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Ringing in 2020

Decade debate

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. And welcome to 2020!

Wow. That’s a little mind boggling, isn’t it? But it’s also exciting.

As I’ve watched 2019 wrap up, I’ve been inspired to think more positively—in part by friends and family members on social media who’ve shared encouraging and thought provoking messages about their New Year’s resolutions and the things they’ve accomplished in 2019. I’m a big fan of the Facebook posts so many people have shared asking others to brag to them about what they’ve achieved this year. Sometimes it’s little things, like taking better care of their health. Sometimes it’s big things, like getting out of an abusive relationship or sobering up after spending too much time and money in the bars. Either way, it’s uplifting to hear the good things that have come out of a year that for many—myself included—was otherwise a bit of a dumpster fire.

I’m not usually the type who makes a New Year’s resolution, but I’ve gone ahead and made two for 2020. The first is that I’m going to quit smoking this year. This time, for good. The second is that I’m going to take the time to engage my friends, family, acquaintances and readers in more political dialogue because, thank goodness, it’s a presidential election year—and it sure has been a long time coming.

I’ll never forget how I felt on election night 2016 as I watched voting tallies come in and realized that Donald Trump was going to be president. I was angry. I was hurt.

I was disgusted. I couldn’t believe we were going to have to endure four years of that man being at the helm of our great nation. Now, those four years are coming to a close. I’m scared of the prospect of another four years of watching Trump besmirch the reputation of the United States, but I’m hopeful that won’t happen. If you and I and everyone else gets out to vote, we can make sure it doesn’t.

Also, and you probably figured this, but Editor Brad Bynum is just out of the office for a few days and will be back soon. Thus why you’re hearing from me in this space and not him. And don’t forget to submit a 95-word fiction story before our Jan. 15 deadline.

Re “OK, boomer” (Letters to the editor, Dec. 26): Decade ends in 0? Not really. A decade is a period of 10 years. I worked for over six decades or over 60 years.

However, the time year can be divided into decades, of ten years each. Then we get into the silly “when it starts” argument. That is just a trick. Of course a person’s birthday comes after one year of life. Who cares? A Decade is not a measure of birthdays. The new 2020 decade starts on day one not on day 365.

It ends on the LAST day of the last ten year period. I have heard that false claim that a decade or century begins after one year. Note, it starts on the first day. When does a month like January begin? On the first day of the month. It does not matter that the month is just one day old. It is still January. How long is a generation? It has no exact length.

Charles Barnum Sparks

—Jeri Davis je rid@ ne w s r ev i ew . com

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Adverse I look forward to reading the RN&R and doing so reminds me of the freedoms we enjoy in this country such as freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

I noticed with interest paid political “hit pieces” (e.g. RN&R, 12/12/19, 12/19/19, and 12/26/19) wherein the anonymous writer engages in furious, unsubstantiated diatribe against an organization known as Falun Gong. While providing no specifics, it took full-page ads in each instance with which to excoriate Falun Gong.

But there was no attribution. I have seen these ads, and their ilk, elsewhere. I believe they are paid for, either directly or indirectly, by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) the absolute monolithic ruler of China. There is no free press in China, nor individual rights, nor human rights, nor free speech, nor free elections, nor free assembly, nor freedom of religion, but rather it is

Penrose, Jessica Santina, Todd South, Luka Starmer, Kris Vagner, Bruce Van Dyke, Allison Young Our Mission: To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare.

To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

Editor Brad Bynum Associate Editor Jeri Davis Special Projects Editor Matt Bieker Calendar Editor Kelley Lang Contributors Amy Alkon, Mark Earnest, Bob Grimm, Oliver Guinan, Andrea Heerdt, Holly Hutchings, Shelia Leslie, Eric Marks, Kelsey

Creative Services Manager Elisabeth Bayard Arthur Art Directors Maria Ratinova, Sarah Hansel Art of Information Director Serene Lusano Publications Designer Katelynn Mitrano Publications & Advertising Designer Nikki Exerjian Ad Designers Naisi Thomas, Cathy Arnold Office Manager Lisa Ryan Sales Manager Gina Odegard Advertising Consultant Caleb Furlong, Owen Bryant

jaNuarY 02, 2020 | Vol. 25, ISSue 47

the most repressive surveillance regime in modern history. The CCP brooks no hint of dissent which is why it attacks the peaceful, defenseless Falun Gong.

While we should be thankful we do not live in China under this totalitarian regime and while our robust freedom of press/speech rights cannot be compromised because there are none in China, I do think your readers are entitled to some idea as to where these ads are coming from.

Requiring the entity writing and paying for these ads to identify themselves does not infringe, but rather serves to give the reader a reference point from which to evaluate the content.

In short, in America, publication of political ads by secret, anonymous groups such as those likely backed by the CCP should be required to identify themselves.

Tom Starrett Gardnerville

Caucus answer

President/CEO Jeff VonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Director of People & Culture David Stogner Director of Dollars & Sense Debbie Mantoan Nuts & Bolts Ninja Norma Huerta Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Hansen Account Jedi Jessica Kislanka Sweetdeals Coordinator Laura Anthony Developer John Bisignano

Re “Live wires” (Musicbeat, Dec. 26): Melting Elk has been on the local scene in Tahoe for a few years and have been expanding. Very creative, talented and dedicated East Coast transplants who have embraced the West with wild and spirited enthusiasm. Really cool vibe and energy, bound to explode with their introspective dialogue and collaboration of unique instruments and sounds. You def want to experience the cutting edge musical hip-hop/rap blend of Melting Elk. Dynamic evolution in progress. Buffaloborn “Father Baker”(FB) is a unique story in itself, including the FB name!

Robert Wright Buffalo, New York

CoNteNtS

Re “Caucus question” (Letters to the editor, Dec. 26): Mr. Davis asks, “Why is the Democratic party holding the caucus on the Sabbath?” The in-person caucus date is Saturday, 22 Feb., which is not the usual Sabbath.

Mr. Davis asks, “Why can’t we be as Wyoming, which provides for a caucus vote in absentia.” The Nevada caucus does provide an in absentia “Early Vote” option during various hours at various locations on Saturday, 15 Feb., through Tuesday, 18 Feb. “Early Vote” participants can record three to five preferences for the presidential nominee. The “Early Vote” preferences will be added to the preferences counted at the in-person caucus.

Mr. Davis and fellow Democrats can find their caucus details at: nvdems. com/2020-caucus.

Michael Greedy Carson City

Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Manager Bob Christensen Distribution Drivers Alex Barskyy, Corey Sigafoos, Gary White, Marty Troye, Timothy Fisher, Vicki Jewell, Olga Barska, Ashley Martinez, Rosie Martinez, Adam Martinez, Duane Johnson, Andy Odegard

Melting Elk fan

System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins N&R Publications Editor Debbie Arrington N&R Publications Associate Editors Derek McDow, Thea Rood N&R Publications Editorial Team Anne Stokes, Nisa Smith Marketing & Publications Lead Consultant Elizabeth Morabito Marketing & Publications Consultants Joseph Engle, Sherri Heller, Celeste Worden, Rod Maloy, Julia Ballantyne, Laura Golino, Chris Cohen Cover design Mike Grimm

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opiNioN/STREETalk ShEila lESliE NEWS DRiNk fEaTuRE aRT of ThE STaTE filM fooD MuSiCBEaT NiGhTCluBS/CaSiNoS ThiS WEEk aDviCE GoDDESS fREE Will aSTRoloGy 15 MiNuTES/BRuCE vaN DykE

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BY matt bieker

What movie do you want to see in 2020? asked at galaxY theatres victoriaN, 1250 victoriaN ave., sParks.

YudY NiNo Tourist

The new Monsters Inc. coming out next summer—I want to know what happens to Boo, the little girl.

Br aNdoN ar aNsoN Customer service rep

Isn’t Keanu Reeves supposed to come out with two new movies on the same weekend, like John Wick 4 and something else? …

The Matrix and John Wick both have sequels coming out on April 16, 2020—so says Google.

So probably those.

allisYN Walker Student

Smokescreen After a months-long news cycle of mysterious illnesses in lungs” while vaping), this law is a natural progression and deaths, new studies citing the dangers of prolonged that squares a user’s right to vape with the public’s right use and a general shift in public tolerance to invasive, to clean air. fruit-scented clouds in crowded areas—vapings’ day of However, Congress’ decision to raise the legal age for reckoning has come at both the local and national levels. purchasing tobacco products to 21 as part of the national However, while Nevada’s new law is a public health win, spending bill signed by President Trump on Dec. 20 the federal intentions are confusing at best. seems like an overreach in comparison—one that trades Starting Jan. 1 in Nevada, vaping will be banned in personal liberties for a quick-fix scheme to address youth areas like movie theaters, shopping malls, child care vaping. For one, according to Ballotpedia.org, at least facilities and bars and restaurants that don’t a third of states already raised the minimum prohibit minors, while still allowed in spaces purchase age to 21, begging the question why that require patrons be 21 or older. The law a national law was needed in the first place expands the state’s clean-air law, which when the framework for allowing states to Vapings’ day of governs the use of traditional smoking, choose their own solutions already existed. reckoning has and makes these changes in the interest of Proponents say the law will stop protecting the public from second-hand highschool-aged teens from having older come. smoke—which makes sense. friends buy products for them—assuming The prevailing myth around vaping has none of the nation’s teens have 21-year-old always been that it is somehow “safer” than friends—while opponents, including Matthew cigarettes because no actual tobacco is being Myers, president of the non-profit organizaburned. Despite shoddy science behind that claim, many tion Tobacco Free Kids, say the law is a smokescreen users have readily made the decision for themselves and designed to stave off further regulation. everyone else around them—with entire subcultures of “This agreement leaves out the most impactful action the trend creating YouTube tutorials and trading knowlCongress could take: A prohibition on flavored tobacco edge on how to blow the densest, most prolific puffs products, including e-cigarettes,” Myers wrote in a Dec. possible.

11 statement.

As more information has come to light about the Raising the consumption age assumes that minors will potential health risks concerned (including from Reno’s abandon vaping after being inconvenienced at the point Desert Research Institute, which in August 2018 found of sale, while leaving the spectrum of flavored products “a significant amount of cancer-causing chemicals stays they enjoy—legally or not—untouched.

I just came back from watching the new Star Wars, and I saw the trailer for Black Widow, which is coming out, if I’m not mistaken, in May of next year. Black Widow has always been my favorite Avenger, so I’m really looking forward to seeing her backstory prior to The Avengers.

BrYaN YouNg Doctor

I don’t know if I know any movies coming out in 2020. Serieswise there might be stuff, but not really. It’s so funny, we get so bombarded with it that I think I just tuned them all out. So, I don’t really pay attention.

Javier Pere z Fourth grader

Top Gun: Maverick. I just like jets and everything. It’s really cool. And then, at the end, they fly the Tomcats. [The original] was really good. It was long. It’s cool because it came out in the ’80s, and its been about 20 to 30 years since they made a new one.

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by SHEILA LESLIE

Not fooling anyone A lie by omission is still a lie. And fixing a boondoggle of the city’s own making and expecting accolades from residents who have seen city councils continually buy every fantasy project a developer lays out grates on our last collective nerve. Especially when we still don’t have basic recreational amenities, like a modern aquatic center for our kids, that much smaller Nevada cities like Carson City and Minden/Gardnerville have had for decades.

The latest effort to mislead us involves plans for a 20-story nongambling hotel, or as CAI Investments calls it, an “upper upscale� hotel, on Court Street next to the historic Trinity Episcopal Church. The multi-use project will also feature 40 luxury condominiums and office space.

Just before the plans were announced, the Reno City Council changed an ordinance that had prohibited new high-rises from casting shade on parks and plazas to avoid causing

ice and discomfort by removing the winter sunlight. The developer said the ordinance change had nothing to do with his project. Right. Please don’t insult our intelligence.

One planning commissioner told the Reno Gazette Journal he voted for the change only after being told by city staff “it was purely a zoning matter and there were no project applications for the site.�

Uh huh. One reason CAI Investments needed to get their application in by the end of 2019 was to take advantage of the building site being in an infamous Opportunity Zone, providing a 15 percent break on federal taxes. If the application were filed in 2020, that tax break would be reduced to 10 percent.

The developer boasted to the newspaper about his offer of $200,000 and parking spaces on Sunday for Trinity’s congregation but left out the reasons why the church rejected the offer. Reverend William Stomski noted it “was also contingent on Trinity’s agreement to not

protest the special use permit now or in perpetuity, or any other variances that may be imposed by City Council at any time.� It’s no wonder the church and its members decided it wasn’t in their best interest to accept such generosity tainted by requirements to stifle their voices.

And forgive us for failing to embrace yet another downtown “revitalization.�

This one is led by developer P3 Partners who pitched their newest and greatest idea to the council in December. They want to build a non-gambling hotel and “upgrade� the significantly underperforming National Bowling Stadium and Reno Events Center. If you lived here in 1995, you’ll remember the promises from our city council that Reno would get back every penny from its multi-million-dollar investment. Instead, they left us with a legacy of debt.

But P3 will fix all that! They’ll just need half of the room tax surcharge for two years, about $1.7 million, and another $1.8 million a year in subsidies

from the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Center for the next four years.

They might even add a multifamily residential project at the top of the property.

But do we really believe they’ll dedicate penthouse views towards the affordable housing our city desperately needs?

