Inventing the Strip by Vegas Seven

November 8-14, 2012

Thomas Hull, the El Rancho and the birth of Las Vegas as we know it By David G. Schwartz

PLUS Revolutionizing your meal, one fry at a time

Keeping in touch with the Afghan front

Brainstorming tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transportation

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Editorial Director Phil Hagen Managing Editor Greg Blake Miller Senior Editor, Nightlife, Dining and beverage Xania Woodman Senior Writers Geoff Carter, Heidi Kyser Associate Editors Steve Bornfeld, Sean DeFrank, Matt Jacob A&E Editor Cindi Reed Copy Editor Paul Szydelko Calendar Editor Deanna Rilling Editorial Assistant Elizabeth Sewell

Contributing Editors

Melinda Sheckells, style; Michael Green, politics; Max Jacobson, food; Jarret Keene, music; David G. Schwartz, gaming/hospitality

Art

Art Director Christopher A. Jones Senior Graphic Designer Marvin Lucas Graphic Designers Thomas Speak, Jesse Sutherland Staff Photographer Anthony Mair

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letters and story ideas November 8-14, 2012

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“The Columbus of Highway 91,” Page 30 “Inside the Trading Room,” Page 22 Schwartz, a native of Atlantic City, started thinking about history when he watched the grand old hotels of his hometown get imploded to make room for casinos. It made him realize that the past is, indeed, passed. While studying history at UCLA, his Boardwalk experiences led him to write a doctoral dissertation on the developmen of casinos in Las Vegas. Since 2001, he's been helping document the world's unfolding gambling history as director of UNLV's Center for Gaming Research.

This Week @ VegasSeven.com Rebel Debut UNLV opens its regular season against Northern Arizona at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Thomas & Mack Center. Follow the game behind the game with Mike Grimala at RunRebs.com, then stay tuned as he blogs about the Rebels’ progress and looks forward to the Nov. 17 game against Jacksonville State.

Heart of the City From the Vegas Valley Book Festival to the RTC’s ongoing efforts to improve public transportation, DTLV.com keeps a close eye on the art, culture, activities and nightlife that are happening in Vegas’ most happening neighborhood.

Photo by Aaron Mayes / UNLV Photo Services

The Election With the election behind us—finally—political analyst Michael Green takes a look at what all the state and national races mean for Southern Nevada moving forward. Now, time to start getting ready for the midterms at VegasSeven.com/ blogs/up-the-aisles.

Video UNLV professor David Schmoeller has crafted a career both teaching and making film (Page 69). See some of what he’s been up to at VegasSeven.com/ videos. And while you’re there, pick out your favorite costume from the Las Vegas Halloween Parade.

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Titan Insurance, superhero bobblehead and design are service marks of THI Holdings (Delaware), Inc. Nationwide Insurance is a service mark of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. Price based on March 2010 analysis of available national data for liability-only policies. Subject to underwriting guidelines, review and approval.

Dialogue

Vegas Seven

November 8-14, 2012

vegas moment

Oh, the Zumanity!

 Anthony Mair

They are slippery beings, shedding skins and changing identities to suit the needs of the moment. And they’re not even politicians. Zumanity cast members are each taught to do their own makeup, and here, in the catacombs beneath the stage at New YorkNew York, Alex Stabler—a.k.a. “Scottish Fantasy”—gets some tips from makeup designer Nathalie Gagné.

Have you taken a photo that captures the spirit of Las Vegas this week? Share it with us at VegasSeven.com/moment.

Event

halloween happening Hallow-week in Las Vegas culminated Oct. 31 when an estimated 4,000 costumed participants gathered downtown for the Las Vegas Halloween Parade. Free for all ages, the parade began at Garces Avenue and Fourth Street and ended at Third Street between Ogden and Stewart avenues, and featured Burning Man art cars, music, fire performances, a costume contest and mobile artworks. Familiar faces served as costume judges, including Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, Hogs & Heifers owner Michelle Dell, Cupcakery owner Pamela Jenkins and Downtown Cocktail Room owner Michael Cornthwaite, as well as Steven Raspa from Burning Man and Las Vegas historian Brian Paco Alvarez.

VEGAS SEVEN

[ upcoming ]

Nov. 10 Fashion Fling III: Down the Rabbit Hole (TheFashionFling.com) Nov. 17 Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 19th annual Profiles of Courage Gala (NVCCF.org)

Photos by Bobby Jameidar and Gabe Zapata

November 8-14, 2012

For more photos from social gatherings, visit VegasSeven.com/events

November 18, 2012 - January 6, 2013 The spirit of the season is in every spin on our skating rink, between the notes of Mannheim Steamroller concerts, in the snap of a gingerbread cookie, and in you. Enjoy your favorite traditions and start new ones at this unique holiday festival. Winter in Venice is a gift of The Venetian速 to you.

Visit Venetian.com for exclusive suite packages to Winter in Venice

Take a peek at our gifts to you.

“There he was, deployed in the Afghan war but ‘sitting’ at our kitchen table.”

Latest Thought {page 26}

By Heidi Kyser

Is the sun frowning on Nevada? The promised boom in solar energy development has sounded more like a pop in popular conversation. Where are the jobs? The revenue? Photovoltaic manufacturer Amonix closed its North Las Vegas plant in July after barely a year of operation. It’s all over, right?

Not so fast. Solar development is a slow process that will come to fruition over the next decade, says Lydia Ball, executive director of the Clean Energy Project, a Las Vegas education and advocacy organization. On the bright side, she says, much of the groundwork is laid, and the 2013 legislative session

will bring an opportunity to make even more progress. The Clean Energy Project’s 2011 progress report details four large-scale solar energy projects in Nevada. And the report doesn’t include some major recent developments, such as Sempra U.S. Gas & Power’s Copper Mountain Solar

state for coal and natural gas. On the national front, the feds are trying to re-energize post-Solyndra solar development. In October, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar finalized a plan to make utilityscale development on public lands easier in so-called “Solar Energy Zones” in six Western U.S. states, including Nevada. The plan offers a blueprint for streamlining permits, environmental mitigation and economic incentives. It encompasses 14,000 acres and more than 1,500 megawatts of capacity in Southern Nevada; more than 60,000 acres and nearly 7,000 megawatts in Nevada overall. None of this includes smallerscale projects or distributed generation. “We’ve seen a decrease in that, mainly because NV Energy hasn’t run a rebate program for more than a year and a half, and people wait for rebates to put solar in their homes,” Ball says. “We’re hopeful that in the next legislative session there will be investment in smaller distributed-generation projects.” Recent stumbles aside, rumors of solar’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. U.S. and Chinese investment, along with technological advances, have already helped push the business toward viability. Photovoltaic cells are cheaper than ever—and our demand for energy is as voracious as ever.

[ sports ]

November 8-14, 2012

Rebel Mysteries

VEGAS SEVEN

Nothing like a closed-door scrimmage against a haughty big brother to raise intrigue. UNLV played at UCLA on Nov. 2 without the invasive gaze of fans or press, but details have trickled out. One of those details was that the Rebels lost. But more important in a preseason tune-up are questions about the squad’s progress as it prepares for its regular-season opener against Northern Arizona on Nov. 12 at the Thomas & Mack Center. Our RunRebs.com writer, Mike Grimala, delivers some answers.

Did the freshmen play a big role? A source told me that both Anthony Bennett and Katin Reinhardt started the game, which has to be considered a positive sign for their development. Savon Goodman also saw significant minutes. What position did Mike Moser play? I’m told Moser and Bennett were the only two big men in the starting lineup. Moser most likely spent his time at power forward, while Bennett played center. That lineup could be devastating when the Rebels want to go small this season. Were the Rebels able to run? UCLA and coach Ben Howland are

known for a deliberate pace, so it’s unlikely that the Rebels were able to get into the open floor consistently. It should be easier to pick up the pace once the regular season begins. What’s the deal at point guard? Sources said Anthony Marshall saw most of the minutes at the point, and he played effectively. That’s comforting to those of us who view Marshall as the biggest key to this team’s success. Is this team a legit contender? UCLA reportedly “won” the scrimmage by pounding the Rebs inside in the second half, but the Rebels are getting used to new players in new positions, with key pieces—Khem Birch and Bryce DeJean-Jones—still to be added. “The good thing about the scrimmage,” coach Dave Rice says, “is that we’re still 0-0 and looking for ways to get better.”

Mustache photo by David Sacks

Long Live the Sun!

2 and 3 projects in Boulder City. When completed in 2015, Sempra reports, these will have a 400-megawatt capacity, enough to power 125,000 homes. (Those homes aren’t in Nevada. Sempra is selling its energy to California utilities, as is K Road Power, owner of the Moapa Solar Project on the Moapa Indian reservation.) Other new projects keep power at home: Enel Green Power’s Stillwater geothermalsolar plant near Fallon, Solar Reserve’s Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project near Tonopah and Enbridge’s Silver State North Solar Project near Primm. But what about the economic impact? None of the companies behind these projects is based in Nevada, and each plant creates fewer than 100 permanent full-time jobs. But that shouldn’t chill us on sun power’s economic potential, Ball says. Nor should whether a company is based here, or whether it exports the power it generates. The real boon for Nevada is the taxes, which, according to the Clean Energy Project’s research, have totaled $248 million since 2010. Each project also creates several hundred temporary jobs for the duration of construction—typically six months or more. And it can’t hurt for Nevada to use more of its own natural resource—sunlight— and send less money out of

Solar photo courtesy of Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC Rebel photo by Josh Metz

News, politics, media, essays and long-distance calls

By Bob Whitby Some longtime Las Vegans speak fondly of the “good old days” when the mob ran this town. If you were having drinks with them, what would you say? You have an entirely too romantic view of the mob. It is not a question of Broadway Guys and Dolls. They heedlessly blow up cars and sadistically put heads in vices. Fear of violence was the glue that held the mob together, and it made possible its outlaw domination of Las Vegas. Nobody in his or her right mind should look back nostalgically about that sort of place.

The Mob

Do you believe there’s still a mob presence here? If so, in what capacity does it operate? The mob of the 1960s is gone. You don’t see them blatantly feasting in the restaurants or exploiting hotel shows. It does not run illegal skims in the major casinos, control the hotel workers by force or threats or use under-the-table financing for major new construction. Its day is done in Las Vegas and elsewhere. The sun has not completely set on the mob anywhere, but it is well past twilight. – Heidi Kyser

[ infrastructure ]

Who Will Buy These Sweet Transportation Ideas?

Driving • Get private companies such as Zipcar to bring car sharing to town. (This would work especially well

Mustache photo by David Sacks

Solar photo courtesy of Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC Rebel photo by Josh Metz

OK, Regional Transportation Commission: You asked for it, you got it. The commission is putting together a plan for the next 20-plus years, and, through Nov. 26, the public is invited to propose priorities as RTC considers the future of transportation in the Valley. Here’s Vegas Seven’s contribution.

around CSN, UNLV, Nellis Air Force Base and downtown.) • Design future interchanges to be less confusing and dangerous. After decades of trying at the Spaghetti Bowl, the exits are still insane; there’s barely any room to merge before entering or exiting traffic.

Biking, walking and busing • Before constructing more bike routes, connect the ones we have. Both recreational cyclists and bike commuters would benefit more from continuous intracity routes than from additional recreational routes outside of town. • Build more sidewalks and fix the ones we have. Las Vegas cannot consider itself a modern city when so many of its pedestrians have no place to walk or stand without risking being plowed into by cars.

son, known to most as Mrs. Brady, has been a star of stage and screen since the 1950s. She’ll perform at 8 p.m. at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, belting out cabaret jazz tunes—she was a singer long before she was America’s favorite mom— at a benefit for Aid for AIDS of Nevada. TheSmithCenter.com.

Friday, Nov. 9: If you live in Hender-

son and you’re bored, it’s your own fault. The city bends over backward to keep you entertained. Tonight’s recreational op: Dive-in Movie Night at 6 p.m. at the Henderson Multigenerational Center on Green Valley Parkway. Watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on a floating screen from the comfort of your inner tube. $1-$2, CityofHenderson.com.

Saturday, Nov. 10: If rapelling down the side of a high-rise isn’t enough to make you sweat bullets, try solving a puzzle when you get to the ground. The best at both physical and mental contests in Great Urban Races from all over the country will compete in the GUR championship here, hoping to win a $10,000 grand prize. 9 a.m., GreatUrbanRace.com.

Sunday, Nov. 11: Hey, guys: Think you’re

• Replace the 1990sera bus stops. Having stops in the middle of the sidewalk and practically on top of traffic lanes was unconscionable in the ’90s, and it’s downright crazy now. • Improve express service on the Strip. The current StripDowntown Express route gets caught in Strip traffic jams. A separate express line is needed—perhaps on Industrial/Frank Sinatra if the Strip is out of the question. • Configure pass vending machines to accept charge and debit cards. The big picture • Pick an east-west thoroughfare like … oh, let’s see … Sahara Avenue … and devote it to non-auto traffic. Make a statement! (It could also connect

with the urban trails system.) • Get the state to work with the private Las Vegas Monorail Co. to extend the line to the Bonneville Transit Center and the airport—taxicab lobbies be damned. • Put a trolley or light rail down the middle of the Strip, and make it an attraction—sleek and beautifully lit, with big windows and a transparent ceiling. It could be everything the monorail should have been. • Connect the ’burbs and the urbs. Chicago’s got the El; let’s build the El-V. • Sponsor an international contest to dream up a whole new form of mass transit. Visit RTCNV.com for information about RTC’s plan, how to comment and where to attend public hearings.

well endowed, follicly speaking? Then put your facial hair where your mouth is, or something, and get down to the National Beard and Mustache Championships at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater. Finally, someone will appreciate your Dali ’stache. 10 a.m., BeardTeamUSA.org.

