Welcome to City Link's third annual "20 Things You Need To Know" issue.

Last year, we taught you how to split your tongue, teach a bear to ride a bicycle and raise a wild beast. This time around, our handpicked team of professionals will teach you some new tricks. Learn how to get the attention of a skunk ape (hint: lima beans) or GoldenPalace.com (no more Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwiches, please). Discover what makes a runway model crawl off in an $18,000 Chanel suit or why a picture -- at least one of a naked woman and sea creatures -- is worth a thousand words.

Now read on, before you do something stupid like play poker with Mike Tyson.

HOW TO CREATE A SUPERHERO

John Taddeo, former marketer for Marvel Comics and creator of Zoom Suit, a Boca Raton-based Assassination Comics series and animated short (www.superverse.com)

I'm a huge comic fan. There was an issue of Iron Man where Tony Stark jumped from a plane with the Iron Man armor in a suitcase. The image was created by Iron Man legend Bob Layton. The idea was, if Tony doesn't get the armor on, he'll fall to his death. So I thought, "Wow, not only would Tony die, but who would find that armor?" Maybe a villain, maybe even a kid. The idea of a kid finding the armor intrigued me, so I wrote a story for Marvel [titled] "What If Tony Stark Had Died?" A few friends read it and liked it, but I never had the sack to send it in or follow through with it until now. The analogy I use to explain the story is that it's sort of Spider-Man meets Stand by Me. Spider-Man is the superhero part, and Stand by Me is the coming-of-age part. Zoom Suit is really a classic story about a loser becoming a winner and getting the girl. Myles, the main teen character, is a very reluctant hero. The only reason he put the suit on in the first place was he mistook it for a Halloween costume. He's no Superman. He woke up getting made fun of and by nightfall, the FBI is looking for him, the NSA is tracking his every move, Simon Bane wants him dead, and the girl next door wants him to be a superhero. It's Brittany, his crush, that pushes him. She wants a superhero boyfriend. All he wants is to finally be accepted -- and not get killed.

HOW TO SELL RAP BEATS

Angel "Speedy" Noriega, Houston-based hip-hop producer and beat master

After a couple of years of dabbling with the art form of beatmaking, I started to seriously produce and had the privilege of producing the song "In the Middle of the Night (The Remix)" for 8Ball, MJG and Twista. From 2002 to 2005, I have been producing for local acts and since last year have been selling beats to underground rap artists all over the nation (and recently as far as London) through the Internet. Currently, I'm shopping tracks to B.G. and Ludacris, hoping to get one of my beats placed in their upcoming projects. Now, how does one go about selling beats to major acts? It's all about being heard, because no matter how good your beats are, nobody's buying them if they haven't heard them. So how do you get heard? That's the tricky part. Fuck sending a demo to a record company, since 99 percent of the time a demo will get thrown away and not listened to. You have to be friendly to everybody, know the right people and be at the right place at the right time -- network. A new friend you just made might be going out with Juvenile's bodyguard's niece. It sounds stupid, but Juvenile will listen to a beat CD given to him by his bodyguard as opposed to throwing away a beat CD given to him by a stranger after a show. Also, you have to hunt down artists' managers and, when you get ahold of them, you have to know how to talk to them. A lot of people make the mistake of being too friendly with managers. Example: "Yo, what up, dog? What's happening, son? Let me get some of my beats on a Trick Daddy CD! C'mon, hook a nigga up!" Unless you used to roll with this person in high school, that will get you dismissed real quick. Artists' managers and many people in the industry have bullshit filters because so many people approach them with nonsense. Just be polite and straight to the point.

