Glaze Forward

The Bay Area is in the midst of celebrating Latino films and filmmakers during the annual San Francisco Latino Film Festival , which runs through September 26th. Sponsored by Cine+Mas SF, the event brings together emerging and established filmmakers from the US, Latin American, Spain and Portugal — a total of more than 20 individual companies that share a common bond of language and culture.

Highlights of the 2010 Festival included the Mexico-in-Film Sidebar on September 17th. In honor of 200 years of Independence and 100 years since the Revolution, the festival screened two iconic Mexican Films, Dona Barbara and Distinto Amanecer (Distinct Dawn). Thursday, September 23rd is scheduled as Brazilian Night at the Tech Museum, featuring a reception, musical performance and a screening of Lula, Son of Brazil. Throughout the Festival there were a number of After Parties & Socials at area bars. Several bars and restaurants are offering discount pricing with festival ticket stubs.

Cine+Mas SF offers special events and year-round programming to promote and recognize Latino arts, including film, performance, literary and visual arts.

If you missed this year’s event, you’ll want to mark your calendar for next year and book a room at one of the top san francisco hotels for 2011.

One of the first things you have to decide once you’ve chosen a vacation destination is where to stay. Unless you’ve visiting family or close friends, you’re most likely going to have to search for a hotel.

In Miami, Florida there are literally hundreds of hotels, suites, and motels to choose from. The city is known for two types of lodgings: the upscale high rise hotels that draw celebrities and the rich and famous and a wide range of boutique hotels. Some of the most beautiful Miami hotels date back to the city’s Art Deco period. Other boutique hotels are of more recent vintage and designed by the likes of Todd Oldham, Andre Balazs and Ian Schrager. If you can’t afford the pricier high rises and want more space than the older boutiques offer, there are plenty of the regular chain hotels that you’ll find all over the world. These chains are built on the comfort that comes from familiarity. Hilton, Sheraton, Hyatt, and Marriott hotels are pretty much the same no matter what city they are in — and there are many budget hotel and motel chains to choose from as well.

Miami has a hospitality tax that adds 12.5% to the room cost and some of the hotels also include a 15% service charge. In some cases that charge will be waived if you’ve booked through the hotel itself. Some travel agents and online booking sites can also book rooms without the service fee. Be sure to read the fine print or check with the hotel directly. Parking can be an issue in the city as well, so make sure you check on whether there is paid parking, valet or garage parking if you plan to have a vehicle during your stay.

The heart of the Montreal performing arts community is the Place des Arts , in the eastern part of downtown now known as the Quartier des spectacles. The original complex was inaugurated in September 1963, with other theatres being added over the years. With the addition, in 1992, of the Musee d’art contemporain de Montreal, the complex became the undisputed center for art in Montreal.

Residents as well as visitors to any hotel in Montreal , should attend a performance at least once at one of the five theatres contained in the complex. The Salle Wilfrid Pelletier was one of the original buildings. Later additions include the Theatre Maisonneuve, the Theatre Jean-Duceppe, the Studio-theatre, and the Cinquieme salle. A new concert hall is set to be completed in 2011 to house the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. It is designed to hold and audience of approximately 1900.

The Place des Arts is home not only to the Symphony, but also the I Musici de Montreal chamber orchestra and the Orchestre Metropolitain du Grand Montreal. Other companies housed in the complex include Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and the Opera de Montreal .

In addition to the contemporary art found in the Musee d’art Contemporain, the Place des Arts includes rehearsal halls, shops, and an esplanade with water cascades and fountains. The esplanade is a chief site for the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal every summer.

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the US Open tennis 2010 championship. Her agent and the World Tennis Association (WTA) have confirmed that the top-ranked tennis player has not fully recovered from her foot injury she sustained after playing at Wimbledon. The foot injury was a non-tennis related accident, she needed stitches after apparently stepping on broken glass at a restaurant.

Serena is a 3-time champion at the US Tennis Open . She lost last year to Kim Clijsters when Williams berated a line judge at the end of her match when a foot fault was called against her.

Now, leading the women’s US Tennis Open field is Kim Clijsters , who claimed her 3rd title of the year at the Cincinnati tennis tournament, making her the leader for the 2010 tennis season. After beating Serena in last year’s US Open Tennis, Kim triumphed in Brisbane and later in Miami, where she pounced arch rival Venus Williams.

Venus Williams is next in line for the title run only after Caroline Wozniacki who justified by defending her title in Ponte Vedra Beach and finished Wimbledon and the French Open. Wozniacki hit the target in Montreal last month when she claimed her biggest title after impressive wins over top Russians Zvonareva and Kuznetsova.

With 3 top-ranking women’s tennis players vying for the Grand Slam trophy at the US Open Tennis will not only makes it anyone’s game, but will most likely be one of the best tennis to watch in 2010.