Monday, Nov. 12: Las Vegas is known for many things, and outrageous architecture is one of them. Stillman and Marilyn Clark have been documenting the city’s built landscape for 25 years, and a selection of their work is now on display at the Springs Preserve through Jan. 21. SpringsPreserve.org.

Tuesday, Nov. 13: There’s only

about a month or so left before the end of the world, according to the Mayans, so perhaps you should learn a little about these mysterious folks who predicted your demise so long ago. The Las Vegas Natural History Museum has a display up through January (if we last that long) that will help you explore everyday Mayan life. Museum admission $10, $8 students, $5 children 3-11, LVNHM.org.

Wednesday, Nov. 14: It’s opening night at the Ethel M Holiday

Cactus Garden! This is the 19th year of this spiny tradition—3 acres and 600,000 lights of pure joy. And it’s free. 5-10 nightly through Jan. 1 at Ethel M Chocolates, 2 Cactus Garden Drive in Henderson.

For our complete calendar, see Seven Days & Nights at VegasSeven.com.

November 8-14, 2012

It’s been 62 years since the Kefauver hearings exposed organized crime to America. How do you think the public would react to such hearings today? The world is a changed place since Kefauver. He was as much about a first-time national TV show as a serious investigation of the mob. He was a wakeup call for the country, but nobody picked up the phone. That came later, much later. [In the meantime], the country saw the Vietnam War on TV. [As news spectacle], mobsters taking the fifth pale in comparison. Besides, the antics of the senators would be much more subdued in light of public opinion today. Different times; different reactions.

Thursday, Nov. 8: Talk about staying power. Florence Hender-

17 VEGAS SEVEN

Notre Dame law professor Robert Blakey didn’t write the book on organized crime, but he wrote the law that let judges throw the book at the mob. As the brains behind the 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization, or RICO, Act, Blakey is partially responsible for racketeering laws that put countless gangsters behind bars in state and federal prisons across the nation. Blakey speaks at the Mob Museum on Nov. 13 as part of its Inside Stories series.

The Stuff of Legends

What is that weird, windowless building on Las Vegas Boulevard, just before Fremont Street, with the antennas on top and the metal-grid facade?

Two brothers, a swiftly changing culture and the birth of Las Vegas’ latest pro soccer franchise

November 8-14, 2012

By Timothy Pratt

VEGAS SEVEN

Brothers Franck and Uzi Tayou had been in Las Vegas about two months, two among nine siblings who arrived here after their father fled political persecution in his homeland. It was 2006. Franck, then 16, and Uzi, 17, were looking for a place to play soccer one day. They found a field near Meadows Mall and a team of Hispanics; neither the brothers nor the players spoke much English, but they reached a quick agreement. Valley High grad Franck Tayou (right) is now a Legend. Play 10 minutes, the Hispanic players told the Tayous. Let’s see what you can do. There was one problem, though: Neither of the brothers had cleats. In Cameroon, they’d It’s also clear that the team’s success may hinge on the always played barefoot. Only Franck had so much as relationships the immigrant players have formed along sneakers. Since Uzi was in better shape at the time, the way, a series of hands helping them up. The crowd Franck let him use the sneakers, and in 10 minutes he is small but studded with mentors and friends and famscored a goal. The Hispanic team mobbed the brothily—the beginning, perhaps, of a community, a fan base. ers and invited them onto the team. Within days, the There’s Rita Knox, the guidance counselor at Valley team bought them cleats. High who constantly encouraged the Tayous when Fast-forward six years: The two have learned English, graduated Valley High School in less than two years, played junior college soccer in Washington and Kansas and NCAA championship games for West Virginia University and returned to Las Vegas earlier this year to sign with the Valley’s new professional indoor soccer team, the Las Vegas Legends. Along the way, the Tayous paid their share of dues: sleeping on floors, studying English before school, making Frosted Flakes a staple food and riding the public bus to practice. Now they’re part of an experiment that makes perfect sense in a town where more than one in five people are foreign-born and nearly one in three speak a language other than English at home. The idea: Bring the world’s most popular sport, soccer, to what was the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan area for most of the past two decades. The Las Vegas Legends played their first two home games Nov. 1 and 4, winning one and losing one. They they felt like giving up, then pushed them to apply for return to the Orleans Arena after several away games on college; she was at the first game to see the Legends Dec. 6. It’s clear as you look at the names on the jerseys win, 11-2. The game drew 775 fans to an arena that seats and listen to the chatter on the field that many of the 6,800. But by the second game, a more competitive afplayers are immigrants or children of immigrants. fair that the home team lost to the Anaheim Bolts, 11-8, The goalkeeper in the first game, Ezequiel Sanchez, is attendance had grown to 1,145—including three of the Argentinean. Esad Morina—who played for a professional Tayou siblings. team in Turkey before emigrating to Las Vegas, where he The Legends return home to face Real Phoenix on coaches a local youth club—is from Kosovo. Coach Greg Dec. 6. They’re unlikely to sell out the Orleans Arena Howes is from Tacoma, Wash., but the rest of the coachanytime soon, but that’s OK. These guys are used to ing staff hails from Ireland, Jamaica and South Africa. doing things the hard way.

The team’s success may hinge on the relationships the immigrant players have built along the way, a series of hands helping them up.

There are a few weird buildings downtown, but this one, at 125 Las Vegas Blvd South, is easy to decipher. That’s because my dad worked there in the 1970s, when it served as offices for Centel, the local telephone-service provider. According to county records, the building has been owned since September 1957 by the telephone company, first known as Southern Nevada Telephone Co., later as Central Telephone Co. (shortened to Centel for consumers). Centel later moved to the southeast corner of Sixth and Fremont streets, and the Las Vegas Boulevard building (which is not actually windowless; the mid-century metal shutters hide them) began to be used primarily as a communications-equipment facility, which is its role today. The building to which Centel moved, at 601 Fremont St., was originally a multistory Sears department store. Centel took it over in 1968 and held ownership until 1985, when a new office opened on Valley View Boulevard near the Meadows Mall. Many will remember the Fremont and Sixth Street location as its later incarnation, Metro’s Work Card facility. The City of Las Vegas has owned 601 Fremont since 2005; several times it has tried to sell or lease the spot to condo and nightlife developers. Today, construction is progressing on the Fremont Country Club and Backstage Bar & Billiards. Fingers crossed that it gets completed. The area’s recent progress bodes well.

Why does the myth that Las Vegas is devoid of culture persist, especially given the developments of the past few years? Saying that Las Vegas has no culture is so 2000. And 1990. And 1980. Things have definitely improved, even when you remove my Vegas cheerleading from the equation. But despite the ground we’ve gained, there will always be someone who insists that The Smith Center isn’t bringing “real culture” to Las Vegas, or the artist who thinks they have to move to a “real city” to be successful, overlooking K.D. Matheson, Tim Bavington, Jerry Misko, et al. (When I hear that, it translates as, “Being successful in Vegas requires substantial effort by a self-starting go-getter, and I am not that person.”) Admittedly, Vegas is not where you move if you want a ready-made arts establishment on which to lean, but to ignore the progress or blame the city is cultural snobbery and laziness, plain and simple.

Questions? AskaNative@VegasSeven.com.

Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Legends

The Latest

About town

the latest

media [ Vegas Tech ]

The Vegas Touch

@FrancisBoulle

By David Davis

Las Vegas-centric smartphone apps offer a dizzying array of features, from augmented-reality viewers and simulated casino games to realtime traffic-camera video feeds. However, the best apps succeed simply by providing solid information quickly with few frills. The maker of TravelVegas, the most popular Las Vegas-related iPhone app, recently introduced a new version for iPad and iPhone 5 users, but was careful not to mess with the simple interface that initially made the free app so useful. TravelVegas offers information on hotels, restaurants and attractions similar to what you can find on many websites (and identical to what can be found on TravelVegas. com), and is updated throughout each day with the latest specials on gaming, drinks, restaurants and entertainment. TravelVegas is hosted and maintained in Pittsburgh, so I wondered how anyone could create a comprehensive Las Vegas app without living here. But when I spoke with TravelVegas’ creator, Brendon Schenecker, I learned that he travels here monthly and uses the app for his trips. As the name implies, TravelVegas is pri-

What if Gangnam Style was actually a giant rain dance and we’ve brought this on ourselves? #sandy.

@Jzellis I could take Rosalie to Guns ‘N’ Roses tonight. Or I could take her to the senior citizens sale at Wilson Leather. Same thing.

@jayfenster People ask me, “What’s the Vegas line on the election?” Always disappointed to hear, “None.” We don’t bet on stupid here, we just fade it.

@morgan_murphy marily for tourists, not locals, so perhaps it’s fitting that its creator isn’t from here. Nonetheless, the app can be useful for locals: The “deals” feature collects specials from across the Web, including from Facebook and Groupon. TravelVegas generates commissions from some links within the app, but those links don’t overwhelm the others, and users are given equal information about everything. One thing visitors should note, however, is that the categorized information isn’t cross-

referenced with the deals, so even when you find something you like, you should check the deals section separately to see if there’s a related coupon or other offer. (Schenecker says he expects to address this in a future version.) Later versions of TravelVegas are expected to include Android accessibility, as well as more information about smaller restaurants and attractions. In the meantime, however, TravelVegas is already an excellent way to find deals throughout the Valley.

found material

A Man and His Statues

November 8-14, 2012

[ Site to See ]

VEGAS SEVEN

Building Appreciation

(Archidose.Blogspot.com) Truthfully, you should stop reading this right now and go see Amy Lee Finchem at COLAB at Art Square. She can explain the importance of architecture and landscape architecture better than I ever could. It’s my feeling that the reason many of us don’t like the look of the town we live in is because, prior to now, none of us had the education to tell good architec-

ture from bad. (Also, we were busy parking cars for six figures a year and didn’t give a shit how Las Vegas looked, so long as it paid cash.) But now the education is there—go see Amy!—and the tools to better one’s understanding, like John Hill’s terrific Daily Dose of Architecture blog, are within easy reach. There’s frankly no way to look at the photos of thoughtfully designed built spaces on Hill’s blog and continue thinking that Las Vegas’ strip malls are anything but a blight. – Geoff Carter Follow Carter on Twitter @Geoff_ Carter.

Ever wonder who created all those life-size bronze statues located in Green Valley? The Los Angeles Times provides some insight into sculptor J. Seward Johnson, the 82-year-old artist whose creations can be found in major cities throughout the world. Since 2005, Johnson has been taking familiar images—such as the photo of a sailor kissing a woman in Times Square at the end of World War II, and Marilyn Monroe with her white dress billowing up—and creating larger-than-life sculptures of them. Johnson’s art has been labeled “kitsch” by critics. But with more than 300 of his works on display worldwide, including the six statues in Henderson, there’s no denying Johnson’s global reach. Find the link at VegasSeven.com/found.

I’ve made 8 million dollars selling “I Voted” stickers to lazy people today. #USA.

@AmandaHimes Unless you’re a stripper. RT @steveflynnLFC If your Tweet says “just got back from the poles” they should take your vote away.

@TexDolly Watching WSOP for the first time on TV. I’ve got underwear older than these kids.

@VegasCourtesan Who at Universal Studios do I need to bill for my time wasted sitting in traffic while they shoot Hangover 3? I have impatient clients!

@Misnoper Thinking of starting a website with nothing but pics of hot girls showing off their implant scars. That’s gotta be a fetish, right?

@BretEastonEllis Patrick Bateman is pissed that Scott Disick didn’t invite him to his American Psycho Halloween party in Las Vegas this year.

@Zak_Bagans Typical Vegas girl text: “I’m being paid to hang out with Afrojack tonight. OMG!”

Share your Tweet. Add #V7.

the latest November 8-14, 2012

Inside the Trading Room

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The recent arrest of Michael Colbert, the former sportsbook manager for Cantor Gaming, has stoked interest in exactly how sportsbook operations work in the 21st century. It’s easy for commentators to jump to lurid conclusions about the business. But when you sit in with one of the state’s biggest bookmakers, as I did recently, you see a more workaday reality. It’s 8:30 on a Sunday morning in October, but for the crew of bookmakers at William Hill headquarters on Grier Drive, just south of McCarran, the workday is well under way. Their business is overseeing the bets flowing in from sportsbooks from Whiskey Pete’s in Primm to Stockmen’s Casino in Elko, betting kiosks at PT’s Pubs and Buffalo Wild Wings, and phones and mobile devices. And judging from the mood, business is good. They call this the trading room, and at first glance it seems apt: The room is dominated by 18 flat-screen TVs, like NORAD as depicted in WarGames; right now they’re showing two soccer games, and several NFL pregame shows. The real work, though, is happening at ground level, where three bookmakers are making due with 18 monitors and 12 keyboards between them. Outside of the thousands of dollars worth of electronics, the room is nondescript, neither dark nor light, the walls an unobtrusive gray. The space feels like part surveillance-monitor room and part Kennedy Space Center eight minutes before launch. Listening in, you realize that there’s a lot of knowledge here, even if it’s not the kind of thing they teach in school.