HOW TO WALK THE RUNWAY

Valentina, print and runway model with Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Models and Talent (www.lasolasmodels.com)

First off, you have to remember you're basically a hanger. You have to be at least 5-foot-9 and a size 4 to 6. But working the runway is kind of cool, because once you're used to it, there's no pressure. You're onstage, but you don't have to sing or dance. You're part of a team, and you can't forget that. It's about selling the clothes, not yourself. If someone has a big ego, they won't last. How much of your own personality you get to utilize depends on the job. They dictate how you act. One show I did for St. John, they basically wanted us to act like rich bitches. But a lot of the charity shows and things are much more relaxed. As far as the actual walking goes, it's best not to try and calculate your steps or dwell on the turn. They might want a certain style -- the crisscross thoroughbred stride -- but you really just need a certain grace to get by. I've studied dance, which helps, but things like Pilates or even karate can help give you that balance and grace. The main rule is, "Don't fall." They don't want any fashion roadkill out there. It's smart to know the backstage area well -- the corridors, the stairs -- because they have these periods called blackouts where you have to navigate in the dark. My one faux pas was when I wasn't prepared for a blackout and had to crawl off in an $18,000 Chanel suit. For some jobs, you might find yourself on a runway with eight models at a time and you have to be in synch and cross through one another. There is some rehearsal for this stuff, but I always remember the rule "ride right," like a car. Everything is always so rushed, but you have to be ready for that moment they feed you out onto the runway. If a zipper was stuck, you may have pins sticking in you. But at the last second, you have to come out and appear perfectly calm, collected, beautiful and serene.

HOW TO LURE A SKUNK APE

Dave Shealy, founder of the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters in Ochopee (www.skunkape.info)

I'm usually called out to people's houses when they've seen the skunk ape. If perhaps there are some footprints or possibly a beehive that's been disturbed or garbage knocked over -- signs that it's been looking for something to eat -- or I smell the odor, I see if we can get more evidence. First, I rake a large area. Then, I use lima beans in what I call a bean set to lure the skunk ape. You can use wet or dry lima beans, but the dry lima beans will give you a 60-day set. The soaked ones, after three or four days, they sour. The reason you use lima beans is because they're white and easy to see. I used to make the bean set with ham hock in it, because that's the way I like to eat it. But buzzards will smell it and come in and wipe out the set. So don't make your bean set with ham hock. My bean sets have been very successful. On one occasion, skunk apes ate 50 pounds of lima beans in a week's time. There's more than one. Sightings of groups of these animals are becoming more common. That's when I realized I might be doing more harm than good, giving them that much food. So I only do [bean sets] occasionally now.

HOW TO GET INTO A VIP ROOM

Evens St. Clair, music producer and event promoter at The Shore Club's exclusive Skybar in Miami Beach (www.shoreclub.com)

Anybody can get into the VIP room at any club -- just have a lot of money. Nobody's nobody, you know what I'm saying? Nobody's nobody if they've got big money to spend. With the ladies, that's different. If you're beautiful, it's not all about money, but we've got a lot of beautiful women down here. If you're beautiful and exotic, that works. Then, the people with the money want to spend it on you, right? But if you're talking Skybar, that's a tough situation. The rules are all different. It's not about money. It's about reputation. That's what will get you in the door. If you don't have your own notoriety or aren't associated with someone -- Beyoncé, P. Diddy, Jamie Foxx -- you've got to earn your way in. That has to happen outside the doors. But once you're in, if you ingratiate yourself in a positive way -- if you're cool and sexy and classy -- the staff will always be on your side. It's about class, not cash, at Skybar.

HOW TO HOLD A MAN OVER YOUR HEAD WITH ONE HAND

Jim Rose, master of all trades, creator of the world-renowned Jim Rose Circus and author of the new book Snake Oil (www.jimrosecircus.com)

First, tell your audience that you can hold someone over your head with one hand. Pick someone and make him stand up on a chair. Attach a belt or a strong rope securely under his arms at the armpits. With your right hand, grab the belt in the middle of the chest area. While raising your arm straight, bend your knees and turn your back to him at the same time. Now, straighten your legs and lift the person off the chair. Let his body rest on your back. … Do not allow your arm to bend at any time. Practice for a while, and soon, you will be able to dance around while holding the person with one hand.

HOW TO FIGHT A BULL

Jim Rose, master of all trades (See above.)

While learning and practicing, the points of the horns should be filed or sawed off. Use the small cape called a muleta. It is a piece of flannel attached to a 2-foot wooden stick. Walk parallel to the bull with the cape wide open, and keep your back to the wall. When you're 15 feet away from the animal, shake the cape and shout, "Hey, bull." His reaction will be to charge. Face the animal and have the cape extended in his path. Do not move! The color and size of the cape will attract the bull. While he's charging, don't do anything that will distract him from the cloth. Once the animal goes through it, don't just stand there, but be prepared for the second charge. If he's slow and just looking around, you can provoke a charge by moving a step toward the center of the ring [and] shaking the cape. You gain points with style and fearlessness. Repeat this act a few times, then retire to the safety of the protective barriers.

