Evolution of the Miami Weather Forecast

A typical South Florida summer forecast includes dark skies, vibrant dresses and a morning deluge of WSVN-7 meteorologist Vivian Gonzalez (@VivianGonzalez7).

There’s loads of airtime too for (WPLG-Ch. 10) Julie Durda, (WFOR-Ch. 4) Lissette Gonzalez, (WTVJ-Ch.6) Jennifer Gray, (WSCV-Ch. 51) Denise Isaac (WLTV23) Paola Elorza and (WLTV-Ch.23) Carolina Ramirez and (WPLG-Ch.10) Betty Davis on weekends for viewers – especially men between the ages of 25 and 54.

They take their coffee with a local weather report as South Florida television stations aim to drive morning ratings with a trend that has flooded the market: female meteorologists.

You’ve probably seen them smiling back at you from the side of a bus, a highway billboard, a television ad or social media page even before any of them are up at 2:30 a.m. to compile computer graphics, style their hair and land on your TV set.

“There’s a trick to the madness,” Vivian says in between chuckles over the phone. She’s one of six women delivering 36 live weather updates during an eight-hour, dawn-to-noon block each weekday and an integral member of an all-female anchor team.

Whatever the trick of the importance of the morning slot – the second largest revenue-generator for a TV station and growth area for viewership – station execs are pouring money into the exposure of their morning talent. The personable Gonzalez fits the mold as tightly as the dresses she routinely wears on ‘Today in Florida’.

“I have my own my secret formula,” adds Vivian, a former intern turned full-timer who replaced Durda in November of 2012.

As a Miami-born, Mississippi State broadcast meteorology alum, Lissette Gonzalez (@LissetteCBS4) has in a short time etched out a profile gig in the country’s 16th largest market.

By quickly establishing herself into the conscious of viewers, she’s also becoming a popular and sought-out commodity within the community, routinely taking part in charitable events — a lethal 1-2-3 combination for any station looking to brand an on-air talent.

And while female viewership is strong in the morning, there are plenty of male eyeballs tuning in to catch a glimpse of the physically attractive women delivering the weather. Though women in television is nothing new, few had originally sought out a career in meteorology, as is the case with an eight-year vet like Lissette, an ex-Miss Florida turned off-Broadway singer and University of Miami journalism graduate.

Aside from figuring prominently in the station’s morning newscast and doing countless radio weather updates, Lissette has also reached celebrity status around town – that was her working the runway during a Susan B. Koman charity event. She also routinely sings the national anthem at events across South Florida, including Kiss Country’s Chili Cookoff, Dolphins games, and Heat games.

She refutes any suggestions that she is known more for her physical attributes than her ability to construct forecasts.

“I can tell you I’ve worked really hard…I’m in this studio early, I prepare my own computer graphics and do my own research,” Lissette says. “It’s incredibly flattering to be recognized in public, especially in a place I grew up in and love, but I am a meteorologist first and foremost.”

She recounts the impact left on her as a teenager seeing former WTVJ meteorologist Bryan Norcross lead worried viewers through the night during Hurricane Andrew. “Bryan is a role model for many of us,” Lissette says, although her arrival at WFOR4 wasn’t until 2005, 13 years after the 1992 hurricane. “I wouldn’t be in this position.”

Still, not a day goes by without Vivian taking to Facebook to post a weather update before appeasing her Twitter followers — and ‘lending’ boutique — with a picture exposing her wardrobe; all of which have become must-see amongst her male contingent, whether it’s a neck strap or zippered-dress.


Julie Durda, a former 49ers cheerleader with an ample collection of bikini shots on the web for your viewing pleasure, does much of the same and continues to be heavily marketed since joining the morning team at WPLG10 in March.

“I have the support of great friends around town that trust what I do and believe in me,” Vivian says. “It’s great to be recognized a lot, but my main responsibility is as meteorologist at WSVN.” She also dials up WQAM each Friday for ‘Club Viv’, a five-minute segment where she tackles the weather among other things with Joe Rose.

But this clearly isn’t your mother’s cup of tea.