Yes, their plans are better than letting the poorly designed facilities sit vacant, dragging down the city budget year after year. They have lots of big ideas, but who knows how many will blossom once the project fully “pencils out.� It’s not like Reno has never been burned by overly optimistic developers who promise the moon, if only we’ll fork over the check. Remember, that’s how we ended up with these white elephants in the first place.

Mayor Schieve noted, apparently without irony, that she wanted to review the proposed deal carefully since, “A lot of times, unfortunately, our city gets taken advantage of.â€? No kidding. â–Ą

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by BoB Conrad

Called out On Friday, Dec. 27, The nonprofit newsroom the Center for Public Integrity released a story by reporter Sarah Kleiner and data editor Chris Zubak-Skees regarding an investigation into the charity Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund based out of Sarasota, Florida. Many people across the country, including here in Nevada, have likely heard from telemarketers soliciting donations for the fund—but according to the CPI investigation, the money of those who’ve given to the fund has mostly been used to pay for more telemarketers.

According to story, “the fund is one of several organizations related to the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO, itself a nonprofit based in Sarasota, Florida, that represents local chapters of police unions across the country. IUPA is one of about 70 affiliates of the national AFL-CIO and touts itself as ‘the only union for law enforcement officers.’”

Reporters who investigated the union and relief fund found that between 2011 and March 2018, the organizations had spent about $106.3 million dollars but that “about $82.3 million of that amount—77 percent— paid for fundraising services.”

Also according the report, the International Union of Police Associations has a “D-minus” rating from the Better Business Bureau “for failing to respond to 15 complaints against it.”

The reporters also discovered that the police union and relief fund have ties to companies in Nevada. Both have contracted with “Courtesy Call, Donor Relations and a handful of other companies owned by Las Vegas telemarketer Richard Zeitlin.”

Another telemarketing company the union and fund contract with is Outreach Calling, based in New Jersey and owned by a man named Mark Gelvan. CPI has done extensive investigations on both Zeitlin and Gelvan, as have government regulators.

According to the CPI report, “the Federal Trade Commission was investigating whether Zeitlin’s Courtesy Call and Donor Relations companies were ‘engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices,’ but the agency dropped the matter in the fall of 2018, citing an ongoing grand jury investigation in Florida involving the two companies. In 2004, state officials in New York banned Gelvan from fundraising in the state, in part because his solicitors impersonated police officers when they asked for donations.”

Bad pot The Nevada Department of Taxation recently issued an advisory about marijuana that failed state testing.

Officials believe the marijuana—in the form of prerolled joints and flower—was sold mostly at locations in southern Nevada between Oct. 5 and Dec. 27, though some was sold at Rise, a dispensary located in Carson City at 135 Clearview Drive.

In total, four batches of marijuana failed the testing: Island OG #2 failed yeast and mold testing, Lemon Meringue also failed yeast and mold testing, THC Bomb failed testing for the pathogenic fungus aspergillus flavus, and Zombie Kush failed testing for bile-tolerant gram-negative bacteria and total coliforms.

As of press time, there have been no reports of illnesses connected to the marijuana, but state regulators are advising people—especially those with suppressed immune systems—not to use the products.

—Jeri Davis

6 | RN&R | 01.02.20

This empty lot may one day be the site of a 20-story luxury hotel.

PHOTO/JERI DAVIS

Down by the river Luxury hotel project raises concerns over removing public input Critics of a luxury hotel project slated to be constructed on the Truckee River said that the Reno City Council’s removal of a shading ordinance removes the public from at least one part of the process for the high-rise to get approved.

The shading ordinance was modified in December by the council. The ordinance previously read: “Structures, which exceed 35 feet in height, shall not cast a shadow on residentially zoned property between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on December 21.”

The reason: to discourage large, blank building facades, according to city documents.

Prior to the recent ordinance change, the high-rise project would have had to get a special use permit, which would have to be approved by the city’s planning commission. It could then be appealed to the Reno City Council. The public could provide input during that process.

Unsurprisingly, council approval to remove the public from the special use

permit process was met with criticism.

More than 200 spoke and wrote against the ordinance change. Few were in favor.

Councilmembers Naomi Duerr and Jenny Brekhus voted against the change, while other councilmembers said the project is strongly aligned with the region’s need for housing. The ordinance was unnecessary red tape, they said.

The project, which boasts to be a oneof-a-kind, 20-story luxury hotel across from Wingfield Park, was opposed by the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Church on Island Avenue. The high-rise, on a 1.3-acre lot next door to the church, will be one of the tallest built in Reno since the 1990s.

The church opposed the tower because of traffic and parking impacts as well as the shade the building would throw over the church’s building.

The timing of the ordinance change was also repeatedly noted as being curious: The ordinance change, one of many getting reviewed by the city, was supported by the developer.

Attorney Garrett Gordon argued in

favor of the ordinance change on behalf of his client, CAI Investments.

“We have to raise that capital, and deploy that capital, by the end of this year,” he told the council in December.

“It’s a federal … IRS regulation.”

Moreover: “[The ordinance] is for parks and plazas, it’s not for churches,” Gordon explained. “Let’s do a narrow amendment to allow for the density of development in downtown.”

City planner Angela Fuss denied that the ordinance change was for this specific project.

“There is no specific project that has been submitted to the City of Reno,” Fuss told the City Council.

“The impetus for this, among other reasons, was the desire for more housing, the desire for more infill-type development and not sprawl.”

However, the project was submitted to the city to be part of the mayor’s “1,000 Homes in 120 Days” campaign. The city’s campaign grants fee deferrals for qualified residential developments.

Public commenters cried foul. How could a luxury hotel qualify for fee deferments granted by the “1,000 Homes” campaign?

The reason: CAI Investments proposed 46 residential units in the tower.

Only those units will be granted fee deferments, according city spokesperson Jon Humbert.

“Any permit deferrals would only apply for the housing units, not the retail or hotel components,” he said.

a diffiCult deCision Former Councilmember Dave Aiazzi commented online that he was in favor of the new tower.

“This project is already zoned correctly [and the zoning] required no Council oversight,” he said. “The only exception was the shadow ordinance, which I am torn about. Getting rid of the ordinance (which would apply to MANY future projects) allows the developers to change their design, which I hope it won’t do. Every project does not have to directly ‘help the homeless.’ Any project helps people with jobs.”

Aiazzi added, however, that he was conflicted about the change in the process.

“I will contend that if going through the [special use permit] process is a hindrance to development, it is probably

luxury hotel project has to undergo many more the process itself that should be overhauled steps before it is constructed. and not the requirement to have one,” he “When a project attempts to be built in that explained.”After all, there are a LOT of items specific site, it will have layers upon layers of that require an SUP.” design review,” he said.

Councilmember Devon Reese chimed in.

Mayor Hillary Schieve supports the highHe had voted in favor of the ordinance change. rise but called the shading ordinance change a He said the shading ordinance needed to be difficult decision. changed because it was discriminatory and “A lot of what we’ve talked about a form of NIMBY-ism. More dense is that infill downtown and how do housing, he said, translates into we make that happen,” she said, more economically diverse “Shade citing the need for “all types housing options. ordinances … of housing.”

“Knowlton are largely a form of Councilmember Development wants to Brekhus opposed the do mixed-use housing, housing discrimination ordinance change. including low-income cloaked in a more “That always raises and affordable units palatable form.” flags in terms of priorities,” near the river as well,” she said. “If this is not about he explained. “A park Devon Reese one project, it sounds more adjacent to the parcel Reno City Councilmember and more that it is. The converwould have been impacted sation started with this project’s by the shading ordinance. representative about this ordinance “Shade ordinances, such as change when we have a whole bunch more this one, are largely a form of housing lined up to do.” discrimination cloaked in a more palatable Reese disagreed. He said the mayor and form (no density here because dense housing council have been clear with the community: invites poorer folks to live in an area),” Reese “The council has previously made a priority added. “There were probably legitimate of in-fill development,” he said. “Build up, reasons for this at one point in time … but the more dense, and not out.” □ net result has been … parcels downtown that have not been built in some time for a variety of factors, with the shading ordinance being one of them.”

This story was published in collaboration with the news The shade ordinance, Reese said, was website ThisIsReno.com. inhibiting development broadly. Moreover, the

More housing

The site where the funky arts motel Wildflower Village once stood on Fourth Street is now under construction. The project, which is being built by S3 Development Company, will include 164 luxury apartments.

PHOTO/JERI DAVIS

01.02.20 | RN&R | 7

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by Matt Bieker

m a t t b @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Michael Moberly (left) and Joe Cannella operate Ferino’s massive Fourth Street barroom and distillery, respectively.

Bitter nature Ferino Distillery opened on Fourth Street in early November. After renovating the old Reno Bike Project building, the distillery now contains a cocktail bar and coffee shop, both serving drinks full of the amaro—an Italian herbal liqueur—made in the back and distributed to bars both locally and nationally. Owner and founder Joe Cannella bought the space after he moved his family to Reno last year.

“We actually launched commercially in 2015 out of San Francisco,” Cannella said. “As we sort of gained distribution, got more and more positive feedback, you know, some medals and awards for our spirits, we realized that we had, I think, an opportunity to bring it in-house, to build a home for ourselves essentially.”

After a family trip to discover his Italian roots in 2010, Cannella (which is actually Italian for “cinnamon”) started making amaro from a neutral base spirit—in this case, brandy—and sometimes dozens of botanical flavorings. He began with a traditional Italian cinnamon liqueur in 2015 and now makes three different types: the original Cannella Cinnamon Cordial, Fernet Ferino (named for the new digs in Reno) and the Amaro Cannella.

The first thing that struck me about Ferino— besides the simple, pour-over coffee bar directly beyond the door—is how big the barroom is. It features vaulted ceilings, a long bar and three massive murals by local artist Summer Orr. “I really wanted it to feel like no other bar in Reno, because there are so many bars that are similar in feeling … or just kind of general aesthetic,” said Ferino’s creative director Michael Moberly.

Moberly also designed the 11 cocktails on the menu, all of which have at least some addition of the house amaro, whose bitterness, Moberly said, can be compared to Campari. I’d never tried amaro before, so I sampled all three straight.

First was the cinnamon cordial, which to some might conjure up the sickly sweet specter of the likes

Photo/Matt Bieker

of Fireball. In contrast to “flamin’ hot” whiskey, though, the cordial is spicy and warm—made with real cinnamon instead of its chemical approximation—and above all, dry.

“Anything under 10 percent sugar can be classified as a ‘dry,’” Cannella said. “So those aren’t like your super cloyingly sweet liqueurs.”

Next was the classic amaro, which started with a floral, citrus and almost perfume-like high, followed by a mellow, earthy bitterness like anise and black pepper. It was intense and delicious.

Finally, the newest addition to Ferino’s lineup is the fernet, which was developed by Moberly and Cannella as a Nevada-specific spirit.

“The botanicals for it to be classified as a fernet are things that grow in rougher and more arid and mountainous climates,” Moberly said. “Now, our fernet has quite a bit of sage and saffron in it, and, to me, it smells like the desert when it rains.”

I agreed wholeheartedly, and—while it wasn’t my favorite of the three—I enjoyed how it washed through my palate much like a raincloud, soaking everything with flavors of pine and juniper and leaving an almost menthol-like freshness.

“Most of the fernets on the market were hiding a lot of the ingredients behind sugar, behind that sort of like mint-forward kind of profile,” Cannella said.

“And by dialing both of those things back … I was able to expose all of these, like, amazing ingredients that everyone talks about but you can’t really experience.”

With production at Ferino Distillery topping out at 60,000 bottles per year and a steadily growing list of local vendors, I’ll probably be tempted by their products pretty regularly, no matter where I go to drink. Ω

Ferino Distillery 541 E. Fourth St.

Ferino Distillery is open Wednesday through Sunday—the coffee shop from 11 a.m. till 3 p.m. and the cocktail bar from 3 p.m. till midnight. Learn more at ferinodistillery.com.

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GRIMM SPEAKS

THE BEST OF 2019 1. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood:

RN&R’s film guy reviews the best and worst of the 2010s

Quentin Tarantino said a lot on his rounds for this movie, including the threat that he will only be directing one more film (and he’s backing away from that being his R-rated Star Trek idea, to the surprise of absolutely no one). So, this could end up being the last “big” movie from QT. If so, I’d say it’s a fitting finish. It’s also the best movie of the year.

BY BOB GRIMM · bgr i m m @ n ew s r ev i ew . co m

S

o, why am I sitting at home watching the return of Twin Peaks with my dog on this week’s cover?

This is supposed to be one of those year/decade-end movie wrap up things, right?

movies (The Irishman, 6 Underground, Triple Frontier) have been premiering on Netflix, too.

It’s getting to a place where directors like Martin Scorsese shop something around to studios, and when the studios hem and haw, the directors just say, “Fine, I’ll ask Netflix you cheap, cowardly bastards!” Then, boom, art movies like the ones some of us used to watch in theaters like the Keystone II Cinema are now coming to you via the internets instead of movie screens.

In short, people who stay at home are rewarded with coolness like Marriage Story and The Irishman, while those who venture out are punished with Cats and The Justice League.