The bookmakers monitor risk for William Hill, trying to keep the money on both sides of a contest evenly divided by adjusting the point spread and money lines as bets come in. They’re also watching for unusual patterns that could indicate chicanery. There are three guys in the trading room: Bob Davis is risk management, generating reports and monitoring in-play betting. Adam Pullen covers NFL prop bets and everything else. Lou Nigro, the team’s resident Buffalo fan (and the butt of plenty of jokes as the Bills’ defense proves sievelike), handles authorizations and voids for smaller bets. In one side room, Delaware trader Paul Bach takes care of the parlay bets that come in from racinos and retailers in the Diamond State; in another, head of trading Nick Bogdanovich oversees everyone else, authorizes large bets and moves the NFL lines. Thousands of dollars in bets flash across the screen. As the men work, conversation runs the gamut from Marlo Thomas’ love interest on That Girl to the names of the three members of Three Dog Night. They grow most serious when talk turns to lunch, which is still about two hours off, but about which everyone is resolved: They will order from Capriotti’s today. This doubles back—

via Jennifer Capriati—into a discussion of women’s tennis. Occasional staccato bursts break the illusion that this is just a bunch of guys shooting the breeze. “Plus a buck forty five for a nickel,” Lou says, and gets a nod. A few seconds later, “7442 under for a nickel.” Again, a nod from Adam confirms that this bet is good. Turns out, someone’s just bet that Ben Roethlisberger will throw fewer than two touchdown passes in that day’s Steelers-Bengals game. Jimmy Vaccaro, director of public relations and longtime Las Vegas oddsmaker, arrives with a box of donuts and offers some perspective on why it’s so quiet. “They know what they’re doing,” he says. “There’s nothing that’ll come up that they haven’t seen before. They did a good job putting together this team.” On the screen, players stream from the tunnel onto the field. “If one of those guys trips,” Vaccaro says, “we’ll change the line.” All the games have kicked off, and we’re mainlining football, eight games at once. Incredibly, the bookmakers can keep track of what’s going on in each game. They’re gearing up for the afternoon games, then the Sunday and Monday night games. “Tuesday morning,” Vaccaro says, “we’ll set the lines, get the parlay cards and start all over again.” There’s no magic here—just noseto-the-grindstone risk assessment. But this is what makes Nevada’s legal sports betting work. Big bettors and bad beats grab the occasional headline, but the quiet efficiency of bookmakers is what keeps the betting windows open.

What dining delicacy does Las Vegas have that other cities don’t? The single Sin City culinary claim to fame that’s endured is the buffet, but that’s not quite the same as a cheesesteak from Philly, chicken wings from Buffalo or chowdah from Boston. What’s amazing about our burg is that there are versions of all of these available here, because someone who knew how to make ‘em came to town and started doing just that to cater to their fellow ex-pats. Now there’s another. I grew up in Detroit, and the one thing that everyone misses when they leave there is Coney Island hot dogs. The Detroit “Coneys” are nothing like the dogs that were sold at Coney Island in Brooklyn, but someone at some point apparently liked the name and took it. Regardless of where the name came from, the chili dogs topped with mustard and onions were emulated by several Detroit operators—almost all of Greek descent—and just about anyone who’s spent time in Detroit knows about them. And with so many Detroit transplants living in Las Vegas, there’s always been talk of bringing a real Coney Island out here. But it’s been a long process. The first pseudo-attempt was back in the ‘80s, when a pizza joint called Terrina’s took a stab with hot dogs that were similar. A couple of dedicated Coney shops also took their shots, but none was very good. That is, until Motor City Coney Island opened on Water Street in Henderson. For more than six years, that’s where I’ve scratched my Coney itch. But now the stakes have been raised with the opening of American Coney Island at The D downtown. For years, there were three primary Coney Islands in Detroit—Senate on Michigan Avenue, and two in the middle of downtown, standing side by side on Lafayette Avenue: Lafayette and American. The two downtown were always considered the best, and now we have one of them in Las Vegas! It’s the first time American has gone outside of Michigan. Is it a deal? I think so. The restaurant is accessible directly off the Fremont Street Experience, and it’s open 24/7. It doesn’t have the same ambience as the Detroit version, where old-timers yell out your order to the cooks with a precision and a language all their own—“three up on two, chili bowl”—that’s been honed over decades of repetition, but that’s OK. The food is authentic, right down to the extra-soft buns that all the others who’ve tried haven’t been able to replicate. Hot dogs are $3.75, loose hamburger (served in a hot dog bun) is $4.25, and a bowl of chili is $5. Motowners eat their Coneys, or “loose,” with everything, and their chili—order the one without beans—with oyster crackers. So should you. Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor and LasVegasAdvisor.com, a monthly newsletter and website dedicated to finding the best deals in town.

Photo by Kin Lui

No Phony Coney

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Too good to be true ?

November 8-14, 2012

Daily-deal websites offer great prices, but always read the fine print

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Ashley Vlastaris, age 28

“My most prized possession is the 90-inch chapel-length veil I wore

Medical Assistant at my wedding to Lee Vlastaris Jr. [DJ Hollywood] at Siena Golf Club Photographed by Andrew Sea James

in September. Being petite (I’m only 5-foot-2), it was easier to go for drama with the veil versus a gown that would drown my small frame. When I purchased it from Alfred Angelo Bridal I was in a bit of a panic, because ordering a new one was going to take almost two months. It is a couture piece, which makes it hard to come by, so I was thankful they let me have the floor sample. When I arrived at the venue I was already in my gown, however, I waited until the last minute to put the veil on, and as soon as it went on I became overwhelmed with emotion. I was looking at myself for the first time as a bride—it was amazing.”

Nothing is more disappointing to a bargain hunter than getting burned by a so-called deal, and with recent legal woes (Groupon settled 17 class-action lawsuits in April) an experienced bargainsita can’t help but wonder if daily offerings from companies such as AmazonLocal and LivingSocial are truly a steal or just a waste of money. Not only does one chance misleading expiration dates, but also takes a risk on a participating merchant who may not be able to handle the influx of new customers. If you’re thinking twice before clicking “buy,” here are a few things to consider before purchasing a daily-discount coupon: • Know the refund policy before you purchase. Some companies allow you to cancel your order within a certain time frame, while others will give you credit toward the purchase of another voucher if you’re unsatisfied with your initial purchase. • Note the expiration date, especially when it comes to vacation packages. Groupon states a purchase-by expiration date plus a stay-by expiration date. LivingSocial, however, has been known to list only one date, so contact the company. • Sweat the small stuff. Blackout dates and other exclusions often apply to the voucher. • If all else fails, rely on the Better Business Bureau (BBB). A calm attempt to resolve your issues with the customer-service department is always best, but if that doesn’t work, file a complaint. It’s amazing how quickly a daily-deal company will satisfy your concerns to keep your complaint under wraps. Laura Coronado loves a bargain. Check out her blog at LollieShopping.com.

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Guiding Lights she’s adjusting a dozen or so orbs that are suspended from a canopy frame. The orbs are handcrafted, made of semiopaque plastic, and come in three sizes. And they’re glowing thanks to power from the family vehicle’s battery. Welcome to the Choudhry family’s display room. The Choudhrys—Andrew, Marie and patriarch Ricky—set up shop here Friday through Sunday. Their business is lamps. Not the nightstand or living-room kind, but rather illuminated “electrospheres” that double as art—a modern chandelier, if you will. Some-

times the hues pay homage to our neon heritage. Sometimes they’re contrasting colors of a favorite sports team. Even all white makes an impact on passing motorists, several of whom pull over to take a peek and, maybe, make a purchase. “I was in my [native] Pakistan, and I used to do those spheres with cardboard,” says Ricky, a floral designer for 17 years. A return visit to his homeland sparked a new idea: He decided to switch from cardboard to PVC, and soon enough he had a surprise business venture. Initially, the

creative process was painstaking, as Ricky would have to cut the plastic that forms the electrosphere with a pair of scissors. He’s since invested in a die-cut machine. “Somebody from [local morning radio show] Mark & Mercedes came by and bought something,” Marie says. “They were talking about it on the radio, so a lot of people know [about us] now.” From time to time, police have stopped by at corners the Choudhrys have worked, “just to make sure everything is OK,” Ricky says. “They bought some from

us. They were so happy; they loved it.” The price tag on the electrospheres ranges from $20 to $35, and Ricky says business has been booming since he first set up shop last December—so much so that he’s had to hire extra hands. “I have two more people who are selling for me now, and I’m [working] as a wholesaler as well. The response is amazing!” Score one for economic prosperity. Electrospheres can be seen at locations throughout the Valley. Information: Electrospheres@ gmail.com.

Photo by TK

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we heard a lot about Las Vegas’ economic miseries during the election campaign, but here, on a dirt corner near Blue Diamond Road and Rainbow Boulevard, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well and powered by the battery of an SUV. If you’re driving by, let off the gas pedal a bit and look closely. See that? It’s 16-yearold Andrew Choudhry. He’s using the SUV’s dome light as a flashlight, interlocking tessellation-like shapes to form a sphere. The woman standing outside the SUV? That’s his mother, Marie, and

Photo by Andrew James

November 8-14, 2012

By Deanna Rilling

Photo courtesy of UNLV Special Collections

El Rancho Vegas builder Thomas Hull (center) in 1950.

How Thomas Hull pitched camp outside city limits, built the El Rancho and invented the Las Vegas Strip

November 8-14, 2012

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Photo courtesy of UNLV Special Collections

By David G. Schwartz

November 8-14, 2012

As the Roaring ’20s began, Las Vegas was hardly

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roaring: Fisher’s vision notwithstanding, most city fathers were fixated on drawing farmers to the Las Vegas Valley or promoting industrial development. So it wasn’t really that surprising that no one stepped up to build such a hotel. But, as the years went on, business interests, led by the Union Pacific Railroad (which acquired the LASL in 1922), tried with increasing seriousness to lure a hotel man to Las Vegas. In 1926, they got serious enough that Gov. James Scrugham announced that Santa Barbara hotelier A.L. Richmond would build a $500,000 hotel on 100 acres donated by the Union Pacific. But even with that land, Richmond didn’t deliver. The advent of loose divorce laws and wide-open gambling in 1931 gave boosters new arrows in their quiver: a flood of divorcees, sportsmen looking to bet legally, and Midwesterners taking a break from winter would fill rooms, without a doubt. So in that year, when the Talbott-Richmond Hotel Corp., a Los Angeles-based group not related to A.L. Richmond, planned to include Las Vegas in an ambitious Southwest building program, locals were again cheered. But once again, Las Vegas was left at the altar; the Las Vegas Talbott-Richmond was abandoned before groundbreaking. Through the rest of the 1930s, the Chamber of Commerce, which had picked up the banner of promoting Las Vegas from the railroad, continued to dream of building a “first-class hotel.” A hotel, they knew, would draw more overnight visitors, who would spend more money in existing Fremont Street businesses. That meant more jobs, which would boost all of the town’s merchants. And it was possible that some enterprising overnighters might be so entranced by the city that they’d be convinced to stay, bringing in sorely needed money and manpower. In the short term, that would mean more

and wealthier tourists in town; in the long term, it would mean growth and prosperity. A quality hotel was in everyone’s best interest. And, as always, opportunists arose to play on this need. At least once a season, a promoter would materialize with plans to build—provided the good citizens of Las Vegas could give him a piece of land, buy stock in his company and float him a small loan. After a few years of that roller-coaster ride, you couldn’t blame Chamber members for getting tired of it all. Proposals that were once greeted with hosannas were now met with a grimace. Yet, Las Vegas continued to hope that someone, anyone, would find the will—and the cash—to build a hotel.

Hotel Mayfair in Sacramento; and the Arrowhead Hot Springs Hotel. He also had built two auto-oriented projects that were somewhere between auto courts and hotels; since the word “motel” hadn’t been coined yet, no one knew quite what to call these low-slung, auto-accessible structures. Hull called them both “El Rancho.” They were successful, and soon he was looking to expand. In 1938, San Diego businessman Jack Barkley convinced Hull that Las Vegas would make a fine location for the next El Rancho. With Barkley’s money behind him, Hull figured it wouldn’t be too difficult to build the project; as a seasoned hospitality veteran, he knew how to get a hotel built and fill its rooms. So Hull was a little taken aback at the reception he received in Las Vegas. After announcing his intentions to build in town, he received an invitation to attend a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce. When asked about his hotel, Hull told them everything: the hotels already in the Hull empire in California, how many rooms he wanted to build, how he would advertise it. This should have been the answer to everyone’s prayers, but the Chamber members couldn’t shake the feeling Hull was leaving something out. Finally, a member raised his hand. “What do you want from us?” Around the room, men narrowed their eyes. What was the catch? “Nothing but your goodwill,” Hull answered. The members thought it would take more than that—they’d been down this path too many times over the previous decade. But goodwill didn’t cost anything, so they gave that to Hull and waited to see what good it did him. Even if Las Vegas wasn’t sold on Hull, he was sold on the city. And he was able to convince two of the Chamber’s most influential members, “Big” Jim Cashman (for whom Cashman Field is named) and Dr. Roy Martin (long a proponent of building a first-class hotel) that he was the real deal. That was the kind of goodwill, he thought, that could really help. Hull then set about scouting a location for his hotel, which he insisted would be “one of the outstanding resorts of its kind on the North American continent.” That location would change Las Vegas forever.

