Miami startup that turns text to video receives $1 million in seed funding

Guide, a new technology startup based in Miami, announced Tuesday it has closed a $1 million round of seed investment from investors including Knight Foundation, Sapient Corp., MTV founder Bob Pitman, actor and producer Omar Epps, and early Google employee Steve Schimmel. Knight is supporting Guide through its new early-stage venture fund, the Knight Enterprise Fund....

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With Scholl donations, Pérez Art Museum’s collection grows by hundreds

It was love at first sight for Debra and Dennis Scholl and the giant pair of birdhouses-as-art.The longtime Miami art collectors saw the 400-square-foot piece by Simon Starling in a New York gallery, complete with two live finches, and reacted this way: “We know we can’t live with this,” Dennis Scholl recalled. “But we can’t live without it.”Now, nearly 10 years later, the...

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Nancy O'Dell Makes Oscar Nominee and Les Miserables Star Hugh Jackman Blush

Hugh Jackman has been known to induce swooning at the removal of his shirt, but the Oscar nominee tells our Nancy O'Dell that he's far from runway ready, even blushing at the mere suggestion.PICS: Hot Looks of the Oscar Luncheon Nancy caught up with the Les Miserables star after the Motion Picture Academy's Nominees Luncheon, where he named Tom Ford as the designer he'll be wearing on the Oscars red...

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Schumer: Give us ‘Liberty’!

WASHINGTON — Sen. Charles Schumer demanded yesterday that the Interior Department provide a date for when the Statue of Liberty will reopen after the site sustained damage in Hurricane Sandy.“The Statue of Liberty is still shuttered more than three months after Sandy . . . New Yorkers need to know that the end is in sight,” Schumer said. “Lady Liberty cannot...

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Skyscanner.com opening Miami office

One of Kayak and Expedia’s international rivals in the online-travel business is opening up a Miami office in a bid to capture a larger share of the North American market.Skyscanner, the No. 1 travel site in Europe, picked Miami to open its first U.S. office, according to a company press release. A spokesman said the company plans to put 10 executives in the Miami office,...

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Super Bowl party turns violent; one dead in Miami Gardens drive-by shooting

One man was killed and two others wounded Sunday night when gunfire erupted outside a Super Bowl party in Miami Gardens.Witnesses told police up to 30 shots rang out when suspects drove by the home on the 2300 block of Northwest 204th Street and opened fire on the victims, who were standing outside home, NBC6 reported. Scores of football fans had gathered at the neighborhood...

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Is it game over for Nintendo?

The Wii U is a bust (so far). And the legendary gaming company’s future is looking increasingly bleakNintendo had no choice but to go all in with the Wii U, the newest in a long line of ostensibly childhood-defining game consoles. Unfortunately, the company also inherited the weighty expectations of the original Wii — which, if you’ll remember, became a surprise hit when it debuted in 2006, or just...

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Warm Bodies Tops Weekend Box Office

Audiences embraced Warm Bodies for its debut, making it the weekend's highest grosser at the box office.RELATED: New on Blu-ray & DVD The zombie rom-com (starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer and John Malkovich) dug up $20 million, beating out Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, which placed second with $9.4 million.Academy Award Best Picture nominee Silver Linings Playbook trailed close behind...

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Highway Patrol: 8 dead in Calif. tour bus crash

APEmergency personnel assist victims at the scene of a bus crash near Forest Falls, Calif. Sunday.YUCAIPA, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol says eight people were killed in a collision involving a tour bus and two other vehicles.CHP Officer Mario Lopez says eight are confirmed dead and many more are injured in the mountain highway crash about 80 miles...

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Bright spots in Latin America despite global economic uncertainty

There are bright spots as Latin American and Caribbean economies begin the year but the uncertain health of the U.S. economy, the lingering financial crisis in Europe and more sluggish growth in China are casting shadows over the region.A decade ago, dim prospects in those major markets would have delivered a knock-out punch in the region, but this year Latin American and...

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