DAVID by Max Friedland

www.davidlv.com FEBRUARY 2012

EMOTION PICTURES GUARANTEED TO GET YOU IN THE MOOD

SOMEONE TO HOLD TIMELESS TALES OF TENDERNESS

BED OF ROSES

HUNTING CUPID VALENTINE’S DAY CURSE FOR SINGLES

PLANTING THE SEEDS OF DESIRE

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For tickets, please visit TheSmithCenter.com or call 702.982.7805

1/19/12 9:22 AM

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February

46 20

pulse

live

think

grill

14 explore The month’s event listings to help plan your day or your stay 18 devour Where to find some of the best eats, drinks and foodie happenings in the Valley 20 desire Sin City abounds in worldclass shopping ... these are a few of our favorite things 22 discover Hot spots to go, cool things to do, hip people to see—the Entertainment Capital of the World, need we say more 23 mingle Snapshots of the latest, greatest Vegas events

28 speak Local humorist, Corey Levitan primes the pump of his marital passion. 32 sense Flix, old and new to take the flame to. Guaranteed to set the mood 36 taste A round up of orgasmic delights plated at fine establishments around town. Make your plans for a special evening.

42 The Cents of Seduction A rose is a rose.. a story of fair trade for the fair sex. The international flower industries’ annual bonanza. 46 Someone to Hold Proof positive that there is no sunset of the human heart. 52 Hunting Cupid Looking for a mate can be challenging, but on Valentine’s Day it can be a total disaster.

58 Aron Ezra & Keith Michel Mobile App Mavens The month’s spotlight on someone of interest

on the cover A beauty on a bed of rose petals, her smile says it all. Photograph by Steven Wilson, model Lucy Cronkite.

Copyright 2012 by JewishINK LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. DAVID MAGAZINE is protected as a trademark in the United States. Subscribers: If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we are under no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited or contributed manuscripts, photographs, artwork or advertisements. Submissions will not be returned unless arranged for in writing. DAVID MAGAZINE is a monthly publication. All information regarding editorial content or property for sale is deemed reliable. No representation is made as to the accuracy hereof and is printed subject to errors and omissions.

DAVID SHEVAT/ADAR 5772

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15 different ways to do

DINNER AND A MOVIE Blue Martini Brio Tuscan Grille California Pizza Kitchen Claim Jumper Coconuts Beach Bar & Mexican Grill Double Helix Wine & Whiskey Lounge english's i love burgers Johnny McGuire’s Kabuki Japanese Restaurant Miller’s Ale House Nu Sanctuary Lounge Texas de Brazil Tommy Bahama's Restaurant & Bar Yard House

O V E R 1 0 0 S T O R E S | 1 5 R E S TA U R A N T S | 1 8 - S C R E E N T H E AT E R

www.mytownsquarelasvegas.com

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Publisher/Editor Associate Publisher

Max Friedland

max@davidlv.com editor@davidlv.com

Joanne Friedland joanne@davidlv.com

EDITORIALllllllll

Editorial Assistant

Jeremy Leopold a

Brianna Soloski

brianna@davidlv.com

Copy Editor

Pat Teague

Contributing Writers

Jim Begley Josh Bell Marisa Finetti Jaq Greenspon Corey Levitan Pat Teague Lynn Wexler-Margolies

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

Art Director/ Photographer

Steven Wilson

Cover Model

Lucy Cronkite

steve@davidlv.com

ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Advertising Director

Joanne Friedland joanne@davidlv.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS 702-254-2223 | subscribe@davidlv.com

Volume 02 Number 10 www.davidlv.com DAVID Magazine is published 12 times a year.

To advertise in DAVID Magazine, call 702-254-2223 or email ads@davidlv.com To subscribe to DAVID Magazine, call 702.254-2223 or email subscibe@davidlv.com

DAVID Magazine sets high standards to ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable manner. This copy of DAVID Magazine was printed by American Web in Denver, Colo., on paper from well-managed forests which meet EPA guidelines that recommend use of recovered fibers for coated papers. Inks used contain a blend of soy base. Our printer meets or exceeds all federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act standards and is a certified member of both the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. When you are done with this issue, please pass it on to a friend or recycle it.

DAVID SHEVAT/ADAR 5772

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contributors

Josh Bell Josh Bell is a fi lm editor for the Las Vegas Weekly. He also writes about fi lm and TV for other various publications and for fi lmcritic.com. Bell can be found at facebook.com/I/ 4bb54TNXX15z_ 0GPux8QXt_O-UA; joshbellhatesevery thing.com

Marisa Finetti is a local writer, marketing professional and blogger. The Tokyoborn Finetti has called Las Vegas home since 2005. She has written for such publications as Spirit and Las Vegas and Nevada magazines and has a healthy-living blog at bestbewell.com. When she’s not writing, Finetti enjoys family time with her husband and two boys.

Jim Begley is an avid food lover who has recently taken up food writing in a feeble attempt to defray his obscene restaurant spending. If you like what you’ve read, follow him at splurgemonkey.com or via Twitter@ splurgemonkey.

Jaq Greenspon is a noted local journalist, screenwriter and author with credits on The New Adventures of Robin Hood and Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also is a literary and movie critic, has taught and written about fi lmmaking but is most proud of his role in the fi lm, Lotto Love. A Vegas resident for most of his life, his native language is Hebrew, but he doesn’t speak it anymore.

Corey Levitan is a local journalist who was laid off four months before the Nevada Press Association named his “Fear and Loafing” series the Best Local Column of 2011. He is now a freelance writer, a new dad and a pauper. With unexpected time on his hands he has become a three-time NASCAR champion, an avid shrunken head collector and is now in training to become the first eunich in space.

Pat Teague has been a practicing journalist, manager and editor for international and regional wire services, and has worked for several metropolitan daily newspapers. He also has worked for one of the world’s largest corporations and was one of five Southern Californians in the Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists honored in 2000 for career achievement.

Lynn WexlerMargolies has been a feature writer and contributor for magazines and newspapers, locally and nationally, for over 20 years. She writes a monthly online column entitled Manners in the News, which comments on the behavior of politicians, celebrities and others thrust in the public arena. She is the Founder and President of Perfectly Poised, a school of manners that teaches social, personal and business etiquette to young people. She is a former TV Reporter and News Anchor. Of her many accomplishments, she is most proud of her three outstanding teenaged children.

DAVID SHEVAT/ADAR 5772

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Valentine’s Day

If you’re a Lover or a Lonely Heart this deal is for you!

Stay for 15% off all room roomS! Deluxe Rooms • Executive Suites • Luxury Suites ANY DAY BETWEEN FEBRUARY 10-16, 2012 And Receive a $25 Food Credit for a Special Breakfast and a Late Check Out at 2pm Mention Offer Code: Y12VAL. Subject to Availability. Alta & Rampart • 866.636.7111

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feedback To the Editor, Thank you for your wonderful Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival program. Even though my husband and I pick up DAVID every month, it is a treat to read this special issue. On Saturday evening the 14th we celebrated with the community at the launch of the festival. It was a joy to see the theatre full and to experience the excitement. As the lights went down we were all transported into the creative world of the Sherman brothers. The hour and a half seemed to fly by, leaving us breathless and amazed at the creative genius that we had just witnessed. It was indeed a great honor to have the sons of Robert and Richard present. They added a dimension to the experience that was truly unique. It was a thrill to see Jeffery Sherman holding a copy of DAVID as he spoke. I hope he took it home with him, to show Los Angeles what a great publication we have in Vegas. Valerie Lange Las Vegas

ITZHAK PERLMAN

With Rohan De Silva, Pianist Saturday, February 11, 2012 • 8 p.m. $45 - $60 - $85

corrections Last month we ran the feature story, “Starlets of DAVID”. We included graphic elements that contained photographs of ten Jewish actresses. The fact that we decided to omit their names caused some of our readers some consternation. For this we at DAVID are truly sorry. As promised we provide their names for your edification. From top to bottom: Left strip: Natalie Portman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mila Kunis, Kate Hudson and Scarlett Johansson. Right strip: Lisa Kudrow, Debra Messing, Chelsea Handler, Mayim Bialik and Rachel Weisz Thanks for keeping us on our toes.

pure. powerful.arts.

We want to hear from you! 2011 – 2012 season pac.unlv.edu • (702) 895-ARTS (2787)

Compliments and complaints are welcome, but only if we get them. Send them to the editor at editor@davidlv.com with “Letter to Editor” in the subject line or mail them to DAVID, 1930 Village Center Circle, No. 3-459, Las Vegas, NV 89134

DAVID SHEVAT/ADAR 5772

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from the publisher I’m sitting here trying to make the case that Valentine’s Day is really a Jewish holiday. It is my earnest desire to demonstrate that this day, dedicated to the commercial display of affection, started out as Valenstein’s Day, and like most things Jewish was stolen by the Catholics. I hoped to tell the tale of two righteous brothers who lived many thousands of years ago in Jerusalem. From my research I had hoped to prove their names were Shmuel and Velvele Valenstein and that, even though they had devoted their lives to the study of the holy Torah, they had decided to help save their parents’ failing confectionary business. Shmuel would die young, leaving Velvele to carry the load for the family. It would have been perfect if years later the family store’s name (which up to this time was Velvele’s Delights) was changed to Valentine’s Delights to attract a more Roman clientele . Above the store’s name this slogan would have been chissled, “Give your beloved Valentine’s candy, she’ll know you really care” Notwithstanding the month’s of research into the historical record, I failed in finding a scintilla of evidence to support my hypothesis. One thing I am confident of, however, is that the Roman Catholic Church, with its plethora of Saint Valentines, has had about as much success. In fact, in its 1969 revision of the church’s Calendar of Saints, the feast day of Saint Valentine on Feb. 14 was axed for lack of evidence of the life and miracles of the saint. It appears the association of Valentine’s Day with romantic love has more to do with the poem Parlement of Foules, (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer. The poem was written to celebrate the first anniversary of the marriage of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia. Other references to the great V-Day persist throughout literature, most notably in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where Ophelia laments:

We Aspire

Transforming Education. Advancing Care. Touching Lives.

To-morrow is Saint Valentine’s day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine. Then up he rose, and donn’d his clothes, And dupp’d the chamber-door; Let in the maid, that out a maid Never departed more. Hillel famously was approached by a man who promised to become devout if the great Jewish sage could teach him the entire contents of the holy Torah whilst standing on one leg. Hillel, tradition tells us, lifted one leg and declared, “Love your fellow as yourself, is the whole Torah; the rest is just commentary; now go and learn it,” thus enshrining “Love” as the greatest of the mitzvahs (commandments). So Valentine’s Day is not the Jewish invention I’d hoped for: If it were, we would have been obligated to celebrate it not once but 365 days a year. Wouldn’t retailers just love that?