Thomas Everett Hull could have been sent

Some say it was an auto mishap that created

from central casting to turn Las Vegas around. He was of average height and inclined to stoutness, but his center-parted, slicked-back black hair and pencil mustache gave him the look of a Hollywood producer or a leading man safely on the other side of his swashbuckling days. He’d had the kind of up-and-down career that defined most Las Vegas entrepreneurs of the day: not remotely shady enough to be checkered, but not exactly straight or narrow. He studied mining in college before seeking his fortunes as a miner in Mexico. A confrontation with Pancho Villa’s army forced him to walk, he later said, 600 miles to safety north of the Rio Grande. He then ran a movie theater—at the time a cutting-edge media operation—and trained pilots for the Army during World War I. After briefly running a theater operation in Austin, Texas, Hull moved to San Francisco, where he worked with his father in the hotel business. By the mid-1930s, Hull owned or managed a string of California hotels that included the Mayfair, Hollywood Plaza and Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles; the Hotel Californian in Fresno; the

the Las Vegas Strip. There are a few versions of the story floating around. In one that you might have heard, it’s Bugsy Siegel whose car trouble leads to the Flamingo. But the story Las Vegans told as early as the 1950s had a different hero: Tommy Hull. He and an associate were driving to Las Vegas via the Los Angeles Highway—Highway 91—for yet another meeting with local power brokers. One of their tires went flat. The associate walked to town to get help; Hull stayed behind, counting the cars driving by to pass the time. Eventually, he stopped counting and decided that this was where he’d build his hotel. The hotel Las Vegas had been waiting for would be outside city limits, strategically poised to capitalize on Angelenos driving up, not travelers alighting at the Union Pacific depot at Fremont and Main. That flat tire, if the story can be believed (and it does sound too good to be true), ultimately placed the resort hotel Las Vegas had been long seeking outside of Las Vegas. Hull settled on a spot just beyond city limits, south of San Francisco Avenue (today’s Sahara Avenue). It was an unlikely place

Photo courtesy of UNLV Special Collections

t was 1918. The Great War was still raging in Europe, but no one thought it would last forever. The southwestern United States in general and Southern California in particular were booming, thanks to some of the earliest national marketing campaigns pitching the region as a great place to live, work and play. But there wasn’t much happening in Las Vegas yet; it was still just a division point on the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, a town on par with Lynndyl, Utah, and Yermo, Calif. Yet there were some who saw promise in the place. In January of that year, St. Louis resident and frequent Vegas visitor K.C. Fisher wrote a letter to the Las Vegas Age newspaper. If they wanted to taste greatness, he argued, Las Vegans needed to grease the wheels of hotel development. The natural advantages of Las Vegas, Fisher said, would make it “the metropolis of Nevada,” but only if properly pushed: “If a good hotel man could be taken to Las Vegas and introduced to the wonderful winter weather, I believe that he could be interested in building a resort hotel that would put the little desert town on the map.” More than 20 years would pass before that man—Thomas Hull— would arrive and change the place forever. This is his story.

shops, restaurants and a large casino. With outdoor porches under an arched colonnade, this truly was “the Caliente of Nevada,” as early promotional materials claimed. Now, all he needed was the money, which proved harder to come by than he’d anticipated. Both Jim Cashman and the Union Pacific railroad agreed to support him, but he was unable to sell the $245,000 in stock needed to underwrite construction. His partner Barkley bailed in late 1938, and the initial financing collapsed. Now Hull was just a man with 33 acres of worthless land and a set of blueprints. The Chamber members who’d been leery of him snorted in satisfaction. Hull could have written off his losses and concentrated on California, where everything he touched seemed to turn to gold, but he thought there was potential in the desert. He never stopped hustling up money, and by 1940 he had a loan. It wasn’t quite enough to realize McAllister’s original vision, so the architect sketched out something a bit less lavish: a design that would become the template for the first generation of Strip casinos, low to the ground and sprawling. He laid out 63 red-tiled bungalows along leafy access roads; they ringed a central building topped by a 50-foot pink-and-white neon-illuminated windmill. Inside, the Round-Up Room dinner theater presented headline entertainment—a Las Vegas first— with such stars as Joe E. Lewis, Rudy Vallee and Lili St. Cyr gracing the stage over the years.

He never stopped hustling up money, and by 1940 he had a loan. It wasn’t quite enough to realize McAllister’s original vision, so the architect sketched out something a bit less lavish: a design that would become the template for the first generation of Strip casinos, low to the ground and sprawling.

November 8-14, 2012

to build a hotel: Three miles from Fremont Street, surrounded by sagebrush and not much else, the site evoked more desolation than destination. After some negotiating, Hull bought about 33 acres from Jessie Hunt for $150 an acre. It was a great deal for both sides: Mrs. Hunt disposed of a plot of “worthless” land that she’d been trying to give away for years, and Hull got room to dream. He turned to a practiced hand to help him will a hotel out of the desert sand, hiring architect Wayne McAllister, who had first worked with him on a renovation of the Hollywood Roosevelt. The notion of a motor-oriented hotel was still novel, but McAllister had designed both the Sacramento and the Fresno El Ranchos, and Hull knew he had the right man. Significantly, McAllister had also built what was, for a time, the most popular and profitable casino in North America, Tijuana’s Agua Caliente. Born in 1907 in San Diego, McAllister went into architecture before he graduated high school, without the benefit of a college degree but with plenty of determination. Baron Long, a major figure in Southern California’s nightclub, hotel and gambling scene, took the architect under his wing, awarding him the contract to design Agua Caliente in 1927. The complex—featuring a racetrack, casino, 400-room hotel and spa—was a sensation from its 1928 opening until the 1935 prohibition of gambling in Mexico. Hull wanted Agua Caliente on a smaller scale—a California mission-inspired complex filled with

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Photo courtesy of UNLV Special Collections

El Rancho Vegas and the growing new Strip around it, 1953.

A cocktail lounge, steak house and the pioneering Chuck Wagon buffet complemented the main room. But the most important part of the building was the casino, which had two blackjack tables, one roulette wheel, one craps table and a few dozen slot machines. In front of the casino building would be a gigantic swimming pool. All the more reason, Hull thought, for weary travelers to “stop at the sign of the windmill.” It was a hotel perfectly adapted to the highway. It wasn’t easy getting El Rancho Vegas built, even with the scaled-down plans. Some said that Hull incorporated used lumber into many of the buildings. But, nearly three years after he first got the idea, Hull got his Las Vegas hotel completed.

November 8-14, 2012

Hull opened El Rancho Vegas on Thursday, April 3, 1941. Two days earlier, a crowd of 300, including Highway 91 businessmen from St. George to Barstow, had enjoyed the “stag” preview, with a buffetstyle dinner in the Round-Up Room, followed by a cowboy sing-along led by “Colonel” Bob Russell. The grand opening was more formal, with a sitdown dinner and entertainment from the resident El Rancho Orchestra, Pierre Carta and his Desert Caballeros, singer Lorraine de Wood, dancer Hoctor, and Petite Chiquita, who specialized in “dances from South of the Border.” The real star, though, might have been the roastbeef cart: The two inches of rock salt that coated the beef was touted as bringing out its true flavor, and the charcoal smoldering underneath gave the festivities the aroma of a real cowboy cookout. The guests were anything but country, though. They included a series of bankers, businessmen, and luminaries from California and Nevada. The husband-and-wife film legends Rex Bell (the cowboy) and Clara Bow (the It Girl) had ridden out from the Walking Box Ranch. The former All-American USC quarterback Marshall Duffield made an appearance. The hotel didn’t take long to find its feet. Later in the year, the Los Angeles Times wrote that the hotel “combines the charm and open-handed hospitality of the Old West with the convenience of today,” and enthused that “informal dress is always in season, with cowboy and cowgirl outfits, blue jeans, yachting clothes, riding habits, Stetsons and bandanas

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El rancho was an immediate success when it opened in APRIL 1941, drawing a mix of gamblers, divorce-seekers, honeymooners and the simply curious. BUSINESS TOOK OFF EVEN MORE when the U.S. entered WWII that DECEMBER.

all in high favor.” It was of Las Vegas, but definitely not in Las Vegas. That same Times article recommended that those seeking recreation beyond the Rancho’s own casino and pool try bathing and aquaplaning at Lake Mead, skiing at Mount Charleston, and, tellingly, “sight-seeing in the rip-roarin’ town of Las Vegas close by.” You could almost smell the sawdust from the rough downtown joints, but there was no danger of any of it blowing into the pool. El Rancho was an immediate success, drawing a mix of gamblers, divorce-seekers waiting out their six-week residency, honeymooners, and the simply curious. And then something even better happened, at least for the occupancy rate: A war broke out. The United States’ December 1941 entry into World War II meant business for Las Vegas, with federal dollars—and a stream of visitors—flowing toward the Las Vegas Army Airfield (the forerunner of Nellis Air

Force Base) and Basic Magnesium, the Henderson factory that produced the wartime-critical metal. So 1942 and 1943 were dark years for Allied forces in Europe and the Pacific, but they were positively happy ones for El Rancho Vegas. Still, Thomas Hull found the hotel hard to manage. He’d expanded his California operations rapidly, and was usually directing his empire from Los Angeles. Hull found keeping tabs on his Las Vegas outpost harder than he’d imagined. In 1942, despite full rooms, he sold the hotel to Joe Drown, the first of many owners and operators the property would see over the next several years. Meanwhile, the Strip was growing to the south. R.E. Griffith and his nephew, Bill Moore, opened the Hotel Last Frontier in 1942. Four years later, Los Angeles nightlife impresario Billy Wilkerson started construction on the Hotel Flamingo—a job finished under the iron rule of Ben Siegel, who needs

no introduction. The Thunderbird and Desert Inn—opening in 1948 and 1950, respectively—confirmed it: Highway 91 was the future. And by the mid-1950s—after the opening of the Royal Nevada, Dunes and Riviera—it was the unquestioned center of the action. At decade’s end, the Los Angeles Highway had become such an integral part of Las Vegas that the county renamed the roadway Las Vegas Boulevard. For a while already, locals and tourists alike had been calling it “the Strip.” Hull’s sale of El Rancho Vegas didn’t sour him on Las Vegas; he continued to visit the town and even had a small stake in the Flamingo hotel for a time. He got the star treatment here until his 1964 death. It would take a few more decades, and the gradual inflation of the legend of Bugsy Siegel, for Hull to fade from popular memory. After the sale, El Rancho Vegas thrived on the Strip—for a while at least. Under owner Beldon

Katleman, who assumed control in 1947, the property found its feet and got a thorough renovation (the Strip’s first), swapping out cowboy rustic for frontier French provincial. But soon—even after it expanded to 220 rooms— the property began having trouble competing with the newer, bigger resorts. The hotel that started a revolution had fallen hopelessly behind. On June 17, 1960, a fire reduced the central building to charred sticks. Katleman announced plans to rebuild, bigger and better, but his insurance company thought the fire was a bit suspicious and never paid off on his policy. When Howard Hughes started buying up pieces of Las Vegas in 1967, Katleman agreed to sell the remaining buildings, which he’d been running as a motel, but then changed his mind. The two wrangled in court until 1970, when Hughes finally took ownership. But soon even the motel operation shut down. The Hughes organiza-

tion used the structures for warehouse space, and they slowly decayed in the desert sun. And yet Las Vegas still bears Thomas Hull’s imprint. For its first four decades, Las Vegas had been a city always on the cusp of something bigger, always searching for an identity. With El Rancho Vegas, Hull showed Las Vegas the future: self-contained pleasure palaces that combined gambling, entertainment and sunny vacations. And all of it far from Fremont Street. The irony was that for years, downtown power brokers had been clamoring for a first-class hotel as the one thing they’d need to pull Fremont Street together; when they finally got it, it pushed downtown into the background. Had Thomas Hull been a little less daring in his siting of El Rancho Vegas, or a little less determined to build it, it’s possible that the next 70 years would have turned out quite differently.

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From celebrity weddings (that’s Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in 1958) to pinup performers (Betty Grable and her legendary gams), El Rancho set the tone for the Strip. In the resort’s 1940s heyday, the buffet (below) was the stuff of myth. But a 1960 fire reduced the pioneering outpost on Highway 91 to ruins.

El Rancho exterior, sign, Betty Grable and Lake Mead photos courtesy of UNLV Special Collections; others courtesy of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

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“The day you try to start competing with one of your own tracks is the day you fail.” ‘And in my mind ...’ {page 44}

Your city after dark, hot gossip, party pics and WTF is ‘trap’? 1

Thu 8

Mon 12 The last week of October was not good for Steve Aoki (4). First he injured his neck on a trampoline in a club. (Perhaps DJs should stick to… ya know… DJing?) Then, sadly, at his gig in Madrid, three attendees died in a crowd rush at one of the exits. Hopefully November will be less tragic for the DJ as he stops by to spin at XS. (In Encore, 10 p.m., XSLasVegas.com.)

Tue 13 We’re calling it: Giant DJ headgear has jumped the shark. But at least this time it makes sense for the Stache Bash at Pure with Well Groomed (5) on DJ duty. Yes, there is now a DJ who not only rocks a sweet handlebar mustache, but is a sweet handlebar mustache. No face, just ’stache. With a Movember theme of “Keep Calm and Stache On,” Pure is giving away $5,000 in cash and prizes to the biggest industry group wearing mustaches—ladies, you can don faux facial hair as well. (In Caesars Palace, 10 p.m., AngelMG.com.) The party at Moon is gonna get hot tonight! As in Hot 97.5 FM; the station hosts its Listener Appreciation Party at the sky-high club. (In the Palms, 11 p.m., Palms.com.)

Fri 9 Cali kids will be hopping on a party bus and heading to [Censored]: Las Vegas at the Royal House. Locals are welcome, too, as DJs Crime, Narkotix, Wido & Bane, Philharmonic and more bring electro, house, dubstep and drum ’n’ bass to the decks. (99 Convention Center Drive, 10 p.m., Facebook.com/loosecannonpromotions.) It’s freebie Friday at Vanity again for Rock, Paper, Scissors. This week’s swag comes courtesy of NYX Cosmetics. (In the Hard Rock Hotel, 10 p.m., VanityLV.com.)