HOW TO WIN OVER THE CROWD AT THE APOLLO THEATER

Violinists Kev Marcus and Wil-B, of the Fort Lauderdale hip-hop duo and production team Black Violin, winners of the 2005 Apollo Legend award (www.blackviolin.net)

Kev: We have the advantage of the fact that we're very unique. It's a thing that the Apollo has never seen, so that was a good edge for us. Because everyone always sings, you know? The fact that we brought instruments out there and did it the way we did it, they were really receptive, especially in the middle of it. We played the violins guitar-style, and that's kind of what did it for them. When we did that, it was like, "Whoa! We've never seen that before!" Then, we went into Usher's "Yeah!" and the whole place erupted.

We have 10 key things to become a winner at the Apollo. You have to be very unique.

Wil: Very creative.

Kev: Extremely dedicated.

Wil: Hard-working.

Kev: Motivated.

Wil: Ambitious.

Kev: Inspired.

Wil: And most important, have positive people around you.

Kev: You have to be passionate.

Wil: And willing to accept constructive criticism. And that's Black Violin's 10 keys to becoming a winner at the Apollo.

[If the audience turns on you], just keep going and consistency and persistence will get you back in the game.

Kev: When you start getting booed on the stage of the Apollo, that's when you really start to sing and do what you do, because you're trying to win them back. Sticking with it, that's the only thing you can do. Ultimately, Apollo's gonna do what Apollo's gonna do, and if you're gonna get booed, you're gonna get booed. But if you keep trying, maybe you can get it back.

Wil: But you got to keep it going.

HOW TO MAKE A MIX TAPE

Wayne Walters, a.k.a. DJ Crash of Miami Beach's Unusual Suspects studio, who recently put together the limited-edition mix tape The South Exclusives featuring Pitbull, Pretty Ricky and the Maverix and De la Soul (www.crashmusicradio.com)

First, you have to be very observant to what's going on in the music business. You should tend to stay away from the instrumentals on the radio and have original songs, or at least original beats and lyrics. Also, you should make sure it blends together; it is a mix tape. You got to have an exclusive intro, get somebody who's well-known if you can; I got drops from the Baka Boyz and Jim Jonsin. Just represent your neighborhood, your boys. Mix tapes are usually underground, so you don't have to get permission [from record labels to use already-recorded material]. I call it the "other" music business. You're just flippin' it on the street; you can't walk into [a record store] and get it. The Internet is everything. There's always some kind of funding [involved in getting well-known artists to contribute]. I like to do a favor for a favor. Like, if I give Trick a CD of beats, maybe he'll give me something for the mix tape; he usually has songs for album releases and songs for mix tapes. When it comes to the album cover, be as creative as you want. A lot of covers look alike; you want yours to stand out. Take a little time, spend a little money and get full-color printing.

HOW TO LIVE LIKE A RETIREE AT 28

Rodney Rothman, former writer for The Late Show With David Letterman and author of Early Bird, a book about the five months he spent living in a Boca Raton retirement community (www.rodneyrothman.com)

I got to Florida, called up Roommate Finders and asked them for a roommate over 65. They called me back a day or two later and said there's a woman living in Century Village looking to rent a spare bedroom. I was like, "That sounds great," and moved in the next day. After that, it was a matter of observing the daily routine and trying to follow it, waking up at 5 a.m. to play tennis and shuffleboard before it got too warm, taking a late-morning nap, hanging by the pool. Everybody sits around in a circle and talks trash about everybody else. And then, whenever I could, I went to dinner with them at 4:30 or 5. The genius about this was inventing a project that required me to sit by a pool for four hours a day. At night, I would play cards or bingo with people or just hang out on my own and take notes for my book or go to the movies. There were certain aspects of the routine that grew on me. I liked how social it was. And I loved being done with dinner at 5:30 -- dinner in my life has a tendency to just take over the whole evening. My friends thought I was a little crazy. The first couple of months, everybody sort of rolls with it. But once you hit your third or fourth month of living in a retirement community as a 28-year-old, people definitely start to get worried about you.

