Miami

From a photog who normally shoots Fla wildlife, CE captured the secret life of some fine, normally-tanktopped womenfolk backstage at the recent Miss Hooters International Swimwear Pageant in Ft. Lauderdale, snapping photos and covering crucial topics from camera ISO to butt glue. Click on any pic and you'll go to a Flickr page with lots more shots, or scroll down to find CE's true love: Red-bellied Woodpeckers, which just killed yours.

Noon to 11pm, 465 Brickell Ave, Miami, Brickell; 305.503.4400

Hit the Viceroy's deliciously cover-free Independence Day pool party on its massive 15th floor two-acre deck, and enjoy burgers, dogs, chorizo, abundant beer, DJ Mike Vasquez at 7pm, and face-melting views of fireworks launching from Key Biscayne, Miami Beach, and Bayside. For access to even killer-er views from the 50th-floor Club 50, you can either rent a cabana on the 15th floor and head up, reserve a table in the club, or get a discounted $175 room for the night along with VIP access and 10% off bottles, giving you the unique opportunity to light up the night with bottle service rockets. Oh!

Thurs, 8pm, Miami Beach Cinematheque: 512 Espanola Way, South Beach; 305.673.4567

Settle in for Miami's theatrical HD premiere of Akira Kurosawa's classic flick about a poor village that hires a band of samurai to protect them from bandits, which features duels decided with a single stroke of the sword, sick battle scenes with lances and horses, and inspired lots of today's flicks, including the "gathering of heroes" concept seen in The Dirty Dozen, Ocean's Eleven, and, many argue, Men at Work.

Because girlfriends loooove picnics, grab the born-in-Fla Seat n' Eat, a picnic & cooler set you can haul over your shoulder, and carry two each of plates, cups, sets of flatware, red-and-white check napkins, and 12 cans of beer. Added bonus: it pops open to form a stool, which includes the special dating safety feature of only supporting 250 lbs.

15725 SW 72 Street, Suite 160, Miami; 786.295.1275

TB keeps it simple and way cheap, with men’s 'cuts for 10 bucks, plus $5 for everything from touch-ups to beard trimming to hot-foam straight razor shaves. There's also two 46" flat screens rocking local sports, boxing, and UFC fights (which they'll occasionally stay open late for), and walls covered in sports memorabilia like old cheerleader posters, and Chicago Bulls tix from the Jordan era -- and if you're such a fan that you share his haircut, enjoy that hot-foam straight razor shave.