Wed 14 4

Join The Double Down Saloon’s Monday residents, The Bargain DJ Collective, as they host “a punk, funk and junk-filled bowling event” at Terrible’s Casino in Henderson. Anti-league bowling takes place the second Wednesday of each month for those who can’t be tied down with matching shirts and that one guy who is way too serious about knocking down pins. Get there early as lanes are limited. The Dude would want it that way. (642 S. Boulder Highway, 10 p.m., Facebook.com/antileaguebowling.)

November 8-14, 2012

Aoki photo by Anthony Mair

Sat 10 The next gig for Superstar DJ Tiësto (3) isn’t at a megaclub or festival. No, his well-oiled marketing machine gears up for an event at the Guess store as models show off the latest fashions and fans get the opportunity for a meet and greet with Tiësto. Plus they can check out his collaboration with the fashion brand. (In Fashion Show Mall, 5:30 p.m., Guess. com/tiesto.) Swanky cigar aficionados, stop by Casa Fuente for the Arturo Fuente Cigars 100th anniversary celebration as part of the Big Smoke weekend. (In the Forum Shops at Caesars, 10 p.m., CasaFuenteSpiritsSociety.com.) It’s a Battle of the Beats for the next installment of Vegas StrEATS. Following the competition with four local DJ hopefuls, Mayer Hawthorne takes over with a special DJ set. (600 E. Fremont St., 8 p.m., VegasStrEATS.com.) Log on to RuskoonFire.com to snag your free copy of the 2006-2011 Remix Collection from Rusko, then catch the U.K. dubstep DJ/producer on the next stop of his tour at Surrender. (In Encore, 10 p.m., SurrenderNightclub.com.)

Calling all caped crusaders (or those with leftover Halloween costumes): Sunday is for superheroes during the next XIV Vegas Sessions at Hyde. Don your best saving-the-world outfit and party at the dusk-until-dawn soirée. (In Bellagio, 5 p.m., HydeBellagio.com.)

37 VEGAS SEVEN

Aqua Net and crimping iron? Check. Pastel suit with loafers and no socks? You know it. No matter how you choose to channel the decade of excess, the more neon the better as the ’80s Lookout Weekend presents its Fall/Winter Dance 2012. Nightlifer Shecky Green hosts, so expect him to put in a few requests for A Tribe Called Quest as DJs 88, Dave Fogg (1) and Warren Peace handle the ones and twos. (At Insert Coin(s), 10 p.m., InsertCoinsLV.com.) One lucky clubber is getting the ultimate celebrity treatment at Tao for Worship Thursdays. As the winner of the club’s 100,000th Facebook fan contest, Jaime Zielinski (2) will host the night in true Tao baller fashion. (In the Venetian, 10 p.m., TaoLasVegas.com.) The power of the mustache is saving lives this Movember with Heineken Light. Show your best ’stache to benefit prostate and testicular cancer research when the monthlong promotion stops at Republic Kitchen & Bar. (9470 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson, 7 p.m., RepublicKitchenandBar.com.) With the holiday season approaching, singles might get lonely. That’s why Lily invites those flying solo in Sin City to mix and mingle for its Public Singles Night. (In Bellagio, 10 p.m., LightGroup.com.)

Sun 11

nightlife

Left: Leo DiCaprio with A Tribe Called Quest. Below: 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather together during better times.

Mayweather, 50 Cent (Fake) Fighting

VEGAS SEVEN

Conventional wisdom holds that it’s hard to keep a party under wraps when it involves pyrotechnics, a Ferris wheel and Martin Scorsese’s two favorite go-to actors. Especially when you stick it on the Las Vegas Strip. From what we’ve been able to piece together through online reports and grainy social-media pictures, though, it sounds like Nov. 3 saw Malaysian billionaire Jho Low threw himself a top-secret shindig inside a tent on the north end of the Strip and invited about 300 of his closest buddies. You know, like Robert De Niro, Jamie Foxx, Britney

Spears, Kanye West, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes, Chris Brown, Michael Phelps, Psy, Ludacris and Kanye ’n’ Kim. According to an Instagram post from Kanye producer Million Dollar Mano, DiCaprio got onstage with Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest and Busta Rhymes to do the Phife Dawg verses on “Scenario,” in what would appear to be a remarkable case of white-boy hubris. Celebs were allegedly required to wear only tuxedos or red dresses, the bar was carved

from ice and Spears presented a $2.5 million Bugatti Veyron to Low on behalf of one of his friends, according to a website for the radio station KROQ in Los Angeles—though everyone who was there was reportedly asked to sign nondisclosure agreements about their involvement. Because apparently now conspicuous consumption has to be handled with the delicate care and consideration of a CIA operation. The next time a rich guy wants to buy a fancy car and hang out with the ex-SpiderMan, expect it to go down in an underground bunker in a former Soviet state.

Gamboa and Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather counterpunched by calling Señor Cent a “male boxing groupie” and that he respects “the shooter, not the one who got shot.” So, that sounds personal then. Fiddy also threw in some halfhearted mentions of Mayweather’s domestic-violence conviction. But he also said the beef was “nonsense” that Mayweather wanted to use to drum up attention and that “I know some [of the things] we do in hip-hop for shock value are wrong. He just wanted some attention. Floyd is like a brother to me.” Now, now, fellas. Why don’t you sit down and talk this out over a nice Vitamin Water?

Vedder Uses Uke for Charity Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder did back-to-back ukulele and acoustic guitar shows Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at the Pearl, and, as part of his stage banter for the second gig, he talked up a charity dedicated to finding a cure for epidermolysis bullosa. One audience member piped up she’d cut him a check for $5,000 on the spot if he’d play “Black.” We’d pay $5,001 if it meant we’d never have to hear “Jeremy” again, anywhere or anytime. … Bagatelle at Tropicana won’t be having its official grand opening until Nov. 16, but it did get an early jump on life as a new nightspot on Halloween, when Dylan McDermott of American Horror Story came in to host. The club can probably get him back for any upcoming Destiny Turns on the Radio parties they care to throw, too.

Jason Scavone is editor of DailyFiasco.com. Follow him on the Las Vegas gossip trail at VegasSeven.com/blogs.

Mayweather photo by Chad Carl

November 8-14, 2012

Rich Guy Parties With Slightly Less Rich Celebs

Everybody knows that the two greatest tales of friendship of our time are The Fox and the Hound and Tango & Cash. The third greatest tale of friendship of our time, though, was Floyd Mayweather and 50 Cent. The operative word, however, appears to be “was.” Fiddy’s beefs have a life of their own, and have run the gamut from Nas to Diddy to The Game to Rick Ross and Lil Wayne. This might be the only one that doesn’t have its own diss track yet, having taken place entirely, so far, on Twitter. First, Fiddy announced on Nov. 1 that The Money Team Promotions was a thing of the past, then accused Mayweather of ducking fights with Yuriorkis

nightlife

The Uprising Electronic crossover act Foreign Beggars lose their Vegas virginity By Deanna Rilling

November 8-14, 2012

The genre-blurring versatility

VEGAS SEVEN

of the U.K.’s Foreign Beggars is finally touching down in Las Vegas for the first time. Together for a decade, MCs Orifice Vulgatron and Metropolis (above, left and center, respectively) along with DJ Nonames (right) have grown from their underground hiphop roots to fusing razor-sharp rhymes with grime-y dubstep drops and break beats. Vegas Seven catches up with Metropolis (a.k.a. Ebow Graham) fresh off the release of their LP The Uprising and in advance of their 18-and-up gig Nov. 18 at the Hard Rock Café on the Strip. People are just getting used to hearing dubstep in major nightclubs. How do you translate that to a live show? When we first started playing dubstep as part of our sets, people didn’t know what was what and had no idea. For example, we went to Brussels,

and when we dropped the dubstep stuff, everyone was really baffled. Within a year, everyone was going to dubstep parties, and the dubstep producers were playing it all the time. It’s just one of those things that’s catching on like wildfire. When we started playing in France, the crowd would just stare at us like we were a three-piece jazz band, but now they know, when they come to our shows it’s a party. I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to get [Las Vegas] people moving—especially if they’re just getting used to electronic music. Already they know about hip-hop music, and we have that element in there as well. I know that ‘trap’ [music] is becoming huge all over the world, and I’m confident that were gonna be able to get people to get used to it. You bring up trap music, which is emerging in the electronic scene, but how

would you define it for those who are unfamiliar? I only basically about a week ago discovered what trap actually means. I’ve heard the music, and it was 12th Planet that introduced it to me. He was always playing this stuff like Juicy J, and I was like “What is that? What is that?” because I really liked the beats. It’s only recently that I really found out it’s [called trap], because people feel like they’re caught in a trap, it’s like a poverty cycle or whatever. But I think it’s evolved to more than that now where it’s a medium of music where they use the 808s [drum beats] and stuff, but not that deep, low, 808 sub shit that you always hear in clubs. Your album The Uprising came out in October on Deadmau5’s label, and even he’s got a new collaboration with Cypress Hill. Do you see a shift in the electronic scene to more hip-hop in-

fluences than house in the coming year? I don’t know, it’s such a broad spectrum when you’re talking about electronic music; it’s so huge, everything from drum and bass to dubstep, grime music, house, techno, psy trance … Maybe people are a little bit more interested in working with rap vocalists at the moment because we provide something that singers don’t quite do—we’re versatile and can flip over to different styles. Maybe now people are more willing to experiment with various genres. I never thought I would hear Thom Yorke or Erykah Badu working with Flying Lotus. So I wouldn’t say that it’s necessarily a shift toward hip-hop in particular; just

people are more open-minded about working with people from different genres now. Las Vegas locals are spoiled and hate paying for anything, so why should we pony up $20-25 a ticket to your show instead of getting on a nightclub guest list and hearing a DJ spin for free? Because you’re gonna do that every single week whether we’re there or not and that’s fine. But you need to come out and see Foreign Beggars because that’s a special experience, we’re crazy onstage and bring a lot of energy. We’re gonna bring our own brand of electronic music, go hard and make sure everyone has a really good time and loses their minds!

For the inside scoop on the trio’s collaborations with Noisia, Tommy Lee and Alix Perez, visit VegasSeven. com/ForeignBeggars.

nightlife

2004-2005—we saw Dirty South play there when he wasn’t quite that big, and he played his new song, [“It’s Too Late (Ride On),” a remix of] Evermore, which is the track that launched his career. I remember hearing him play that and thinking, “This is probably the best thing I’ve ever heard.” Around that time was when I decided I wanted to start making music seriously. I think he’s one of the inspirations. Soon: For me, I think probably the first time I went to a music festival. There’s a festival down here called Summadayze. I went there to watch a lot of the big acts play—Bob Sinclar, [Martin] Solveig—and when you see them out in front of 20-30,000 people, and you feel that vibe, I said to myself, “I want to be doing that one day, standing in front of that many people doing the same.”

‘And in My Mind …’ Aussie duo Feenixpawl embarks on first U.S. tour

November 8-14, 2012

By Deanna Rilling

VEGAS SEVEN

For a long time it was all about the Dutch. Then came the Swedes. Could the Aussies be primed for the next wave of electronic-dance-music artists? If so, Feenixpawl is part of the movement. Even if you aren’t familiar with the Australian duo of Aden Forte (above, left) and Josh Soon (their moniker Feenixpawl comes from a variation of their middle names), it’s darned near impossible for you to have missed their smash hit “In My Mind” with fellow Aussie Ivan Gough (of TV Rock), featuring Georgi Kay. It’s all over EDM radio, a set staple in the clubs and it’s even featured in a Kia Soul commercial with those dancing hamsters. We learn more about the duo from down unda’ who’ve been working together since 2003 before their first U.S. tour, stopping in Las Vegas at Marquee on Nov. 17.

Was it surprising when “In My Mind” hit, and did everything quickly change for you guys? Soon: Definitely. We’ve had a checkered history with record labels and things like that, so it was always difficult for us to get our music out there. Basically, when we sent “In My Mind” to Axwell we didn’t really expect the response that we got and it was fantastic. It’s surreal, and we still can’t believe the year that’s gone past us. It’s been amazing. It’s been great to finally get a bit of recognition and hopefully get our names out there more in the future now, because Axwell [who signed it to his label and released a remix] really opened some doors for us. Are you guys tired of hearing and playing it yet? Soon: [Laughs.] Yeah, we’ve heard it a lot, as you can imagine, but there’s always a

different setting. We were in Miami in March and we heard Swedish House Mafia play it at their Masquerade Motel party, so that was great. We were kind of sick of it by then, but that was just the most surreal moment ever. The one thing you never get sick of is the reaction you get. People that are watching us play it for the first time, that’s something that will never get old, because there’s always a new reaction from different people. I think when we we’re in America in November, one thing that’s going to live with us forever is seeing a whole bunch of people who have never seen us before dancing to our tracks. Is there added pressure to top that first hit, maybe not from the outside, but from yourselves? Forte: Yeah, we’ve heard from a few people that it might be a bit of pressure. But we’ve never, ever really been interested in

trying to top “In My Mind” or replicate it, because it is what it is. We’re always going to fail if we try to beat it. We’re going to try to release music that we’re happy with, that we like, that we would listen to as house music fans—and I think that’s where “In My Mind” came from. The day you try to start competing with one of your own tracks is the day you fail. Everyone will always try to compare everything we do to “In My Mind” and that’s OK, because we would rather have had a hit and everything after that be compared to it than have no hit and no one know who we are. When it comes to the territory, we’re just going to keep releasing music we’re happy with. If people like it, then that’s good; if they don’t, then that’s a shame. [Laughs.] Who or what in the Australian scene cemented your desire to make house music? Forte: I remember when I was DJing at the club Josh owned back in—it must have been

Since things are blowing up for you, have you considered relocating to the States, maybe room with fellow countrymen the Stafford Brothers and Tommy Trash in L.A.? Soon: Yeah, for sure. We talk to the Staffords and Tommy a bit. Next year, we definitely plan on being in the States a fair bit. Just gonna go househunting I guess. Will you guys start working on an artist album next? Soon: Not quite an album, but we’ve been compiling a whole bunch of music. We didn’t really want to rush anything after “In My Mind,” especially with the success that it had. We’ve done more tracks with Ivan Gough. We’ve done a track with Adrian Lux. We’ve got a couple more singles; the next one is coming up is called, “Universe.” So we’re just trying to build the repertoire, to get it out during in 2013 and hopefully have a big year, spend a lot of time touring the States and Europe.