HOW TO WIN A CORN-EATING CONTEST

Jammin' Joe LaRue, the world's No. 9- and Florida's No. 1-ranked competitive eater and Hollywood resident who consumed 31 ears of Florida sweet corn in 12 minutes

The first thing I do is work on my capacity. In terms of how much I can hold, I try to get to a maximum. After that, I work on the technique for the particular food. Corn is a single-mass food [as opposed to hot dogs, which must be consumed along with the bun], so I can zero in on the type of food it is in terms of how I'm going to go about it. A niblet of corn is not a large thing; it's easy to swallow. I didn't really even practice with corn. I did a little bit of oatmeal training [eating eight to nine pounds of oatmeal as quickly as possible] and bubblegum. For, like, 2 1/2 to three weeks before [the contest], I would get anywhere from 10-plus pieces of gum going at any given time. There's a typewriter method, which is like the old-fashioned typewriter where you go across, you finish a row, then you slide it back. Then, the modified typewriter, or the IBM, goes both ways, which is [the technique] I use; it's the least wasted movement, that's the whole deal. When you can beat someone such as Ed "Cookie" Jarvis in a contest straight-up like that, you're doing pretty good. I placed second to him last year. All I knew was to put myself in the position, in the last two minutes, to be where he was in the contest. I knew from last year's contest, he was going to slow down and I could probably speed up or at least maintain. I go about 18 hours [without eating before a competition]. I have a pretty fast metabolism, so anything that I consume usually runs through me in about that time. I've seen some guys try to clean themselves out [by taking laxatives]. But I know my system. I know it's fast enough, so I'll just let nature take its course. I cut the sleeves off my T-shirts. That doesn't really help me, it's just my trademark.

HOW TO LAUNCH A PODCAST

Rob Nelson, of the Boca Raton-based podcast www.areyouageek.com, a home-recorded, radio-style program played on a computer or an iPod

Having your own podcast can cost as little as nothing if you have the right program. There's Audacity, a free voice-recorder program that runs on Windows, Macintosh and Linux. So it doesn't matter what kind of computer or operating system you have, you're gonna be able to run Audacity and basically with just a cheap microphone, you can record your own podcast. Once you record, you save it as an MP3, which is the most widely accepted and used format. Then, you find a place to host your files. There are free hosting services and paid [ones]. Then, you just need a blog like I have that will support enclosures to let people subscribe to your feed. Promoting the show is a challenge. Podcasting is hard to explain to a lot of people. It's a new form, something they don't understand quite enough about. It's kind of like TiVo but not really. It's like TiVo in that you can take it with you and just listen to and not watch.

HOW TO SELL CRAZY THINGS TO GOLDENPALACE.COM

Richard Rosenbloom of online casino GoldenPalace.com, whose widely publicized eBay purchases include the Virgin Mary grilled cheese, a holy pretzel, ad space on the belly of a pregnant woman and a mind-reading machine

People are targeting us now, which is great. We love it. As a matter of fact, it makes our job a lot easier, and we get hundreds of e-mails from people suggesting that we should buy directly from them. We also get a lot of phone calls -- the standard Jesus-on-various-parts-of-furniture thing. Recently, someone had offered to rename his male member. And I said, "Re-name?" Then, there was the testicle tattoo offer. How much exposure is that gonna get? He'd be arrested. A lot of it's very odd. But we are interested if the item is unique, because what you see is a lot of copycats. When we did the first advertising on the pregnant belly, I can't tell you how many pregnant bellies I have seen since then. It's not original anymore. That being said, we changed a woman's name forever to Goldenpalace.com. There are two brothers who are going to change their names legally [to Goldenpalace.com]. So yeah, we did it before, but it was getting a little bit of coverage and we thought it would be fun. Eventually, everybody in the world will be named Goldenpalace.com.

HOW TO BE A HYPE MAN

Cubo, longtime Pitbull sideman who is getting airplay for his collaboration with Picalo, "Who You Roamin' With?"

