Jimmy Buffett was in attendance Friday night at the Heat-Magic game in Miami, Florida. At right is a photo of him taking a picture during the game.

Jimmy has been a season ticket holder for the Heat for several years. In 2001 he was ejected from a game for cursing at a referee. Read more about the incident.

The Heat defeated Orlando 96-70.

[Photo Marc Serota/Getty Images]

According to the National Journal, Florida Democrats are reaching out to Jimmy Buffett hoping he’ll help get out the vote in the state ahead of Tuesday’s election:

Florida Democratic sources tell National Journal that Sink’s campaign, panicked by what it considered an alarming advantage for Republicans in early vote totals so far, on Wednesday called Florida’s senior Senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, to seek his help in bringing Buffett into the mix. Nelson then called former Senate colleague, Bob Graham, to reach out to Buffett. Graham has been personal friends with Buffett since the early 1980s and it was Graham’s relationship with Buffett that brought him into state Democratic politics when Graham was governor. Graham called Buffett Thursday and asked him to do as many events as possible on Monday, election eve. Buffett said his schedule prevented that, but he is considering some involvement in get-out-the-vote efforts this weekend, Democratic sources said.

Earlier this month Jimmy played a fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink.

The circus came to town again Saturday night as Jimmy and the Reefers moved the Under The Big Top Tour to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

Notable additions to the set list this time included “Boat Drinks,”, a full acoustic version of “Cowboy in the Jungle,” and “Piece of Work.” “Lovely Cruise” was tonight’s final encore.

View the entire set list here.

Did you attend the show? Share your thoughts on our Discussion Board.

The Under The Big Top Tour is now over. You can look for 2011 dates to be announced early next year.

The Orange County Register has a review of Thursday night’s Jimmy Buffett show in Irvine, California. They’ve also got a photo gallery from the show. See it here.

Drummer Russ Kunkel, who played on so many of Buffett’s (and everyone else’s) ’70s recordings, turned up to shake a tambourine during “Brown Eyed Girl” alongside rock-solid percussionist Ralph McDonald. Sam Clayton, who once anchored Little Feat, did the same for more than a few numbers — though he needed some guidance during “One Particular Harbor,” which, like “Son of a Son of a Sailor” later in the set, was noticeably peppier than normal.

Other longstanding yet still momentary members stuck around for the whole set, including slide-guitar whiz Sonny Landreth and Buffett’s current go-to co-writer Will Kimbrough, who added fretwork and vocals to just about everything but stood out most on material from last year’s Buffett Hotel album: the opening blast “Nobody from Nowhere,” the subtly inspirational “Wings” and the twanged-up ditty “Surfing in a Hurricane.”

Continue reading here.

The 2010 Under The Big Top Tour comes to an end tonight as Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band play a show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

You can listen to the show live on Radio Margaritaville on the web at www.radiomargaritaville.com or on Sirius 31 / XM 55. Jimmy will take the stage shortly after 11 pm ET / 8 pm PT.

There are currently no more scheduled tour dates. After doing a November tour leg the last couple years, there are no dates planned this year. Look for the 2011 tour dates to be announced in January or February.

The circus came to town again Thursday night as Jimmy and the Reefers moved the Under The Big Top Tour to the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA.

Notable additions to the set list this time included “School Boy Heart,”, a full acoustic version of “Banana Republics,” and “Window on the World.” “Defying Gravity” was tonight’s final encore, last played in full last November in New York.

View the entire set list here.

Did you attend the show? Share your thoughts on our Discussion Board.

The fifth and final leg of the Under The Big Top Tour will conclude Saturday with a show in Las Vegas. You can still get your tickets now for any shows left!

The ABC comedy “Modern Family” mentioned Jimmy Buffett in this week’s episode.

From Wikipedia’s episode entry:

Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) soon learn that all of Lily’s friends have been put in preschool causing the two to panic. Mitchell calls Claire if Wagon Wheel is a good school and asks her if she can get them an appointment. At Wagon Wheel the assistant tells them with their diversity (with Mitchell and Cameron being gay and Lily being asian). Soon Mitchell starts calling Cameron his life partner to seem even more diverse to make it in Billingsley. They soon become beaten at their own game causing Cameron to pretend to be a Native American. They eventually decide to go to Wagon Wheel after failing their interview.

At one point, the receptionist at one of the schools describes their chances at getting into whatever preschool they want as being very good because of their diversity:

“You’re diverse times three – you’re like Jimmy Buffett tickets to these hybrid-driving straight white folks.”

(H/T to everyone that sent this in)

Update – Watch the clip here.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band take their 2010 Under The Big Top Tour to Southern California tonight as they play a show at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Irvine Meadows in Irvine, California.

You can listen to the show live on Radio Margaritaville on the web at www.radiomargaritaville.com or on Sirius 31 / XM 55. Jimmy will take the stage shortly after 11 pm ET / 8 pm PT.

After tonight there’s only one show left: this Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

ESPN’s E:60 has a report on Newton Marshall, the 27 year old who was the first Jamaican to participate in the Iditarod dogsled race. Jimmy Buffett is a sponsor of the team (and one of the dogs is named after him) and was interviewed for the story.

Watch below:

Margaritaville is coming to the Windy City. Jimmy Buffett will open a Margaritaville Cafe at the famed Navy Pier in downtown Chicago after beating out 10 other bidders:

The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which owns and operates the pier, approved the lease Wednesday morning.

“So, we’ll have the Caribbean in February on Navy Pier,” said David Mosena, board chairman. The authority is hoping the restaurant and entertainment venue will serve as an attendance magnet year-round.

Buffett, in a prepared statement, expressed his excitement for the new venue, targeted to open next spring.

“From my earliest days in the city, playing the Quiet Knight on Belmont, to the pinnacle of live performances to me, singing in front of the ivy wall at Wrigley Field, I have had a long and wonderful history and affection for the people, the music, the art and the food of the Windy City. I have always thought of Chicago as a beach town, a pretty big one, but still a beach town.”

Terms of the deal were not immediately available.

Read more about Jimmy’s Margaritaville Cafe empire here.

Update – The restaurant is expected to open next Spring in the space currently occupied by Charlie’s Ale House.