Max Friedland max@davidlv.com

Regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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pulse INSIDE explore @ 14 devour @ 18 desire @ 20 discover @ 22

Luke Chuehâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s painting Russian Roulette is part of the exhibition The Primrose Path, featuring the work of Luke Chueh and Juan Muniz.Brett Wesley Gallery, 1112 S. Casino Center Blvd. 702-433-4433, brettwesleygallery.com FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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eXplore L A S

V E G A S

all ages,. Congregation Ner Tamid, 55 N. Valle Verde Drive, Henderson. 702-8388003. ydlv.org JCC Where Art Thou 3. 7-9 p.m., $18, all ages. Republic Kitchen and Bar, 9470 S. Eastern Ave., Las Vegas. 702-794-0090. jccsn.org Split Second: A Barry Sweet Gallery Exhibit. Through March 18, hours vary, free, all ages. Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, Las Vegas. 702-507-3860. lvccld.org Queen of Hearts: To benefit Lied Discovery Children’s Museum. 6-9 p.m., $100/person, 21+. Crystals at CityCenter, 3720 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-382-3445. ldcm.org/ queenofhearts The Primrose Path: the art of Luke Chueh & Juan Muniz. Through March 31, Tues.-Sat. 12-6 p.m., free. Brett Wesley Gallery, 1112 S. Casino Center Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-433-4433. brettwesleygallery.com Drew Carey. Through Feb. 5, 9 p.m., $69$89, 13+. Hollywood Theatre at MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-8911111. mgmgrand.com

2.3

First Friday. 6-10 p.m., free, all ages. Various locations downtown. For more information, visit firstfridaylasvegas.com Tree Care Seminar and Workshop. 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m., $10-$15. Lifelong Learning Center, 8050 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702257-5536. unce.unr.edu Ebook Downloading 101. Fridays through Feb. 24, 10:30 a.m., free, all ages.

David Gray. 2.24. 9 p.m., $65, all ages. The Chelsea at Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-698-7000. cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

2.1

Unite at Tao: A Jewish Federation Of Las Vegas benefit. 7-10 p.m., 21+. TAO Nightclub at the Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. For more information, contact 732-0556. Mama’s Fabric: A Visual Arts Exhibit, featuring artist John Broussard. Through May 5, Weds.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. & Sat. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., free. West Las Vegas Arts Center Gallery, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-229-4800. artslasvegas.org Short Stories: featuring artist Bobby Ross. Through March 17, Weds.-

Fri. 12:30-9 p.m. & Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., free. Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush Street, Las Vegas. 702-229-6383. artslasvegas.org (Dragon) Exhibition. Through March 11, by appointment only, free. Historic 5th Street School, 401 S. Fourth Street, Las Vegas. 702-229-3515. artslasvegas.org The Writers Workshop. 10:30 a.m., free, all ages. Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, Las Vegas. 702-507-3860. lvccld.org

2.2

Yeshiva Day School of Las Vegas: Annual Dinner. 6:30-9:30 p.m. $150,

Dana Carvey.

DAVID SHEVAT/ADAR 5772

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Windmill Library, 7060 W. Windmill Lane, Las Vegas. 702-507-6030. lvccld.org Dana Carvey. Through Feb. 4, 8 p.m., $54.95. Orleans Hotel & Casino, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-365-7075. orleanscasino.com

2.4

Adelson Educational Campus Groovy 70s Party: sponsored by the PTO. 7-11 p.m.,$25, 21+. Adelson Educational Campus, 9700 Hillpointe Road, Las Vegas. 702-838-9138. adelsoncampus.org Love Is Here To Stay: Love Songs by KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler. 8 p.m., $10-$15, all ages. Historic 5th Street School, 401 S. Fourth Street, Las Vegas. 702-2293515. artslasvegas.org African American Authors Symposium. 2 p.m., free, all ages. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3400. lvccld.org Scottish Ceilidh: An Afternoon of Scottish Dance. 2 p.m., free, all ages. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3400. lvccld.org Tole Painting Demonstration. 10 a.m., free, all ages. Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, Las Vegas. 702-507-3860. lvccld.org Business Startup Basics. 1 p.m., free, all ages. West Charleston Library, 6301 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-5073940. lvccld.org

George Strait, with Martina McBride. 8 p.m., $72.55-$128.45, all ages. Grand Garden Arena at MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S.,Las Vegas. 702-891-1111. mgmgrand.com Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! Through May 13, $8.50-$9.50, all ages. Lied Discovery Children’s Museum, 833 Las Vegas Blvd. N., Las Vegas. 702-382-3445. ldcm.org

2.5

Maxwell Drake Writing Workshops. 3 p.m., free, all ages. Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive, Las Vegas. 702-507-6100. lvccld.org Numerology. 2 p.m., free, all ages. West Charleston Library, 6301 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-507-3940. lvccld.org

2.7

The Eye of Africa:A Harriet Smith Gallery Exhibit. Through April 3, hours vary, free, all ages. Sahara West Library, 9600 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-5073630. lvccld.org Tuesday Afternoon at the Bijou. Tues. through Feb. 28, 1 p.m., free, all ages. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3400. lvccld.org United Way of Southern Nevada’s Women’s Leadership Council Annual Luncheon. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., $95/person & $950/table. Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-892-2319. uwsn.org/wlcluncheon

Forget Love, Fall in Love With Bagels! 301 N. Buffalo Drive

255-3444 www.thebagelcafelv.com

Curious George.

WhereTheLocalsEat.com

FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID Bagel_Cafe_02_2012.indd 1

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Candlelighting Shevat/Adar 5772 FRI., FEBRUARY 3, SHEVAT 10 Light candles at 4:51 p.m. SAT., FEBRUARY 4, SHEVAT 11 Shabbat ends 5:50 p.m. WED., FEBRUARY 8, SHEVAT 15 Tu B’Shevat New Year for Trees FRI., FEBRUARY 10, SHEVAT 17 Light candles at 4:58 p.m. SAT., FEBRUARY 11, SHEVAT 18 Shabbat ends 5:57 p.m. FRI., FEBRUARY 17, SHEVAT 24 Light candles at 5:05 p.m. SAT., FEBRUARY 18, SHEVAT 25 Blessing of the New Month Shabbat ends 6:03 p.m. THURS., FEBRUARY 23, SHEVAT 30 Rosh Chodesh Adar FRI., FEBRUARY 24, ADAR 1 Light candles at 5:12 p.m. SAT., FEBRUARY 25, ADAR 2 Shabbat ends 6:10 p.m.

2.8

MAXWELL DRAKE WRITING WORKSHOPS. 4:45 p.m., free, all ages. Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive, Las Vegas. 702-507-6100. lvccld.org UNLV JAZZ CONCERT SERIES: JAZZ ENSEMBLE II & THE CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ENSEMBLE. 7 p.m., free, all ages. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3400. lvccld.org

2.9

TYME SERIES: A KAREN WAIKSNISDISORBO GALLERY EXHIBIT. Through April 17, hours vary, free, all ages. Enterprise Library, 25 E. Shelbourne Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-507-3760. lvccld.org

2.11

JCC WORLD SERIES OF POP CULTURE. 7:30 p.m. $60/team of 4, all ages. JCC of Southern Nevada, 9001 Hillpointe Road, Las Vegas. 702-794-0090. jccsn.org SPLENDOR IN THE GLASS BEER & WINE TASTING. 3-7 p.m., $75-$90, 21+. Las Vegas Hotel, 3000 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702799-1010. vegaspbs.org/winetasting READERS AND WRITERS CORNER. 10:30 a.m., free, all ages. Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, Las Vegas. 702-507-3860. lvccld.org ITZHAK PERMAN: 8 p.m., $40.50-$85, all ages. Artemus W Ham Hall, UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas. 702-895-2787. pac.unlv.edu BEYOND BROKEBACK: READINGS BASED ON ANNIE PROULX’S SHORT STORY BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. 2 p.m., free, all ages. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3400. lvccld.org 105.7 THE OASIS VALENTINE’S LOVE AFFAIR. 7:30 p.m., $25. Orleans Hotel & Casino, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-365-7075. orleanscasino.com

2.12

ACOUSTIC EIDOLON: ECLECTIC MUSIC. 3 p.m., free, all ages. West Charleston Library, 6301 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas. 702507-3940. lvccld.org NEVADA CHAMBER SYMPHONY: FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC. 3 p.m., free, all ages. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3400. lvccld.org

2.13

LONGEVITOLOGY: ENERGY HEALING. 2 p.m., free, all ages. Sahara West Library, 9600

Nevada Chamber Symphony.

West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-5073630. lvccld.org

2.14

SCAPES: A GLEN RINEHIMER GALLERY EXHIBIT. Through April 22, hours vary, free, all ages. Spring Valley Library, 4280 S. Jones Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-507-3820. lvccld.org

2.15

THE WRITERS WORKSHOP. 10:30 a.m., free, all ages. Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, Las Vegas. 702-507-3860. lvccld.org HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS. 7 p.m., $22$144, all ages. Orleans Hotel & Casino, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-3657075. orleanscasino.com

2.16

NON-PROFIT SURVIVAL SKILLS: SHOULD I START A NON-PROFIT? 2 p.m., free, all ages. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3400. lvccld.org HEALTH AND WELLNESS SERIES. 10:30 a.m., free, all ages. Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, Las Vegas. 702-507-3860. lvccld.org

2.17

RAINBOW COMPANY YOUTH THEATRE: UNCOVERING NEVADA’S PAST. Through Feb. 19, 7 & 2 p.m., $3-$7, all ages. Historic 5th Street School, 401 S. Fourth Street, Las Vegas. 702-229-3515. artslasvegas.org

2.18

POWER OF LOVE GALA TO BENEFIT LOU RUVO CENTER. 7 p.m., $1,500-$7,500.

DAVID SHEVAT/ADAR 5772

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2.23

Ancient Bristlecones of Southern Nevada by Carl Pantuso Gallery Exhibit. Through April 24, hours vary, free, all ages. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3400. lvccld.org Business & Professionals with Ross Miller. 6 p.m. For more information, contact Rob Festenstein at 702-732-0556 or visit jewishlasvegas.com

2.24

Mat Kearney. 8 p.m., $19.95-$39.95, all ages. Access Showroom at Aliante Hotel & Casino, 7300 Aliante Parkway, Las Vegas. 702692-7484. aliantecasinohotel.com

Mat Kearney.

Grand Garden Arean at MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-263-9797. keepmemoryalive.org Las Vegas Philharmonic: Masterworks III. 8 p.m., $34.25-$78. Artemus W Ham Hall, UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas. 702-895-2787. lvphil.com Jewtopia. Through Feb. 19, 8 p.m. (Feb. 18) & 2 & 7 p.m. (Feb. 19), $25. Suncoast Hotel and Casino, 9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas. 702636-7111. suncoastcasino.com

2.19

Hadassah Cantor’s Concert. 1-3 p.m., $18-$20, all ages. Summerlin Library Theater, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, Las Vegas. 702-869-5225. hsn.org Exploring Your Family’s History — Geneology Series. 1 p.m., free, all ages. Sahara West Library, 9600 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-507-3630. lvccld.org

2.21

SCORE Small Business Workshops: Funding Your Business. 4 p.m., free, all ages. Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, Las Vegas. 702-507-3860. lvccld.org

2.22

Celine Dion. Through Feb. 29, 7:30 p.m., $55-$250. The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-7317110. caesarspalace.com

Collage My Interpretation by Fannie Ludaway Gallery Exhibit. Through April 15, hours vary, free, all ages. Windmill Library, 7060 W. Windmill Lane, Las Vegas. 702-507-6030. lvccld.org

America’s original

hookah lounge Open Every day from 5pm-1am, Happy Hour every day 5pm-7pm & Tuesdays from 5pm-1am

Featuring Specialty Cocktails, Beer, Wine, Mixed Drinks, Hookahs and Food.