You have to be able to create while you go. Hyping is not a steady job you work by the numbers. Every night is going to be different. With Pit, I do the sound check, make sure all the microphones are perfect. But from there on out, it's about the crowd. I'll do whatever I can to get them going, throw water if I have to. Always feel out what makes them crazy. Is it where they're from? The 305 or wherever you are? Is it the girls? Is it a certain rap they're waiting for? Rap is the New Age dope game and rhymes are the drug, so you know they're craving it and you want to work them up into a frenzy. You can learn how to do this, but you have to feel it. The hype man has to be real. Once the crowd is going, I'm there for Pit. There has to be some chemistry so I know when to step in, when to lift him up or fill the space or just get out of the way. We've been together so long that I can sense what he needs. I have to be his other hand out there. I have to help him build it until everyone loses control. That's the hype man's job.

HOW TO TURN YOUR LIFE INTO ONE BIG PARTY

John Boyle, Fort Lauderdale-based concert promoter, fashion designer and founder of dozens of restaurants and nightclubs across the country

Is my life one big party? A lot of people think so. I've opened more than 40 nightclubs and restaurants in Fort Lauderdale; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Philadelphia. And I have been on the road with everybody from Guns 'N Roses to Paul McCartney. I grew up basically on tour buses. My father is the owner of [the promotions company] Cellar Door, so I grew up in this business, and everybody looks at it as a party. But to be honest with you, I look at it as a business. Highlights or weird stories? There are so many. Pulling Axl Rose out of lockers to try to get him out onstage. Having Allen Iverson pulling a gun on me not to pay his [bar tab]. Chasing Michael Jordan down the street trying to get him to pay his check. Playing poker with Mike Tyson. It was the strangest damn thing in my life. [Tyson] brought a tiger into the room and scared the hell out of everybody. I was the only white kid in the room. It was at his house in Maryland, and he brought a white Bengal tiger into the room on a chain, letting it swipe at people. I was like, "I'm not playing anymore." I consider myself an idea guy, and I surround myself with great operators who can make my ideas work. I am doing a place in South Beach right now that is going be called Pornography. It's over-the-top, and it's going to look like a 1970s porn set. In all the bathrooms, we're doing peepshow doors. Put a quarter in, and the peepshow door goes up so you can go to the bathroom.

HOW TO WRITE YOUR NAME UPSIDE-DOWN AND ASS-BACKWARDS IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE

Jessica "Jess" Iovinelli, server and bartender at Romano's Macaroni Grill in Plantation

When I first went for the job, everybody waiting for an interview was scribbling away, practicing how to write their name upside-down. There's no getting around it: You have to be able to do it, or you can't work as a server [here]. In the training manual, it's listed as one of the restaurant's traditions. We don't wear nametags, so this is our introduction. People are waiting for it. That's why you have to make it second nature. When you arrive at the table, you've got a bottle of wine and a pepper mill in one hand, crayons in the other and this crowd of people just waiting for you to do it. Trainees will follow around a regular server at first, and we tell the guests, "OK, so-and-so is new, and they're going to try and write their name for you as practice." That way, a new server can ease into it. But before that, you need to practice at home. Get a big piece of butcher paper, that's what we use here. It has to be big so you have a large canvas to work with and can move around it. Start with one crayon -- no pens, no markers. First, print one letter at a time. Then, go to the other side of the paper and check on it because it may be wrong even if you think it looks right from your perspective. You may have it upside-down but not going the right direction. The tail of a J may appear perfect to you even though you've flipped it onto the opposite side. When you begin, you can think of it as writing in a mirror, but sometimes, that can confuse certain people even more. It's best to concentrate on each individual letter and develop your own style. If you're lucky, you might have S's in your name, like I do. They're the same whether they're upside-down or not. Others like that are O's, of course, and X's and Z's. And T's are just crosses no matter how you look at it. If you have L's in your name, that's a small gift because it's just a line, right? I'm at the point now where I catch myself signing my name on checks and stuff upside-down. But here, once you get it down, you can have fun with it. A lot of servers like to use two crayons at once, and if it's not real busy, I like to write the guests' names in front of each of them, too -- sideways.

