Scene in the Tropics

Alex Rodriguez sells Miami Beach manse to a mystery Palm Beach celeb for $30M

TMZ reports that ARod has left the building--that is, his 9 bedroom, 11 bathroom Miami Beach manse, which he just sold for $30 million. Though the Yankee slugger took an $8 million pay cut in the price of the home, originally listed at $38 mil, he bought it in 2010 for $7.4 million, raking in a pretty impressive profit nonetheless. The buyer, TMZ says, is a Palm Beach celeb. Rush Limbaugh? Rod Stewart? G-d forbid Donald Trump?  No one knows--yet. Says our real estate mole, "It's a couple from Palm Beach." The home is not so far from Matt Damon's, which is currently on the market for the bargain basement price of $20 million. True high rollers, however, may want to consider the Versace mansion, which just dropped its asking price today from $100 million to $75 million.

Caption this: Mitt Romney orders a veggie burger and spends $52.72 (plus tip) at BurgerFi in Delray Beach

On Sunday night, Mitt Romney, wife Ann, one of their 18 sons (Craig), his wife and two kids, had dinner at Delray Beach's popular, upscale fast food chain BurgerFi, which stands for a non-word that perhaps Romney himself would utter in a debate: Burgerfication. While there, Romney ordered a VegeFi Burger Green Style made of quinoa and wrapped in lettuce. The Republican presidential candiate was staying across the street at the Delray Beach Marriott. For those who care about these things, here's Romney's entire order:

• 1 VegeFi Burger
• 2 Single Cheeseburger
• 1 Single Burger
• 1 VegeFi Burger Green Style
• 1 Cheeseburger
• 1 Regular Fries
• 1 Hand Spun Malt Shake
• 1 Hand Spun Shake
• 2 Dasani

Total: $52.72. He paid. And he left a tip.

Judge denies accused fetal murderer Joshua Woodward bail discount, deems him flight risk

Although accused fetal murderer and former Miami restaurateur Joshua Woodward was unable to get a discount on his bail because the judge deemed him a flight risk, he did post bond (typically 10%) on the $4 million needed to get him out--for now. Prosecutors claim he pulled a Casey Anthony, searching the internet for sinister ways to end his girlfriend's pregnancy. His attorneys cry BS. Woodward, often seen lounging at Miami Beach's members only Soho Beach House, was most recently seen in a blue prison jumpsuit before the bond was posted. No word on his whereabouts or those of Ocean Drive editor and newlywed Suzy Buckley, who, despite ending her relationship with Woodward after his first arrest back in 2009, ended up marrying him legally in Miami in August 2012.

Click here for coverage of Woodward's 2009 arrest and more

Say it isn't so! #RHOM adds a few viewers on veep debate night!

Blame it on the train wreck effect, the Bravo bait and switch which duped viewers into watching straight off a preview of the brutal, blistery part deux of the reunion of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, or perhaps just general disinterest in the vice presidential debate (which had way more interesting drama and faces that actually were able to show expression--holla, Joe Biden!), but last night's 9 p.m. showing of The Real Housewives of Miami had 870,000 viewers--abysmal still, yes, but up from last week's even more abysmal 847,000. We weren't even going to post about the plummeting viewership anymore, but the addition of 23,000 viewers was worthy of a few words. Again, for perspective, the veep debate attracted approximately 51.4 million people who care about the future of this country or just wanted to see if VP Biden would do anything offensive (he did), while Project Runway, also on at 9, had 1.9 million people watching.

Ex-hubby of #RHOM's Alexia Echevarria arrested again in Miami

The ex-husband of erstwhile Real Housewives of Miami cast member Alexia Echevarria was arrested on September 13 in Miami Dade County for probation violation, according to JailBase.com. Pedro Luis Rosello was convicted of cocaine smuggling in 1992 and sentenced to 24 years in federal prison, but released after serving just four and a half years. He was arrested again in 2007 for sexual battery on a minor and sentenced to 12 years on the recently violated probation. Rosello is the father of Echevarria's son Peter, who is being investigated by Miami Beach police for punching a homeless man in the groin and then posting the video on his Facebook page. Reality TV exposure has not been kind to Echevarria, who has spent the past year focusing on the recovery of her younger son Frankie (also Rosello's), who suffered devastating injuries after a 2011 car accident.

Hulk Hogan films viral video for LIV nightclub hours before sex tape 'leak'

 

Whereas credible celebs go on promotional tours for their upcoming releases, the boldfacers clinging to the lower rungs on the fame ladder just release their own sex tapes and then futilely feign shock. Such may or may not be the case with Hulk Hogan, whose gross, grainy, grunty video was leaked this past week, ironically (or not so) on the same day that he filmed this not nearly as gross, grainy or grunty promotional video for Miami Beach's flashy LIV nightclub featuring Madonna's favorite DJ, Cedric Gervais.

The video, part of a series of spoofy SportsCenteresque spots which have previously starred the likes of Lil' Jon and Laidback Luke, among others, was shot by 5th & Ocean Productions, the same company that owns the nightlife channel known as A3 Network, and co-created by LIV's David Grutman. It also stars Hogan's son, Nick, who apparently now lives somewhere on Brickell Ave.

"The timing was a total coincidence," says the video's producer/director Buster Cox, who says the sex tape was leaked a few hours after the LIV shoot wrapped. When it comes to D-list celebs and sex tapes, there are no coincidences.

120,000 more viewers say adios to The Real Housewives of Miami

Looks like The Real Housewives of Miami audience is shrinking faster than the post partum waistline of a bona fide Hollywood celebrity. Last night's 9 p.m. numbers were a dismal 847,000, dropping a whopping 120,000 viewers from the previous week's 967,000. This, despite the TMZification of some of the cast members (see: Joanna "I'm Not a Hooker" Krupa and Alexia Echevarria's son's heinous, criminal behavior), which failed to lure in viewers. Unlike previous weeks in which Bravo tries to catch a later crowd, there was no prime time repeat last night.

Those numbers are, again, worse than the lowest rated episode of the DC edition of the Bravo franchise (1.1 million), which was eventually canceled. Though no one offical is saying anything about cutting Miami from the network, some are saying that it looks to be inevitable. Again, for perspective, a very dubious perspective at that, Jersey Shore's season premiere last night had over 4.6 million drunk people tuning in. The horror.