Miami, FL (March 6, 2014) – On Friday, March 21, 2014 at 11:00 am, at Bayside Marketplace, 401 Biscayne Blvd, The Official Miami Walk of Fame, Inc., a Florida Not-for-Profit Corporation dedicated to supporting the arts in Miami, and Bayside Marketplace, with support from the Greater Miami Host Committee, the City of Miami, Miami Downtown Development Authority the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Creative Terrazzo Systems, Inc. and Miami Club Rum to launch the Official Miami Walk of Fame featuring Stars designed by Romero Britto.
The Official Miami Walk of Fame, Inc. will immortalize the entertainment industry's biggest names, many whom are hometown celebrities in entertainment, film, television, theater, sports, music and beyond. Inductees are chosen by a selection committee of industry peers, and honored with an induction ceremony.
The inaugural star-studded public ceremony will take place with the premiere induction of the animated film "RIO 2," as well as the induction of two of its stars - Academy® Award and Grammy® Award-Winner, Jamie Foxx, and Miamian Andy Garcia. The picture also stars Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, will.i.am, Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Rita Moreno, Bruno Mars, and Kristin Chenoweth From Blue Sky Studios and Fox Animation, the film is directed by native Brazilian Carlos Saldanha. The film arrives in theaters everywhere April 11th (Hashtag: #Rio2; official Site: http://www.riomovies.com) RIO 2 celebrates the music and culture of Brazil and is the perfect film for the inaugural star, as Brazilians are Miami's single largest tourist group with almost 700,000 visitors in 2012.
"We are thrilled the Miami Walk of Fame's first honorees are Rio 2 and two of its extraordinarily talented superstars, Miami's own Andy Garcia and honorary resident Jamie Foxx," says William D. Talbert, III, CDME, President & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The exciting cultural vibrancy portrayed in Rio 2 mirrors the welcoming multi-cultural fabric and flavor of Miami, which is a top attraction for our visitors of all ages from around the globe. Brazil is Miami's #1 international market and with Miami International Airport offering more flights to and from more cities in Brazil than any destination in the U.S., we look forward to welcoming even more Brazilian visitors to our vibrant world-class community."
The free, family-friendly public ceremony will celebrate Brazilian culture with a live appearance of the Rio 2 Mascot "Blu". Additionally, the Miami Children's Chorus will be singing the movie's theme song, "What is Love", accompanied by Paulo Gualano's Brazilian and Latin Music Company Samba drummers and dancers. Audiences will also be treated to a display of colorful birds of the Amazon presented by Jungle Island and a proclamation from the Brazilian Consulate will be given to Bayside Marketplace for promoting tourism and business exchange with Brazil.
The Official Miami Walk of Fame, Inc. will launch a new Downtown Miami world-class cultural tourism attraction, along its arts, sports and entertainment corridor on Biscayne Boulevard. It will be located at Bayside Marketplace, which is known as one of South Florida's prime hospitality and tourism destinations and a vital economic growth engine for Miami.
The Official Miami Walk of Fame at Bayside Marketplace will be a "must-see" tourist destination fashioned after the Hollywood Walk of Fame sidewalk established in 1960. It will promote arts and entertainment in greater Miami through development, promotion, and philanthropy. The Official Miami Walk of Fame will also support other local initiatives such as "The Magic City" a branding of The City of Miami, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor's Bureau, and the Miami Downtown Development Authority. Worldwide, Miami is one of the largest production and distribution centers for the film, television, commercial advertising, still photo, music and new media industries. The industry's combined economic impact in the local economy is about two billion dollars annually, with $100 to $150 million coming from more than 1,000 filming location shoots each year. There are approximately 3,000 local companies working in film and entertainment. The official star is designed by Romero Britto, Brazilian Neo-pop artist, painter and sculptor, who has lived in Miami, Florida since 1989 and has completed works for Movado, Disney, Enrico Coveri, Pepsi, the United Nations, BMW and Royal Caribbean Cruises. The stars will be embedded in the sidewalk flagpole entrance of Bayside Marketplace. Each star will be hand-crafted by Creative Terrazzo Systems, Inc. of Miami, FL, the premier Terrazzo flooring company in the region; fabricators of the beautiful new floors at the Miami International Airport.
"I am both proud and honored to welcome the Official Miami Walk of Fame to Bayside Marketplace. We are huge fans of our beautiful City and acknowledge the value of tourism and our entire hospitality ambiance that transcends excitement and entertainment as one of the greatest cities in the world! On behalf of General Growth Properties and Bayside Marketplace we salute this Premiere inauguration, Artist Britto and are thrilled to welcome Rio2 and the star studded cast" – Pamela Weller, Senior General Manager Bayside Marketplace
City of Miami Mayor, Tomas Regalado, will present a City of Miami Ambassador of Art, Entertainment and Culture Award to each inductee as well as Keys to the City. Each inductee will receive a small duplicate of the star and recognition from The Official Miami Walk Of Fame for contributions to the industry in Miami. The Ceremony will be coordinated in cooperation with The Centro Cultural Brazil-USA of Florida (CCBU). Its mission is to disseminate and promote Brazilian culture in South Florida, and maintain the national roots of the Brazilian children who live in the region and culturally enrich the multinational communities of Miami Dade and Broward Counties. The Consul General of Brazil in Miami, Ambassador Hélio Vitor Ramos Filho is CCBU's Honorary President.
Watch LIVE coverage of the Miami Walk of Fame Ceremony on March 21 at www.MiamiWalkofFame.com and www.VarietyLatino.com, the new groundbreaking entertainment news destination for Hispanics created by Univision Communications Inc. and Variety Media LLC.
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The Official Miami Walk of Fame was launched to create a new Downtown Miami tradition. The Walk of Fame is a tribute to all of those honorees who have worked or lived in the Greater Miami Area, for periods of considerable regularity and have contributed to the charm, worldwide prominence and name recognition of Miami, FL. The Walk of Fame is open to the public with No paid admission.
For more information, please contact:
Casandra Blanco – (786) 250-4601
Casandra.Blanco@42west.net
Mayra Atilano – (424) 901-8747
Mayra.Atilano@42west.net
Jazmin Perez – (646) 871-5415
Jazmin.Perez@42west.net
2014 © The Official Miami Walk Of Fame Inc.