My choice for best movie of the decade (revealed later in this article, but hinted at heavily in brother Mike Grimm’s cover art) is a prime example of how a home entertainment enterprise, backed a cinematic god, produced a piece of filmmaking superior to anything that played on movie screens in the last 10 years. It also never would’ve played on big screens in wide release given today’s studio atmosphere.

Funky 3D glasses and arcade game soda machines aren’t saving the movie house. Plus, there ain’t nobody sneezing in my face in my house other than the dog. She does that a lot, actually. She and I need to have a discussion about boundaries.

Here are the best and worst films of 2019. Those lists will be followed by the same for the decade, a decade in which yours truly has—partially—given into the Streaming God.

2. Uncut Gems:

This past decade, and quite noticeably in 2019, you’ve probably seen a shift in your moviegoing practices. There have been lots of nights spent at home watching Netflix, HBO Now, Showtime Anytime, Amazon Prime My Ass for Home Viewing, Hulu-Whenever-the-Fuck-You-Want, Video-On-Demand-or-I-Will-Kill-Somebody-Because-Patience-is-not-a-Virtue, Disney-Eternity + Because-We-OwnYou-Now-So-Surrender-to-the-Mouse, Bitches!, and more.

We are progressively eschewing the practice of hauling one’s ass to the local Thousand-Plex, fighting for seats with the guy who likes to fart, and spending $973 on salty popcorn and flat soda out of that convoluted drink machine that has a billion varieties in it. Granted, some chains, like AMC, have come through with nice membership incentives. Sadly, most of the chains offer meager incentives, like “We will give you 5 percent off your gallon of Sprite if you come out tonight and sit next to Fart Guy, Projectile Snot Face and TalkingTexting Asshole Person.”

Yes, streaming is providing you with all kinds of options to watch your favorite classic films. But now—with Netflix and Amazon, especially—your arthouse cinema new releases are often in your living room, where popcorn and soda are a lot cheaper and the farts are far less “People who stay at harsh dependent upon home are rewarded what you are feeding with coolness like your dog. Big-budget Marriage Story and blockbuster-type

Adam Sandler goes full throttle nuts in what is easily the best performance within the best film of his career.

3. Midsommar:

The horror genre had a banner year thanks very much in part to Ari Aster, who took much of the terror out of the night and put it in broad daylight for this warped breakup movie. Florence Pugh, who gets my vote for Performer of the Year thanks to this, Little Women and Fighting With My Family, establishes herself as a sure bet if she’s in your movie.

4. The Lighthouse:

While more of a psychological thriller, there’s plenty of horror in watching farty Willem DaFoe and squirmy Robert Pattinson driving each other crazy on a remote island during a lighthouse watching stint.

5. Marriage Story:

Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver break hearts in Noah Baumbach’s best movie to date, courtesy of Netflix.

6. Waves: Startling performances all around and a tremendous visual flair make this a solid step forward for director Trey Edward Shults (It Comes at Night). Taylor Russell and Kelvin Harrison Jr. (also great in this year’s Luce) sparkle in this film.

7. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood:

The year’s most heartwarming story, with Tom Hanks playing Fred Roger and director Marielle Heller creating sweet vibes.

8. Ho ney Boy:

Shia LeBeouf returned with a vengeance this year, supplying both the screenplay and a gripping performance as his own dad in this autobiographical take on his pre-adolescent and teen years. Talk about public therapy. Produced

by Amazon and coming to streaming soon.

The Irishman, while those who venture out are punished with Cats and The Justice League.”

9. Us:

As I said above, horror had a nice year, and Jordan Peele continues his march away from comedy guy towards scary guy with this chilling doppelganger thriller.

10. Dolemite Is My Name: ART BY MIKE GRIMM

Eddie Murphy’s triumphant return to comedy is also a solid dramatic offering from the master, who is enjoying a nice renaissance at the moment. It’s his best work in many years, and

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

yet another Netflix film. Bravo for his recent SNL hosting gig, too.

11. The Irishman:

I guess a Martin Scorsese epic this far down the list constitutes a failure of sorts, in that he is one of my favorite directors, and I feel this fell short of masterpiece. Still, there’s a lot to love in this Netflix offering, especially the return of Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino’s first Scorsese gig.

12. Ford v Ferrari:

This might be my favorite “Vroom-Vroom!” movie ever!

13. Crawl:

Yes, the alligator movie makes the top 20! Best use of cinematic alligators since one got flushed in the Lewis Teague camp classic Alligator.

14. Avengers: Endgame:

Marvel capped off a fine decade with this fitting final chapter for some beloved characters. It also opened some of those beloved characters to bigger stories. Hello, Disney+!

15. Little Women:

Greta Gerwig takes a classic story and updates it with a near classic film. Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh are terrific in an adaptation that will make you forget the Winona Ryder version and accept this as the optimum Alcott presentation.

16. Pain and Glory:

Antonio Banderas will make your back hurt just watching him as a troubled movie director dealing with aches, pains and a strangely whimsical heroin habit.

17. The Farewell:

Awquafina is awesomeness in this sweet family dramedy.

18. Booksmart:

Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut is a funny triumph featuring breakout performances by Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever.

19. The Art of Self-Defense:

One of the nastier comedies of the year features career best work by Alessandro Nivola.

20. The Mustang:

Matthias Schoenaerts is excellent as a convict/ prisoner tasked with taming a wild mustang.

Filmed in Carson City, Nevada.

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Star Wars Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

“GRIMM SPEAKS” continued from page 11

The Lion King

THE VERY WORST OF 2019 So, I’ve heard people say that movie reviewing is a dying art form, and the blame is being put on the advent of blogs and social media. (Incidentally, blogs and social media are where I’ve heard such things!)

Quite the contrary! Movie reviewing is a dying art form because of movies like those listed below, all of them slowly but surely sucking the life force out of me through my head holes. I will die young, as will other critics, and the medium of film reviewing will die with us.

Screw you, J.J. Abrams!

1. Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker:

Cats

as a CGI human cat monster and tried to save the movie, but all was lost by then.

5. Yesterday:

I just couldn’t get behind this movie. The central character is a plagiaristic asshole, and I hated his renditions of Beatles music. Stay home and listen to the reissue of Abbey Road.

6. Dumbo/The Lion King/Aladdin:

While Aladdin was just slightly bad, Dumbo was terrible and The Lion King was a waste of time. So I’m giving this trio of live remakes of animated Disney classics a failing grade. Disney, I love you, but you have to stop with this nonsense. Don’t worry, you will still make money.

Hell, the amount of dough I drop on coffee mugs in your souvenir stores rivals what these stupid movies made.

The Force Awakens was written by Lawrence Kasdan, the guy who wrote The Empire Strikes Back. This one was co-written by J.J. Abrams and the meathead hack who penned Batman v Superman.

That’s right, they handed the storytelling power for 7. Hellboy: one of cinema’s all-time great storylines over to the Maybe they should’ve let David Harbour be man who crapped that monstrosity out of his funnier in the title role? He kicked comedy ass computer. You thought the Return of the Jedi when he hosted SNL. He’s a total dud as Ron Ewok hoedown was a bad conclusion to the Perlman’s replacement. first trilogy? Well, say hello to Palpatine’s Screw Hellraiser Disco Rave Extravaganza.

8. Mary Magdalene: you, J.J. As you might’ve noticed in the cover Jesus was a lot of things, but super boring art, C-3PO has been turned around to face Abrams! probably wasn’t one of them. This pretenthe wall on my knick-knack shelf. I urge all tious slog was just an excuse for Joaquin true Star Wars fans to put their Star Wars Phoenix to hang out with girlfriend Rooney toys in time out in solemn, silent protest of this Mara and get paid. travesty J.J. Abrams hath wrought and bestowed 9. The Dirt: upon us. Screw you, J.J. Abrams!

The only thing cool about watching this shitshow was the 2. Rambo: Last Blood: knowledge that Mötley Crüe was over as a band. Now It’s been fun seeing Rocky again in the Creed films. As comes the news that those fuck sticks will be touring for Sylvester Stallone’s other HGH enhanced alter-ego, again, which takes away any good vibe that could be the last two efforts in the series have seen, let’s say, experienced watching this. diminishing returns as his hair got shorter (just like 10. The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot: Samson in the Bible)!

Some critics had the audacity to call this one of the year’s 3. Glass: best. To those folks, I say, mushrooms can apparently be Just when M. Night Shyamalan was starting to restore a fun recreational drug sometimes, but you shouldn’t take faith in his abilities, he unleashes this, a case study in how them when you are writing your reviews or operating a not to invent a movie franchise on the fly. band saw.

4. Cats: While they didn’t make the year’s worst list, shout So I was watching this and just trying to stay alive. outs to Godzilla: King of the Monsters for being soul crushSuddenly, things picked up a bit when a song that actually ingly dull, and Joker—perhaps the year’s most overrated contained a pretty melody sprang from the speakers. As mediocre film. I was very excited for both, almost as it turns out, it was the song Taylor Swift wrote, a blosexcited as I was for the new Star Wars. Screw you, J.J. soming flower in the middle of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Abrams!!! sewage dump. Taylor came out of the sky later in the film 12

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THE BEST OF THE 2010s I want to take this moment and praise the horror genre in the 2010s. A lot of maverick directors stepped up with new ways to scare us, while directors like David Gordon Green resurrected Michael Meyers in grand fashion for Halloween. Jordan Peele, David Eggers and Ari Aster are the new horror heroes!

Throughout this list, some of the entries will contain multiple films, due to them coming from the same director or containing the subject matter, etc. We’re breaking format here a bit. Why not? Who cares?

And now…the best of the decade.

1. Twin Peaks: The Return:

This Showtime series was 18 hours of pure David Lynch bliss, and as cinematic as anything I saw on the big screen in the last 10 years. This was also the culmination of a quarter century mystery, and the start of a great new one. If you love Lynch, it’s all here, including an eighth episode that echoes the great Eraserhead. I’m just so happy Lynch was able to make this, uncompromised and unhindered by pencil pushers and number crunchers.

3. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood/ The Hateful Eight:

As Quentin Tarantino allegedly winds down his feature directing career, two of his 2010s offerings rank high as decade bests. In many ways, the past decade represents career heights for the most maverick of maverick directors. He also released his weakest film—the well done but not up to his usual standards Django Unchained (2012). Tarantino’s weakest movie is still better than most filmmakers’ best effort.

4. The Revenant/Birdman:

Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu had an amazing decade, topping two of my year end lists (2014 and 2015) with his tremendous visionary efforts. Leonardo DiCaprio scored an Oscar for one of them, and Michael Keaton should’ve gotten one for the other.

5. True Grit/The Ballad of Buster Scruggs/Inside Llewyn Davis:

The Coen Brothers didn’t do much other than simply deliver three of the best films of the decade. They also captured perhaps the best youth performance of the decade when they cast Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit. She should’ve gotten an Oscar that year.

6. The Witch/ The Lighthouse:

The decade’s best new director award goes to budding horror maestro Robert Eggers, who stunned with The Witch and followed up with the maddeningly great The Lighthouse.

7. Drive:

Twin Peaks: The Return

2. The Tree of Life:

Terrence Malick got busy in the past decade and, quite frankly, delivered some stinkers (To the Wonder, Song to Song, Knight of Cups). He also delivered the greatest film he’s ever made, a movie that successfully encapsulates the history of the entire universe and our existence on this planet into one movie starring Brad Pitt. The decade’s most ambitious—and successful— piece of “traditional” filmmaking.

When I originally saw this in 2011, I thought Nicolas Winding Refn was going to be one of the greatest directors to ever walk the planet. He’s made one decent (The Neon Demon) and one terrible (Only God Forgives) movie since then. This might wind up being the best movie he ever makes, and that’s OK. 8. The Wolf of Wall Street:

This is Scorsese’s best of the past decade. No, I will not include The Irishman in this ranking. It’s a very good movie but too flawed to mention in the same entry as his decade best.

Leonardo DiCaprio trying to get in his car after taking Quaaludes is the decade’s best physical acting scene.

Leonardo DiCaprio trying to get in his car after taking Quaaludes is the decade’s best physical acting scene.

La La Land

Florence Pugh in Midsommar

2019 GRIMMY AWARDS Best actress:

Best film editing:

Florence Pugh (Midsommar), Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story), Lupito Nyongo (Us), Awkwafina (The Farewell), Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart)

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Best actor:

Hereditary

Us

9. Hereditary/Midsommar:

13. Get Out /Us:

The second best directorial debut of the decade belongs to Ari Aster and his Hereditary, a spellbinding family drama in which Toni Collette delivered a career best performance as a mother fraying at the ends. His sophomore effort, Midsommar, contained more of the decade’s best horror and an incredible performance from Florence Pugh.

Jordan Peele delivered a one-two solid horror punch to your face with his directorial debut and gripping follow up.

10. Blue Valentine/Marriage Story:

I will go ahead and list these two films together, some of cinema’s all-time greatest depictions of marital discord. Not necessarily something to celebrate but, man, are they well made movies. Prepare to be gutted.

11. Uncut Gems/Good Time:

The Safdie brothers have made their presence known in the past decade, taking Robert Pattinson well beyond his Twilight days and giving Adam Sandler the sort of vehicle for a performance his fans always knew he had in him.

12. The Social Network:

What film did a better job encapsulating the current state of the business world and social interaction in the new century than David Fincher’s masterpiece?

14. 127 Hours:

Basically just a couple of hours down in a hole with James Franco, not a bad thing when the man is at the top of his game.

