» SPORTS. SCIENCE» II THEATER» OPINION» U.S.» 1 $25,000 to Save Fido? Chemo for Kitty,a stent for Spot.Room for Debate asks:When does pet care go too far? Aa 1% Anxiety:Tattoos for the Team of Hope,Gone in City A Celebration of Science `Carrie'Revival,Now Dead, A Shift in Strategy in Terrified of Violence With a Popular Touch Has an Autopsy Pennsylvania for Romney Home World 1S. N.Y./Region Business Technology Science Health Sports Opinion Arts Style Travel Jobs Real Estate ; Autos I Site Mau ®2012 The New York Times Company Privacy Your Ad Choices Terms of Service Terms of Sale Corrections RSS HeID Contact Us , Work With Us I Advertise http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/arts/television/magic-city jewish-power-brokers-in-195Os-miami-beach.html? r=1 Page 3 of 3 Television:The Cool Heat of Retro Miami-Set Magic City I Hollywood I Vanity Fair 4/10/12 12:02 PM VaM R F64 R spotlight ' April 2012 Miami Heat Related:See exclusive video of Magic City,and view photos from the set. By Bruce Handy are PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF STARZJGREG WILLIAMS. et in Miami Beach in 1959—sweet town,sweet year—the new Starz series Magic City weaves together a hook-filled plot involving mobsters,Cuban exiles, straying wives,Frank Sinatra,family,Judaism,and money—all centered on the mythical Miramar Playa Hotel.I say"mythical"not just because the Miramar Playa didn't actually exist but also because the shows aura of remembrance is so potent it feels less like nostalgia than dispatches from someone's fever dream about the past.Whose dream? That would be Mitch Glazer,the screenwriter,who created the series.He grew up in Miami as the son of an electrical engineer who designed lighting for the fabulous Fontainebleau,Eden Roc,and Deauville hotels—three rococo-modern masterpieces which pretty much define midcentury Miami.Glazer himself worked as a cabana boy at the Deauville(which stands in for the Miramar Playa's exterior)and saw the Beatles there in 1964 when they played the hotel's"famed"Napoleon Ballroom—so,yes,he knows from the Miami Beach hospitality industry. The hero of his show is the Miramar Playa's owner,Ike Evans,played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan(a former Grey's Anatomy regular)with a heavy-lidded charisma reminiscent of Javier Bardem's and a stoic,honorable gravitas all his,or Ike's,own.Another key character is Ike's son Stevie(Steven Strait),who when we meet him is being serviced by a lady friend as he speeds down the highway in a'57 Thunderbird and is later seen making good use of the hotel's grounds and female guests.Did Glazer enjoy similar perks in his cabana-boy days?"No.The character is kind of a fantasy.What I got was these tiny, intense women,the grandmothers who would grab me and go,'My granddaughter's http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/04/mitch-glazer-starz-magic-city Page 1 of 2 Television:The Cool Heat of Retro Miami-Set Magic City I Hollywood I Vanity Fair 4/10/12 12:02 PM coming down from Hofstra— a gotta meet her. »> REGISTRATION ON OR USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR USER AGREEMENT(EFFECTVE MARCH 21,2012)AND PRIVACY POLICY (EFFECTIVE MARCH 21,2012). VANITY FAIR O CONDE NAST DIGITAL.YOUR CAUPORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS.THE MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED,DISTRIBUTED, TRANSMITTED,CACHED OR OTHERWISE USED, EXCEPT WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF CONDE NAST DIGITAL AD CHOICES I http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/04/mitch-glazer-starz-magic-city Page 2 of 2 I Magic City Brings Mad Men Era Mob Drama to STARZ::Articles::Ocean Drive Magazine 4/10/12 12:00 PM PERSONALITIES I MAGIC CITY BRINGS MAD MEN ERA MOB DRAMA TO STARZ SHARE ;Search people,places,events Magic City Brings Mad Men Era Mob Drama to STARZ • BY TOM AUSTIN I ®o s Elettra Wiedemann Cover shoot:April 2012 issue of Ocean Dave magazine. ON OLGA KURYLENKO:Light georgette pleated dress,Gucci($5,100).Bal Harbour 1. Miami's Next Top Chefs Shops,9700 Collins