Scene in the Tropics

Lil Wayne didn't "propose" at Barton G. The Restaurant, but there was a huge yellow diamond involved

While the internet was erroneously (?) abuzz with the news that rapper, Lil Wayne was off the, er,  eligible list, allegedly  popping the question to his girlfriend Dhea, which he later recanted, saying he meant he asked her to be his Valentine (groan), it should be noted that whatever it was, it happened at  Barton G. The Restaurant. Over the top it was not, but pure and simple and sweet are the reports, no champagne on bended knee, just Lil Wayne toasting his Valentine with his usual non-alcoholic Courtney Spritzer cocktail made with cranberry juice, Sprite and a strawberry. Lobster Pop Tarts and Coconut Crusted Voodoo Shrimp launched their V-Day dinner followed by some Good Ol' Southern Fried Chicken and Tango Time Skirt Steak. Chef Arthur Jones topped it off with a special a la mode dessert with a huge yellow diamond perched atop a mound of ice cream. All this romantic whimsy and a yellow diamond for a Hallmark holiday? We think not. Did someone have a change of heart or are they just playing into the, to use a Lil Wayne song here, Gossip?

Steaking out A-Rod and Cameron Diaz at Prime 112

Contrary to those erroneous rumors that had Alex Rodriguez "flirting" with the gummy bear loving Real Housewives of NYC's  Kelly Bensimon during an Art Basel party at Wall (a rumor some say Bensimon planted herself), and contrary to all those rumors that have the NY Yankee shacking up with pretty much every blond he shares the free air with, it seems that A-Rod only has eyes for Cameron Diaz--at least this week. In town as Rod's plus one at his teammate Nick Swisher's wedding at the Breakers, Diaz made sure gawkers saw she was Rodriguez's date for the weekend as the couple sauntered into a packed Prime 112 Friday night, taking a table in the back room near Gloria and Emilio Estefan, at a huge table celebrating shoe designer Donald Pliner's birthday. Though their backs were to the crowd, our source tells us that Diaz "was beaming from the time she walked in to the time she walked out." Cam-Rod's public outing was hardly their first, but when any couple wants major exposure, they don't call their publicists, they simply hit Prime 112, where privacy is as rare as your steak.

Miami to get Real---as in Housewives? Perhaps.

 
Seems that the Godzilla or Friday the 13th of TV, Bravo's wildly popular Real Housewives franchise, may have, indeed, invaded Miami in the guise of the tentatively titled "Miami Social Club." Despite rumors that one of the cast member's husbands may have objected to his wife appearing in such scandalous tubeage, our behind-the-camera mole tells us that an "official" Real Housewives promo---you know, the one where the ladies are either fondling an orange, a peach, or something to represent their geographical location (in Miami's case, a bag of cocaine or saline implants wouldn't be such a bad thing since an orange was already taken)---was recently filmed with all the gals in tow.

We contacted our official Bravo mouthpiece who was cagey, telling us that since no air date has been secured, the show sort of remains nameless. But it all sounds like it's pointing to that splashy, trashy, trainwrecky drama-fest many of us, ahem, have grown to love. But first we have to endure what may be the worst of the franchise--Real Housewives of DC--and then the yet to be determined Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, before we get to our own. That's a lot of time to make it good. And by good we mean bad. Like Teresa Guidice and Danielle Staub bad. We can hardly wait.

Strange bedfellows or bad gossip: Tracy Young and Kim Zolciak?

Someone was either really desperate for a story Saturday night at the gala hosted by Roy and Lea Black or stranger things have happened as reports swirl that former Miami DJ Tracy Young and Real Housewives of Atlanta's Elaine Lancaster Doppelganger Kim Zolciak are an item. As in dating. The openly gay Young became friends with Zolciak on Twitter where the two made plans for Young to remix Zolciak's, uh, song "Tardy for the Party." As for the party at the Fontainebleau Saturday, Young was spinning and Zolciak was one of the so-called celebrity guests. Until now, the only rumors swirling around the alleged Atlanta housewife's love life involved a married man named Big Poppa. We contacted Young for comment, but we don't blame her if she just ignores the question. In the meantime, we did speak with a credible source who tells us that when Young was in town for the Super Bowl, Zolciak flew in from Atlanta and stayed with her. "Yes, they are suppsedly sleeping together, but everyone knows that Kim is just using Tracy for many things--among them, remixing that horrible song into something tolerable. Kim is a classic, 'What can you for me?', 'What can I get out of you?' kind of girl. The kind of blond bimbo that gives all other self respecting blond bimbos a bad name."