15. Boyhood:

One of the decade’s most ambitious projects as director Richard Linklater filmed his cast over 12 years and delivered something that wasn’t just cohesive, but powerful.

16. Whiplash/La La Land:

Some truly badass, minimalist filmmaking from director Damien Chazelle (a man, his drums and his insane teacher) followed by a terrific musical that deserved an Oscar, and actually got one, for a moment, when they gave poor Warren Beatty the wrong card to read! Chazelle capped off his excellent decade with the very good First Man. 17. Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri/Seven Psychopaths:

Was there a more shocking, heartbreaking moment in the past decade than Woody Harrelson’s

The Wolf of Wall Street

Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood), Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems), Adam Driver (Marriage Story), Robert Pattinson (The Lighthouse), Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name)

Best supporting actress: Laura Dern (Marriage Story), Margot Robbie (Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood), Florence Pugh (Little Women), Scarlett Johansson (Jo Jo Rabbit), Taylor Russell (Waves)

18. BlacKKKlansmen:

Best supporting actor:

19. Anomolisa:

This is one of those animated gems that nobody really saw, and will most likely never take time to watch because it’s stop motion animation, and we want our animation computerized and shiny now. Take the time and watch this. It’s a marvel.

20. This is the End/Frank/Popstar: Never Stop Stopping:

You might be noticing that there aren’t a lot of comedies on this list.

Seth Rogen’s apocalyptic experiment with his pals, and Michael Fassbender wearing a huge fake head and declaring “The music is shit!” amount to my favorite laughers of the 2010s, along with the vastly underrated Lonely Island comedy. I still don’t know how that bombed so hard.

1917

Best documentary: Apollo 11

Best animated film: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Worst Yes album: (It’s a tie.) Tormato and Big Generator

Best foreign film:

bloody cough in Three Billboards?

Nope, and the movie surrounding it is further proof that playwright Martin McDonagh is a real deal film director. Seven Psychopaths (and last decade’s In Bruges) are further proof of this.

This one makes the list not only because it is a great film, but because it returns the great Spike Lee to masterful form, firing on all cylinders.

Best score:

Pain and Glory

Willem DaFoe (The Lighthouse), Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood), Shia LaBeouf (Honey Boy), Wesley Snipes (Dolemite Is My Name), Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood)

Performer of the year: Florence Pugh

Best director: Quentin Tarantino

Best actor in a bad movie: Adam Driver (Star Wars-The Rise of Skywalker)

Best actress in a bad movie: Tie: Taylor Swift and Francesca Hayward trying their best in Cats

Worst actor in a good Movie: Richard Kind (Bombshell)

Worst actress in a good movie: Lena Dunham (Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood)

Best screenplay (original):

Overrated:

Marriage Story

The Joker, Captain Marvel

Best screenplay (adapted):

The Dead Don’t Die, Under the Silver Lake

Underrated:

Little Women

Best cinematography: 1917

Most divisive Yes album: Drama (No Jon Anderson! Trevor Horn was not an adequate replacement!)

Most overrated Yes album: Tales from Topographic Oceans (It’s so ponderous!); Runner up: Relayer

“GRIMM SPEAKS” continued on page 15

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g i b The t r o sh

95-word fiction contest

ual n n a r u o r o f It’s time n o i t i t e p m o c tory s t r o h s a r t x e

The

’s 95-word fiction contest

Write a miniature story that’s exactly 95 words long.

Here’s an example:

We want exactly 95 words, as counted by LibreOffice, Google Docs or Microsoft Word.

e loved As a child, sh s. a n a n a b ed lov “little Lisa Lautner er called her th fa er h t a uch th bananas so m unds. y monkey so ll si e d a m d l on a monkey” an dropped a pee ce on a is L , lt As an adu ides, isn’t hiking trail. nd said. “Bes ie fr er h !” er tt “Lisa, don’t li hazard?” at only that a safety bananas. Th on s ip sl y Nobod “Ridiculous. rtoons.” and later, happens in ca her toddler, of t on fr in Lisa said this eel at the top ipped on a p sl ly b a it ev when she in ld hear her bled, she cou m tu e sh s a !” of the stairs, , ooh, ah, ah ocking: “ooh m e tl n ge ’s father

Email submissions to contest@newsreview.com with the subject line “Fiction 2020.” Put each story in the body of an email because we won’t open attachments.

We require the author’s name, email address and phone number listed above each story.

(That stuff won’t affect toward word count, and will be removed before judging.) Titles are acceptable, without affecting word count, but not required.

Stories must be received before 9 a.m. on Jan. 15, 2020.

We’ll publish the best stories.

Stuck for inspiration? Check out last year’s winners here: www.newsreview.com/reno/literary-shorts/content?oid=27624441 14

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“GRIMM SPEAKS” continued from page 13

THE VERY WORST OF THE 2010s 1. Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Bile In My Throat:

3. Rambo: Last Blood:

Oh, I still have plenty of things to say about this. How do you get sizable, relatively pristine Death Star wreckage after it was blown to smithereens in Return of the Jedi? Why is Leia suddenly some sort of Jedi master capable of training Rey? Who gives a shit about anything Finn or Poe have to say and do? Where did Rose go? Who is Luke’s stylist in the Force afterlife because he’s a little too fluffed out and looks like he belongs in a Whitesnake cover band?

Hey, Rian Johnson, director of The Last Jedi, that movie was still an overall dick move, but at least you tried to do something different. The Last Jedi is Blade Runner compared to Rise of Skywalker. I no longer fear your proposed stand-alone trilogy.

As for Abrams, this last chapter is a jumbled attempt to make a sequel to The Force Awakens rather than continuing the saga after The Last Jedi. It’s cinematic white out. It’s wrong. It’s all just so wrong.

2. The 50 Shades of Grey Cinematic Torture Gauntlet:

Mercifully, this trilogy only spanned three years, its diseased cocktail of bad sex and melodrama only tainting one third of the decade. Still, it did enough damage to romantic dramas that its negative effects might be felt for centuries to come at cinema’s and in our livers.

I’m thinking Sylvester Stallone voted for Donald Trump. I dunno … just a hunch.

4. The Twilight Saga:

While Twilight started in the “aught decade,” plenty of it leaked into the 2010s (Eclipse, Breaking Dawn Parts 1 and 2), resulting in painful cinematic wheezing and the violent coughing-up of celluloid mucous.

5. The Hobbit movies:

The failure of all three of these Peter Jackson efforts marked a real turning point for me as a film reviewer. I had given “Movie of the Year” titles to Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies and King Kong the decade before. Jackson tried to move technology ahead with this effort, but it backfired, and his movies looked like sloppily filmed stage dramas.

The Hobbit warranted one, maybe two, films—but not three. This was padded more than a horse jockey’s butt.

6. Bohemian Rhapsody:

A guy won an Oscar for this? Bad writing, bad wigs and hilariously overdone teeth made this a painful thing. I love Freddie Mercury, but I don’t love this overrated lip synch nightmare. I’m dubbing Freddie’s doctor’s office visit, where he gets his AIDS diagnosis, the most laughably bad scene of the decade.

A guy won an Oscar for this?

Justice Leauge

7. Batman v Superman/Suicide Squad/Aquaman/Justice League:

The DC universe got itself a little boost with Wonder Woman and Joker.

(I thought Joker was overrated, but I was alone in the wilderness on that one.) The goodwill built up by Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, which ended in 2012, was mostly squandered afterword. We should all stop hoping that the Snyder Cut of Justice League gets released because, I assure you, it will be as bad or worse than the theatrical cut.

Steppenwolf will still look like a design for a bootlegged Meat Loaf concert T-shirt.

8. Jack and Jill, Blended, Grown Ups 2:

While 2019 saw the release of the best film Adam Sandler has ever taken part in (Uncut Gems), the 2010’s offered up some of the very worst Sandler, as well. We get the good with the bad.

9. The Green Inferno:

I remember back when Eli Roth was one of the most promising horror directors, thanks to Cabin Fever and the first Hostel.

He’s been a mixed bag since then, and this cannibal movie was his very worst. Hey Eli, thanks for the diarrhea scene! Very memorable and quite poetic.

10. The Lone Ranger/Pirates of the Caribbean:

On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales: Johnny Depp is a whore—a dirty, stinking, useless, expensive wine drinking, Amber Heard offending, once great but steadily fading, filmdom whore! □

Screw you, J.J. Abrams!

2010s DECADE GRIMMY AWARDS Best actors of the decade: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Gosling, Robert Pattinson

Best actresses of the decade: Michelle Williams, Frances McDormand, Saoirse Ronan

Most mediocre Yes album: Going for the One

Worst actor of the decade: Johnny “the dirty whore” Depp

Worst actress of the decade: 50 Shades of Grey

Dakota Johnson … but her resume is improving!

Most overrated Yes album: Fragile

Best directors of the decade: Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch, Robert Eggers, Alejandro G. Inarritu

Worst director of the decade: Screw you, J.J. Abrams!

Nicolas Cage’s favorite Yes album: I have no idea, but my best guess would be 90125

Twilight

Bohemian Rhapsody

The Hobbit

Johnny “the dirty whore” Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean

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Advertise in rn&r’s

AnnuAl BridAl Guide

by MaRk EaRNEST

The Reno Latin Dance Fest usually features professional dancers, but a new amateur competition has been added this year.

New moves Salsa Bachata Amateur Cup

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www.newsreview.com

For the past 11 years, the Reno Latin Dance Fest has been a highlight for fans of the style. Now, for 2020, it has added a new angle.

The festival has always featured dance classes and workshops, showcases, parties and competitions for the pro dancers who attend. This year, though, there will be the Salsa Bachata Amateur Cup, in which dancers who don’t regularly make a living from their art can earn part of a $5,000 prize pool. The new competition was formed as part of the festival’s ongoing mission to create a welcoming environment to all types of Latin dancers.

“One of the things that’s challenging in the dance world is to create opportunities for amateurs to have a stepping stone into more of a professional career, or just to get good feedback from the pros as a dancer,” said William “BB” Flanders, who co-produces and co-hosts the festival with Rikik “Kiki” Rutledge.

Flanders added that while there are often jazz and ballet competitions for amateurs, it’s not common for Latin dance.

The Amateur Cup features solo, couple and team divisions in Salsa and Bachata styles, and is coordinated by Jennifer Silvas, who has experience with jazz and ballet competitions.

In the couples division, there is a significant way this competition is different from others in the dance world. Flanders explained that in most competitions there are “leads” and “follows,” and they are along gender lines—as in men lead, women follow. Flanders said the Reno Latin Dance competition erases that distinction.

“We were like, ‘OK, we need to remove that. It’s old school,” Flanders said. “It’s been a big challenge for us to figure out

COURTESY/JOSE dE la TORRE, RENO laTiN daNCE FEST

how to redefine this and still keep some of the traditions alive. We don’t want to blow it up entirely, so we came up with a compromise, which is there is no switching between lead and follow.”

It also means that same-sex couples can compete, something for which Flanders has already received positive feedback.

“We have people from the LGBTQ community that are very excited, because it’s the first time they can compete on the same playing field,” he said. “In the past, you had to create a completely separate division for a female lead or male follow, which seems silly to me. We’ve basically got rid of the whole gender thing, and you are being judged solely on how you dance.”

For this first year, Flanders said that there are only a handful of amateurs from Reno-Tahoe competing, which is something that he expected for this first go-round.

“I have a feeling more people from here will jump on it next year,” he said. “The idea of competing in the Salsa and Bachata world is brand new, and there are a lot of fears involved in competing, so I think more people will just be watching this year to see how it goes.”

BB and Kiki not only run the festival, but also their own dance company and a long-running Latin dance night for all levels at the Peppermill’s Edge club.

Flanders said that Reno should be proud that its Latin dance scene is growing and that the Dance Fest is considered one of the top five in the U.S. “When I started in Reno [14 years ago], there was just one other class and no place to go social dancing,” he said. “So, it’s been very exciting for us to see the progress and to be able to hand the baton over to other instructors: ‘OK, now it’s your turn to help keep this going.’” Ω

The Salsa Bachata amateur Cup takes place throughout the Reno latin dance Fest, which runs Jan. 9-12 at Silver legacy and Circus Circus. Go to renolatindancefest.com for schedules, prices and more details.

by BoB Grimm

b g ri m m @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

SHORT TAKES

3

Bombshell

Charlize Theron is uncanny as Megyn Kelly in this hit-and-miss take on the sexual harassment scandals that plagued Fox News thanks to the deplorable Roger Ailes, played here by John Lithgow under lots of makeup. The movie is propped up by terrific work from Theron, Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, and Margot Robbie as a composite character representing the many women who were assaulted by the likes of Ailes and Bill O’Reilly. Director Jay Roach is all over the place with his tone, with the film veering back and forth between dark comedy and serious drama.

It never finds the balance that happens in great films, but it is often a good one, especially thanks to Theron, who is amazing in every second she spends on screen (and the makeup work is Oscar-worthy as well). Roach blows it with his portrayals of Bill O’Reilly (Kevin Dorff) and Rudy Giuliani (Richard Kind), who come off as bad impersonations rather than true characters.

What should’ve been an important film comes off as partial failure.

“Thank goodness we all remembered to wear our beach-going frocks.”

Chick flick There have been a lot of Little Women adaptations, and I will not list all of them here because, well, it’s my column, and I don’t want to. So there.