The influx of women taking hold of the local morning newscast has increased – thanks in part to the number of female forecasters nationwide going from 19 percent in 1999 to 22 percent in 2010. Respected broadcast meteorology programs live at Florida State and Mississippi State. Also, a large part of the viewership is female. Producers also know male viewers – some looking for the attractive anchor – will tune in.

“It’s not a surprise; all of these women represent big dollars,” says a former Spanish-language TV producer. “Stations all over the country realize the more attractive women you put on there, the more it’s going to help ratings, especially in the morning.”

The producer noted the increase in the amount of women pursuing a meteorology career as broadcast meteorology programs around the country have evolved — Isaac is an FSU graduate — and females have taken to studying atmospheric sciences. Mississippi State’s broadcast meteorology program experienced a 54 percent spike from 1993 to 2010 in the number of its female graduates, according to the Radio Television Digital Association.

Vivian contends – and Lissette supports – that most stations, including the one she’s employed by, are sold if you can master the presentation of forecast maps and monitors in a way that relates exceptionally well with your audience, no matter the gender.

“You need to connect with the viewer because you’re telling a story and how it’s going to impact them throughout the day,” Vivian says. “I feel I have that connection with the audience.”

But while being comfortable in her own skin, Vivian has also mastered the study of scientific atmospheres in addition to all the other technical elements required to succeed as a meteorologist. In addition to a degree, she has passed several evaluations testing her communication skills and technical forecasting capabilities.

“It’s not just about the way I look,” she says. “I don’t think I would be here if I didn’t prove my knowledge along the way.”

Fernie Ruano Jr. (@wordbyfernie) was looking for his umbrella when Doug Flutie threw that pass (you know the one), was in the upper deck with a high school flame during Game 6 of the 1997 World Series and still has a Farah Fawcett poster somewhere. He has never used PEDs.

27

For Miami Women, It’s in the Cup

Anna Marie Rodriguez can barely toss a Nerf on the beach, but the 28-year-old third-grade teacher packs the self-confidence of an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback.

“I would be down and so mad; I couldn’t fill anything,” Rodriguez says, giggling over wings and beer during a recent midday lunch in Aventura. “But look at me now, I’m like reborn. This is by far the best money I’ve ever spent.”

Passer-by after passer-by set their eyes on the corner stool of an outdoor table. The adequately proportioned and petite Rodriguez paid $4000 last summer for a breast augmentation that took her cup size from 32B to 34C. Sitting with friends and unabashedly exposed – though not difficult to see – she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“I don’t get cold feet anymore when I go to the mall,” said Rodriguez, who spent $500 on new bras – yes, she wears them occasionally – days after her surgery. “My [breasts] fit in anything.”

While her revelation isn’t cut for Disney, Rodriguez now fits firmly into a trend that would make any friendly bear want to cuddle: America’s rising average bra size.

Lingerie retailer Intimacy recently conducted a survey concluding the average bra size in the U.S. has risen from a more-than-plenty 34B in 1993 to a mouth-watering 36DD in 2013, while pointing to more bra sizes available for purchase and breast augmentation surgeries from coast-to-coast as key elements for the overall increase.

But while both factors go hand-in-hand, there’s a bit more to chew on for the recent spike.

‘In the male world boobs are huge,” Rodriguez says. “If I or any of the women in here were walking around with small breasts, there would be no reason to go and buy bras for one and two; we wouldn’t be getting too much attention.”

“I mean, take a look around you. How many women do you see with small [breasts]? So, bigger breasts obviously means more bra sizes… I don’t know a guy who doesn’t like bigger over smaller. ”

Ricardo Santo echoes Rodriguez’s sentiments, although he paid a steep price for it and has nothing to show other than occasionally being reminded there’s a 30-ish single mom walking Miami Beach with a new and improved bra size – thanks to him.

Two years ago, Santo, a West Palm Beach bartender, jetted to Colombia for a breast augmentation that left him $3,100 short, but instilled his girlfriend with the joy of going from a 32B to 34C. She piled up on plunging bikini tops and t-shirts. He was in heaven.