David Gray. 9 p.m., $65, all ages. The Chelsea at Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-698-7000. cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

2.25

Keith Brantley: Swimming in a Cesspool: A Collection of Poems. 2 p.m., free, all ages. West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-5073980. lvccld.org Radon Awareness. 11 a.m., free, all ages. Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive, Las Vegas. 702-507-6100. lvccld.org Saturday Family Flix: The Smurfs. 2 p.m., free, all ages. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3400. lvccld.org

2.26

Vashti’s Banquet. 12-3:30 p.m., $36, all ages. Temple Beth Sholom, 10700 Havenwood Lane, Las Vegas. 702-429-0888. wltbs.org Caring for a Loved One with Memory Loss. 2 p.m., free, all ages. West Charleston Library, 6301 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-507-3940. lvccld.org ™

2.27

Spring Restaurant Week. Through March 4, times & locations vary, $20.12-$50.12. For more information, visit helpdineoutlv.org

To submit your event information, email calendar@davidlv.com by the 15th of the month prior to the month in which the event is being held.

hookahlounge.com paymons.com 702.731.6030 4147 S. Maryland Pkwy.

702.804.0293 8380 W. Sahara Ave. FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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devour Valentine’s Day Menu @ Simon Aphrodisiac is the word of the day for Valentine’s Day. Simon Restaurant at Palms Hotel is offering the perfect menu of foods to get you in the mood. The four course prix-fixe menu will offer appetizer, salad, entrée, and dessert. Diners will get to choose from several options during each course and can even add, for an extra $32, a wine pairing with each selection. From oysters to lobster to red velvet cake, this is the perfect meal for a special day. There will also be other specialty menu items available. Special menu served from 6-11 p.m., $75/ person. Simon Restaurant at Palms Hotel, 4321 Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-942-7777. palms.com

DAVID’S Cupid’s Arrow Cocktail Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day with the delicious Cupid’s Arrow Cocktail 2 parts Pisco Porton 1 part pomegranate juice 1 part tangerine juice Sugar to taste Pomegranate seeds for garnish Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Rose Petal Jam by Zatorska & Target Looking for a unique Valentine’s Day gift for your significant other? Do you love to cook fancy dishes? Rose Petal Jam: Recipes and Stories from a Summer in Poland is the perfect book for someone who loves to cook. Featuring recipes and stories from the author’s grandmother’s life in Poland, this book takes its reader on a meandering stroll through Poland, tasting wonderful dishes all along the way. The book is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach, featuring beautiful photographs of the Polish countryside and photos from the author’s family. This book is a worthwhile investment and is the first in a series of four, each one featuring a different season. Rose Petal Jam, $23.10, amazon.com 18

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his Valentine’s Day, discover one of our unique shops for the very first time; get cozy with someone special at our tempting restaurants or take a stroll through our cobblestone streets. You’re sure to fall head over heels.

BOTTLES & BURGERS • BRASADO CHOCOLATE • BRIO TUSCAN GRILLE • CHARMING CHARLIE JEFF WHITE CUSTOM JEWELRY • LEONÉ CAFÉ • PETRA-A GREEK TAVERNA • RADIO CITY PIZZERIA RITUAL SALON & SPA • THE STRAND • VASARI • YOSCREAM

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desire

Gifts of Love

Chocolate by the Bald Man, Max Brenner offers a classic collection of edible chocolate valentines called Chocolate Love. Available in dark and milk $14.90. Max Brenner at Forum Shops at Ceasars, 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. (702) 462-8790, shop.maxbrenner.com

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impossible to ignore the pure indulgence of Prada Candy. Instantly seductive, its pure pleasure is for the new Prada women who is daring, sensual and full of life. $80-$108. Nordstrom at Fashion Show, 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-862-2525.

Save a special message or photo in this playful accessory that is both a necklace and a USB key. The red silicon heart holds a heart-shaped USB key embellished in 54 Indian Siam crystals. $75. Swarovski at Town Square, 6643 Las Vegas Blvd., S., Las Vegas. 702-269-9508.

Your lips will be ready for that kiss with a new bold and brilliant color by Rain Cosmetics. Drench your lips with Fire Storm, a racy scarlet hue from the Color Storm Lip Lacquer line. $20. Rain Cosmetics at Elements inside Aria Las Vegas, 3730 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Las Vegas. 877-230-2742. 20

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Not just pink, but hot pink. This sensual, yet playful push-up bra, with matching garter belt and thong is a must-have for little miss Valentine. $18.50-$55. Victoria’s Secret at Town Square, 6543 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Las Vegas. 702-270-0088.

Inspired by billowing sails with a curved, sensual surface that catches the light, the Frank Gehry Hearts Necklace in sterling silver demonstrates a bold new vision of arresting forms. $2,250. Tiffany & Co. at Crystals, 3710 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-545-9090

A simple expression of love for a desktop or vanity table is Lalique’s fuschia heart paperweight. $325. Bloomingdales at Fashion Show, 3200 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-784-5400. Bow ties are special, especially if worn during the month of love. Thomas Pink’s Morris Gingham check bow tie says charm all over it. $75. Thomas Pink at Forum Shops at Caesars, 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-696-1713.

FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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discover Reliquary Spa @ Hard Rock Want to detox and feel refreshed? Spas all over Las Vegas are offering packages and discounts during the month of February, which means you have plenty of time to take advantage, even if you can’t do anything on Valentine’s Day itself. Reliquary Spa at Hard Rock Hotel is offering several options: a sweet red rose and chocolate facial, which will leave you smelling sweeter than… a rose; chocolate and mimosa body wrap, which will leave dry winter skin feeling fresh and moist; and heavenly touch, which offers a massage and facial simultaneously. Prices vary, so contact the spa directly to book services. Reliquary Spa at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702-693-5520. hardrockhotel.com/relax/ reliquary-spa

jdate.com

You’ve got mail! According to a popular website, one in five relationships begins online. JDATE is no exception. Offering a common ground for people of all ages to meet, JDATE is the most popular online relationship building site for Jewish people. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, many single people are feeling pressure, whether self-induced or brought on by their mothers, to find that special someone before the big day. JDATE allows people from all branches of Judaism to meet in one place, from Reform to Orthodox. The process is simple: you sign up for an account, fill out the questionnaire, and start talking to people. If you pay for a subscription, you can reply to e-mails that are sent to you. Subscription rates vary, but come in one, three, and six month packages. jdate.com

Hot Air Balloon Rides Up, up, and away! With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, you may be looking for something unique to do with your sweetheart. How about thinking outside the box and going for a hot air balloon ride? Balloon Rides in Las Vegas offer a number of packages,such as special deals that include a night at a bed & breakfast, which would make for a perfect romantic getaway. They offer group and private balloon rides, with the private ride concluding with a champagne toast. Balloon Rides in Las Vegas also offers gift certificates, perfect for someone who has everything and likes to try something different. For more information or to book your ride, call 800-6159087. balloonridesinlasvegas.com 22

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mingle

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley and Dr Larry Lehrner

Ellen and Morris Schaner

Anti-defamation league American heritage dinner Forum Ballroom at Caesars Palace Saturday, January 7

(left to right) Eric and Illisa Polis, Lara and David Stone, Lisa Daitch, Hugh Bassewitz and Jason Ekus

Photographs by Tonya Harvey PBTH.com Jan Jones and Ellis Landau

(left to right) Jim Murren, Yvette Murren, Danny Greenspun and Ellis Landau

(left to right) Philip Goldstein, Joni and Rabbi Sandford Akselrad and John Brislin

Jessica Sferrazza and John Ralston

Abbie Friedman and Marilynn Mack

(left to right) Cari Marshall, Susan Fine, President Bill Clinton and Sonja Saltman

FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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cosmopolitanconnections.com HOSTED BY YVETTE BROWN

Via Brasil Steakhouse

Wednesday, January 11 Photographs by Roger Bennett rogerbennettphotography.com

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Musicians from Nevada School of the Arts

(left to right)Dee and Don Snyder and Ellis Landau

las vegas philharmonic diamonds are forever gala Four Seasons Hotel Saturday, January 14

(left to right) Gayle Anderson, Carolyn Sparks and Dee Mehocic

Rachelle Crupi and Kim Wagner

David Itkin, Patricia Pieper Fink and Jeri Crawford

Photographs supplied by Las Vegas Philharmonic

Nikita Haduong

Dan Hanson

Toni Carpenter and Ellis Landau

Jeri and Rick Crawford

FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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mingle

2012 Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival

Dr Miriam & Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Campus January 14 - 29 Photographs by Joshua Abbey

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live INSIDE speak @ 28 sense @ 32 taste @ 36

Chocolate fondue never fails to arouse the romantic. Just add a plump ripe strawberry and the blastoff is complete. Oh yes, bringing along a date would also not hurt. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about the dipping and sharing. FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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Cupid Is as Cupid Does 28

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Restoring the Luster of Levitan’s Libido

“S

ex between a man and a woman can be absolutely wonderful,” Woody Allen once said, “provided you get between the right man and the right woman.” This year is my eighth as the exclusive romantic partner to my wife, a woman whose beauty is surpassed only by her tolerance (evidenced by the fact that you’re reading this and I’m still married). We still love each other deeply, but the simian simmer that once rocked our bedroom has — especially since the birth of our daughter last year — mostly relocated to my office laptop. To commemorate Valentine’s Day, I made a several-pronged attempt to relocate it back. My wife (who insisted that this article not contain her name so potential future employers can’t Google it) is not into kinky fantasy weirdness. And neither am I — at least when she asks me. But my theory is that entirely unethical situations and positions can be a turn-on to a conservative woman — as long as she’s with a man she passionately loves. Until my wife finds that man, it’s up to me. And maybe you can learn from my successes and failures. ROMANTIC NIGHT AWAY This was actually the wife’s idea. After a fight one afternoon that was my fault — what other kind is there? — she marched into the living room with a piece of paper. Shockingly, it was a bargain website hotel reservation instead of divorce papers to sign. She nabbed a top-floor, Strip-facing suite at the MGM Signature for $200. (Yay, Las Vegas’ economic devastation!) This was to be our first night away from our infant daughter. My wife had just shed not only all her baby weight, but five extra pounds. I made excited preparations. They included a trusted babysitter, minty mouthwash and other artificial fluids, and a reservation at our favorite restaurant. The yumminess of Origin India was a short cab ride away and we knew the evening would be special as soon as we entered the restaurant. That’s because our favorite waiter didn’t forget my name and address me as “boss,” as he usually does. “Welcome, amigo!” he announced. Hitting the feathery, 1,500-count sheets under the influence of a stomach-bursting vegetarian feast and only a single Pinot Grigio, I picked a movie I knew we wouldn’t watch: “Hangover 2.” And that’s the last memory either of us has before awakening the next morning. Something here still needed fixing. THE SEXY OUTFIT For someone as uncomfortable with his manhood as I am, the frilly façade of Victoria’s Secret is best not penetrated alone. So I enlisted a coach: a not-that-attractive old friend who I pray does not