Ave.,305-868-6504.Fluorite,peridot,citrine,and crystal stone earrings,Iradj Moini(price on request).Ametrine gold ring,Carelle($3,306).ON JEFFREY 2. Slideshow:Blk Water launch DEAN MORGAN:Single-breasted suit,Hugo Boss(895).Aventura Mall, 19501 Biscayne 3. Gabrielle Union Changes the Game Blvd.,305-792-6099.Slim-fit shirt,Thomas Pink($185).Bal Harbour Shops,9700 Collins Ave.,305-864-0666.Calfskin leather belt,Brooks Brothers($98).Bal Harbour Shops, 4. Slideshow:Shot On Site:Miami 305-865-8686 5. Miami's Most Influential Couples MMEi Walking through the set of Magic City,the new STARZ network drama set in 1958 Miami debuting April 6,is like taking a stroll through a terminally glamorous slice of local history.Midcentury Miami Beach was the aesthetic forerunner of Las Vegas,where heavy hitters wore white dinner jackets and escorted mink-draped showgirls to Frank Sinatra's midnight show,when the underworld met the elite,and high and low mixed with a certain glossy style.The 340,000-square-foot production studio,built near the Miami International Airport,provides a skinny- dip into that 19506 fantasyland,centered around the fictional Miramar Playa Hotel,which serves as the show's equivalent of the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc hotels,both designed by the late Morris Lapidus.The Fontainebleau,in particular,was the epicenter of the Miami Beach elite and Mafia society,both using the ornate lobby as glorified catwalks to flaunt their prominence and clout.The portico of the Magic City set is made for the arrival of big-finned,gas-guzzling pink Cadillacs,and the lobby has another over-the-top prop,a massive chandelier that used to hang in the Eden Roc. Magic City was created by Mitch Glazer,a hometown boy who went to Miami Beach Senior High School with Mickey Rourke,Roy Firestone,and Desmond Child.Glazer—also responsible for writing Scrooged,starring Bill Murray,and The Recruit,with Colin Farrell—grew up on Miami Beach's Hibiscus Island.His father was an electrical engineer who worked for Lapidus,Ben Novack,and then the owner of the Fontainebleau.For Glazer, who hasn't lived in Miami since high school,Magic City provided a chance to bring back the time of his youth: "The set of the Miramar Playa is a composite of all my fantasies,all the hotels my dad worked on,"he says. "Miami Beach was a small town then.My grandfather used to play the balalaika with his friends,other Russian http://oceandrive.com/personalities/articles/magic-city-is-miamis-new-mad-men-era-mob-drama Page 1 of 3 Magic City Brings Mad Men Era Mob Drama to STARZ::Articles::Ocean Drive Magazine 4/10/12 12:00 PM Jews,at Lummus Park,and we re-created that time in Magic City.As a kid,I went to Hoffman's Cafeteria,where Jerry's Famous Deli is now,on Espaiiola Way and Collins.We set a scene at Jerry's,too,which looks just like Hoffman's." Magic City represents everything the old Beach was—and more.It's an intoxicating mix of gangsters,sex, intrigue,brand-new money,and pure just-for-the-hell-of-it glitz.On the set,a graceful staircase is flanked by shimmering tiles,echoing the Fontainebleau's famed"staircase to nowhere."The fictional hotel's Sea Breeze Lingerie Shop is equipped with a bookie operation behind the back door.Autographed photos of 7sa 7sa Gabor and boxer Floyd Patterson adorn the owner's office.The Atlantis Lounge has a vintage jukebox,gold columns,and portholes that look into a swimming pool. In Magic City,the Miramar Playa is ruled by Ike Evans,a family man who has been forced to make a deal with the Mob to stay afloat.He's played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan,who also starred in Watchmen and enjoyed a stint on Grey's Anatomy.In the first episode,Ike is throwing an epic New Year's Eve party featuring a Frank Sinatra concert and guests that include John Kennedy and Kim Novak.To thwart a union leader who's threatening to lead a strike and shut the hotel down,he reluctantly calls on his not-so-silent partner,mobster Ben"The Butcher" Diamond.In the series,Glazer has created a Miami Beach that blends high style with all the darkness of that era. To Morgan,however,both the past and present Miami Beach are entirely new worlds."I'd never been to Miami before this show,"he says,"and hanging out here has been interesting,especially the characters we met."Yul Vazquez,who plays Victor Lazaro,the Cuban general manager of the Miramar Playa,"is a brilliant actor and also has great insights on Miami,"says Morgan.