Jersey Shore creeping closer to South Beach & some other reality show rumors

 

Tanning salons, laundromats, Wet Willies and Mango's shouldn't get too excited over the rumors that Jersey Shore's second season on South Beach is a done deal---yet. Despite reported rumors that a house near Lincoln Road is being renovated for the inexplicably popular MTV reality smash, we can 100 % squash that one and tell you that said house is being all pimped out possibly for  HGTV's Color Splash instead. In fact we hear the show's comely host David Bromstad has moved here for it. That said, we do know locations are being scouted close to or on Ocean Drive for Jersey's most controversial gang since The Sopranos. In fact, some of the show's scouts were seen sniffing around The Clevelander recently. As much as some tourism officials may not want to admit it, Ocean Drive screams Jersey Shore. A better location may not exist for them down here, really. Think The Birdcage meets Saturday Night Fever with a bit of Night at the Roxbury thrown in and, if they continue to fry their faces in the tanning beds, Scarface, too. Says our uber inside source, the chances of the show being filmed here are "Looking solid, but not one hundred percent." 

And based on the amount of fist pumping going on at STK Miami last night when Shore-mates The Situation and Pauly D. showed up, we have a feeling South Beach, despite some protests like those made by Mynt owner Romain Zago, who refused to allow Shore scouts to film inside his club, will embrace them with open fists. According to our sources, The Sitch and Pauly "snapped pictures with every female that approached them." And, scarily, there were a lot. While Pauly stuck with water, The Sitch guzzled Grey Goose and Red Bull. The duo was overheard yapping about how much fun they had in Florida, and "how beautiful the tan ladies are." What, you expected Kafka?

Meanwhile there's an even bigger South Beach connection to Jersey Shore and that's the person responsible for Snooki, The Situation and co. None other than former crobar doorman Doron Ofir, now a hugely successful reality show casting agent, was responsible for that original-in-more-ways-than-one cast. He sure knows how to pick 'em and, if they do come down here, we guess everything really does come full circle, though he probably would never have let 'em into crobar way back when. Only now will those velvet ropes part like the Red Sea for them. Except at Mynt, of course.

In other news, although its inaugural season was not even one percent watchable, Miami Social, we hear, is not entirely dead in our waters, but if Bravo were to ever consider breathing life back into that mess, it will be with a completely new cast.  Also rumored: more Hogans in Miami, another E! reality show, and, of course, Kardashians, because Miami without them is like Miami without sand and palm trees. Stay tuned for more developments as we get them.

Who dat? Why, that's Brangelina, that's who!

 
Photo/Mike Jachles via Page2Live

Women all over South Florida were dejected to discover that Brad Pitt didn't fly solo to the Super Bowl but with none other than (un)common law wife Angelina Jolie and son Maddox. At last, a game changer in the tiresome list of mediocre celebs all week/end! The best was saved for last, clearly. We had a feeling Pitt would be here, but not entirely sure about Jolie considering the recent rumors of an on-the-verge-of-ending relationship. Eclipsed by the Brangelina star, but still A minus list themselves: Demi Moore and hubby Ashton Kutcher, just off his 32nd birthday night hosting gig at SNL. Props to our former Star colleague, Palm Beach Post gossip columnist  Jose Lambiet, who got the scoop (and picture) of the Bowl, reporting how the couple held hands the entire time. Our own celebrity-stalking-as-sports correspondent affirms that, saying "They looked very much still in love. Or at least they were playing it up for the crowds." Jolie, after all, does have an Oscar, and Pitt was nominated for a few. But, nah. Looks like Brangelina is totally solid and looks like the ladies of the night tonight are just going to have to go after Wilmer Valderrama instead. We hear he's available.

This just in: We can also report exclusively that the happy family supped together at low key South Beach restaurant Joe Allen Saturday night, where, according to our source, they were just like a normal family--except for "that ugly beard."

The real deal on alleged Miami "housewives" show

Here we go again. We've been inundated with emails asking us what the deal is with a recent casting for a show based on the wildly successful Bravo franchise of the Real Housewives. We squashed the rumor of a supposed Real Housewives of Miami show back in June after a similar casting that allegedly involved some high profile Miami women. Anyway, we once again spoke with our pals at Bravo who tell us that while "production companies are always getting in contact with us about new cities for the franchise," it seems that these castings are based entirely on spec and there has been absolutely no commitment made by the network to green-lighting a Real Housewives of Miami. After their previous foray into our fair city, we can understand their hesitation. So far, at least on TV, Miami, for better or for worse, is no Jersey Shore.