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read how I just described her. I usually grab the first thing I see in an intimate apparel store and make off — after checking that my high-school gym teacher isn’t watching. But a thorough knowledge of camis, teddies, tap pants and body stockings doesn’t make our special friend fall off. In fact, he rises to the occasion at images of how much more significant our other will appear in each new satiny garment of filth. I mean, we guys spend three months hunting down the perfect computer screen to display our secret Jenna Jameson DVDs. Why can’t we spend an hour on something we will actually touch? My old friend helped me pick out garter belts and matching bras. “Even if a girl is dressing like a hooker, she’s gonna want to match,” she explained. “And don’t even THINK of shopping before you know her bra and panty sizes. The only thing worse than something too big is something too small.” Following my old friend’s advice, I rummaged through my wife’s underwear drawer while she was at work. (Ladies, we know you suspect us of doing it anyway.) “It’s so pretty!” the wife said upon opening her correctly fitting red satin bustier with a fake-diamond choker, lacy panties and pair of black do-me pumps. She’s not supposed to like it, I informed her; it’s a hooker outfit. Well, at least she hates the shoes. “How am I supposed to stand in them?” she asked. “You’re not,” I replied. This time, neither of us fell asleep. But would this permanently solve our spice shortage or become a crutch? More importantly, I was having too much fun with this journalistic investigation to stop now. TOYS Excuse me, sir, can you unlock that glass case and grab me that battery-powered exaggerated anatomical thing so everybody in the store can see you do it for me? Whoever invented Internet shopping, thank God for you. For extra spice, I also ordered a blindfold, handcuffs and other unprintables from eBay’s “adults only” section. (Look hard for it; it’s hidden.) “No!” the wife pleaded. Is that a no that’s good or a no that’s bad? (This is not a sexy question to ask in the moment, incidentally.) I’m not going to get into specifics, because I know how grossed out you are already. Later, the wife told me it wasn’t so much the toys she enjoyed, but the surrender of control, the trusting of someone who perhaps shouldn’t be trusted. And fear of the unknown. “What I really liked was when you reached into the bag,” she said. “When I heard the rustling of the paper, I didn’t know what was going to happen next.” Nor did our closely spaced next-door neighbor, who still flashes me the thumbs-up when I see him in his driveway. THE SEX TAPE My Canon’s batteries were as charged as mine when I perched the mini-DVD camcorder on our dresser, aimed it and slinked under the covers. “You’re gonna erase this, right?” my wife asked. “Of course,” I lied. Immediately, I noticed something different about my tendency 30

to give more than receive: It existed. A camera in the bedroom is like someone who sits in the corner and watches. With one small, red-blinking eye. Everything you do is an attempt to impress your viewer as much as your lover. Even though my wife is the only other viewer this DVD will have — unless one of us becomes famous or makes a dreadful error with the Netflix return envelope — I found myself so proud of the 12 minutes I took, I mugged into the camera like Schneider from “One Day at a Time.” Alas, our coitus was interruptus-ed. And not by the cry I dreaded from our sleeping daughter’s bedroom. It was by our Dachshund, who is accustomed to conducting the only animal activity in our marital bed. The wife used my setback time to joke, which of course further increased my setback time until it was time to press “stop.” After production wrapped, we discovered that making and watching your own sex tape are two distinct religions. You really don’t know your body until you see it in action without you. “How can you desire to do such things to that pale guy with the Buddha belly?” I asked my wife. “Huh?” she responded. She was busy grimacing at the size of her thighs. “My nails look good, though,” she said. SEX IN PUBLIC The wife and I visited Manhattan for Labor Day weekend, leaving the baby with a childhood friend of mine. Proudly, I showed off my old stomping grounds: where John Lennon was murdered, where those rapists went wilding, where Robert Chambers strangled that girl. You know, the good old days. Little did the wife know, we were about to create a little criminal history ourselves. Sex in Central Park is indecent exposure, a misdemeanor punishable by arrest and a $250-$500 fine. But how better to top off a romantic ride on the lake than a romantic ride in the surrounding woods? I began with a tongue sandwich worthy of Katz’s Deli. Then I broke the penal code. Surprisingly, my wife went with the moment. The only hard part was, um, my hard part. Lyme Disease isn’t sufficiently terrifying to keep me from lying in wildly overgrown underbrush. But it was enough, it turned out, to keep me from finishing a task as quickly as you need to when your nakedness is clearly visible from a side road leading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The final straw was that passing cop car “bwoop bwooping,” albeit for some entirely unrelated reason. You can scratch this one off your list. It’s better as a fantasy. THREE-WAY My immediate future doesn’t even include a two-way I can count on. Yet why not try taking this assignment as far as it can possibly go? After dinner in L.A. one night, the wife thought we were rolling to a bar for a nightcap. This was true. I just didn’t mention that on Friday nights, the bar goes lesbian. The wife neglected to notice that I was the only man waiting on the long line who was born that way. But the name of tonight’s temporary club, projected in white letters against a dark wall in the lobby, finally betrayed my secret. “One drink and that’s it!” she commanded as we entered the Girl Bar.

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The woman with blonde braids dancing alone in front of the nearest open table looked like a model. In fact, her look was beyond model; it was mannequin. (I think I noticed little lines on her shoulders where the arms snapped on.) Unfortunately, she danced in that empty-eyed, off-balance kind of way you don’t want to take advantage of because she might be drunk or a mental patient. Perfect! “No girls!” the wife insisted. I nodded as I ordered two red wines. Other than its lack of other biological males, the Girl Bar distinguished itself in another way from every other bar I’ve ever patronized: an attractive female was staring at me. It was Drunk and/or Crazy Bo Derek. And she waved. Then she actually approached! This was not a dream. I double-checked. Her name was Myla. I invited her to sit and ordered her another Absolut Mandarin and Red Bull. She was staring at me, she said, because she was embarrassed to look at my wife. “I knew if I looked directly at you,” Myla told her, “I would break my concentration and I couldn’t dance right.” My wife thanked her and uncomfortably introduced herself. “You’re a good dancer,” she told Myla. I suggested that we hit the dance floor. My wife declined, then pulled me aside. I signaled Myla to hang. “It’s not that I think sex with a woman is gross,” she told me. “I just love you so much and I know that sex with another person would get in the way.” Her eyes began tearing. There was not enough red wine in the world to pull this off. But the story didn’t end when we exited the bar. A couple of days later, my wife awoke and asked me to guess what she just had a dream about. “You and me with our girlfriend.” — By Corey Levitan

FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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sense

Emotion Pictures

Guaranteed To Get You In The Mood

he phrase “romantic comedy” evokes an immediate aversion in a lot of moviegoers these days. But just because Hollywood insists on churning out soulless, formulaic movies that have little to do with romance or comedy doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of great movies to get you in a romantic mood for Valentine’s Day. The Vow, starring Channing Tatum and romantic-movie queen Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, The Time Traveler’s Wife) will hit theaters Feb. 10. But if you’re wary of its weepy brand of tragedy-fueled romance, here are 10 great love stories you can rent and watch with your significant other (or friend with benefits) instead. Before Sunrise (1995)/Before Sunset (2004) In 1995, Richard Linklater perfectly captured the feeling of falling unexpectedly in love over the course of a single night with Before Sunrise, featuring Ethan Hawke as an American tourist and Julie Delpy as a French student spending a few hours together in Vienna. It ended on a note of wonderful ambiguity, equal parts hopefulness

and melancholy. But Linklater, Hawke and Delpy managed to craft a perfect follow-up with the 2004 sequel, catching up with the characters nine years later and showing how the hopefulness and melancholy could be recaptured even after almost a decade of life experience. The second movie ends on another sweetly unresolved note, which can be interpreted as a triumph of love over time and distance, or the bittersweet feeling of that love once again slipping away. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) People remember Audrey Hepburn as a charming pixie. But she shows off an appealing vulnerable side in this romantic

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Sometimes love is illogical and counterintuitive, and yet it’s all that we have to hold onto. Nothing embodies that more strongly than a scene late in Michel Gondry’s wonderful, heartbreaking film, as Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) hear recordings of themselves savagely recounting each other’s faults, and at the same time fervently re-commit to being together. Those recordings are new to them because they’ve both participated in an experimental process to erase memories of their relationship, and yet they’ve found each other again anyway. The perseverance of love, even in the face of actual scientific proof that it will lead to pain, is both heartening and devastating. And that moment of Joel and Clementine seeing the worst possible consequences, and yet going forward anyway, speaks volumes about the power of the heart over the head. Love Actually (2003) Love can be difficult and sad and frustrating, but the message of Richard Curtis’ infectiously joyous comedy is that love is wonderful and necessary in all its various forms, and he manages to convey that without being manipulative or disingenuous, as so many Hollywood romantic comedies can be. Love Actually is sentimental in the best way, creating genuine, heartwarming emotions in its various overlapping tales of romance, all set in London in the weeks leading up to Christmas. A man falls in love with his housekeeper, despite a language barrier; a widower counsels his young stepson on how to win over a classmate; and even the prime minister goes all giddy at the prospect of romance with one of his staffers. Those stories and many more add up to a celebration of the transformative power of love. comedy that is much more complex than many people realize. It tones down some of the explicitness of Truman Capote’s novel in favor of a more sanitized Hollywood approach, but still coyly suggests how the young New Yorkers Hepburn and George Peppard play use sex as currency in their lives. As these jaded urbanites see love and romance as mere commodities, they come together unexpectedly and find in one another what they’ve merely been selling to others. The movie captures the giddy feeling of being young and living in a vibrant city and being truly in love for the first time, even as it acknowledges that outside circumstances often make that feeling ephemeral.

Out of Sight (1998) Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight is about a lot more than romance. It’s about a bank robber fleeing the authorities, getting his crew back together for one big heist (that’s bound to go wrong). But the story’s core is the unlikely chemistry between career criminal Jack Foley (George Clooney) and U.S. marshal Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez). Clooney and Lopez have never been sexier (and the usually flat Lopez gives by far her best performance), exploring Jack and Karen’s connection while trapped together in a car trunk and later in one of cinema’s all-time-best sex scenes. Soderbergh cuts back and forth between the pair’s conversation in a hotel FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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bar and their subsequent assignation upstairs, using their playful banter and the clever way they tweak their criminal/federal agent dynamic to enhance the more primal connection between the sheets. Plus, seeing two of the most beautiful people in Hollywood history go at it is guaranteed to get pretty much anyone’s motor running. Amelie (2001) Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s charming film is a movie about the romance of romance, about a woman so in love with love that she devises complex, whimsical schemes to create love matches between strangers and give the people around her the happiness they could never conjure for themselves. Played by Audrey Tautou, Amelie is painfully shy and wary of relationships. She puts all of her energy into engineering perfect moments for others. Jeunet’s vibrant, colorful visual style highlights the everyday wonder of the world around us, illustrating Amelie’s point of view that life is constantly infused with romance. Eventually, Amelie finds love for herself. But, like so many selfless people, she has trouble taking charge of her own life. The generosity of Amelie and the people around her is uplifting and infectious, creating a warm sense of the grand possibilities of life and love.