(Vazquez spent time here as a child and keeps an apartment on South Beach.)"And Mitch is amazing.We've done scenes at the Deauville Beach Resort,which he says is like it was when he worked there as a cabana boy." As for Ike Evans's plight,Morgan looks to Miami history."My character has a bit of Ben Novack from the Fontainebleau,"he says."The real history is incredible,with hookers,bookies working out of the hotel,and Meyer Lansky trying to bring casino gambling to Miami after Batista fell in Cuba.CIA agents actually met in the hotel's Boom Boom Room to talk about hits on Castro.It was so open and free,a no-holds-barred kind of place.Novack, when he found out his wife was having an affair,went in and shot up the Fontainebleau in a crazy Wild,Wild West moment." But then,reality often beats fiction in Miami.The 2009 murders of Ben Novack Jr.and his mother,Bernice Novack,are complete with kinky sex and plenty of intrigue.Narcy Novack,an ex-stripper and Ben's widow,and her brother have been charged with masterminding both crimes in a case that would defy the imagination of any screenwriter. Morgan has learned to appreciate the absurdity of our town."Miami is pretty wild now—one day while doing a scene,I looked through the portholes at the Atlantis Lounge and saw little strips of fake hair floating into the drain.We hired extras to swim nude in the pool,but they all had perfect silicone breasts and shaved private parts. To get extras that were au naturel with real breasts and pubic hair,like women in the'50s,was impossible in Miami." The mobster Ben"The Butcher"Diamond is played by Danny Huston,son of film director John Huston and half- brother of Anjelica Huston.To Huston,playing Diamond entailed a bit of Meyer Lansky,Bugsy Siegel,Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo,"and a few other stereotypes I cheerfully embraced,"he says."There's nothing redeeming about Diamond.He just wants more of everything.In the end,there's something kind of likable about him—the fact that he's so unrepentant.Ike makes a deal with the devil when he does business with Diamond,but they're actually both pretty bad;Ben is just not afraid of the ugly side of their business." All this is rich terrain for an actor,says Huston."For men of that period,that was the last moment in history to behave with pure machismo.All that unapologetic smoking,drinking,and chasing women;it's terribly seductive, and they all have a wonderful kind of ignorance about the consequences of their behavior."Today's Miami certainly has evolved,but Huston notes a certain louche tone to our tropical city."Those balmy nights in Miami, the music wafting in and out,still give people a certain carefree quality and ample opportunities to discover their darker sides." Everything about Magic City is beautiful and lush,from the settings to the cars to the clothes.The wardrobe department is a source of drop-dead glamour,well suited to the character Judi Silver,played by actress Elena Satine,who originally hails from Georgia,in Eastern Europe.In the show,Silver is a platinum-blonde escort at the Atlantis Lounge who does favors for her protectors Ike and his son Stevie,who runs the lounge.Her seduction of certain clientele just might prove the old adage about orgasm being akin to a kind of death. To Satine,it was a treat to immerse herself in another era."We built a whole city for this show—it's such a decadent lifestyle.We spent months coming up with a distinctive style for Judi.She's a pro,a working girl,but also ahead of the curve for that time:The hemlines are shorter,the dresses more low-cut.In one scene,she wears a black corset straight out of Bettie Page." For Glazer,the production of