For more with Feenixpawl on the Aussie scene, their smash Adele remix and hopeful collaboration with Stevie Nicks, visit VegasSeven.com/Feenixpawl.

nightlife

parties

ARTISAN

1501 W. Sahara Ave. [ Upcoming ]

VEGAS SEVEN

See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com

Photography by Teddy Fujimoto

November 8-14, 2012

Nov. 10 Mayeda and M!keAttack spin Nov. 11 Road to Artisan Open-Mic Night Nov. 12 Mood Comedy Dinner Show

nightlife

parties

Lily

Bellagio [ Upcoming ]

VEGAS SEVEN

See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com

Photography by Carl Larson and Tony Tran

November 8-14, 2012

Nov. 10 DJ Shaun O’Neale Nov. 14 Fashionista Social Club with Michael Kors Nov. 15 Taylor Barton Foundation fundraiser

nightlife

parties

PURE

Caesars Palace [ Upcoming ]

VEGAS SEVEN

See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com

Photography by Amit Dadlaney, Chad Carl, and Teddy Fujimoto

November 8-14, 2012

Nov. 10 Joey Mazzola spins on the Pure Terrace Nov. 13 Stache Bash with DJ Well Groomed Nov. 23 All Black Everything: Eric D-Lux’s birthday

NEW YEAR’ S EVE 2013

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dining

“What emerges from the futuristic-looking oven are wedges so brown and crisp you’d swear they had to have taken a fat bath.” Cooking With ... {paGe 64}

Reviews, Diner's Notebook, the Grape Nut and fall’s best spiced apple pie cocktail

Photo by Anthony Mair

Photo by TK

Javier’s serves up delicious eye candy, but can you live on that alone? By Max Jacobson

Resorts International—including TV’s chef Aaron Sanchez, who consults at House of Blues, and the Too Hot Tamales from Border Grill—I have to ask myself repeatedly, in Jay Leno’s words, “What the hell were they thinking?” Aria has an impressive collection of chefs and restaurants: Shawn McClain’s Sage, Julian Serrano and Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s eponymous spots, and Masa Takayama’s Bar Masa being a few. Javier’s, the

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61 VEGAS SEVEN

Unreasonably Expensive, Stunningly Mediocre

Gazing at the sweeping whitebrick Moorish archways and 3,000 pounds of chainsaw art, with panels depicting the Mayan creation story and figures in the style of El Dia de los Muertos (Mexico’s Day of the Dead), one cannot be less than impressed with Javier’s, the newest member of the restaurant family at Aria. If you stay to eat, though, you’ll likely leave with a very different impression. Here’s the rub: Given the roster of high-profile Mexican chefs working with MGM

November 8-14, 2012

Meat-stuffed rellenos de picadillos.

first Mexican restaurant to open here, simply doesn’t belong in that company. It is part of an Orange County, Calif., chain with a restaurant in Cabo Azul, Mexico, and the food is stunningly below average and absurdly overpriced. I understand the appeal of Javier’s in Newport Beach’s Crystal Cove. That location has a devoted clientele and serves as a social club for the notorious one percent who gather for margaritas and to flash their tans, BMWs and Rolexes. But Las Vegas is supposed to appeal to a broader spectrum, and paying $50 for carne asada—a tepid, tough steak paired with a stuffed chile and (admittedly delicious) refried black beans—will leave any discerning consumer shaking his head in disbelief. That’s not to say there is no upside. This is a Javier’s, in Aria completely beautiful place, from the black 590-7111. Open leather banquette seating daily 11:30 to the sequestered, cana.m.-midnight. dlelit booths and white Dinner for two, ropes framing the en$65-$140. trance. The staff is mostly bilingual; on both of my visits, I heard Spanish being spoken not only by the servers, but by many of the customers. Service is speedy, solicitous and efficient, performed by a team of handsome young men clad in smart white shirts with matching ties, sans vest or jacket. The salsa tomata trumps the bland house salsa that arrives with a warm basket of chips. And beware the pale yellow habanero salsa. It’s a killer. So are the prices. Paradoxically, the dish I liked best here was the least expensive, a plate of three crisp chicken taquitos for $10, drizzled with guacamole and sour cream. For chile rellenos fans, rellenos de picadillo (two chiles stuffed with ground beef instead of the usual cheese) are a good option. At $22, they are one of the least expensive main menu items. I

A trio of crisp chicken taquitos.

What’s new at Forte and Trevi, two new pop-ups and Lillet Rosé Has its day

Max’s menu picks Taquitos, $10. Rellenos de picadillo, $22. Camarones poblanos, $40. Pescado a la Veracruzana, market price.

liked the dish, but my wife thought the filling tasted like Hamburger Helper. Just sayin’. Appetizers can be ceviches, (marinated seafood such as fish, shrimp or octopus). For $2 extra, the ceviche trio combines all three. The dish needed more lime juice, or at least another component to add more flavor. But it wasn’t bad.

Queso fundido, a melted cheese dip, however, had an almost undetectable amount of chorizo and was greasy to the point of being inedible, while salpicon, a salad of cabbage and shredded beef, had no taste whatsoever. The chipotle, garlic and avocado—ordinary components of a traditional salpicon—had apparently gone missing. There are a few bright spots. Camarones poblanos (huge, fresh Mexican prawns in a creamy pasilla chile sauce) are excellent, and pescado al a Veracruzana (in this case, a nice chunk of halibut with tomato, onion and olives) would have been great if the kitchen hadn’t been so stingy with the sauce. Pass on the gummy flan for dessert. In fact, pass altogether.

[ The Grape Nut ]

November 8-14, 2012

‘Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!’

VEGAS SEVEN

Beaujolais Nouveau—that fruity, weeks-young gamay wine released at 12:01 a.m. on the third Thursday of November (#NouveauDay), just weeks after the harvest—will be celebrated in style when it arrives Nov. 15. That night, Marché Bacchus will offer a three-course prix-fixe dinner of traditional French dishes and a glass of Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau ($40, 804-8008). Or, make the love last at Mon Ami Gabi in Paris Las Vegas (944-4224), where from Nov. 15-21 diners can enjoy specials created to pair beautifully with Beaujolais Nouveau, such as boudin blanc with warm red cabbage-apple slaw and celery seed aioli and briny oysters du jour with a Beaujolais mignonette. For home enjoyment, look for big displays in your local liquor or wine stores bearing names such as Georges DuBoeuf and Joseph Drouhin for downing right away (anywhere from $10-$20), or let them rest two or three weeks. Then, think Thanksgiving, and serve slightly chilled. Or, if you prefer your gamay with a little age on it, Cru Beaujolais will be celebrated Nov. 13-17 at Tender in Luxor with a three-course dinner ($79, 262-4852), featuring pumpkin ravioli, surf and turf and a dessert trio paired with a half-bottle of 2009 Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages and “Beau LaLa,” a cocktail of Beaujolais, Hennessy and St-Germain. –Xania Woodman

Nina Manchev’s Bulgarian/Spanish tapas bar never ceases to amaze. Forte (4180 S. Rainbow Blvd., 220-3876) has long been one of the most original, innovative restaurants in town, and now the gracious Ms. Manchev is doing a spate of new dishes. Items added to the menu include grass-fed veal osso buco with Bomba rice risotto representing Spain, and roasted lamb shank with Greek-style potatoes, carrots and Kalamata olives from Bulgaria. From now until the end of the year, Manchev is also serving a separate menu of authentic, homey Bulgarian dishes. Meanwhile, Trevi, an Italian restaurant in the Forum Shops at Caesars, is offering a few new selections to usher in the fall. Chef Peter Scaturro has created a polpetta di pollo soup, made with delicate, tiny, chicken meatballs, and salmon piccata, accompanied by grilled vegetables and Po Valley black rice. Check out the full menu at Trevi-Italian.com. I don’t know about you, but I’m heading downtown to eat some ’cue. Big Ern’s is the new kid on the block, an outdoor smoker on Seventh Street, open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tue-Fri between the busy blocks of Carson Avenue and East Fremont Street. Meats such as pulled pork and brisket are slow-smoked in a drum. I hear the hot-link sandwich, slaw and baked beans are all excellent. In 2013 the stand will get a permanent home in the Downtown Project’s nearby shipping container project. If you read this online in the wee hours Nov. 7, or in the morning Nov. 8, there might be time to secure tickets to Bread & Butter for Cutthroat Culinary’s six-course pop-up dinner Nov. 8, an event run by chefs Christian Dolias and Grady Parker. Courses include sea bass with fennel and olive tapenade and foie-gras tiramisu. These boys are talented. Bring your own wine or beer for no extra fee. Details at CulinaryCutthroat.com/events. Finally, I’ve always been a fan of Lillet, a French aperitif of mysterious provenance. It’s so rarely ordered these days that I’d forgotten all about it. The Lillet Blanc was always more popular than the Rouge, but the latter is the one I favored. But Lillet endures, and now the company has introducing Lillet Rosé, a blend of red and white varietals. You’ll be able to taste all three 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 10 at Eiffel Tower Restaurant, as well as enjoy the cuisine of owner Jean Joho as interpreted through the talents of his chef de cuisine, the talented Joung Sohn. Beef Wellington, anyone? For reservations or more information, call 948-6937 or visit EiffelTowerRestaurant.com. Hungry, yet? Follow Max Jacobson’s latest epicurean observations, reviews and tips at VegasSeven.com/blogs.

Javier’s photo by Anthony Mair

Dining

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Dining

cooking with ... 3 Potato 4's Morgen Van Buren (below, right with Johnny Berry) has a way with organic tubers.

Organic French Fries With Chipotle Mayo Makes 2-3 servings 2 large, organic baking potatoes (preferably russets or red-skins), cut into strips. (For big crunch, soak them in apple juice for at least 30 minutes.) 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon olive oil N teaspoon sea salt or your favorite flavored salt. (3 Potato 4 uses an alder smoked sea salt, available at the Downtown 3rd Farmers Market.) N teaspoon fine black pepper N teaspoon garlic powder N teaspoon paprika (Are you adventurous? Try tamarind.) Heat oven to 450 degrees. Rub a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss evenly to coat the potatoes; then, drizzle with a little more olive oil and toss once more. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Spoon chipotle mayo (1 cup of mayonaise or Veganaise, 2 ounces of Smoked Chipotle Tabasco and 1 ounce of finely ground black pepper) in a dish for dipping, or dollop directly on top. For an extra treat, Van Buren sprinkles the top with vegetarian Bac-O-Bits, which, he says, “adds crunch and blows your head off!”

VEGAS SEVEN

Organic spuds, a space-age oven and some bygone-era marketing help this consultant-turnedrestaurateur churn out french fries you can feel good about By Jen Chase

➧ Potatoes are the near-perfect veggie, lacking sodium, cholesterol and fat, and for their mega doses of potassium and vitamin C (nearly half of our day’s needs in a single medium spud!). Yet for all that healthy good news, potatoes get a bad rap for the treacherous—er, delicious toppings we slather on them: butter, bacon, cheese, sour cream ... and that’s not even counting the french-fried variety. Not so if Morgen Van Buren is making them. Van Buren owns 3 Potato 4 (3P4shop.com), an artisanal french fry stand in a bright corner of the Downtown 3rd Farmers Market, where each Friday his is the place for market visitors and vendors to grab a paper cone of freshly baked fries and handmade sauces and call it “lunch”—a healthy one at that.

“That cone in your hand?” he says, pointing to a small order (they come in a large, too). “That’s about 110 calories and no fat.” No fat?! No kidding. Fries from 3 Potato 4 are baked in what he calls “our ridiculously expensive machine” with zero oil. What emerges from the futuristic-looking oven are wedges so brown and crisp you’d swear they had to have taken a fat bath. Van Buren attributes the deep potato flavor to four things: a pre-bake blanch in apple juice; a romp in a blend of 3 Potato 4 spices; the oven’s high temperature; and organic potatoes, always. And then there are the sauces. Roasted pineapple-habenero barbecue, peanut satay and others are gluten-free, vegetarian

Beer Pairings “Though we tout a gluten-free and organic product, and we do not use oil, I tend to stick with the beers that may contain wheat [but] have more of a bang for the buck,” Van Buren says. He suggests a Belgian ale with any of 3 Potato 4’s fries, especially a light-but-brisk Duvel Belgian strong blonde ale with the roasted garlic pepper sauce. Come winter, the stand will introduce sweeter spuds: Think sweet potato fries with cane sugar and a light dust of habanero powder, or baked fries with green apple and caramel. Van Buren says both would be great with currant or raspberry lambic beers.