“They were absolutely perfect: perky and really firm. She could be wearing anything,” said Santo, who walked away from the two-year relationship because she wouldn’t commit to marriage. “I could barely take my eyes off her in public.”

Santo hears it from his friends – especially when they’re sitting around having drinks – but he would be open to doing the same thing if the opportunity presented itself again.

“I just love them,” said Santo. “I am a big [breasts] guy.”

But ironically, Rodriguez and Santo, though they’ve never met and were interviewed separately in venues with diverse demographics, share a common bond that readily exists, according to 26-year-old freelancer graphic designer Cindy Hutchins.

“After I got mine done — and to this day — it’s like wow, they look amazing,” Hutchins said. “I never got that from women before and my guess is they didn’t want to say anything when the subject would come up because they knew I wasn’t happy.”

Hutchins sports a 36D cup after having surgery in 2010.

“And my husband still talks about them when three years ago it was the last place on my body he would even touch.”

Law student and part-time trainer Melanie Gianfranco, 21, made it through high school and two years of college without giving her ‘normal-sized’ breasts much thought other than when in the middle of a session of girl talk.

“I was cool with what I had,” Gianfranco said. “My friends would be like, I feel great and whatever but I was fine.”

A former 32C, Gianfranco now sports a busty 34C bra size after undergoing breast surgery last summer.

“My boyfriend plays minor league (baseball) and when I started traveling with him I would see all these beautiful girls with great [breasts],” said Gianfranco. “It was kind of intimidating and more in that environment.”

A Miami cosmetic surgeon concurs that besides elevating the physical state of most women, it improves the emotional well-being of both genders – especially those in relationships.

“It’s a given that the woman is staring at herself a few more seconds in the mirror and probably can’t wait to put on the tank top or whatever,” said the Aventura-based surgeon.

“But it gives men a boost of confidence. Tell me, you’re not walking around feeling great knowing your wife is not wearing a bra, in a tight shirt and will be home when you get there? I don’t know anybody that wouldn’t. ”

Well doctor, meet Denise Colon.

It wasn’t long ago the 38-year-old Puerto Rican masseuse couldn’t get enough of her string bikini, kept a supply of fitted, Heat t-shirts in her drawer, and always slipped into strapless dresses on ‘date nights’.

“I loved them,” said Colon, a perky 34C after plunking down $3,300 in 2007. “I mean I thought I had the perfect [breasts].”

The feeling was mutual from her girlfriends to her ex-husband who constantly showered praise all over her chest, but Colon, who keeps a steady workout routine, started experiencing back pains that have gradually increased throughout the summer and derailed her ability to move around, even altering her sleeping habits.

“I’ve been checked out three times and there’s nothing wrong with me,” Colon said. “I just wouldn’t have had them done if I could do it all over again.”

Rodriguez feels some sympathy for Colon, but she wouldn’t change a thing.

“I would be the same miserable Anna Marie without them,” Rodriguez said. “I would definitely do it again if I had too, no question about it.”

Fernando Ruano Jr. (@wordbyfernie)

 

Miami International Film Festival Embraces Family-Friendly Films

By Fernie Ruano Jr.
Entering its 30^th year, the Miami International Film Festival, the annual piñata of Spanish and Latin American productions — long-established for satisfying the taste of all cinema enthusiasts – is rolling out the red carpet for the entire family and promises something for everyone, whether your child is still fumbling with Lego bricks, buried in The Diaries of Wimpy Kid or immersed in American Idol.

3D-animated adventure comedy The Croods

Intent on delivering an interactive, family-friendly festival for kids of all ages, festival organizers have revved up efforts on opening weekend so you don’t leave anybody behind when pulling out of the driveway.
“I want to open the door to all kids and give them an opportunity to come away with a deeper appreciation for everything that goes into the film industry and making a film,” said Jaie Laplante, executive director of the Miami International Film Festival.
And judging by this year’s kids series, which kicks off with The Croods, a 3D-animated trip back into the Stone Age, and The Boy Who Smells Like Fish, about a young boy’s search for a normal life while battling a medical condition, Laplante isn’t kidding.
Judd Ehrlich’s Magic Camp, a documentary shadowing the footsteps of trick-obsessed kids competing for a prestigious award, will also screen around scheduled Q&A sessions with filmmakers.
Star-studded The Croods explores family dynamics
At the forefront is Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders’ (Disneytoon, Lilo & Stitch) star-studded, adventure-comedy ‘The Croods’ (1:30 p.m., March 2, Regal South Beach Cinemas), a 90-minute prehistoric tale that follows a caveman family’s epic journey of modernization and a new home (after their roof caves in, literally).