The Philadelphia Story (1940) Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart compete for the love of a socialite (Katharine Hepburn) in one of the best examples of the classical Hollywood romantic comedy. Although Hepburn’s Tracy is obviously drawn to her caddish ex-husband (Grant), she’s also credibly paired with Stewart’s cynical journalist, who’s reluctantly covering her wedding to the guy she definitely won’t end up with. Hepburn plays a wonderfully headstrong, independent woman who deftly balances her two suitors, and the cleverly written film relies as much on wordplay and intellectual discourse as it does on movie-star chemistry when it comes to depicting romance. Everyone ends up happily paired off in the end, but the movie never shortchanges the effort that goes into finding (and losing, and then finding again) love, and it features some of Hollywood’s greatest repartee along the way. Roman Holiday (1953) The pampered rich girl (or, less often, guy) who escapes her stifling, upper-crust surroundings and cuts loose with a rough blue-collar guy is a familiar romantic-comedy device. But never has it been handled better than in this giddy travelogue co-starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Hepburn is exuberant as the princess who just wants to cut loose and roam around Rome, and Peck is suitably grumpy as the serious journalist stuck covering her

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royal highness’ every move. When they unknowingly (at first) fall in love, it’s contrived but believable, a fairy tale complete with cynical bosses, ruthless reporters, public drunkenness and brawling. And while they both may want to change their lives and get out of their ruts, personally and professionally (if being a princess can be called a profession), the movie doesn’t pretend that romance solves all problems. As the title indicates, it’s just a holiday — albeit a magical one. It Happened One Night (1934) Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert play the prototypical opposites-attract couple in this sparkling comedy from Frank Capra. Thanks to its release just before Hollywood began enforcing the Hays Code (which dictated strict moral standards for movie content), It Happened One Night is appealingly bawdy, including an iconic scene in which Colbert’s spoiled heiress Ellie hikes up her skirt and shows a little leg in hopes of increasing her odds while hitchhiking. Colbert’s Ellie and Gable’s unemployed newspaper reporter Peter bicker and squabble with wit and venom. But, of course, their arguing conceals

a growing romance. The banter is never mean-spirited and the love story feels genuine, as the two spend time on the run from Ellie’s wealthy, domineering father before realizing they’re perfect together. As plenty of couples know very well, cutting remarks and clever put-downs are often the foundation for a passionate relationship, and Capra captures that dynamic perfectly. Annie Hall (1977) Annie Hall was a turning point for Woody Allen and the romantic comedy genre, introducing more serious themes into Allen’s comedic films and offering up a more intellectual perspective on the story of two people falling in love. It’s still a very funny movie, with possibly Allen’s quintessential performance as his archetypal neurotic worrier, a comedian and writer named Alvy Singer who falls for the flighty title character. As Allen illustrates various romantic pitfalls (including the emotional baggage people carry into each relationship, and the way lovers often hide what they really mean to say in vague, coded conversations) with clever, sometimes fourth-wall-breaking devices, he shows romance from both the emotional and the intellectual angle. Despite how analytical Alvy is, he can’t shake his attraction to Annie, even if they’re not meant to end up together. Allen is adept at picking apart the nature of love, but he knows that in the end it’s what we feel that matters most. — Josh Bell

WORLD SERIES OF POP CULTURE

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 7:30 pm JCC of Southern Nevada The World Series of Pop Culture competition pits several teams of 4 against one another in the ultimate pop culture trivia contest. The contestants’ knowledge of television, music and film will be tested as never before. When the game is over, just one team will take home the crown along with a sweet prize! Each team shall consist of 4 players and we will accept a maximum of 16 teams. To register a team, contact the JCC at 794-0090. Team entry fee is $60 if registered by January 31, 2012. $75 afterwards.

STRIP SEARCH

Saturday, March 10, 2012 at 7:30 pm JCC of Southern Nevada The JCC Strip Search is back for its 6th race! Teams will race around the infamous Las Vegas Strip following clues and participate in challenges while competing against other teams! The first team to cross the finish line after completing all tasks is the ultimate winner. Each team shall consist of 6 players and we will accept a maximum of 10 teams. To register a team, contact the JCC at 794-0090. Team entry fee is $150 if registered by February 29, 2012. $180 afterwards.

Limited registration so do not hesitate to register.

(702) 794-0090 www.jccsn.org FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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taste

Sage - Foie gras custard ‘brûlée.’

Simply Sin...sational

Finding Your Love Potion One Bite At A Time

s the host to St. Valentine’s Day, February is a time for love. Whether you spend time with a loved one or a hoped-for, soonto-be loved one, there’s no way better to celebrate than over a good meal. My wife can attest that the way to my heart is through my stomach. So if you’re a kindred spirit, here are some dishes that just might get you in a romantic mood … on Valentine’s Day or otherwise! Sage — foie gras custard ‘brûlée’ Chef Shawn McClain’s outpost at City Center boasts probably the most memorable, decadent “dessert” in town … and it’s not even a dessert. The foie gras custard brûlée appetizer is a wonderful amalgamation of sweet and savory. The balance of the foie gras’ richness — foie gras is fatty duck liver — with the custard brulee’s sweetness is an epiphany.

The dish is completed with Bing cherries and toasted cocoa nibs; however, the coup de grâce is the salted brioche accompanying the brûlée. The combination of salty and sweet is memorable and is a must-have during any visit to Sage. For a special treat, ask to pair the dish with a Lindeman’s Framboise. The raspberry lambic beer perfectly complements the dish — one which you’ll soon not forget. Isn’t that what the special evening is about? Sen of Japan — nigiri sushi There’s no more intimate dining experience than one that requires using your fingers. The tactile sensation of the food creates a link with the dish and provides a whole different experience. That’s why I suggest a couple courses of nigiri sushi at the Valley’s best

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another. Cheese fondue gets transported by a selection of breads and vegetables, while proteins cook in your choice of broths. The chocolate course? It’s served alongside pound cake and various fruits. But don’t shortchange yourself with chocolate only — it’s time to gild the lily. I suggest a light chocolate fondue with a serving of Frangelico, a hazelnut liqueur. Chocolate and hazelnut are a sublime combination — melted chocolate and hazelnut are even better. Chocolate and liquor — what else could you ask for? Swish — shabu shabu

Sen of Japan Nigiri Sushi.

neighborhood sushi spot — Sen of Japan. Now you may ask: Why you would use your fingers when eating sushi? Because it’s tradition and no one would expect you not to, of course! Nigiri sushi is simply cuts of seafood on rice. If a sauce is applied, you’re using chopsticks; however, with traditional sauceless sushi you’re encouraged to use your fingers. It’s easiest to grasp the sushi from the rice, providing a means for a quick dip in soy sauce, if desired; however, there’s no need for even soy sauce with quality seafood. Sen is serving the best sushi in the Valley this side of Bar Masa, at a fraction of the price. Ask Shinji-san to prepare you a selection nigiri for your Valentine’s Day dinner and enjoy a different side to sushi. The Melting Pot — fondue

Not in the mood for fondue but still interested in cooking your own food? Then maybe Swish is the place for you. Swish is home to shabu shabu, which is essentially Japanese fondue. Pieces of meat, fish or vegetables are dipped into a seaweedbased broth in a tabletop hot pot. Served alongside ponzu (Japanese citrus) and goma (an addictive sweet sesame sauce) dipping sauces, you cook the pieces in the heated broth as you dip them. The more you want them cooked, the longer you let them linger. This can be a very healthy and enjoyable dining activity. While not as healthy, sukiyaki is another option at Swish. Instead of cooking in a broth, a skillet is filled with a soy sauce-based concoction. Sukiyaki is served with a raw egg to provide some textural interplay, and as the sauce reduces in the skillet the flavors become more intense. I enjoy combining the final reduction with any remaining egg and pouring the resultant mixture onto steamed rice. Trust me on this one — it’s not an amateur move. Swish is a different take on the more commonly known fondue. If you haven’t tried it, why not dare to do something different for a little excitement? Parma PastaVino & Deli — pasta

There’s something about cooking your own meal in unison with someone else that allows you to develop a connection. It’s even better when the meal involves cheese and ultimately chocolate, with some meat in between. The Melting Pot is a simple concept. Each diner is given a choice of colored skewer, chooses a selection of proteins and shares both a cheese fondue appetizer and a chocolate fondue dessert with another. You pick your ingredients and after your server prepares the mixtures, you do the heavy lifting and cook in front of one

Who can forget the heartwarming scene in the classic Disney flick where Lady and the Tramp find themselves in the back alley at the end of a single piece of pasta? If you would like to recreate that wonderful moment, minus the “eating in the back alley” part, I can think of no better place to do so than Chef Marc Ritz’ Parma PastaVino & Deli. Why Parma? It’s primarily because of the care Ritz takes to include quality ingredients and dishes throughout the menu — a surprisingly high quality meal in an otherwise nondescript strip mall. The constantly rotating menu includes a variety of housemade

The Melting Pot Chocolate Fondue.

Parma PastaVino & Deli pasta. FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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Bonito Michoacan Tableside Guacamole.

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pastas alongside traditional Italian offerings, so you can visit on multiple occasions and never eat the same meal twice. If you’re lucky, nay, VERY lucky, one of the pastas will be the spaghetti ahi tuna bolognese. This remarkable dish consists of housemade spaghetti in a tomato-based sauce with ground ahi tuna substituting for the more traditional red meat component. The ground tuna is reminiscent of turkey in color and texture; however, the incredibly light taste complements the tangy tomato sauce. Even better is the Chef’s Table — a selection of four courses Ritz chooses, depending on the freshest ingredients at his disposal. Having partaken of the Chef’s Table multiple times, I can assure you’ll not be disappointed. And who doesn’t like a surprise now and then?

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Avocado is rumored to be an aphrodisiac. So if you’re looking for ways to get this love-inducing fruit (that’s right, it’s a fruit) into your life, what better way than with some fresh guacamole? The best I’ve encountered in town is at Bonito Michoacan, where the guacamole is prepared to order tableside. The beauty of tableside preparation, besides the freshness, is getting to choose exactly the ratio of ingredients you like. Like your guacamole spicier? Ask for more jalapeños. Not a fan of cilantro? Request less or none at all. It’s completely up to you and no one will hold it against you. I personally like ample amounts of the myriad ingredients, which include the aforementioned jalapeños and cilantro, along with onions, tomatoes and fresh-squeezed lime juice. Jalapeños add heat, the onions texture and lime juice a bit of acidity. Another plus — the freshly made mix tends to be somewhat chunky, also contributing to the textural variety in a positive manner. You’ll hardly believe you’re eating something good for you, all while megadosing on the aphrodisiac. Serendipity 3 — Frrrozen Hot Chocolate

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Bonito Michoacan — tableside guacamole

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think INSIDE The Sweet Cents of Seduction @ 42 Someone to Hold @ 46 Hunting Cupid @ 52

“Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What’s in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And for that name which is no part of thee Take all myself.” Juliet in Romeo and Juliet FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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The Sweet Cents of Seduction The International Rose Business Annual Bonanza By Pat R. Teague

Shhhhh.

