Let me begin with this, Kathy Griffin is a tremendously funny lady. What a great show last night. The sold out crowd never paused for a breath while laughing from start to finish! For those of you who are Life on the D-List fans, I got to meet and chat with Tom! Woo!

Now for a little recap of NYC…I don't even know where to begin with my amazing "business" trip to New York City. Let's see, our hotel was on 6th Avenue, which is in the middle of everything! We were in walking distance of Central Park, Times Square, Broadway theatres and of course 5th Avenue (just to name a few). Through the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference which we attended, we had the opportunity to see and experience various showcases and events unlike anything I have ever seen or done.

As Katie reported last week, we were lucky enough to visit Jennifer Muller/ The Works studio to enjoy excerpts from new and old dance pieces. Incredible, this company will take your breath away. The best part of the experience, was knowing they soon would be here on our stage to share their amazing talents with the Florida Theatre. The company will be performing with local Jacksonville dance students from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Jacksonville University as well as FCCJ. It is going to be remarkable to see the collaboration between this innovative company and the local talent. Take the time to experience something you may never have before and check out their performance on February 8th.

Next highlight would have to be the William Morris Agency party on our final night in the city. The entertainment for the evening was none other than blues rock musician, Joe Bonamassa. This virtuoso has graced the Florida Theatre stage before, but never have I seen a concert quite like this. In such a small space, the intimate performance had everyone dancing along. This talented guitarist as well as vocalist has a style all his own. Very crowd friendly, he shared with us how excited he was to have his record, Sloe Gin, represented 1 on the Billboard Blues Charts for 11 weeks in a row. After a few songs Joe stepped down for a break perfect timing for Katie and I to share with him the good news. The Florida Theatre has booked him again on May 2, 2008! Joe was thrilled to be returning to our beautiful theatre. He even promised us he would ride the mechanical bull at Mavericks. Joe- we are holding you to this! This guy is amazing; he will captivate you with his talent and charm. Check him out, www.jbonamassa.com, and on May 2- tickets will go on sale Friday, January 25.

Some quick memories…Rosa Mexicano, Don't Tell Mamma, "You can't dance!", 3 stories of performance booths, informative forums, my run in Central Park, Little Italy, Karen & Michael's Blendomatic, inspiration and passion for what you do all around you, watching the Jags game with just a handful of supporters around us, the luxury of showcases in the hotel, Rockapella, Avenue Q, Jim Breuer @ B.B. Kings, 3 hour delayed flight home….

Keep checking www.floridatheatre.com as well as our Myspace for updates on new shows!

Time to get ready for Roy and Junior!

Until next week….

KRB