Photography by Jorge Novoa

November 8-14, 2012

Morgen Van Buren

or vegan, and handmade by Van Buren every Friday before the market opens. Van Buren co-owns 3 Potato 4 with his sister, Guenevere Blanchard, who runs a second location in her town of Salem, Mass. Although Las Vegas’ local outpost is only open during the farmers market hours, 3 Potato 4 has been invited to participate in First Fridays. Van Buren is actively looking for a permanent brick-and-mortar home for this little company with an outer-space feel. “The shtick is very 1950s, and we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” says Van Buren, whose 15 years in marketing and creative consulting helped him craft his company’s good-ol’-days vibe. “We provide good food, good sauces and a good time.” So, do french fries by any other cooking method taste as sweet? Clearly. Here, Van Buren shares suggestions for 3 Potato 4-quality baked, organic fries at home, a quick-and-tasty sauce and how best to wash it all down. “Salad, no fries” might be an order of the past.

Dining

Oxtail Fried Rice, Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill Fried rice is often an afterthought at many Asian restaurants, but Blue Ribbon’s version is usually one of the first things ordered by those in the know. One of the Japanese-influenced restaurant signature dishes, it’s not only studded with bits of oxtail, shiitake mushrooms and daikon radish, it’s topped with a bone marrowfilled crepe. Who says fried rice has to be boring? $26.50, in the Cosmopolitan, 736-0808.

Pizza Diavola, Roma Garden Pizzas here are cooked in a woodfired oven, and have a bit of cornmeal on their bottom for crispness. The diavola isn’t shy in size or flavor: It comes topped with spicy Italian salami, crushed red pepper and roasted peppers—enough for at least a family of four as a starter, and two as an entrée. $12, Roma Garden, 5715 S. Pecos Road, 873-1348, RomaGardenLasVegas.com.

Pumpkin Flan, Tacos & Tequila It must be autumn: pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere, from our lattes to our cocktails to our desserts. Tacos & Tequila goes beyond pump-

Club Sandwich, Ranch House Kitchen The club sandwich may be the most difficult thing to make in a kitchen because of the intricate construction. There’s the matter of keeping three slices of Texas toast evenly spaced apart with layers of turkey, applewoodsmoked bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato— with some chipotle mayo thrown in for good measure— and then driving the toothpicks in straight to keep the towering sandwich upright. Ranch House Kitchen seems to have it down pat. $10, at Town Square, 7496400, RanchHouseKitchen.com.

Free Pizza! (for Veterans) Nothing says freedom like free, which is exactly how California Pizza Kitchen is thanking those who have served in the U.S. military for Veterans Day. Veterans and active military in uniform—with military ID or proof of service—are welcome to dine in at any CPK for any pizza, such as the signature barbecue chicken, Thai chicken or California Club, and one non-alcoholic beverage from the menu. Nov. 11-12, various locations, CPK.com.

Got a favorite dish? Tell us at comments@vegasseven.com.

November 8-14, 2012

Compiled by Grace Bascos

kin pie with chef Saul Ortiz’ pumpkin flan. The creamy, jiggly, orange-hued custard has the great earthiness of the season’s favorite gourd, and is drizzled with cateja and tequila caramel sauce. $7, in Luxor, 262-5225.

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dishing

dining

drinking [ scene stirs ]

LV Distillery Expands, a drink of my own, and Rí Rá’s rarities The Spiced Apple Pie As served at the Sugar Factory in Paris Las Vegas, $16 In a cocktail shaker, combine 1½ ounces Stoli Applik Gala vodka, ¾ ounce Schoenauer apple schnapps, 2 ounces apple juice, 1 ounce fresh sweet and sour, 1 ounce rock candy syrup, ¼ ounce egg white and 3 dashes of cinnamon. Cover and dry-shake (no ice) to create a foamy, meringue-like head. Strain over ice into a highball glass, garnish with an apple slice and top with a dash of cinnamon.

• The portfolio is expanding at Las Vegas Distillery, which is now producing whiskey, gin, rum and moonshine in addition to its history-making Nevada Vodka. Pick up limited-edition bottles of those—as well as T-shirts, used barrels and the entire distillery line—at the new Half Full artisan store open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily next to the distillery. Also, mark your calendar for First Edition Day at the distillery, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Nov. 17, when you can bottle your own spirits, taste the portfolio, help with barreling and enjoy free cocktails. The event is free! LasVegasDistillery.com. • Wanna make someone’s day? Name a cocktail after them. Or, even better, create a cocktail with them in mind. RM Seafood lead barman J.R. Starkus did just that when he channeled a number of my favorite flavors into the Woodman’s Reserve, a mixture of Ketel One Oranje, Carpano Antica Formula vermouth, house-made Guinness syrup and cardamom tincture, fresh lemon and Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate bitters. The cocktail debuted Nov. 1 at the Mandalay Bay restaurant, and will remain, I’m told, for some time. Thanks, man!

VEGAS SEVEN

Palm fronds don’t turn. They don’t deliver the brilliant riot of fall colors many of Las Vegas’ transplants and tourists have experienced in autumns past, the ones that signal the careful raking—and subsequent, exuberant annihilation—of leaf piles, followed by coming home chilled to the bone for a mug of hot cider or a warm slice of pie, fresh from the oven. Nope, palm fronds don’t turn. Here, it’s up to each of us to create our own fall experiences: pumpkin patches, scarves and the flavors of the season go a long way toward carving autumn out of the all-too-brief hiatus between summers. At the Sugar Factory, bar manager Greg Waters and bartender Dave Frances have just the thing, a cocktail inspired by childhood memories of the ooey-gooey, tart and sweet cinnamon-spiced apple pie Grandma used to make for all the fall holidays. It’s served cold, so maybe deck the date palm and take an exuberant plunge into the hot tub.

• Hooray for Rí Rá! The Mandalay Place Irish pub has compiled a killer whiskey list with 1½-ounce pours starting at $9 for the John Powers 12 Year and $11 for the Knockeen Hills Poteen (Irish moonshine) and going all the way up to the Glenfiddich 40 Year, which will set you back $650. Between those extremes, the list includes rarities, such as the 99-point Dalmore 1974 ($350, a spicy stunner aged in both Matusalem and Oloroso sherry casks); Buffalo Trace’s Eagle Rare 17 Year ($20); and the Isle of Jura 1976 “Feith A’ Chaorainn” ($175, pictured), named Best of Show at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The highlandstyle island Scotch is utterly unique, tasting subtly of the ocean air that is so close to the distillery on the tiny Isle of Jura. RiRa.com.

Cocktail photo by Anthony Mair

November 8-14, 2012

Falling for You

• There’s lots to love on Vanguard Lounge’s new menu, especially if you love the flavors of fall. The 13 new cocktails include the Smashing Pumpkins (Absolut Vanilia, St-Germain, pumpkin puree, fresh lemon and orange bitters); the Honeybear (house-infused apple brandy, Aperol, green Chartreuse and Bärenjäger); and the addictive beertail, Falling for a Bulleit (Bulleit bourbon, maple syrup, egg white lemon bitters and pumpkin ale). Hurry, before it’s time to nog out with the winter menu. VanguardLV.com.

A&E

Musiq Soulchild has a baby-making voice that causes ladies to swoon and record labels to see dollar signs. But it’s his ability to strike an emotional and commercial chord that sets Soulchild apart from the neo-soul pack. Music {PAGE 74}

Music, movies, books, concerts and the new Blue Man show

Big Monster If you think you know David Schmoeller as a low-budget horror film director, think again

Eventually there will be a point, but the story’s so good, it doesn’t matter when. If you think you know Schmoeller, it’s time to think again. Tourist Trap (1979) and Puppetmaster (1989), his best-known movies, evoke a quirky brilliance that’s been burnished by maturity in his recent work. Having written more than 20 films and directed nearly as many since the early 1970s, Schmoeller has passed multiple milestones in

his career, the latest a lifetime achievement award at the Fantaspoa International Film Festival in Porto Alegre, Brazil. There, a screening of his major works included his 2012 feature film, Little Monsters. Shot entirely in Las Vegas (although the story takes place in Los Angeles as well), the film is a departure in several ways. It’s not a genre film, like the bulk of Schmoeller’s body of work, and it was done with a $15,000 budget. Compare that with the $350,000

it took to make Tourist Trap in 1978. How did he pull it off, and what does it mean—to the colleagues and students with whom he worked, to the film community in Las Vegas, and about the future of independent cinema? You were raised in Texas, studied in Mexico and lived for nearly 30 years in L.A. before moving to Las Vegas in 2001. Does the western U.S. influence your work? It dictates so much of the

subject matter that it’s very difficult to—I mean, the last two feature films I did here, I could not get made in Hollywood. Why? Hollywood is really closed now, in terms of, it’s so expensive to make a movie and so expensive to release a movie. … Whereas Sundance used to be truly independent films, it’s now a subsidiary of the Hol-

[ Continued on Page 70 ]

November 8-14, 2012

David Schmoeller’s soft, circular speech halts, suspended in the sunny air of his paper-piled fourth-floor office in the Flora Dungan Humanities Building at UNLV. Like the narratives in his films, the associate professor’s recollection is more philosophically bound than detail-oriented. The facts kick back in overstuffed couches of imagination. The 64-year-old stops stroking his gray beard and continues the current digression, ending the suspense.

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Photo by Andrew James

By Heidi Kyser

A&E

[ Continued from Page 69 ]

film

lywood machine. If you look at the films, almost all have major stars.

difficult. We had a national distribution for Thor at the Bus Stop, but it just didn’t click. That’s because you’re competing with major studios.

How does Las Vegas fit into the trilogy of cities, with Singapore and Paris in your 2008 short, Wedding Day? I teach the master directing class here, and one of the components of that is that I direct a short film, and the students work with me on it. The semester I was teaching that class, I was going to be in Paris for an event, and also, later, a visiting professor for a few weeks in Singapore. I was going to be in these three cities, so I said, “Well, how about if I do a wedding story in each city?” You’re also the archivist for the short-film collection here. What’s your connection to short film? I started in shorts. In film school that’s always what you start with. As a professor, it’s hard to do a feature. Coming from Hollywood, making feature films, even though they were very low budget, they still cost millions of dollars. The last two films I did here—Thor at the Bus Stop (2009), which I produced [with May May Luong], and Little Monsters, which I wrote and directed—I self-financed for a really small sum, about 30 times less than Tourist Trap. How did you make that work? Well, I’m not paying anybody. I’m not paying cast, not paying crew. We’re just feeding people, paying insurance and permits. Why are people willing to work for free?

Does it have anything to do with consumer habits changing, the emergence of video-on-demand and mobile viewing? Yes. It’s actually where everything is going, and Hollywood is shifting to just streaming. The problem with it is, the economic revenue is not there yet. The industry has already changed so much in ways we’re not really aware of, and Hollywood keeps being shocked at how fast it’s happening. Schmoeller (center) at work on Little Monsters.

They wanted the experience of working on a feature film. … These are mostly young people. We did both of them over just a few months, working during summer break or on weekends. Sometimes people would get jobs, and I’d have to replace them—crew members, not cast; we’d have to work around actors’ schedules. So, they get experience. What did you get? When I came to UNLV, I sort of gave up on the idea of making any feature films, and I was OK with that. That’s why I made shorts. But when I did Thor, which we did during the summer, I realized that you can make a film for $15,000, so I wanted to do one myself. I’m really glad I made it, because now I want to make another one. Did you ever have a day

[ Film Review ]

November 8-14, 2012

Little Pleasures

VEGAS SEVEN

Watching Little Monsters is satisfying in the same way as trying an out-of-the-way ethnic restaurant and finding good food, warm atmosphere and excellent service. Writerdirector David Schmoeller isn’t dishing up anything too risky story-wise, but it’s solid fare, well told and gorgeously presented. The film follows James Landers and Carl Withers, who kidnapped and killed toddler David McClendon when they were 10 (inspired, only up to here, by the murder of James Bulger in the U.K. in 1993). The boys are 18 now, and being released from two separate prisons, given new identities and placed in the protective custody of foster

where you thought, “Ugh! Amateurs …” No. The movie is pretty good. The acting is good, the cinematography is good, and the editing is very good. Was I an amateur when I did Tourist Trap? Yeah, I guess I was. That was my first movie, yet it’s my most well-known. So, even though a lot of cast and crew were doing their first feature, they’d all done a lot of work. It was a professional production. It kind of proves there’s enough talent in Las Vegas to support a local independent film industry. Mike and Jerry [Thompson, writer-directors of Thor] grew up here, so they had enormous resources. They’re also very good filmmakers. People really wanted to work with them. There are a lot of really good actors here. You just have to

families, one in Los Angeles, the other in Las Vegas. They’re forced to hide their past and are strictly forbidden to contact their real families or each other. This provides the narrative tension, since everyone—from tabloid journalists to a bounty hunter— wants to know where they are. That tension, however, pales in comparison to the unrelenting, minute-byminute suspense of Landers and Withers themselves coping with freedom, justice and truth. They embody two different ways of looking at these virtues, two divergent public views of their crime and punishment, and in the end they’re forced to do battle not with their pursuers, but with each other. Schmoeller’s superb craftsmanship is best illustrated in the scene where Withers finds his mother. Through a gut-wrench-

figure out how to get them. … I don’t know that it’s an industry yet, because I don’t know that it’s making any money, but there certainly is an artistic filmmaking community. A number of feature films have been made here. A lot of our students stay. They form their own production companies, and they do pretty well. How well? There are dozens of feature films from here that are out in the world in different forms, playing at film festivals. Most of them are either financed through Kickstarter or they’re no-budget movies, but they’re getting made. Now there’s this glut of movies, not just here but everywhere; the trick is, how do you get them seen? How do you get them seen? I’m learning that. It’s very

ing, practically silent game of Russian roulette, the storyteller both reveals the murderer’s tortured childhood and punctuates the omnipresent question, “Who’s the real monster here?” Perhaps most satisfying to local audiences will be the cinematography of Craig Boydston, who captures the wild reds and golds of the Mojave Desert while avoiding predictable, road-trip movie scenery. Schmoeller also shows his closeness to the city’s pathos in his site selection, using places such as a foreclosed-upon home. The only disappointment may be the film’s