Belt, Guy and Eep in The Croods

Their discovery of the future and the concept of tomorrow (think The Flintstones meet The Simpsons) accelerates after a happening involving brainy and creative Guy, a wandering hunter-gatherer (Ryan Reynolds) who opens their eyes and aids their transition into modern age, not to mention keeps their pants up the help of his pet sloth, Belt. Along the way, the family is blindsided by generational clashes and unforeseen transitions, altering their outlook on life for forever.
While teasing an emotionally-charged complexity between parent and child in its trailer, much like Brave and Finding Nemo in recent years, The Croods appears to key in on the entire family dynamic, namely the all-conservative father (an-odd sounding Nicholas Cage) and rebellious daughter (a curvy and loud Emma Stone). Meanwhile, De Micco and Sanders attempt at all cost to retain the caveman’s way of thinking for the sake of comic relief, if not to keep the audience engaged even if the character designs of the animated-cave people look a bit out of focus.
But a colorful backdrop and scenery to go with Stone’s voice should make for a fun and adventurous transition from rocks to modernization.
Self-Esteem Themes in The Boy Who Smells Like Fish
Although centered on Mica (Douglas Smith), abandoned and stricken with a metabolic disease, the drama-laden The Boy Who Smells Like Fish ( 6:15 p.m., March 2, Olympia Theatre) leans on the power of perseverance and relationships while gingerly crossing paths between gender and age, all the while tugging at the heart.

Zoë Isabella Kravitz in The Boy Who Smells Like Fish

Directors Analeine Cal and Mayor play with the notion that dealing with his own self-esteem is the key to putting a young boy’s condition in the rear-view mirror and moving on with his life, but nothing comes easy.
With his father a non-presence since birth and his mother (Ariadna Gil) hardly around, the funky-smelling teenager (his doctors can’t seem to detect why the disease makes him reek of fish) spends most of his time guiding tours at a museum dedicated to Mexican crooner Guillermo Garibai and struggles to make friends despite the delicate care provided by his therapist (Carrie- Anne Moss).
Hardly anybody talks to him as he marches on with what would seemingly continue to be a bland and meaningless life – until he comes to face-to-face with the kind-hearted Laura, played by Zoe Kravitz, the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet.
Magic Camp holds perseverance message for everyone
There’s a trick for everybody to appreciate in Ehrlich’s Magic Camp (1:30 p.m., March 3, Regal South Beach Cinema) as magic-consumed kids gather at Tannon’s, the most prestigious camp in the world, to deal with the pressures of having to grow up, all the while trying to etch their names on the same stage that once hosted renowned magicians Dave Copperfield and Dave Blaine.
But more than just mastering what’s behind making a card disappear, Ehrlich beautifully illustrates the picture of perseverance as the campers grow with age. “I have kids of my own and we live in such a fast environment that we forget to educate them on the most important of core values,” said Laplante. “There’s a message in these films for everyone.”

Scene from the documentary Magic Camp

“We are 100% committed to making sure Miami families are aware that the Miami International Film Festival welcomes them with open arms,” he said.
A $6 discount ticket code (FamilyMIFF) for Hispanicize, Latina Mom bloggers and Being Latino readers is available through phone and online advance orders.
Regular price is $12 for adults and $7 for kids under 16/students with ID. Seniors price is $11 and all Miami Dade College students (with ID) are admitted free of admission. Tickets can be purchased at (305)-405- MIFF (6433) or www.miamifilmfestival.com.
General inquiries can be made at (305)-237-FILM (3456) or info@miamifilmfestival.com.