The rose has been an emblem of silence since the ancient Greeks misinterpreted its Egyptian symbolism thousands of years ago. The Latin phrase sub rosa, a staple of espionage novelists, means “under the rose” and long has referred to secrecy or confidentiality. Historians tell us roses were painted on the ceilings of Roman banquet rooms, to remind those who were sub vino to hold their tongues. And five-petaled likenesses of roses were carved into confessionals: What was spoken there stayed there. Sound familiar? When contemporary romantics want to express their sentiments each Feb. 14, they often send roses —fragile, short-lived and silent tokens of love and devotion. In some ways, the rose industry itself has been a bit secretive. Most of us may not know, for example, that the majority of the gorgeous blooms we send loved ones on Valentine’s Day were cultivated in South America, predominantly in the savanna around Bogata, Colombia, or near Quito, Ecuador, a country that straddles the equator and provides optimal and relatively unchanging growing conditions (intense sunlight, dry air) for the big-headed and pricey Freedom rose we’ve come to covet. In 2010, about 80 percent of the estimated 198 million roses grown for the American market came from South America, according to the Society of American Florists. The rest came primarily from California, this nation’s most prodigious producer of flowers. For several years now, the number of American businesses growing flowers and plants has declined annually, for a variety of reasons, including the incursion by big box and grocery stores that are able to charge less for their product. And, yes, just as the elegant rose and the thorn must co-exist on the same stem, there are painful facets abroad to floriculture:

the reported exploitation of some laborers (particularly women); the use of health- and environment-damaging pesticides by some growers; the huge carbon footprint that transporting flowers thousands of miles to market entails; the polluting trucks that ferry flowers to florists; the near-constant refrigeration required; the depletion of aquifers; the loss of arable land to greenhouses sheathed in plastic film. Few of us are likely to realize, too, that the U.S. government, through tariff breaks in the early 1990s, encouraged an industry in Colombia – at the expense of American flower growers – that represented a more palatable alternative to Washington than battling cocaine cartels and narco-violence abroad, and crime and addiction in this country. But there are benefits as well to the Latinflavored floribunda (even if the roses are bred for hardiness rather than fragrance): jobs for the under-employed, especially women who are heads of households; a stable production chain that turns out a world-class product; and profits for American-based growers on foreign soil and florists back here in the U.S. And there are also South American “fair trade” rose producers like Ecuador’s John Nevado, Nevado at his business an hour south of Quito who PBS portrayed in a 2008 documentary as a hero of eco-sensitive, labor-friendly and sustainable floriculture. His product costs more, but some of the profits this acknowledged “capitalist farmer” reaps are returned to workers. “One of the effects of the fair trade system is that you’re empowering people by not only giving them extra money. They also take classes in rudimentary finance, accounting, project management, to manage the extra money they make,” Nevado told documentarians Deb Tullmann and Cortney Hamilton. As the program took pains to impart, many European consumers – but not their American counterparts – have been willing since 2002 to spend more to ensure their imported flowers were grown in a fair trade milieu.

“The rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart.” — Unknown

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But enough of the politics and day-to-day practices of floriculture. Should we always send red roses on Valentine’s Day? According to the folks at Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University, the color of the rose you send may be a clue to the sentiment you wish to convey. If you’re unsure what your rose means, or could mean, to the recipient, be careful. A red rose, according to the ISU extension, is meant to infer “Love, I love you.” (That works.) But how about the dark crimson rose? “Mourning.” 44

And the yellow rose? “Decrease of love, jealousy, try to care.” A white rose conveys “innocence and purity, I am worthy of you, you’re heavenly, secrecy and silence.” (Hmmm.) Be sure your roses arrive well-preserved. A withered white rose would suggest “Transient impression, fleeting beauty, you made no impression.” And you’re paying for that? Speaking of paying, expect to spend a lot more for your red roses during the week of Valentine’s Day than you would the rest of the year. Just ask Angel Chairez, who with his wife Correne runs the Rose

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Shack at 1105 S. Rainbow Blvd., Ste. 104, in Las Vegas. With 16 years in the business to her husband’s six, Correne is the shop’s head designer. Angel’s training has been on the job. “Honestly, I think the best way to get into a flower shop is literally to start working in one,” he advises. “From there, you just sort of get paid instead of paying a school to teach you.” Chairez says a dozen premium roses costs just under $60 at his shop most of the year (more at other places, he says) but will set you back about 90 bucks on Valentine’s Day. He says the price he pays the South American farms goes up three or four times just before Feb. 14 compared to what he usually owes. “Our roses come from Ecuador and Colombia. A lot of florists here in town deal with local wholesalers for the roses. We’re very fortunate that we have a lot of accounts, so we deal with a broker instead. It’s kind of just like a middleman. “We place our order with a broker and they’ll just contact the farm, and the farm will ship it directly to us … and we’ll go pick them up at the airport (twice a week). So … we’re very fortunate. They are usually, on average, about three to four days’ fresher than most shops’ (flowers), just because I don’t deal with wholesalers,” Chairez says. He says he gets a better wholesale price (most of the year) than some of his competitors, too, and passes those savings on to his customers. “I order such large quantities,” he adds, “that we get a pretty good discount.” But prices go up for Valentine’s Day, right? “They do jump quite a bit,” Chairez says. “On average, our wholesalers, the farms, will increase our price about three to four times as much as what we normally pay. We don’t even double what we normally charge. Normally, it’s $60 per dozen. During Valentine’s Day, we normally charge $89 a dozen, so we’re making less (than others do), but it’s by volume. We’re getting a lot more in volume.” He says last-minute customers also will see the name of his business, and “we have the benefit that we’re the Rose Shack florist … Chances are on Valentine’s Day we will get that customer.” Chairez says his company hires more help for Valentine’s Day and pays more for shipping, and brings in a 28-foot, refrigerated trailer to keep those scads of roses fresh (at 38-42 degrees Fahrenheit). Inevitably, some of the additional costs get passed on to the consumer, he acknowledges. “Just like anything, whenever there’s more demand they can charge (him) more. And it trickles on down to the customer. You’ve got to imagine that the farms that (for them) to be able to supply that many roses, they are taken down to the bare minimum (of their stock),” he says. Chairez believes South American roses are the best on the worldwide market. “They have that climate. It’s near the equator. So it’s a constant temperature, where the roses really enjoy that … I’ll tell you this: The variety from South America varies a lot, depending on the region that they’re coming from. So it’s depending on the elevation, temperature, all of that, and the type of breed that they have. “Most farms it takes about four to six years of producing just one strand before they can release it to the market,” Chairez says. “Right now the most common red rose is actually called Freedom.” So if you want to speak volumes this year to the one you love, take the silent approach: Buy her roses. She’ll get the message.

FLOWER POWER It’s time to think about buying red roses (or other flowers) for Valentine’s Day. No sniveling. And before you head to the keyboard or start yanking out your credit card: stop. You need to know a little bit about what you’ll be ordering. Roses come in 10 grades and many different lengths. The higher the grade, and the longer the stem, the more you’ll pay. And expect to pay a lot more the week of Feb. 14. Prices usually double around this time of year. Get over it. If you’re planning to buy at the grocery store around midnight on the 13th, know this: The low-grade rose you’re likely to take home isn’t even bred to open. Repeating: It won’t bloom. Get to your florist now, get roses with a big head, the kind that will open, and ask for a shorter stem (to save a little). Expect to pay $8 to $15 per stem. If you can’t afford all roses, go all red. Any red flower will cost more around Valentine’s Day, but some are far cheaper than topof-the-line roses. Buy a few roses, and mix them with carnations, tulips or ranunculus. If your best girl’s local, buy locally from a florist. That way you’ll save on shipping. (If you go online, not so much.) Ask the florist for “no filler.” Tell’em green’s OK, but “don’t even add Baby’s Breath.” If you can’t afford red flowers, consider giving her tulips or some other flower – in her favorite color. If you don’t know her favorite color, get something that says “Spring.” Not literally, knucklehead. Something that reminds her of spring. So, are we good? No, we’re not. What if you bought a bouquet of flowers? Now what? For one thing, if you get home with roses (or other flowers) that you paid a veritable fortune for, and they aren’t even open yet, and now it’s an hour until Valentine’s Day, you’ll have do a little manual labor. You can’t afford to wait two more days for them to spread out. Be gentle, but stick one of your big, stubby fingers inside the outer ring of petals and gently – careful now – push them down. Keep doing this with all the petals until you’ve pried each open so the head of the flower’s nice and beautiful. Repeat on all blooms. If you’re planning to plop these babies into a vase (or if she is), be sure to cut off any leaves that might end up under water. (If the leaves aren’t removed they’ll become a source of fungi or bacteria that will grow under water and clog up the stems, preventing the plant from taking in water. You’ll want to retain those leaves above the water line, though. They’ll help the plant breathe.) Use the flat side of a knife to scrape along the stems to remove any thorns. Now, this is important. Make sure you make big-angled cuts at the end of each stem. About an inch long should do it. Cut on the bias, using floral clippers or a really sharp knife to do the job. That’ll allow the flowers to drink and suck up nutrients. At this point you need to dissolve half the contents of the preservative packet into a measured amount of warm water. Once that’s done, put the stems in, making sure the leaves that are left over are still high-and-dry above the water line. Leave the stems in the water for about an hour – minimum – before you start arranging the flowers. They need to drink. Keep an eye on the water level for the next few days. As it recedes, add more water and some of the remaining flower food/preservative. But if the water looks cloudy, change it immediately, and add more preservative. Otherwise, just add water and flower preservative as needed. Don’t try any home remedies for extending the flowers’ life. Stick with the professional preservative. Keep the flowers away from direct sunlight, and away from any heaters or drafts, including vents and fans. FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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omeone S to old H

T i m e l e s s Ta l e s o f Te n d e r n e s s By Lynn Wexler-Margolies

recently had the pleasure of spending an afternoon at the Care community. The arrangement offers a continuum of an amazing Life Care facility in Summerlin called Las upscale housing, ranging from a beautifully appointed oneVentanas, which is Spanish for the windows. No wonder bedroom apartment to a three-bedroom villa with a two-car … its setting offers dramatic views of Nevada’s desert garage, daily housekeeping, fine dining, fitness room, social mountains, canyons and glorious sunsets. My interview with amenities, activities and health supervision. A number of three of its resident couples, who admit to being utterly in aging care needs are all met on one rambling garden campus, love, deeply devoted and grateful for the gift convenient to local shopping, movies, of romance and companionship they wake restaurants and the strip. It’s akin to up to each morning in the twilight of their spending one’s senior years pampered daily years, further enhanced the visit. at the Four Seasons — ’til death do us part. My journey into this otherwise private Residents typically move into Las Ventanas facility, and the intimacy of these three while still living independently, with few relationships, was sparked by February, the health risks or healthcare needs, and reside month for hearts, and, of course, Valentine’s there until the end of life. As they age, and Day. This charming holiday provided the medical needs change, the level of nursing opportunity for me to meet and spend some care and service increases. If greater illness time with some of the Las Ventanas staff or injury warrants hospitalization, residents and residents. I’m far from my retirement return to their apartment after recovery, years, but the experience left me wanting to receiving appropriate treatment and care. consider buying a stake in the facility, along As I strolled the hallways that give way with the promise (or illusion) of living out to the cyber café, aquatic center, beauty — Beatrice Hirsh life on carefree terms, happily ever after with salon, barbershop, library, billiards room, graduated assistance and continued care for numerous small parlors and a dining room me and my beshert (Yiddish for destiny). that looks more like a five-star gourmet restaurant, I was As a Life Care facility, also known as a Continuing Care greeted by beautifully dressed ladies and gentlemen with easy Retirement Community, Las Ventanas is a paradise for those smiles, suggesting an awareness that they have been blessed who can afford it. American writer Herman Melville, best in their maturing years. known for his novel Moby-Dick, said, “Life’s a voyage that’s David Dahan has been chairman of the board of Las homeward bound.” Residents here are homeward-bound in Ventanas the past three years. “A colleague invited me to visit high style. In addition to offering several levels of assistance the facility, and from that moment on I was hooked. I wanted — independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing care to be part of something that perpetuates the continuity of — Las Ventanas differs from assisted-living communities in one’s self-respect in life.” that it provides a Life Care contract between the resident and What Dahan noticed through his experience at Las

“You have to admire each other. I think admiration is as important as love.”