Anyway, most of you out there who go to the movies or watch them on that TV thing are probably most familiar with the 1994 adaptation that starred Winona Ryder, the little vampire from Interview with the Vampire (Kirsten Dunst) and Batman (Christian Bale). I recall liking that one.

I mean, it had Batman and Vampire Girl in it, for God’s sake—and the girl from Beetlejuice!

Now comes the umpteenth adaptation of the classic Louisa May Alcott novel, and it’s safe to say this one is in the running for best adaptation of the story, ever.

Directed by rising directorial juggernaut Greta Gerwig (the magnificent, ultra-fantastic Lady Bird)—who has a vision with her films that declares, “Hey, we aren’t screwing around here!”—her third feature effort is an across the board stunner.

It’s a beautiful thing to look at due to some of the year’s best art direction and camerawork. It’s also chock-full of tremendous performances, and it’s written and directed by Gerwig, whose vision makes this an admirable update of a precious work.

Saoirse Ronan, who also starred in Lady Bird, headlines as Jo March, eldest sister of the March clan, which includes three others: Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh) and Beth (Eliza Scanlen). Ronan, not surprisingly, makes the intrepid character of Jo her own, a budding writer who is trying to get her ideas past a crusty editor (Tracy Letts, who had a damn fine 2019).

Gerwig, in a departure from past adaptations, focuses more on the girls as adults, with flashbacks to their younger days. In doing this, she has chosen not to cast Amy with two different actresses. Pugh, who is well into her 20s, plays Amy at every stage, even falling through the ice as a pre-teen. I’d say

that was an odd choice, but the other choice would be to have less screen time for Pugh, and I say a big no to that. Yes, she doesn’t look like she’s 12, but who cares? She’s a master in every scene.

Timothée Chalamet steps in for Batman as Theodore “Laurie” Laurence, and there couldn’t have been a better choice for the role. His first dance with Jo, where they go a little crazy outside on a porch alone during a party, is as timeless as movie dancing gets. Chalamet has such skill and ridiculous amounts of charm with every line delivery that not a single second of his movie time is wasteful.

My one minor quibble about the movie? Gerwig is so damned ambitious with the way she shows the many timelines (out of chronological order), and there were definitely moments where I was a little confused. Again, it’s a minor quibble because even though it is occasionally confusing, it is always enjoyable.

In the end, this is how you do a period piece, damn it—a fresh take that makes you feel like you are seeing a story for the first time, even if you’ve seen that story multiple times before. And it provides that feeling of transportation to another time. Also, it doesn’t hurt to have Meryl Streep in your period piece. That’s always a good thing.

Driving it all home are characters that you root for, played by one of 2019’s greatest ensembles. All hail Greta Gerwig for bringing this group together in delightful, superbly entertaining fashion.

Up next for Gerwig? Possibly a Barbie movie with Margot Robbie. I am curious to see how that one pans out. It’s going to be interesting if it moves forward with Gerwig at the helm. It’s always interesting when she’s at the helm. Ω

Little Women

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1

Cats

So, when this thing started, I was actually liking it a bit. It looked weird as hell, and I could tell the cast was singing live on set, which I admire. But, after about five minutes, a malaise sinks in that doesn’t lift. That malaise is due mainly to the fact that this musical sucks to begin with. No amount of CGI wizardry (which, sadly, this film doesn’t have) can save this blight on humanity. The music is god awful, excepting for a brief interlude where something resembling a beautiful melody sticks out like a sore thumb.

That would be “Beautiful Ghosts,” a song cowritten by Taylor Swift that is actually good.

They should’ve let Taylor rewrite the whole damn thing. She actually shows up for a brief stretch toward the end of the movie, a life preserver in a sea of shit that, unfortunately, is snatched away before you can really grab onto it. Judi Dench stars as the apparent overseer of some sort of America’s Got Talent for felines. (I really have no idea what was going on in this movie.) The weirdness of the visuals, combined with the slog pacing and shitty music, will have you thinking you have a bad case of cat scratch fever, or perhaps somebody dropped acid into your Coke Zero.

I saw the original version. Apparently there’s a new version out there with some fixed visuals. Readers, I love you, but there is no fucking way I am subjecting myself to this a second time.

4

Ford v Ferrari

It’s the 1960s, and Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) has had it up to here with Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone) and his fast, flashy car ways. He and cronies such as Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) and Leo Beebe (Josh Lucas) are chapped, and they want to send a message to the world that Ford isn’t just about family cars. Enter Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), a former race car driver turned designer and salesman after a heart condition benches him. Ford hires Shelby to design and race a car that can beat Ferrari in races, mainly the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s a tall order, and it calls for a crazy guy behind the wheel and calling the shots in Ken Miles (Christian Bale), an English-born rule-breaker who can drive a car and instantly know what can be fixed on it to make the damn thing go faster. Director James Mangold (Walk the Line) films Ford v Ferrari in a way where you feel every gear shift, every hairpin turn, and every moment when a car can skid off the tracks and cause grave injury. In this sense, the movie is simply at the top of the auto movie genre. Damon and Bale are otherworldly good as two pals who have no problem punching each other in the face on occasion, but always strain to have each other’s backs.

4

Knives Out

Director Rian Johnson, maker of the divisive Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but also maker of the brilliant Looper, takes a crack at the whodunnit genre and comes up mostly aces. Daniel Craig stars as private investigator Benoit Blanc, mysteriously hired by somebody in a rich family after the strange, supposed suicide death of their patriarch, mystery author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer still going strong). There’s something fishy about his death, and his personal nurse Marta (the awesome Ana de Armas) knows something the rest of the family doesn’t know. What transpires is a solid mystery with a fun set of characters featuring a stellar cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield and Chris Evans.

Craig is especially good in a role that allows him to show his comic side, with Shannon and Johnson also impressive as a couple of paranoiacs. Above all, it gives the talented Armas a chance to really shine.

1

Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a disastrous, soulless squandering of the good will built up by The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Director J.J. Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy should’ve stepped back after producing this rancid turd and realized that this franchise deserved a better sendoff.

Sadly, the money has got to get made, so here it is, the last chapter in the Skywalker Saga on time for holiday moviegoing, a chapter that had me longing for The Star Wars Holiday Special. The first hour is virtually unwatchable, fast and furious but with no editing flow and no sense of purpose other than to simply get you to the next part. Fans going in looking for answers or meaningful storytelling will not only be bewildered, but blindingly pissed off. It’s pretty clear that Abrams and friends had no real plans when they laid out this latest trilogy. They are making this crap up as they go along.

Force Awakens, also directed by Abrams, was a promising start. Heck, I’ll call it a classic. Then, The Last Jedi happened, with Rian Johnson getting permission to go off the reservation with his storytelling, and he most certainly did. Some of the plot choices in Jedi were odd, but at least that movie was a decent film that felt like a Star Wars movie, peppered with some laughably bad moments.

The Rise of Skywalker is a laughably bad movie peppered with the occasional moments that don’t suck as much as the rest of them.

5

Uncut Gems

Adam Sandler is having a pretty good year in 2019. He’s made a triumphant return to Saturday Night Live as host, and he reteamed with Jennifer Aniston for the actually fairly watchable Murder Mystery on Netflix. And, oh, yeah, he has just made what is, by far, the greatest film of his beautifully erratic career.

With Uncut Gems, Sandler joins forces with directors Benny and Josh Safdie, makers of the excellent Robert Pattinson vehicle Good Time, and delivers the kind of dramatic performance—fully committed and thoroughly proficient—that he’s hinted at in the past with strong efforts in Punch-Drunk Love and The Meyerowitz Stories. As Howard Ratner, a New York City jewelry store owner and gambling addict, Sandler catapults himself into the upper echelon of today’s fine actors—not bad for the creative force behind Grown Ups 2. The film doesn’t just thrive on performances; it’s bursting with style and originality in its overall approach. The Safdies adopt a visual and sound style that makes Howard’s crazed adventure a swirling trip. It’s edited with the sort of electricity that keeps you riveted, with psychedelic trips inside opals, and even Howard’s colon, to boot. Apart from being one of the year’s best films, it’s also one of its most original.

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01.02.20

Island style My first delicious taste of varied and intriguing Hawaiian food was on a visit to Oahu, but my first Reno Hawaiian “plate lunch” was at a chain restaurant sometimes known as the “Hawaiian McDonald’s.” It wasn’t amazing, and I haven’t been back.

From acclaimed food truck and catering origins, Aloha Shack set up shop in the North Valleys a few months ago. My friend, her twin boys and I recently headed up 395 North to check it out. The service counter sports a varietal pyramid of canned Spam, including the infamous “pumpkin spice” edition. However, you won’t be able to sample this rarity, as it was purchased on eBay at above-market cost for the purpose of display.

Speaking of Spam, warm sushi-ish grilled musubi ($3 each) were enjoyed by the new-to-Spam boys. House-rolled Filipino lumpia ($8, four pieces) was similarly well received, with pork, cabbage and mixed veggies fried in a thin spring roll wrapper and served with a housemade ginger and shoyu sauce. Continuing the Filipino influence, a bowl of rice noodle, spicy sausage, teriyaki chicken, cabbage and egg pancit ($10) was exactly what I wanted from this chow mein-inspired dish.

One kid chose a mac and cheese bowl ($6), and tater tots with “Island” barbecue sauce ($5). The mac’s combination of cheese sauce and melty, stretchy cheese made me wish for more than my sample bite. The tots were hot and crispy, with a sweet sauce. His brother went for the loco moco ($11.50), a seasoned burger patty with brown gravy over rice, topped with a fried egg and chopped scallion. Without exaggeration, it was beyond expectations. The burger was tender, flavorful and perfect.

The runny egg was similarly well executed, and the savory gravy sealed the deal.

Aloha Shack’s Loco Moco Bowl is a hand-shaped and seasoned burger over rice, with fried egg, gravy and chopped scallions.

PHOTO/ALLISON YOUNG

Combo plates come with a pair of meats, a choice of macaroni salad or Asian slaw and white rice. The crisp cabbage salad’s ginger/soy/vinegar/sesame dressing was excellent with the smoky kalua pork, and the Korean-style kalbi short rib ($17) was sweet, spicy and tender. Another combo ($18) with thin-sliced, marinated steak and breaded, fried chicken chunks tossed in spicy/sweet ono sauce was also terrific. The mac salad was well-seasoned and included black olive and onion—a step above some of the gloppier, bland versions served with lesser Hawaiian plates.

Lau lau ($7 à la carte, $16 combo plate with another meat and side) is available as a Friday dinner special, and Saturdays if they don’t sell-out on Friday. Hand-wrapped packages of salmon and kalua pork in taro leaf are steamed for hours, a mashup of the best cooked greens and meat you’ve ever had. It came out just as we were about to leave—and already stuffed—but there was no way we weren’t sampling this delicacy.

Despite having had more than enough food, the boys desired desserts of banana lumpia and malasadas ($6, four pieces each). The lumpia with their mixture of cinnamon, sugar and banana were fried and topped with whipped cream and caramel sauce. The heavily sugared Portuguese donuts were reminiscent of beignets, though a whole lot sweeter.

The menu includes poke bowls, grilled sandwiches, nachos, tacos, wings and other specials. There are plans to open a second location in south Reno, which I’m both anticipating and frankly apprehensive about. I could happily ruin my diet and eat these goodies every week. □

Aloha Shack

8798 N. Red Rock Road, 622-8825

Aloha Shack is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Learn more at alohashackreno.com.

by MArk EArnEST

The members of Phat Mark are, from left, Derek Fong, Clark Harrell, Casey Smith, Chris Cortez, Mitch Vereen and Andrew Wischer.

Brass tactics Phat Mark Together for a little over a year, Reno band Phat Mark has three frontmen— although only one of them sings. That’s because it’s the three-man horn section that is the true center of this group: trumpeter and singer Casey Smith, sax player Derek Fong and trombonist Andrew Wischer.

Not that the other three members of Phat Mark—Clark Harrell on keyboards, Mitch Vereen on bass and Chris Cortez on drums—are shy and retiring. The band truly works as a six-headed beast, intersecting the lines between jazz, funk and hip-hop for its own vibe on the scene.

“I think because it’s so unique and different, it gets people’s attention,” Fong said. “We do it in such a way where it still feels accessible and fun. At our last gig, people were just dancing all night long.

It was fantastic. It was right there in front of me, and I couldn’t stop watching. But I never feel like we are sacrificing our artistry or musicianship. It still feels very authentic.”

Wischer said at first even he was wondering if a horn-led band would do well in Reno. “But, even from our first week of playing, we’ve had really receptive nights,” he said. “At one show, the crowd was chanting, ‘10 more songs!’ I was thinking, ‘Is this really happening?’”

The band also has a distinctive origin story to go with its sound. Most band members were a part of the pit orchestra for Good Luck Macbeth’s production of Young Frankenstein in 2018. Once they launched, the bandmates started to get local gigs around town. Yet, they arrived at their debut at St. James Infirmary in an unusual, and slightly improvised, way.

COURTESY/PHAT MARK

“About a week after we started jamming for fun to keep this going, I was at the gym talking to a buddy and told him I was putting a band together,” Smith said. “And, this guy comes up and says, ‘Hey, I need a band to play this weekend.’ So I said, ‘Sure, we’ll take the gig.’”