HOW TO BECOME A MOVIE EXTRA

Lori Wyman, owner of Lori Wyman Casting in North Miami Beach, who has cast extras in films including 2 Fast 2 Furious, Ali, Wild Things and From Justin to Kelly (www.loriwymancasting.com)

It's not very difficult at all. First, you have to send us a picture with your name, address and telephone number. [The photo] doesn't have to be a professional headshot. It can even be a Polaroid, but I would suggest at least using a digital camera. Make sure the picture is not just of your face but your whole body, and make sure it looks like you. We don't like surprises. And we don't just look for skinny, pretty people. We need all types and sizes. List the things you do that relate to South Florida: rollerblading, windsurfing, skateboarding, biking. We don't need snow skiers down here. Also list if you have an unusual car or motorcycles. We sometimes need Harley-Davidsons, Mercedes, BMWs and beach cars that can have surfboard racks. Don't go to an agent; they charge 20 percent commission on all bookings. I would call The Extras Group in North Miami Beach. They charge a one-time fee of $35. If they book you 20 times, it's only $35. If you pay an agent the commission for 20 bookings, it could cost you hundreds of dollars. When I am looking for upcoming casting calls, I check the Web site of Deco Drive. The TV show's Web site has a lot of local information about casting calls for movie extras. If you get booked, don't be late. If you want to work again, be professional on the set. This is a serious business. We need people all the time. Right now, we are looking for teenagers to fill a high school for a film called Hoot based on a Carl Hiaasen novel.

HOW TO POSE NAKED WOMEN AND SEA CREATURES

Todd Essick, West Palm Beach-based underwater photographer and creator of the book Beginnings: Goddesses, Sirens and Mermaids (www.essickphoto.com)

HOW TO MARKET A SELF-RELEASED SINGLE

John Ciulla, guitarist for Palm Beach Gardens band One, whose single "Instinct" is on the playlist of The Buzz, 103.1-FM (www.thebandone.com)

Airplay, our Web site and distribution were major factors in marketing our singles. A Web site is important for everything. We always have our current single up for download. Accessibility is important. A band builds relationships with local stations and venues by showing respect and being accessible. We played every crap show we could before getting a good gig. It's a band's job to utilize every opportunity to win people over wherever they go. We did everything we could to get our music heard by radio stations. If you build a relationship with a station, your music will probably be heard by somebody. DJs listen to local bands all the time. Every time a station puts on a battle of the bands, program directors listen to hundreds of demos. The only way to get airplay is if they think they have a sure hit on their hands. The station isn't going to put its neck out for something that's just OK. Bands also shouldn't forget that time is the station's most valuable commodity. Don't write long songs and expect airtime. Your local station doesn't owe you anything. If you're Tool, you can demand seven minutes of airtime. If you're unsigned, you can't. Keep it short and keep it catchy.

HOW TO TURN JAPANESE

John Lavigne, 2005 graduate of John I. Leonard High School in Greenacres, winner of the 2005 Pathfinder Scholarship award for computer science, video game aficionado and scholar of all things Japanese

I'm into the Japanese culture and especially the language, but I really started exploring everything about Japan because that's where all the best video games are created and they always introduce them there first. It sounds kind of naive, but I wanted to be able to play the games before anyone else. Right now, Resident Evil 4 is really popular, but the ultimate game to me is still The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. My family kind of understands my fascination with possibly working for a Japanese company as a video game programmer someday because as a kid, I constantly went from house to house to play Nintendo. If no one was playing in one house, I'd go to the next and the next. My goal is to eventually live and study abroad in Japan, so I started with books like Teach Yourself Japanese and Japanese for Dummies. I also work with a tutor to learn aspects of the language that cannot be properly expressed in writing. The Japanese language has a lot of cool tricks. Like the word for sock -- kutshshita -- is actually two words combined meaning "shoe under." I also became a member of the anime club at school and I do have a black belt in tae kwon do, but that's Korean. At college, I plan to find the time to study other martial arts, such as Japan's aikido. Most people can't just pack up and head out of the country, so other ways are available to become introduced to the culture. The Morikami Museum [in Delray Beach] is a good place to be introduced to some of the more aesthetic aspects of the culture. Still, the best way to learn is to be able to immerse yourself in the country.