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Beatrice and Bernard Hirsh.

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Ventanas is that one of the first things to go when age I, enjoyed sharing these experiences,” said Bernard. “It was a implants its gnarly grip is a person’s self-esteem. “Following marvelous trip!” Bea interjected. that is a loss of self-confidence, then one’s purpose and “After the trip Bea returned to her home in Rancho finally a lack of incentive to keep going,” Dahan offered. Bernardo, California, and I went back to Dallas where I was “Here, residents are constantly reminded, by highly trained from. We corresponded for nine months, and I guess we fell staff, that they matter. And it all takes place in dignified in love. I invited her to Dallas where she had a niece that surroundings, amongst compatible peers, in a well-organized, she could stay with. Straight from the airport I took her to a clean and safe environment”. famous barbecue dive,” Bernard continued. I was inclined to agree but eager to meet with three of the “And there I was all dressed up in my mink coat,” Bea couples who live at Las Ventanas, to gain their perspective on jumped in, laughing. life and love in the waning years and choosing to spend what’s “In the middle of her biting into a rib I asked her to marry left at Las Ventanas. me,” Bernard said. “After she gulped it down she surprised me … and said ‘YES!’ “ I was escorted into one of those cozy parlors I mentioned “I guess I just couldn’t resist him,” she said, giggling. earlier. In walked Beatrice and Bernard Hirsh. They were Both say their life together has been filled with happiness. stately and elegant. Bea, as she is known, “She’s my best friend!” Bernard says. was especially attractive. I figured them “It’s as romantic the second time as it was both to be in their 80s. I nearly slid off my the first.” chenille tapestry chair when Bea told me What’s the secret? she was born in 1914 and he in 1916. She “A good sense of humor,” Bernard says. stood up and did a dance to demonstrate “We laugh constantly, with each other and her vitality. While I had to speak up to at each other. And don’t be too critical, too accommodate their diminished hearing, judgmental …be understanding.” both were vibrant, articulate, interested and “I make light of everything,” Bea adds. — Mary Huxtable voluble in response to my personal queries. “It’s in my nature to ignore things that He was particularly talkative. She deferred might be irritating to others. And you have to his storytelling. He adores her and she him, and this after to admire each other. I think admiration is just as important 34 years of marriage. as love. Bernard is so intelligent. I admire him to the fullest.” They’ve enjoyed independent living at Las Ventanas for six “She’s a very delightful, understanding, loving and forgiving years in a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment with an office. person,” he says. Their families visit often and stay with them. They moved “We’re very, very lucky people, and we know it,” there because they felt if something happened to one of them, concluded Bea. they wanted to have the back-up. … Bea, widowed twice, has two sons, six grandchildren and I was introduced next to Mary Huxtable and Bob Collins. four great-grandchildren. Her mother was a concert pianist. She is 74 and has lived at Las Ventanas for six years. He is 75 She grew up loving music and was a piano player herself. and has lived there for five. Once again, I was floored by their Bernard was married to his college sweetheart for 38 years younger appearance. before she died suddenly of cancer. They had four children, Theirs is a very different story from the Hirshes’. four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He got a Unmarried, they’ve known each other five years, and have law degree from the University of Texas but never practiced. been in a relationship for four. They met at dinner at Las Instead, he went into the family millinery business and Ventanas. It wasn’t love at first sight but there definitely was remained a successful businessman until retirement. I asked interest and compatibility. how he and Beatrice met. Mary had been married 47 years when her husband died “My wife Joanna had planned a trip to the Orient with of cancer. They had two children, four grandchildren and a a group of friends before she knew she was ill. She passed great-grandchild. They were living in Sun City and watched away before the trip and I was just devastated. I canceled, Las Ventanas being built. Mary and her husband had agreed it of course. I was in no mood to be with anyone. Our travel would be a good idea to move there when the time was right. friends convinced me to reconsider, based on the point that When it was clear her husband’s time was almost up, Mary they would lose their group rate if I didn’t come. With a heavy — just 68 — decided it would be best to downsize in favor of heart I flew to Los Angeles airport to meet up with them. a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment at Las Ventanas and the Beatrice was one of the people traveling with the group. We compatible company of others in her later years. Her husband were introduced, though I was not the least bit interested in agreed, and she never expected to fall in love again. her or anyone. It was a three-week trip, however, to many Bob’s story is somewhat similar to Mary’s, except he had interesting places. The group as a whole, as well as Bea and relatives who had lived successfully in Life Care for many

“Give more than you hope to get.”

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Mary Huxtable and Bob Collins.

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years. He and his wife had been married 45 years when she introduced them to Las Ventanas. They were sold. died of cancer. They had already decided to buy an apartment Jerry resorted to levity when asked for the secret to their at a Life Care facility in preparation for their later years, prerelationship longevity. empting their childrens ‘ expensive and difficult decision. He “First one that leaves has to take the kids and the dog,” he and his wife also had moved to Las Vegas and watched Las said. “Neither of us wanted to take the kids or the dog so we Ventanas being built. When his wife’s stage-four cancer was stayed together.” diagnosed, he knew it was time to buy a one bedroom at Las Kay said they “enjoy each other too much to think about Ventanas for himself. He was pretty well convinced that he not being together.” was going to be single the rest of his life. Jerry agreed. “Kay has a great sense of humor, and she’s One evening while Mary was dining at Las Ventanas with fun to be around. It’s a no-brainer, actually,” said Jerry. her best friend, a newcomer strolled in and caught her “Jerry’s just always been in my heart,” Kay says. “We have attention. She liked the way he carried himself, his friendly a great deal of respect for each other. We make decisions demeanor, and his compassion toward others. Soon they together. Neither of us is the dominant one.” met and began to enjoy many dinner They also trust each other. Kay was in conversations. Bob loved her upbeat charge of most everything at home since personality and the way she tended to those Jerry was away so much. around her. She was never grumpy and it And when there were problems? felt good to be with her. They both love “You just work it out. Face reality …no to travel. After a number of months, each pipe dreams …figure out what you can do to scheduled a trip abroad separately. But both solve it …and don’t go blaming each other,” thought of each other frequently and fondly Jerry said. while traveling. “These days people don’t seem to think Upon their returns, they greeted one it’s worth the effort to work it out,” another with the big hug and realized what added Kay. each felt was more than friendship. They have “We each made the other number one, been committed to each other ever since. even ahead of the kids,” she continued. They’re enormously happy, and feel blessed by “Nowadays, it’s the opposite … the kids the unexpected miracle of love once again. come first. It’s got to be stressful on a — Jerry Harmon relationship for the kids to be in charge.” I asked them for their secret to a longlasting relationship, and why so many “We were in New Zealand for much of others today fail. the feminist movement in the late ’60s and “Give more than you hope to get,” Mary said quickly, “and early ’70s,” she says. “When we returned we were shocked take care to not get in each other’s soup.” She added, “Today’s at the changes. Even our best friends who had a perfect generation is wrapped up in the ‘me’ of it all. So many jump marriage … she decided she was entitled to see if the grass into lust, not love; and if it doesn’t work out it’s OK to jump was greener on the other side …burn her bra, fight for her out. For me it wasn’t an option. There was no problem that rights. It destroyed their marriage, followed by another failed could not be worked out.” marriage.” Bob had some sage advice, too: “The word for me is “It’s also important to let there be spaces in your commitment. Take responsibility and don’t blame. View an togetherness,” Jerry observes. “It’s OK to have separate annoyance or inconvenience with a grain of salt.” interests now and then.” … Love doesn’t really know if it’s February, June or Last but not least, I met the Harmons …Kay and Jerry. Their September; at Las Ventanas or in your own backyard. As college romance has lasted 51 1/2 years so far and is still going John Paul Young wrote … Love is in the air… Everywhere I look strong. He’s 74; she’s 73. (What is it about this place? They don’t around … And I don’t know if I’m being foolish … Don’t know if look anywhere near their ages either. Maybe it’s because both enjoy I’m being wise … But it’s something I must believe in … Each time a daily workout in the fitness room at Las Ventanas?) I look in your eyes. They’ve lived at Las Ventanas for three years in a threeLove inevitably makes the world go ’round … and a much bedroom, 2 ½-bath villa with a two-car garage. They have two happier world at that. But it has to occupy more than the air. children and five grandchildren. His Air Force career kept him Judging from our expert couples, it must live and breathe away much of the time. For Jerry, coming home was like a among the time-honored values of trust, respect, patience, continuous honeymoon. Ten years ago, before they were even humor, commitment, responsibility and the generosity of a age-eligible, they knew that this was for them. They researched person’s spirit. If each of us could hew to those values, perhaps, facilities around the country. They almost ended up at another it might be possible to rekindle the dwindling concept of one, but a trip to Las Vegas for Kay’s high school reunion happily ever after — wherever we choose to live out our years.

“We each made the other number one, even ahead of the kids.”

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Kay and Jerry Harmon.