The band didn’t have many fully developed songs by that point, but they went ahead and took the leap with covers and jams for those first shows. It’s led to a full repertoire of originals and some basement recordings that were recently featured on local radio station KWNK 97.7. They plan to record in a studio and play their first shows outside of Reno-Tahoe sometime in 2020.

The bandmates write in different ways each time, although several songs stem from Smith’s cell-phone-recorded ideas— mostly melodies sung to Harrell—which get worked up with each band member chiming in. Smith said he writes all of the lyrics, though many songs are instrumental.

The horn players of Phat Mark agreed that finding their own space in the songs is a fun challenge. “A lot of what we write is to find the different harmonies and textures you get with three horns,” Smith said. “We intentionally try to find the right chords that we can make between us.”

“Also, the sound, the timbre, the tone quality of the horns, and the way we blend . . . I think that’s a big part of it, too,” Fong said.

As it evolves, Phat Mark is letting things happen naturally instead of forcing itself too hard into a jazz/funk box. “That was something that we said when we first started: we didn’t want to get stuck into one thing,” Wischer said. “We want to do whatever is creative and fun.” Ω

Phat Mark is playing with Montana electro-soul duo Dash at 8 p.m. Jan. 3 at Jub Jub’s Thirst Parlor, 71 S. Wells Ave., and with locals the R. Cade Daddies on Jan. 23 at Bibo Coffee Co., West Street Market, 148 West Street.

Learn more about the band at facebook.com/phatmarkmusic.org.

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5 STAR SALOON

132 West St., (775) 499-5655

THURSDAY 1/2

FRIDAY 1/3

SATURDAY 1/4

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

Dance party, 10pm, $5 no cover before 10pm

Dance party, 10pm, $5 no cover before 10pm

Karaoke, 9pm, W, no cover

Silver, 8:30pm, no cover

DASH, 9pm, no cover

Trivia Night, 7pm, Tu, no cover

Tim Bluhm, The Coffis Brothers, 8:30pm, no cover

Jelly Bread, 9pm, $5

Bluegrass jam, 6pm, no cover

Saltwound, Dead Things, Beauty Is Betrayal, 8:30pm, $5

Judas Thieves, NV/DC, 8:30pm, $8

Sounds of the City: Dan Abbott, Martin Hruz, 5pm, no cover

Mike Schermer, 9pm, no cover

Mike Schermer, 9pm, no cover

ALIBI ALE WORKS (INCLINE)

931 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village, (775) 831-8300

ALIBI ALE WORKS (TRUCKEE)

10069 Bridge St., Truckee, (530) 536-5029

DASH

ALTURAS BAR Jan. 3, 9 p.m.

1044 E. Fourth St., (775) 324-5050 Jub Jub’s Thirst Parlor 71 S. Wells Ave. BAR OF AMERICA 384-1652 10040 Donner Pass Rd., Truckee, (530) 587-2626

Comedy

THE BLUEBIRD

Carson Comedy Club, Carson Nugget, 507 N. Carson St., Carson City, (775) 882-1626: Lisa Alvarado, Fri-Sat, 8pm, $15

CARGO CONCERT HALL

Groove Cartel & Roger That!

EP release party, 10pm, $10-$15

555 E. Fourth St., (775) 499-5549

Laugh Factory, Silver Legacy Resort Casino, 407 N. Virginia St., (775) 325-7401: Dante, Rebekah Kochan, Andy Kern, Thu, Sun-Tue, 7:30pm, $21.95; Fri-Sat, 7:30pm, 9:30pm, $27.45; Greg Morton, Paul Faravar, Adam Stone, 7:30pm, Wed, $21.95 LEX at Grand Sierra Resort, 2500 E. Second St., (775) 789-5399: DJ Sandhu, Fri, 6:30pm, $10 The Library, 134 W. Second St., (775) 6833308: Open Mic Comedy, Sun, Wed, 8pm, no cover Pioneer Underground, 100 S. Virginia St., (775) 322-5233: DJ Sandhu, Fri, 9pm, $12-$17; Sat, 8:30pm, $12-$17

255 N. Virginia St., (775) 398-5400

538 S. Virginia St., (775) 329-5558

10142 Rue Hilltop Rd., Truckee, (530) 587-5711

Mike Schermer, 6:30pm, no cover

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Post shows online by registerin g at www.newsr eview. com/reno. D eadline is the Frida y before public ation.

Traditional Irish session, 7pm, Tu, Wed. Night Showcase, W, 7pm, no cover

Peter DeMattei, 6:30pm, no cover

Classical music open mic, 6:30pm, W, no cover Foreseeing Fools, 9pm, no cover

275 E. Fourth St., (775) 324-1917

DEAD RINGER ANALOG BAR

Ritual (goth, industrial) with DJs David Draven, Uncle Rusty, Pelikan, 9pm, $3-$5

432 E. Fourth St., (775) 409-4431

FAT CAT BAR & GRILL (MIDTOWN) 1401 S. Virginia St., (775) 453-2223

01.02.20

Open Mic Night, 7pm, M, no cover Trivia Night, 7pm, W, no cover

DnD, 8:30pm, no cover

DAVIDSON’S DISTILLERY

See box office for details and age restrictions. Shows subject to change or cancellation. Management reserves the right to change or cancel without notice.

Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2019, Caesars License Company, LLC

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MON-WED 1/6-1/8

Stoney’s Live with Mark Mackay, CJ Solar, 8pm, $10-$15

CEOL IRISH PUB

COTTONWOOD RESTAURANT

SUNDAY 1/5

Lexi Scatena, 8pm, no cover

First Take featuring Rick Metz, 7pm, Tu, no cover

THURSDAY 1/2

FRIDAY 1/3

FAT CAT BAR & GRILL (TAHOE)

SATURDAY 1/4

SUNDAY 1/5

Jamie Rollins, 8:30pm, no cover

599 N. Lake Blvd. Tahoe City, (530) 583-3355

THE HOLLAnd PROjECT

Toys for Tots drive: Preacher, Sadist, Convulsions, Inaniment, 7pm, $5 or toy

140 Vesta St., (775) 448-6500

jUB jUB’S THIRST PARLOR

Talent show benefit for Northern Nevada RAVE Family Foundation, 7pm, $5 or toy

Origami Angel, Short Fictions, Ichthyosaur, Heartless, 7:30pm, W, $5-$7

2) DASH, Phat Mark, 9pm, $TBA

71 S. Wells Ave., (775) 384-1652 1) Showroom 2) Bar Room

2) Wayfairy, 10:30pm, Tu, donation

Tim Bluhm

THE LOVInG CUP

Motown Mondays, 9pm, no cover

188 California Ave., (775) 322-2480

MIdTOwn wInE BAR

Unplugged: Open Mic Thursdays, 7pm, no cover

Alias Smith Band, 8:30pm, no cover

PIGnIC PUB & PATIO 235 Flint St., (775) 376-1948

Loud As Folk: Corporate Holiday Party, 8pm, $5 donation

MagNicoSynth! First Friday Funk Fest, 9pm, no cover

THE POLO LOUnGE

DJ Trivia, 7pm, no cover

Back to the ’80s with DJ Bobby G, DJ Chris Payne, 9pm, no cover

1527 S. Virginia St., (775) 800-1960

1559 S. Virginia St., (775) 322-8864

REd dOG SALOOn

1401 S. Virginia St., (775) 384-6526

THE SAInT

761 S. Virginia St., (775) 221-7451

Adam Springob, 6pm, no cover

Kat Heart, 8pm, no cover

Karaoke, 8pm, M, no cover

Michelle Belle, 8pm, no cover

Adelitas Way Country Night, 6pm, W, no cover Grimedog, Tommy and The Tongues, Misfritz, 9:30pm, $6 donation

715 S. Virginia St., (775) 786-4774

211 N. Virginia St., (775) 433-1090

DJ Bobby G, 8:30pm, no cover

Thursday Night Salsa—Santos de la Salsa, 7pm, no cover before 9:30pm

SHEA’S TAVERn

VIRGInIA STREET BREwHOUSE

Spike McGuire, 8pm, no cover

Jan. 3, 8:30 p.m.

Alibi Ale Works 10069 Bridge St. Truckee (530) 536-5029

Sierra Sweethearts, 7pm, no cover

76 N. C St., Virginia City, (775) 847-7474

RUE BOURBOn

MON-WED 1/6-1/8

Silent Disco, 10pm, $TBA

VTA, Hank Allen, 8pm, $TBA

Trivia Night, 8pm, no cover

Jan. 4, 8 p.m.

Virginia Street Brewhouse 211 N. Virginia St. 433-1090

Adelitas Way, 8pm, $20

join the

team! rn&r is hiring a distribution driver For more inFormation and to apply, go to www.newsreview.com/reno/jobs

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aTlanTIs CasIno resorT sPa 3800 S. Virginia St., (775) 825-4700 Cabaret SOUL PERSUADERS: Fri, 1/3, Sat, 1/4, 10pm, Sun, 1/5, 8pm, no cover

kICk: Mon, 1/6, Tue, 1/7, Wed, 1/8, 8pm, no cover

BooMToWn CasIno HoTel 2100 garSOn rOad, Verdi, (775) 345-6000 gUitar bar JAmIE ROLLINS: Thu, 1/2, 6pm, no cover tHE StARLItERS: Fri, 1/3, Sat, 1/4, 5pm, no cover

REBEkAH CHASE BAND: Fri, 1/3, 9pm, no cover tHE LOOk: Sat, 1/4, 9pm, no cover tHE ROBEYS: Sun, 1/5, 6pm, no cover tANDYmONIUm: Mon, 1/6, 6pm, no cover PEtER PACYAO: Tue, 1/7, 2pm, no cover JASON kING BAND: Wed, 1/8, 6pm, no cover

Carson nUGGeT 507 n. CarSOn St., CarSOn City, (775) 882-1626 tHe LOFt

JAN/02: GOLDEN DRAGON ACROBAtS

The Chinese acrobatic touring company continues its three-week run at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. The performing arts group has combined acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacular costumes, ancient and contemporary music and theatrical techniques in its awardwinning show for almost 35 years. The Frisco, Texasbased company has toured across the United States and has performed in 45 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Oman and the Bahamas. The Golden Dragon Acrobats perform at 7:30 p.m., Thursday-Sunday through Jan. 11 in the South Shore Room at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, 15 Highway 50, Stateline. Tickets are $24.72-$38.48. Call (800) 427-7247 or visit www.caesars.com/harrahs-tahoe.

Carson Valley Inn

elDoraDo resorT CasIno

1627 HigHway 395, Minden, (775) 782-9711

345 n. Virginia St., (775) 786-5700

Cabaret

brew brOtHerS

ARIZONA JONES: Thu, 1/2, 7pm, Fri, 1/3, Sat, 1/4,

StUDENt BODY tHURSDAYS WItH VJ RIZZO:

8pm, no cover

CIrCUs CIrCUs reno 500 n. Sierra St., (775) 329-0711 Cabaret AtOmIkA: Fri, 1/3, Sat, 1/4, 9pm, no cover

eL JeFe’S Cantina SkYY HIGH FRIDAY WItH DJ mO FUNk: Fri, 1/3, 10pm, no cover

REVEL SAtURDAYS WItH DJ CHRIS ENGLISH: Sat, 1/4, 10pm, no cover

CrysTal Bay CasIno 14 HigHway 28, CryStaL bay, (775) 833-6333

Thu, 1/2, 10pm, no cover

DJ BIRD & RIZZO: Fri, 1/3, Sat, 1/4, 10pm, no cover

DJ mARk tWYmAN: Sun, 1/5, 10pm, no cover LIVE BAND kARAOkE WItH ROCk U ENt.: Mon, 1/6, Wed, 1/8, 10pm, no cover

BREW CLUB tUESDAYS: Tue, 1/7, 9pm, no cover

nOVi RED CUP FRIDAYS WItH DJ DUStIN V & DJ RONI V: Fri, 1/3, 9pm, no cover

LINE DANCING: Sat, 1/4, 9pm, no cover

rOXy’S LiVe PianO bar LIVE PIANO: Thu, 1/2, Fri, 1/3, Sat, 1/4, Sun, 1/5, Mon, 1/6, Tue, 1/7, Wed, 1/8, 4:30pm, no cover

DJ OSCAR PEREZ: Fri, 1/3, 10pm, no cover DJ mO FUNk: Sat, 1/4, 10pm, no cover

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NESHA, COUCH kING & DANGER: Sat, 1/4, 11pm, no cover

LeX nigHtCLUb tHROWBACk tHURSDAY WItH DJ SWERVE-1: Thu, 1/2, 6pm, no cover

BLACk ROSE: Fri, 1/3, Sat, 1/4, 9pm, no cover

LEX FRIDAYS WItH DJ BEAtDROP: Fri, 1/3, 10pm, $10

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Post shows online by registering at www.newsreview.com/reno. Deadline is the Friday before publication.

Peter Joseph Burtt

& The King Tide

Jan. 3, 10 p.m.