Magic City is a chance to come to terms with his hometown."Even as a kid,I knew that Miami Beach was the coolest place on earth.It was beautiful and glamorous,like one big Bobby Darin song come to life,with all the high-rollers at the Fontainebleau and the women in furs.But you knew it was something that had to end,and when it did,it would never come back.Magic City brings some of my memories back to life, and modern Miami is still an amazing place.In our show,the Mob is trying to bring casinos to Miami,and now that issue is happening all over again.In the end,Miami never really changes all that much." Recommended Stories A,R01 http://oceandrive.com/personalities/articles/magic-city-is-miamis-new-mad-men-era-mob-drama Page 2 of 3 r 1959 Miami is new again in'Magic City'-South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com 4/10/12 12:01 PM Sign In or Sign Up DIGITAL MEMBERSHIPS HOME DELIVERY PLACE AN AD JOBS CARS REAL ESTATE RENTALS MERCHANDISE CLASSIFIED 11:49 AM EDT 79°F,Partly Tuesday,April 10,2012 cloudy HOME NEWS BROWARD PALM BEACH SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT TRAVEL LIFESTYLE BUSINESS HEALTH OPINION I CULTURE EVENTS GO GUIDE EVENT TICKETS MOVIES MOVIE TIMES RESTAURANTS DINING BLOG GAMBLING TV LISTINGS COMICS TRIVIA MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT TOPICS I Restaurant reviews I Sign up for text alerts Search 1 nncr: 4zi nTr,., P I r P A Vn I IT(- Home >Entertainment DON'T MISS THESE Starz series 'Magic City' uses 2012 tricks to show us 1959 Notable Deaths 2012 A look back at some of the famous Miami folks we have lost the year Starz series aims to recapture golden age of Art Deco glitz with classic cars and clothes,but how did designers pull it off in 2012? Aubrey O'Day Check out exclusive pictures of the ® $ Comments 0 0 Ttrast 11 `Recommend 9 reality N starlet 1 2 pgx( 1 single Dace 2012 Equfnox LS FWD ill I ChavyRuf $229 1 Tax,title.license and dealer fees ex�,, Mileage charge r r CUOMMT OFFERS CONNECT WITH US © (a ■ ® U � ® Faoebook Twitter Google+ YouTrbe Newsletters Text alone RSS ® Sun Sentinel on Facebook This red-and-white 1957 Chevrolet Corvette with the actor Steven Strait is owned by Deerfield Beach resident Mike Kukla who leased the car to"Magic City.""It's fun knowing that my car is a part of it,"said Kukla,a sales executive Like 15,636 who bought the car in 1996 and restored it."It's nice to see it being used the way it's being used."(Greg Williams, - rvvJ STARZ/March 29,2012) LATEST ENTERTAINMENT VIDEOS By Johnny Diaz,Sun Sentinel Related March 31,2012 The mjtama[Playa is the most glamorous Miami Beach hotel that never existed. The fictional palace is one of the stars of the new Starz cable drama "Magic City,"which is set in 1959 and revolves around hotelier Ike Evans as he balances family life and ties to the mob with a backdrop of gamblers,entertainers and Fidel Castro taking over Photos:The look of'Magic City' Cuba.Think:The Sopranos South Beach. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/fl-magic-city-1959-miami-20120331,0,2912265.story Page 1 of 3 f 1959 Miami is new again in'Magic City'-South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com 4/10/12 12:01 PM Topics When the period show debuts Friday,viewers will see series creator • Television (and South Florida native)Mitch Glazer and production designers make 1959 new again with vintage cars,clothing,couches from that • Miami Hotels era.That was a tall order in modern Miami,where neon-lighted • Miami(Miami-Dade,Florida) skyscrapers beckon from downtown and flashy sports cars purr See more topics along Ocean Drive. Escape for Less.We've got some amazing cruise deals and they're just a click away To recapture the look and feel of a swanky 1950s beach hotel,Starz had to literally build one. "We had a hard time finding a space that would allow[us]to build this column-free unobstructed lobby,"said Karen Bailey,vice president of original programming at Starz."It became apparent that we needed to recreate something authentic to the style and have that grandiose new car smell.We