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HUNTING CUPID The Singular Challenge on Valentine’s Day

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FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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here is a moment, and it’s not a long one, maybe three or four minutes, from about 30 seconds before midnight on Dec. 31 until about three or four minutes past midnight on Jan. 1 when, if you are not part of a couple, you tend to feel slightly awkward. This past New Year’s, for example, I was at a party where we all left the house at 20 minutes before the allotted hour and trudged up a hill to watch the promised fireworks. Myself and another single guy were on each side of a delightful young lady, her arms entwined with ours as we made our way to the perfect spot where we could see the entire city spread out before us. There were bottles of champagne waiting to be opened and bottle rockets waiting to be set off; mobile phones were poised, numbers dialed, waiting with electronic anticipation of the pressing of the “send” button to call a far-off lover with lascivious greetings at the turning of the calendar. And then it happened. The clock struck midnight, the sky exploded with color and sound and light and, suddenly, people were pressed together, joined at the lips. For proximitychallenged paramours, phones were pressed against ears and lips were pursed, as if somehow, the mere motion would translate through the ether and intended recipient on the other side of the city, continent, planet would receive a soft kiss. Even the unattached guy I had walked up with was sharing a momentary embrace with the girl we had escorted, a kiss to see in the New Year. Me? I watched the fireworks. Afterward, we went back to the house and the party, again arm in arm, and the awkward moment, the overwhelming feeling of singularity, had passed. And that is nothing compared to the buildup and execution of the event coming in two week’s time — Valentine’s Day. The push has already started. It started the minute TCM stopped showing It’s a Wonderful Life for the season. Walking through the grocery stores, the red and green of Christmas tree designs was replaced by red and pink heart motifs and retail signage extolling the virtues of telling that special someone you love them. Flowers, particularly red roses, are marked up in an annual show of price gouging not seen since the great zombie scare of 2007. This Feb. 14 will mark my third consecutive year of facing the day alone. Ironically, I’m not alone in this. An estimated 80-90 million Americans are single. But let’s be fair. That simply means “unmarried adult,” and in today’s ever-growing climate of cohabitation that number realistically could be dramatically lower. Further, since Valentine’s Day is a traditional day to propose, that number will decline even more as a result of actions taken on the day — further diminishing the pool of available partners from which to choose. See, unlike most people, I look at that date, two weeks into February, as the true demarcation line of the relationship New Year. The holiday season has its own perils and pitfalls, sure, but usually you can rely on friends or family to see you through. They worry about you in December. We keep hearing about the holiday depression statistics, the mortality rate, so if you’re alone people try to make sure you’re not “alone.” And, aside from those few moments mentioned above, it’s not nearly so awkward to be solo. But Valentine’s Day, that’s a whole different story. There, if you are on your own, you are on your own. People are too hung up on their own significant others to give any thought to their single friends, other than a passing whimsy, usually centered around some sort of misguided attempt at hooking up two friends who only have something in common if you look at their Facebook “likes” list and 54

are able to make Stephen Hawking-sized logical leaps. So we can’t rely on our conjoined friends for help. And society at large isn’t much better. Instead, the general public treats us to commercials for jewelry and ads for romantic getaways, and every street corner has gypsy retail outlets with huge stuffed animals and helium-filled Mylar balloons proclaiming our heart’s devotions. Honestly, it’s enough to make one go a little crazy. Single friends aren’t much more of a help. Sure, we all gather around and decry “Single Awareness Day” and vow we’ll do something, just us single folk, so we don’t let the masses think

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they’ve beaten us. But the truth is we all wish we had someone to share the day with and would jump ship at the slightest hint of a possible love affair. Even the “Anti-Valentine’s Day” parties and celebrations are not so much a celebration of the single life as the denunciation of couplehood. A simple web search discovers all sorts of clever T-shirts and mugs with slogans proclaiming “Love Stinks,” “Cupid’s on my Shit List” and “Singles Against Valentine’s Day.” In fact, the retail sales pitch for that last one asks: “Are you single, dateless and bitter about it?” The fact of the matter is we all want to feel a real connection with

someone else, another human being with whom we can connect on a level that goes beyond exchanging random text messages and forwarding jokes. For most of us, we’d like that connection to be of a romantic nature. So what’s a guy to do? Well, for one thing, keep trying. But it’s not easy, not by a long shot. Sure, it’s a small world, but finding someone with whom you’re compatible is a difficult proposition. At least in the long term. I have a friend, a professional woman, who is attractive and fun to be around. A few years ago, she and two of her girlfriends (who live FEBRUARY 2012 DAVID

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in different parts of the country) met up for a “girl’s weekend” in Vegas. They were all single and it was Valentine’s Day after all. What better way to spend it than in Las Vegas? Over the course of the next three nights, my friend gleefully explained to me, “I made out with a Marine the first night, a Yale piano performance major the second night and Harvard grad the third night. I even got laid.” And even though she wouldn’t tell me which one was the lucky guy (my money’s on the Marine — chicks dig a guy in uniform) she summed up her weekend by saying: “I suppose, in a way, it was a big f-u in Valentine’s Day’s face.” Even after getting laid, there’s still some animosity and pent-up aggression there, directed at the day. And it still doesn’t solve the long-term problem. Sure there was snogging and shagging going on (British slang for kissing and having sex, respectively), but what happens at the end of that magical weekend? What about NEXT Valentine’s Day? Even in Vegas, that V-Day elixir only exists on V-Day, when both parties are feeling the societal pressure to hook up, even if it’s just for the night. But the rest of the year, it’s not as easy. Several months ago, I was with my friend Kevin Burke, who stars in “Defending the Caveman” at Harrah’s, and we were wandering around a casino in the wee small hours of the morning, people watching (It’s what writers and comedians do when they get together) when a gaggle of attractive girls, dressed to the nines, walked by. Kevin turned to me and said, “Back home, they’re probably something. Here, though, they don’t make the first cut.” And he was right. While they were good-looking, none would find work in any of the shows in town. They weren’t “Dance 10, Looks 3,” but they were clearly out of their depth, little girls playing at dressup. They were single girls, looking to capture some of the magic of the glitter and glitz surrounding them. Of course, Vegas caters to that. In the nightclubs, girls often get in for free or at a reduced rate (the proprietor is hoping to attract guys who will pay full board just to have a chance). In some of the classier places — dueling piano bars or high-end lounges — they have model-quality men on staff to flirt with the single girls, buy them drinks and show them a (relatively chaste) good time. It’s the fantasy. And I think that’s why Valentine’s Day gets to us all the way it does. We want the fantasy. Even more than the fantasy, we want the promise of a future. We want to know who we’re going to be with come next Valentine’s Day. I know a guy who got divorced, and, while it wasn’t simple or easy, it wasn’t the War of the Roses either. He said to me, when asked about his thoughts on his first VD post breakup, “I don’t miss her so much as I miss the promise of her. I miss the growing old together, the lifetime of shared stories.” And this is what gets rubbed in our faces as single people on Feb. 14. We’re made to feel inferior because we’re navigating dangerous seas in our own boat. But, as I said, we keep trying. In the past year, among other things, I’ve been methodical and joined dating websites. I’ve also been spontaneous and propositioned waitresses. So far, neither has borne much fruit. (On dating websites, no matter how tall the girl is, she wants someone 5 foot 10 or taller — even a girl 4 feet 11 is looking for an NBA player. I’m scraping 5 feet 8, and that’s after spending two months in space — true story). I’ve asked girls on dates and then had to explain that a date was more than just hanging out. I’ve spent hours in conversation 56

online with a girl who is afraid to meet in person. I’ve been kissed by girls who had boyfriends, been propositioned by girls so drunk that another bar patron leaned over to me and whispered in my ear “This one is not for you” (not to worry, there was never any danger of her being “for me”) and been told I’m both too old and too young (thankfully, not by the same girl). Girls are confusing and wonderful and hypocritical and amazing. They claim they want devotion, but if you call too soon you’re needy. They say they want a guy who will make them laugh but if you make‘em laugh too much it’s “you never take anything seriously.” They admire a guy who has a job, then complain if you can’t make time for them. But then, these are old complaints, aren’t they? I’m sure Martha Washington complained that George was never around and Robin Williams has been divorced. Twice. Not that guys are any easier. The 18-year-old daughter of a friend is organizing an “I Hate Valentine’s Day” party among her Facebook friends. Another female friend, who is educated and attractive, is approaching the day cautiously. She’s recently met a guy who seems interested, who writes or texts her on a regular basis, but she is still wary. Every time I congratulate her on her good fortune, I am gently rebuked, reminded that nothing is official yet. She’s been bit by that dog one too many times to let it get too close. And maybe that’s the problem. While we all want the future, we’re much too scared of the present to let ourselves really feel anything even close to a real emotion. I’ve been told I’m too picky. But maybe I’m “picky” because to actually say, “Yes, this one’ll do,” is more frightening than the prospect of being alone. Because if you actually have a sweetheart come Valentine’s Day, there’s a whole other set of issues to deal with: What kind of flowers, how much chocolate and where to go for that romantic dinner? Yeah, you’re just trading one set of problems for another. But, you know, I’d be willing to make that trade. I think it’s worth the effort.

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grill Aron Ezra & Keith Michel Mobile App Mavens, Bally Technologies. DAVID: Tell us about the two of you. How does your personal relationship affect business? EZRA & MICHEL: When we started the company, we immediately thought that this would make a good story. We started when Keith and I were 9 years old, attending Temple Beth Sholom in upstate New York, where there weren’t many Jewish people. We met in Hebrew school, studying for our bar mitzvahs. ... By the time we were 11, we started doing projects together – creating movies and videos. We got along well and had a similar sense of humor. … Neither of us had a lot of friends. We started a junior production company. We went to the same high school, but went our separate ways in college. We simply drifted apart, as kids do, but kept in touch a little bit. We lost touch completely in college. We found each other on Friendster, via a mutual friend. … We were on the same wavelength, just from different angles. … I had already started businesses and Keith was working for startups. When the time was right, we started our own business. DAVID: Tell us about what you do from the perspective of relationships? How do you affect people’s relationship with technology? How do you challenge the way people function? What about your business from a behavioral science aspect? EZRA & MICHEL: What we do is take the collective world knowledge for a specific type of company and make it available 24/7. We allow an individual to interact with a brand in ways they might never have thought of. We augment what an organization is already doing. For example, an app for a casino might allow a user to find the bathroom, remember where they parked their car, watch show previews, and invite friends to come hang out. We drive additional business to the property with our apps. Another example would be with a winery – a user would be able to get recipes, interact with other fans, or join a wine club. DAVID:There is a hierarchy of information. Do you worry about the fact that you’re 58

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impacting human behavior in this way? EZRA & MICHEL:We work closely with clients and are able to customize their app to whatever they need or what they want their users to be able to do. We did an app for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that included maps. We knew it had to be really well designed, since people would likely use the map feature if they got lost and were trying to find their way out. We want to know what impression a company is giving people and provide that same impression in an app. What emotions do we want to invoke? We want to inspire people to interact. … We want to enhance the planning of a trip, as well as enhance someone’s visit to a specific location. … Live and in-person interaction is always better. DAVID: Is there a dialogue that takes place between clients and users? EZRA & MICHEL: Absolutely. ... Our software evolves along with the hardware of the devices. The solutions that other organizations are developing are also evolving. How people are using apps and interacting with technology is constantly changing. It had an influence on our business model. Mobile technology is evolving rapidly. We wouldn’t have satisfied customers if we just built the app and walked away. We build partnerships with our clients, become their mobile app partner. We build and maintain the apps … updating them to fit the current operating system for a given device. DAVID:Is this the digital revolution? EZRA & MICHEL: People still want print material, but also want to read it digitally. The market for content is not dying … it is exploding. People are hungry for content. There are more avenues to access content. There is a constant exchange of information. It is more cost-effective to be on multiple streams. DAVID:So when will DAVID’s app be ready? EZRA & MICHEL: Let’s discuss that later.

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