Crystal Bay Casino 14 Highway 28 Crystal Bay (775) 833-6333

HARD ROCK LAKE TAHOE 50 HIgHWAy 50, STATELINE, (844) 588-7625 CENTER BAR DJ SET: Fri, 1/3, Sat, 1/4, 9pm, no cover

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Sat, 1/4, Sun, 1/5, 7:30pm, $24.72-$38.48

BLU NIgHTCLUB

AUDIOBOXX WITH DJ R3VOLVER: Fri, 1/3, Sat, 1/4, 9pm, no cover

SILVER BARON LOUNgE

TOO $HORT WITH DJ ASPECT: Sat, 1/4, 8pm, $30-$35

Visit www.acroenso.com for complete class schedule adult & children’s classes offered side-by-side.

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55 HIgHWAy 50, STATELINE, (775) 588-3515

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TUESDAY NIGHT BLUES WITH THE BUDDY EMMER BAND: Tue, 1/7, 8pm, no cover

• • • • • • • • •

Fat Cat Bar & Grill (Midtown District), 1401 S. Virginia St., (775) 453-2223: Karaoke with Chapin, Tue, 9pm, no cover

8pm, Sun, 1/5, Mon, 1/6, Tue, 1/7, Wed, 1/8, 6pm, no cover

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RIFFS COMEDY CLUB: Sat, 1/4, 8pm, $15

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LIVE MUSIC: Thu, 1/2, 7pm, Fri, 1/3, Sat, 1/4,

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FOR THE WEEK OF januaRy 02, 2020 For a complete listing of this week’s events or to post events to our online calendar, visit www.newsreview.com.

FIRST THURSDAY: Explore the galleries at Nevada Museum of Art’s monthly social event featuring live music

by The Peanuts Gang and specialty refreshments. Thu, 1/2, 5pm. $10, free for NMA members. Nevada Museum of Art, 160 W. Liberty St., (775) 329-3333, www.nevadaart.org.

FOUR SEASONS BOOK CLUB: The book club will meet the first Saturday of each month.

January’s selection is Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson. Sat, 1/4, 1pm. Free. Sparks Library, 1125 12th St., Sparks, (775) 3523200, events.washoecountylibrary.u.

FRIDAY FUN NIGHTS: Enjoy free face painting, ice skating or treats around a fire pit while a DJ spins your favorite tunes. Fri, 1/3, 5pm. Northstar California Resort, 5001 Northstar Drive, Truckee, www.northstarcalifornia.com.

KTMB’S CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING: Bring

jan/04:

BRRROQUE MASTERS

The TOCCATA–Tahoe Symphony Orchestra continues its 15th annual WinterFest season with a concert series celebrating the music of the Baroque period. The orchestra, conducted by Maestro James Rawie, and guest soloists will perform works

by Bach, Handel, Marcello and Vivaldi. The series kicks off at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 341 Village Blvd., Incline Village. Other concerts will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 5, at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, 1041 Lyons Ave., South Lake Tahoe, and at 7 p.m. on Wed, Jan. 8, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1480 Douglas Ave., Gardnerville.

The series continues at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, at the Community Arts Center, 10046 Church St., Truckee, and at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12, at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 1070 Plumb Lane, Reno. Tickets are $15-$40.

General admission seating is free for young people age 23 and younger.

Call (775) 298-6989 or visit toccatatahoe.org.

your tree (unflocked and free of all decorations) to one of six locations, including Bartley Ranch Regional Park, Reno Sports Complex and Shadow Mountain Sports Complex. Trees will be chipped into mulch for use in parks and weed abatement projects. Thu, 1/2-Tue, 1/7, 9am. $3 suggested donation. Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road, and other Reno-Sparks locations, (775) 851-5185, ktmb.org/treerecycling.

LET’S TALK WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT: Don Molde, a co-founder of Nevada Wildlife Alliance, will talk about various aspects of wildlife management in Nevada. Sat, 1/4, 10am. Free. Galena Creek Visitor Center, 18250 Mount Rose Highway, (775) 8494948, www.galenacreekvisitorcenter.org.

MYSTERY SLEUTHS: Discuss popular mystery stories. Meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month.

Call the North Valleys Library for this month’s title. Wed, 1/8, 5:45pm. Free.

North Valleys Library, 1075 North Hills Boulevard, (775) 972-0281.

RINK AT THE ROW: The outdoor ice skating

EVEnTS

ALPENGLOW’S WINTER SPEAKER SERIES: The first person to ski the highest peak on every continent, Kit DesLauriers shares her personal accounts brimming with insights on risk, mindset, partnerships and the moments that make life worthwhile. National Geographic named her “Adventurer of the Year” and Outside Magazine named her one of the women who has made the biggest impact on our world. Raffle and bar proceeds from the event benefit Sierra Community House. Thu, 1/2, 7pm. Free. Olympic Village Lodge, 1901 Chamonix Place, Olympic Valley, www.alpenglowsports.com.

13TH ALPENGLOW LAKE TAHOE BACKCOUNTRY DEMO DAY: The event is a showcase of all things backcountry—including demos, avalanche education, guided tours and a raffle. The event is free, but participants must possess a valid lift ticket or season pass purchased from Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows along with a driver’s license and credit card for deposit. Sat, 1/4-Sun, 1/5, 9am. Free.

Alpine Meadows, 2600 Alpine Meadows Road, Olympic Valley, (530) 583-6917, www.alpenglowsports.com.

AFTERNOON BOOK CLUB: This book club reads

FIRST SATURDAY FANDANGO: Bring the family

mostly fiction and meets the second Wednesday of every month. Wed, 1/8, 2pm. Free. Northwest Reno Library, 2325 Robb Drive, (775) 787-4100.

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to enjoy this new monthly program on the first Saturday of each month. This month’s event will explore “The Roaring Twenties!” through flapper fashions, 1920s dance crazes and crafts with music, snacks and fun. Feel free to come in 1920s costume. Sat, 1/4, 11am. Free.

Northwest Reno Library, 2325 Robb Drive, (775) 787-4100.

rink is open through Feb. 16. Skating hours are 3-10pm on Monday-Thursday, noon-11:30pm on Friday-Saturday, and noon-9:30pm on Sunday, depending on weather and ice conditions. Admission includes skate rental. Get $2 off admission if you bring your own ice skates. Thu, 1/2-Wed, 1/8. $12-$18. Rink at the Row, Sixth and Sierra streets, across from Circus Circus, (775) 3290711, www.circusreno.com.

SCIENCE DISTILLED—CANNABIS AND AIR POLLUTION: At this installment of Science Distilled, explore with scientists from the Desert Research Institute and the Washoe County Health District how the chemicals emitted by cannabis plants may also be contributing to broaderscale air pollution in our region. Wed, 1/8, 7pm. $10 members, $15 non-members.

Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum (The Discovery), 490 S. Center St., (775) 786-1000, nvdm.org.

THE SMALL SHALL BE STRONG, A HISTORY OF LAKE TAHOE’S WASHOE INDIANS: Matthew Makley, a professor of history at Metropolitan State University of Denver, will give a brief, historical overview of the Washoe people, whose ancestors began occupying the Tahoe region about 10,000 years ago. The lecture highlights the fact that Washoe history is an important, and often overlooked, part of the region’s history, as well as the national historical narrative. Topics covered will include the legal battle over Cave Rock and the Washoe’s unique use of the General Allotment Act in 1887. Sun, 1/5, 12:30pm. Free. Downtown Reno Library, 301 S. Center St., (775) 327-8300, events.washoecountylibrary.us.

WINTER FIELD DAY: Kids are invited to attend an indoor field day with activities and games like corn hole, ring toss, watercolor bubble painting and more.

Fri, 1/3, 1pm. Free. Sparks Library, 1125 12th St., Sparks, (775) 352-3200.

WINTER FIREWORKS: Enjoy winter fireworks celebrations on Saturdays in January and February at the KT Deck. Fireworks shows are dependent on weather conditions. Sat, 1/4, 7pm. Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, 1960 Squaw Valley Road, Olympic Valley, (800) 403-0206, squawalpine.com.

aRT HALLWAY GALLERY: Low Tide. The Holland Project presents Ana McKay’s new collection of large-scale acrylic paintings. The show runs through Jan. 3. Thu, 1/2-Fri, 1/3, noon-6pm. The Holland Project, 140 Vesta St., (775) 448-6500, www.hollandreno.org.

HOLLAND PROJECT GALLERY: Hooked. The art exhibition features the work of 24 young artists who took part in the 2019 Teen Open Studio, a partnership program between the Holland Project and Nevada Museum of Art. The show runs through Jan. 3. Thu, 1/2-Fri, 1/3, noon-6pm. The Holland Project, 140 Vesta St., (775) 4486500, www.hollandreno.org.

MCKINLEY ARTS & CULTURE CENTER: Along the Truckee River—A Bob Adams Retrospective. Adams’ paintings show a slice of life in Reno at end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s. His pieces are expressionistic, some bordering on the abstract, as he seeks to catch the movement and energy of life along the Truckee River and the downtown casino corridor. Many of his plein air works were made on loose canvas over a portable easel. The exhibition runs through Jan. 24. Thu, 1/2-Fri, 1/3, Mon, 1/6-Wed, 1/8, 8am-5pm. Free. McKinley Arts & Culture Center, 925 Riverside Drive, (775) 334-6264, www.reno.gov.

NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART: America’s Art, Nevada’s Choice: Community Selections from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, through April 19; Andrea Zittel: Wallsprawl, ongoing; David Maisel: Proving Ground, through Jan. 12; Decorative Arms: Treasures from the Robert M. Lee Collection, through Feb. 16; The E. L. Wiegand Collection: Representing the Work Ethic in American Art, through April 19; Edi Rama: WORK, through April 12; Galen Brown: Sine Cere, through Jan. 5; King of Beasts: A Study of the African Lion by John Banovich, through Feb. 16; Maya Lin: Pin River— Tahoe Watershed, ongoing; Prototype for New Understanding, through May 24; Reko Rennie: Always Was Always Will Be, through July 31. The gallery is open Wednesday-Sunday. Thu, 1/2-Sun, 1/5, Wed, 1/8, 10am. $1-$10. Nevada Museum of Art, 160 W. Liberty St., (775) 329-3333, www.nevadaart.org.

THE POTENTIALIST WORKSHOP: DADA? 1920!

The art show celebrates Dada and surrealism on the verge of the 2020s.

Artists from Reno, Carson City and beyond will display their takes on the avant-garde movement of Dada. The show runs through Jan. 3. Thu, 1/2-Fri, 1/3, 3pm. Free. The Potentialist Workshop, 836 E. Second St., (775) 686-8201.

SERVA POOL: Hook and Ladder Dreams. Work

by John Knight is on view from through Jan. 10. Regular gallery hours are noon6pm, Wednesday-Friday. Thu, 1/2-Fri, 1/3, Wed, 1/8, noon. Serva Pool at The Holland Project, 140 Vesta St., (775) 448-6500, www.hollandreno.org.

FILM CAPTAIN BLOOD: The Carson City Classic Cinema Club presents a screening of the 1935 film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. After being wrongly convicted as a traitor, Peter Blood, an English physician, is sent to exile in the British colonies of the Caribbean, where he becomes a pirate. Film trivia and discussion begin at 6pm, followed by the screening at 6:30pm. Tue, 1/7, 6pm. $5, free for students with ID. Brewery Arts Center Performance Hall, 511 W. King St., Carson City, (775) 315-8495, ccclassiccinema.org.

FILM CLASSICS—SOMEWHERE IN TIME: Richard Matheson wrote this timetravel romance of a young playwright who travels back in time to meet his love. The 1980 film directed by Jeannot Szwarc stars Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Sun, 1/5, 10am. Free.

Spanish Springs Library, 7100-A Pyramid Highway, Sparks, (775) 424-1800.

by AMY ALKON

Ghoul, interrupted A good friend’s mom just died. Out of nowhere, he told me that his mom never liked me very much.

Frankly, the feeling was mutual, but I, of course, never said anything. While I don’t want to start a fight or anything, I’m bothered that he told me this. How should I let him know?

It does seem pretty rotten that your friend suddenly let his mom’s opinions of you off-leash.

However, consider that keeping a secret—having information of interest to another person that you need to keep barricaded in a closet in your head—is mentally and even physically stressful. Research increasingly finds that the body and mind are co-workers. In secretkeeping, holding back information causes psychological tension, which brings on physical tension—which can make keeping the secret both figuratively and literally a pain in the neck.

Research on secrecy by psychologist Michael Slepian suggests that it isn’t concealing information but having a goal of concealing information that stresses us out.

Unlike many other goals—the kind you can complete and check off on your to-do list—the goal to keep a secret has no endpoint. This turns keeping a secret into a sort of zombie goal, a goal that won’t die—or, in researcher terms, “an outstanding intention.” This makes it more accessible in memory—to the point where the mind tends to wander to it. And this mental reflux has some psychological costs: “The frequency of mind-wandering to secrets predicts lower well-being,” explains the Slepian team. “Thus, what seems to be harmful about secrecy is not having to conceal a secret but having to live with it and having it return to one’s thoughts.”

Other research exploring willpower finds that stress and “aversive” (feelbad) emotions like sadness diminish our ability for self-control. So, your friend, under the emotional stress of grieving his mom, maybe lacked the energy he normally had to keep his mom’s feelings stowed in the, uh, overhead compartment. Obviously, you’d prefer to unknow this info.

However, if this guy generally isn’t unkind or insensitive, you might want to let this go.

Keepin’ it revealed I’m a 32-year-old woman, dating again after a five-year relationship. I’ve got some issues I’m working on. (I can get a little needy.) I’m getting all kinds of advice, from “be you!” to “play hard to get!” I guess acting unavailable works, but shouldn’t somebody like me for me, not because I’m out of reach?