ended up building the majority of the Miramar Playa." Starting last year,crews spent 18 weeks planning and constructing the hotel's interiors on two soundstages at the Bertram Yacht headquarters along the Miami River.The stages house the hotel's grand lobby and concierge desk with faux terrazzo and marble floors under 40-foot ceilings. �"% Get text FO YOU V an your phone Details such as 1959 telephones at the check-in counter and black-and-white autographed photos of Dick Clark ' r�IVEVJB a WFO you wMN'r gnrTlMe,ANYWHERE and Liz Taylor help fill the scenery. Mobile Phone(required) The Miramar Playa was inspired by the real designs of Morris Lapidus,the famed architect behind the Fontainebleau,Deauville and Eden Roc hotels. Send me the following alerts: "It's a complete original piece but its in that same architectural vocabulary,"said Carlos Barbosa,the show's Q Weather Q News 0 Lotto 0 Sports production designer who visited those hotels to design the Miramar Playa."it has that air of the Fontainebleau.It Q Weird Florida 0 Business 0 Entertainment has that air of the Deauville or the Eden Roc,but its not exactly like any of them." Q Events Q Deals You can also sign up by telling any of the above keywords to 23539. Of course,viewers will be hardpressed to find the actual building on Collins Avenue.The exterior shots of the You will receive no more than 5 messagestweek per alert list.Message towering,curved 13-story story hotel were virtual creations. and data rates may apply.Text STOP to cancel or text HELP for info. For terms&conditions call 877.571.0774. "It's a 3D model that we created on the computer,"Barbosa said. STORIES EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT For the pool scenes,they used the bottom floor of the Deauville,while the rest of the Miramar Playa's floors were digitally stacked on top. Ashton Kutcher's relationship with "It's an homage,"Bailey said."You can see stylistically that it's reminiscent of the bigger and fancier hotels." , Rihanna makes Demi Moore'sick to her stomach' The cars were real,though,and populate the scenes as much as the characters. Hotel fixer' makes over three SoFla "We used hundreds"of cars,said Bailey,noting they found the vehicles within 100 miles of Miami Beach through establishments collectors,car clubs and private owners. In early episodes,a 1959 convertible Mercedes-Benz and a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette are parked in the circular driveway of the hotel lobby.Another scene shows a 1950s mustard- Brad Meltzer's'ordinary people' yellow Dodge school bus for"Dade County Public Schools"picking up a character's child. The special effects Artist Virginia Erdie enjoying fife as a Robert Thompson,a TV professor at Syracuse University,said the challenge for the show's production designers full-time artist and film crews was capturing 1959 Miami without any reminders of 2012 Miami.That meant having to digitally M, alter the aerial views and exterior shots to wipe out the newer skyscrapers and contemporary signs. Artists give back to Miami Beach Incubator Miami yjgW had the advantage that it was contemporary.It was taking place in the same Miami they were shooting it,"said Thompson,of the 1980s Miami-based police drama that starred Don Johnson. Bailey said editors had to digitally erase modem ships and buoys in the sweeping aerial shots of the ocean. In scenes set in the waterfront-estate of mobster Ben"The Butcher"Diamond,crews had to digitally blot out the modern high-rises in the background along the Intracoastal.Hotels on Ocean Drive built post-1959 were also erased in post-production. Copyright©2012,South Florida Sun-Sentinel At trr w or'4 1 2 next I single page Check out the 50 Most Beautiful Female Celebrities.Who do you think is number one? ® 4 Comments o 0 Tweet 11 I Recommend 89 o Previous Story More South Florida Entertainment: Next Story Lauderdale restaurants, movies, concerts,things to do,theater, entertainment news http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/fl-magic-city-1959-miami-20120331,0,2912265.story Page 2 of 3