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Gemma at Lincoln Road. Photo: Julio A Martinez

Hot winter weekend

By Lesley Abravanel

Now that American Idol is back to fulfilling the guilty pleasures of countless TV junkies and wannabe singers, it couldn't be a better time to channel your inner Idol with a sing-along screening of Grease, where audience members are encouraged not only to belt out their best, loudest version of Summer Nights, but to come in costume, too! The sock hop gets underway at 7 p.m. Friday at Arts at St. Johns, 4760 Pine Tree Dr., Miami Beach. Best of all, it's free! Popcorn, candy and drinks will be available at no cost (though donations are gladly accepted), but you're expected to sport your own poodle skirts or hip-hugging leather. Call 305-613-2325.

If you prefer to keep the grease in your hair (or away altogether), consider the one-year anniversary party of Gemma, the swanky lounge perched a floor above Lincoln Road at 529 Lincoln, from 8-10 p.m. Wednesday. Complimentary Perrier Jouet will be a-flowing.

Debuting last weekend at Park West nightclub, 30 NE 11th St. in Miami, was Rehab, the club's indie-rock inspired dance lounge featuring antique gas pumps, celebrity mug shots, three bars, two levels and 2,500 square feet. Entrance to this club within a club is through a side door.

On Mondays, Rehab will feature Industry Playground with DJ Matt Martinez as well as free admission to guests with proof that they work in the nightlife industry. Friday night's party at Rehab is Damage, which features an open music format and guest DJs. Wouldn't it be fun if, say, Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan showed up one night?

Meanwhile, for a breath of fresh air on Friday evenings -- at a decent hour, no less, from 6-11 p.m. -- Sunset Cocktails at The Mandarin is the place to go whether for happy hour or for happier hour at the swank hotel's private beach. In addition to a magnificent setting overlooking the water and the skyline, the party features a stellar soundtrack of all sorts of music spun by DJ Amalia, a fab dim sum menu, among other things, elevated cabanas for those who don't want to get their feet all sandy. Best yet, it's got a not-so-plastic, fantastic crowd of everyone from moguls and professionals to club kids, hipsters and hotel guests.

Back on the beach, Club Nikki continues to challenge the nocturnal establishment with Social Saturdays and Rockstar Sundays, featuring DJ/producer Pena and DJ Snezana. But wait, that's not all. Rockstar Sundays features the essentials needed to make your night a far cry from the others -- go-go dancers and body painters, for starters. If that's too hot for you to handle, especially on a Sunday night, consider the debut of Fireside Fridays, the last Friday of every month (so next Friday) at Grove Isle's Baleen, featuring, well, fire, DJ Mr. Sandman, Bombay Sapphire's master mixologist Milo Rodriguez, hors d'oeuvres, Marti the Fire Spinner (!), Miami Heat dancers and free Bombay cocktails from 6-8 p.m. Party goes from 6-10 p.m., so prepare to sport your best fire-resistant threads and check it out. To RSVP, e-mail dining@groveisle.com.

And finally, probably to the dismay of many a local, we have discovered a fabulous little watering hole on 79th Street attached to the snazzy, jazzy Magnum restaurant and lounge known informally as The Shack Bar, where a flat panel TV has nothing on the colorful cocktail-a-go-go crowd that convenes there on any given night.

Also fun, even if you aren't going to see the show, is Spiegelworld at Collins Park, where The Raleigh's satellite cafe, Oasis, is an ideal spot to have a cocktail or a bite if you feel like sitting on the sand beneath the stars. It's a front row seat that's ideal for people watching. Although drinks are pricey -- averaging $15 a pop -- it's worth it, because the tent's coming down in February. If you're not into eating, then check out Spiegelworld's late-night parties, where DJs spin al fresco and you can dance if you want to, or, as many prefer, you can lounge languorously in a hammock. This is why we live here, you know.

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