In dating, there’s being a bit scarce, and there’s being somebody else.

Scarce is good when you’re getting to know a person, leaving them wanting more as opposed to less.

Somebody else? Not so good.

What does it mean to “be yourself”?

It basically means not being emotionally manicured, being “authentic.” Clinical psychologist Lawrence Josephs and his colleagues explain romantic “authenticity” as a willingness to risk being emotionally vulnerable and a companion unwillingness to “act deceitfully” even when being honest comes with some costs.

They, not surprisingly, find that being authentic in these ways leads to “better relational outcomes.”

If you aren’t yourself, somebody might be attracted to your fake front and then be bummed out and not really into you when it eventually falls off. Additionally, the researchers’ findings “suggest that individuals engaging in ‘being yourself’ dating behavior are generally preferred as dating partners over more game-playing individuals.”

In fact, they find that men who are authentic seem to have a “special antipathy” toward “more gameplaying” women.

But let’s say there are some things about you that are authentically not so great. Like, say you’re “a little needy.” You can tell somebody you tend to be needy.

That’s kind of brave and may lead somebody to admire your honesty.

Of course, you should also get cracking on becoming more secure.

You might also tell a potential partner that you’re working on it, which emotionally healthy partners are likely to respect and admire. Ω

ERIK HOLLAND

Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., No. 280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com).

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Free will astrology Call for a quote.

(775) 324-4440 ext. 2

For the week o F January 2, 2019

Phone hours: M-F 9am-5pm.

Deadlines for print: Line ad deadline: Monday 4pm Display ad deadline: Friday 2pm

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “We are all hostages of

the joy of which we deprive ourselves,” wrote poet Odysseus Elytis. Isn’t that an astounding idea? That we refuse to allow ourselves to experience some of the bliss and pleasure we could easily have, and that we are immured inside that suppressed bliss and pleasure? I call on you to rebel against this human tendency. As I see it, one of your main tasks in 2020 is to permit yourself to welcome more bliss, to aggressively seize more pleasure and thereby free yourself from the rot of its nullification.

All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. Further, the News & Review specifically reserves the right to edit, decline or properly classify any ad. Errors will be rectified by re-publication upon notification. The N&R is not responsible for error after the first publication. The N&R assumes no financial liability for errors or omission of copy. In any event, liability shall not exceed the cost of the space occupied by such an error or omission. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message. *Nominal fee for some upgrades.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): At age 22, Taurus-born

Dutch citizen Willem de Kooning sneaked into the United States. He was a stowaway on an Argentina-bound freighter, and stealthily disembarked when the ship made a stop in Virginia. As he lived in America during subsequent decades, he became a renowned painter who helped pioneer the movement known as abstract expressionism.

His status as an illegal immigrant rarely presented any obstacles to his growing success and stature.

Not until age 57 did he finally became an American citizen. I propose we make him one of your role models in 2020. May he inspire you to capitalize on being a maverick, outsider or stranger. May he encourage you to find opportunities beyond your safety zone.

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): When British novelist E.M.

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Forster was in his late 30s, he had sex with another person for the first time. Before that he had published five novels. After that, he produced just one more novel, though he lived till age 91. Why? Was he having too much fun? Looking back from his old age, he remarked that he would “have been a more famous writer if I had published more, but sex prevented the latter.” I suspect that sensual pleasure and intimacy will have the exact opposite effect on you in 2020. In sometimes mysterious ways, they will make you more productive in your chosen sphere.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Every part of our

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personality that we do not love will regress and become hostile to us,” wrote poet Robert Bly. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t suffer from this problem at least a little. That’s the bad news. The good news for us Cancerians (yes, I’m a Crab!) is that 2020 will be a favorable time to engage in a holy crusade to fix this glitch: to feel and express more love for parts of our personality that we have dismissed or marginalized. The result? Any self-sabotage we have suffered from in the past could dramatically diminish.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As a young adult, Leo-born

Raymond Chandler worked as a fruit-picker, tennis racquet-stringer and bookkeeper. At age 34, he began a clerical job at the Dabney Oil Syndicate, and eventually rose in the ranks to become a well-paid executive. The cushy role lasted until he was 44, when he was fired. He mourned for a while, then decided to become an author of detective fiction. It took a while, but at age 50, he published his first novel. During the next 20 years, he wrote six additional novels as well as numerous short stories and screenplays—and in the process became popular and influential. I present this synopsis as an inspirational story to fuel your destiny in 2020.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The fame of Virgo-born

Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533) has persisted through the ages because of Orlando Furioso, an epic poem he authored. It tells the story of the Christian knight Orlando and his adoration for a pagan princess. This great work did not come easily to Ariosto. It wasn’t until he had written 56 versions of it that he was finally satisfied. I suspect you may harbor an equally perfectionist streak about the good works and labors of love you’ll craft in 2020. May I suggest you confine your experiments to no more than 10 versions?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Leonardo da Vinci worked

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by ROb bRezsny

on his painting The Last Supper from 1495 to 1498.

It’s a big piece—about 15 by 29 feet. That’s one reason why he took so long to finish. But there was another explanation, too. He told his patron, the Duke of Milan, that he sometimes positioned himself in front of his painting-in-progress and

simply gazed at and thought about it, not lifting a brush. Those were times he did some of his hardest work, he said. I trust you will have regular experiences like that in 2020. Some of your best efforts will arise out of your willingness and ability to incubate your good ideas with concentrated silence and patience.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): By 1895, Henry James

had already published 94 books. He was renowned in the U.S. and England, and had written the works that would later lead to him being considered for a Nobel Prize. Then, at age 52, although he was not physically fit, he decided to learn how to ride a bicycle. He paid for lessons at a bicycle academy, and cheerfully tolerated bruises and cuts from his frequent falls as an acceptable price to pay for his new ability. I admire James’ determination to keep transforming. Let’s make him a role model for you in 2020. May he inspire you to keep adding new aptitudes as you outgrow your previous successes.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When Sagittar-

ian composer Ludwig van Beethoven created the Eroica symphony in the early 1800s, many observers panned it. They said its rhythms were eccentric, that it was too long. One critic said it was “glaring and bizarre,” while another condemned its “undesirable originality.” This same critic concluded, “Genius proclaims itself not in the unusual and fantastic but in the beautiful and sublime.” Today, of course, Eroica has a different reputation. It’s regarded as a breakthrough event in musical history. I’ll go on record here to say that I suspect you created your own personal version of Eroica in 2019. 2020 is the year it will get the full appreciation it deserves, although it may take a while. Be patient.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I’m going to speculate

that sometime in the next six months, you will experience events that years from now you’ll look back on as having been the beginning of a fresh universe for you. What should you call this launch? I suggest you consider elegant terms like “Destiny Rebirth” or “Fate Renewal” rather than a cliché like the “Big Bang.” And how should you celebrate it? As if it were the Grand Opening of the rest of your long life.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 2020, I believe you will

be able to summon the insight and kismet necessary to resolve at least one long-running problem, and probably more. You’ll have an enhanced ability to kick bad habits and escape dead-ends and uncover liberating truths about mysteries that have flustered you. Frustrations and irritations you’ve grudgingly tolerated for far too much time will finally begin to wane. Congratulations in advance, Aquarius! The hard work you do to score these triumphs won’t always be delightful, but it could provide you with a curiously robust and muscular kind of fun.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Let’s say you wanted to

dress completely in silk: shirt, pants, vest, scarf, socks, shoes, hat, underwear all made of silk. And let’s say your dream was to grow and process and weave the silk from scratch. You’d start with half an ounce of silkworm eggs. They’d hatch into 10,000 silkworms. Eventually those hard-working insects would generate 5 pounds of silk—enough to create your entire outfit. So in other words, you’d be able to generate an array of functional beauty from a small but concentrated amount of raw material. By the way, that last sentence is a good description of what I think your general approach should be in 2020. And also by the way, dressing in silk wouldn’t be too crazy an idea in the coming months. I hope you’ll have fun cultivating your allure, style and flair.

You can call Rob Brezsny for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope: (900) 950-7700. $1.99 per minute. Must be 18+. Touchtone phone required. Customer service (612) 373-9785.

And don’t forget to check out Rob’s website at realastrology.com.

BY JERI DAVIS

Democrat

Rich Dunn is a member of the Democratic Men’s Committee of Carson City, which hosts weekly luncheons featuring a variety of speakers.

So it’s the Democratic Men’s Club of Carson City that puts these on?

How long have you been having these luncheons?

Well, I’m glad you asked that question. …

The first one was March the 5th of last year—2018. And the intention originally was to have them once a month with reservations and ask for a contribution of 10 dollars. So, there was a price of admission to get in of 10 dollars, and then you had to buy your own food, so it really added up. And then the restaurant we were meeting at, they had a better offer and they kind of escorted us out the door. So, I had to look for a better place, and that turned out to be—to my surprise—Round Table Pizza, which, to my amazement has a banquet room. …

It works just great. They have a nice, big TV we can put our PowerPoints onto, and we bring in our own little sound system, and there’s sliding doors that isolate us from the rest of the building. It’s worked out well, and they’re very helpful.

PHOTO/JERI DAVIS

Well, we now use the term “committee.” … And we changed our name to committee because the secretary of state’s office said we’d have reporting requirements if we weren’t a subset of the central committee.

it’s not a price of admission. It’s not a mandatory donation. I don’t care who you are, if you walk right by me and sit down, I’m still very happy. I don’t keep track of the people who don’t donate.

I only keep track of the amount that people do donate, so you’re not going to be shaming yourself if you don’t donate. … Everybody is invited, and sometimes we get trouble-makers but not very often. And they don’t make much trouble—because we have answers.

They’re asking what they think are stumpers, and we tend to know what we’re talking about. …

How do you pick the speakers?

Tell me a bit about the purpose of the luncheons.

All we were talking about initially was, “How do we support the central committee, except to ask everybody to give a monthly donation?” And I raised my hand and said, “Well, why don’t we just have luncheons where we ask for donations?”

Even though you can’t charge people to enter or something like that, at least it gives them the feeling that they’ve gotten something for their money. It’s not just, “We need money. Give me your money.” It’s a chance to sit down and socialize. We have, like, a half an hour before the speaker gets up for people to get their pizza and their salad and interact. And, so, we get to know each other—and that’s very positive. And we learn a heck of a lot doing this. But the original and primary purpose is that I sit by the door and look very sad until they make an offer. But I emphasize that

You know, the main way I do that is I read the newspapers. I read the Reno Gazette Journal. I read the Lahontan Valley News. … I read the Appeal, and I read USA Today. …

What topics have you guys discussed?

Well, last Monday we had CW Bayer, who’s a local musician and local historian.

And he’s written an incredible book that I really recommend called Reno’s Jazz Hysteria. … The week before that was representatives of the Bernie Sanders campaign. Because we’ve got the caucuses coming up, I’m giving first priority to the campaigns. So coming up on the 20th, that Martin Luther King Day, I’ve got Cory Booker’s campaign—not the candidate, you know, this is their people putting their best foot forward. And I make a point of saying, “These are not rallies.

Don’t come here to cheer. Come here with your tough questions.” □

BY BRUCE VAN DYKE

Good sports Yes, of course, we are culturally out of our minds for sports in this, the Age of Athletic Fetishism. Yes, of course, the incessant idolization, worshipification and pedestalization of sports figures and teams resides on the limits of sanity. Yes, of course, if we took one-tenth of the energy that we expend on the adoration of teams and athletes and used it for the Betterment of All Mankind and Our Wondrous Planet, we’d be living in a gleaming utopia free of all hatred, disease and bedbugs—with Jetson-like air cars for all. Yes, yes, yes and yes.

OK, so with that said … how about that freakin’ game last Sunday night between the 49ers and Seahawks? I mean—whoa.

You show me a crazy, fevered contest that gets decided on the last bloody play of the game by one bloody inch, and I’ll show you some rather gripping television.

And when you consider that for the Niners, this was their fifth game in a row that was decided on the last freaking play of the game, well, I have to wonder how many heart attacks the team has provoked since Thanksgiving. (And, yes, Niner fans, you got away with some serious pass interference on the next-to-last play of the game. You know you did!)

So if the Saints beat the Vikings this Sunday in New Orleans (which they will. Trust me. I’m a Viking fan, and I’m not feelin’ real good about this one) and if the Seahawks beat the Eagles in the Battle of the Raptors (which they will, since the Eagles basically stink), well, then that means that the Niners will, for their first playoff game … host the freaking Seahawks! If you’re a Niner fan with a pacemaker, beware! Your poor ticker could be in for another rough ride!

• Since I have a sports jag going, I might as well throw this into the mix—because somebody's gotta say it—but, honestly, who the bleep gives a bleep about the bleeping Dallas Bleepboys? Seriously. The Bleepboys have had a stone cold chokehold on 8-8 seasons for the last 25 bleepin' years. Bleep 'em!

• Speaking of gripping television, have you watched The Irishman on Netflix yet? You talk about an instant classic. DeNiro, Pesci and Pacino are all in prime form, chewing up scenes like they were sticks of Juicy Fruit. And don’t let the 220-minute length spook ya.

I carved the movie into a 4-night mini-series, 55 minutes a night, and that concept worked quite nicely.

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