What does it feel like to get a lifetime achievement award? Even though I’ve made all kinds of films, not just horror or genre films, there is a real stigma to those when you make them. The horror film is the stepchild of the film industry. That’s starting to change. Just this year, Tourist Trap was included in the book Studies in Terror: Landmarks of Horror Cinema (Signum, $26). When I went to Brazil, there were all these young people in their early 20s, who have seen all my movies. They brought posters and DVDs and VHSs for me to sign, and they’re all in Portuguese. It was like, “How did these young people find out about these movies that are 35 years old?” Recommend a horror film for me, one that I probably haven’t seen. The Julie Christie-Donald Sutherland film Don’t Look Now (1973). It’s a classic horror film, one of the best ever.

final moment, when the script steps out of third person for a creepy, direct characterto-viewer moment. It’s an awkwardly blunt end to a mysterious mood. This stumble doesn’t matter much, though. By then, the tale is devoured, the check paid and the server tipped, with gratitude for a delectable surprise. ★★★✩✩ – H.K. Schmoeller is in the beginning stages of securing wide distribution for Little Monsters. The film will be available on DVD and video on demand (VOD) early next year. Go to DavidSchmoeller. com to sign up for the releasedate notify list or visit Facebook. com/littlemonstersthemovie for more information.

reading [ Book Jacket ]

Look back to the future with classic sci-fi By M. Scott Krause Is it possible that one of my favorite books of 2012 is actually a two-volume anthology of classic science fiction novels from the 1950s, compiled by sci-fi scholar Gary K. Wolfe? In the case of American Science Fiction: Four Classic Novels 1953–1956 (Library of America, $35) and American Science Fiction: Five Classic Novels 1956–1958 (Library of America, $35), the answer is yes. Both books are available separately, or in a handsome slipcase for $70. The nine novels Wolfe selected represent some of the very best speculative fiction the era produced, although there are some surprises. Readers won’t find anything by Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury or British-born science-fiction master Arthur C. Clarke, but they aren’t exactly missed. What is here is superb—essential reading from Alfred Bester, Robert Heinlein, James Blish, Theodore Sturgeon, Richard Matheson and others. The first volume contains four groundbreaking novels: The Space Merchants (1953), written by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth, takes place in an overpopulated future where big corporations have taken over the government and advertising has become the highest-paying profession. This oddly prophetic satirical novel is filled with sly plot twists. Sturgeon’s More than Human (1953) is an ambitious novel in three parts, involving a telepath named Lone, a telekinetic 8-year-old and twins, Bobbie and Beanie, who can teleport. The results are powerful, and Sturgeon’s poetic prose shines. Fans will also swoon over Leigh Brackett’s The Long

Tomorrow (1955) and Richard Matheson’s The Shrinking Man (1956). The second volume is even stronger, thanks to the inclusion of Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination (1956), an interstellar spin on The Count of Monte Cristo. Gully Foyle vows revenge on the Vorga after the spaceship refuses to rescue him. In time, Foyle amasses a huge fortune, a tattooed face and the ability to teleport anywhere he chooses. In Robert Heinlein’s Double Star (1956), an outof-work actor assumes the identity of an ailing politician and is forced to continue the deception for an upcoming election. A Case of Conscience (1959) by James Blish concerns a Jesuit priest grappling with an alien race’s lack of religion. Fritz Leiber’s The Big Time (1957) and Algis Budrys’ Who? (1958) are equally essential reading. Library of America has also created an online companion for the books, with introductions to each novel (from fans such as Neil Gaiman, William Gibson and Connie Willis); a portfolio of original cover art; essays on science fiction; and assorted audio and video treasures. While none of these writers accurately predicted our future, their insights about human nature are worth revisiting. ★★★★★ Keep warm with “Book Jacket,” our coldweather reading series by M. Scott Krause.

November 8-14, 2012

[ librarian loves ]

VEGAS SEVEN

Selected by Jeanne Goodrich, executive director for the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District. Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol (Gotham, 2009) by Iain Gately is a veritable jeroboam of cultural and social history related to humankind’s use and abuse of alcohol and all the ingredients (including slaves) required for its production and distribution. A type of beer was made as far back as 8000 B.C., with wine-making soon following. Distillation of alcohol began in the 16th century. Alcohol in its various forms was a substantial driver of trade and traders (many cultures believed political and business deals should only be made when the participants were drunk). A fascinating read for hipster cocktail aficionados, teetotalers and all in between.

A&E

music

Whiskey snorts, snuff films, phallus mods

The Art of Compromise Soul singer Musiq Soulchild balances integrity and commerce

November 8-14, 2012

By Jarret Keene

VEGAS SEVEN

Philly-born R&B artist Taalib Johnson, a.k.a. Musiq Soulchild, has a baby-making voice that causes ladies to swoon and record labels to see dollar signs. But it’s his ability to strike an emotional and commercial chord that sets Soulchild apart from the neo-soul pack. Well, that and his insistence on mixing things up arrangement-wise. Take, for instance, his 2002 single “Halfcrazy,” from second album Juslisen, with its elegant nylon-string guitar played almost flamencostyle. It provides the perfect sonic texture for a pulsing, romantic slow jam about a guy going nuts over a girl. Or consider stripped-down “Radio,” a single from fifth album OnMyRadio, a synth-and-beats hiphop track in which Soulchild gently scolds a young lady for touching, not simply turning up, his dashboard stereo. For all the variety, Soulchild sticks close to his Philadelphia-music roots. You hear the soulful, intense, passionate sound of the city in every note—even when, at times, his music dips into ultra-commercial, Walmart-promo-ready territory, as on the too-smooth “Yes” from his most recent disc, 2011’s MusiqInTheMagiq.

“When you live in a city with such sound and musical history, it consistently shapes and molds your perspective on music,” says Soulchild, 35, who resides in the Atlanta area. “I appreciate it now more than ever, because I use Philadelphia as a reference point across the world. Philly was my first experience with music and gave me a different, deeply emotional take on things.” Emotional doesn’t mean uncalculated. Soulchild doesn’t write and produce every song he records, but he’s involved in the process—either during a song’s inception or more often on the back end. “I always try to add the Musiq element,” he says. “A song needs to have a large piece of who I am. I play a very heavy role in what you get from me, start to finish.” Platinum-selling, multiple Grammy-nominated Soulchild acknowledges a record label’s motivator is money. Businesspeople approach with lists of priorities. They leverage an artist’s creativity, integrity. “Creativity rarely leverages money, though” he says. “It’s frustrating to appease labels, because then music doesn’t feel like a

joint venture. Truth is, they’re the ones funding a project, providing the resources. They can say ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ or leave it on a shelf to collect dust. It’s a balancing act. You compromise your notion of being an artist and do your best to achieve greatness.” Sometimes greatness means giving fans different live arrangements of his songs. When you see Musiq this week, don’t expect exact recreations of his many hits. “It throws people,” he says. “They come up later: ‘Why not sing it like the record?’” Soulchild says he’ll patiently explain to anyone with a complaint that he’s in a different space. He’s a different person now than he was years ago and wants to give fans a representation of who he is today. No song will be unrecognizable, of course. “You should be willing to grow with me,” he says. “You can go home and listen to the CD. Meanwhile, let’s have this experience and be open to happy surprises.” Musiq Soulchild at Dallas Events Center in Texas Station, 8 p.m. Nov. 9, $26-$56, 800-745-3000, TexasStation.sclv.com.

Mark my words. There will be a time soon when late-’70s-style, guitar-slinging, shaggy-haired hard-rock nostalgia will sweep across the land and inspire young musicians to play good old-fashioned, hard-and-heavy boogie-rock. Hopefully this time without a creepy, chest-baring polyester vest. Future six-string gods would do well to attend a set by singer/guitarist Pat Travers at the Railhead in Boulder Station at 8 p.m. Nov. 8. The Canadian is famous in rock circles for searing yet strutting fretboard runs, especially on cuts such as the Stan Lewis-penned “Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)” and Travers’ own “Hooked on Music.” Interestingly, he’s also an accomplished keyboard player, to which the song “Crash and Burn” attests. This guy’s the complete musical package, and he always boasts a crackerjack band. So if you miss the days of classic, gritty, bluesy rock, before polished MTV-approved arena-glam eclipsed it, this flashback will have you, as the Travers tune goes, “Snortin’ Whiskey (and Drinkin’ Cocaine).” I can’t think of anything that stands in starker contrast than L.A. dark-pop band 8mm. The band is set to screen at Las Vegas Country Saloon at 9 p.m. Nov. 9. Lots of trip-hop components are often included here, especially on deliciously atmospheric “Give It Up,” which sounds like a Julie London-like femme fatale fronting Garbage. 8mm has a couple of EPs and full-lengths under their belt. The most recent (Kickstarter-funded) album, Between the Devil and Two Black Hearts, brings in a new swath of gothic-country stylings. Dueting wife-husband singers Juliette and Sean Beavan know how to be downbeat yet strikingly melodic. Which ain’t easy, especially while keeping an audience’s attention. Fans of Nine Inch Nails and The Civil Wars should fathom and fawn over this. Finally, the crème de la, um, cock? Allow me the bestial pleasure of introducing Vegas Seven readers to our city’s finest one-manand-a-MacBook goregrind project Phalloplasty. (Whatever you do, don’t Google-image search the band name, which is an honest-to-God surgical procedure.) It would be more beneficial to your eyes, but perhaps not your ears, to endure the terrifying noise unleashed by Zack Shaw. This young man slashes eardrums with (mercifully short) unforgiving death-metal opuses “Bound and Beaten,” “Drill Bit Lobotomy (The Dahmer Song)” and “Butchered for Substance.” So if you’re into disturbing music, you can brave Yayo Taco at 7 p.m. Nov. 10. I’m only going to this show so I can purchase a Phalloplasty T-shirt and wear it to PTA meetings. Also on the bill are bands with equally deranged names: Logistic Slaughter, Parasitic Ejaculation, Antikythera, Decimatus and Dead Reckoning. Does your band name make people vomit? E-mail jarret_keene@yahoo.com.

music

CD REVIEWS By Deanna Rilling

Electro House

Dada Life, The Rules of Dada (So Much Dada) When this duo’s follow-up to Just Do the Dada dropped, legions of banana suit-wearing fans were already familiar with singles “Kick Out the Epic Motherfucker,” “Happy Violence,” “Rolling Stones T-Shirt” and “Feed the Dada.” The music and antics of Dada Life are not to be taken seriously—and neither is this album. The Rules of Dada is a collection of upbeat party tracks with staccato vocals and pro-drinking anthems perfectly crafted for bouncing around as bottle rats take off their stilettos and dance barefoot on banquettes in the club under champagne showers. ★★✩✩✩

What We’re Buying

Electro House

Zedd, Clarity (Interscope Records)

3. Meek Mill, Dreams and Nightmares 4. All Time Low, Don’t Panic 5. Parkway Drive, Atlas 6. Black Country Communion, Afterglow 7. The Cradle of Filth, The Manticore & Other Horrors 8. Kamelot, Silverthorn 9. Mumford & Sons, Babel 10. Neurosis, Honor Found In Decay According to sales at Zia Record Exchange on 4225 S. Eastern Ave., Oct. 29-Nov. 5.

Progressive House

Max Vangeli & AN21, People of the Night (Size Records) If you’re bummed about the Swedish House Mafia breakup, check out the debut LP from AN21 (a.k.a. Steve Angello’s brother) and Max Vangeli. The title track, featuring Tiësto and Lover Lover, doesn’t kick off well, mainly due to a maddening 90 seconds of the same vocal snippet. The duo redeems itself with a delicate acoustic guitar breakdown. Ultimately, it’s an album dominated by formulaic big builds and drops, plus lots of synths. The exception is a smooth departure on “Shades,” proving the duo is at least capable of deeper, subtle nuances. ★★✩✩✩

UPCOMING RELEASES

Upcoming albums on Deanna’s radar … NOV. 13: This date is like musical Christmas! Oh wait, I get it, in case people still buy albums as presents, this is a prime release date for new ones. First up (and don’t laugh), I’m curious to see what Christina Aguilera comes up with for Lotus, ’cause no matter what, that girl still can sing. The Deftones also drop Koi No Yokan and the second album in Green Day’s trilogy, appropriately titled ¡Dos!, is out, as well. But wait, there’s more! Soundgarden is back with King Animal. And for those Dada Life fans rocking out to the song “Rolling Stones T-Shirt” on the album reviewed above, get familiar with the actual band to which the logo belongs when the Rolling Stones release a greatest-hits album (don’t they already have a few of those?) titled GRRR!

November 8-14, 2012

2. Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Psychedelic Pill

Zedd’s debut album opens with a soft warmup on “Hourglass” then flows into wisely placed percussive elements instead of the typical EDM assault. The layers of complexity on “Shave It Up” are reminiscent of early Wolfgang Gartner. Clarity takes a turn into 2012’s typical dance-y, cheese-y vocals cul-de-sac, with Ellie Goulding and Lucky Date on “Fall Into the Sky.” There’s a breakout with “Codec” where Zedd shines, and then he ties it all back together with “Epos,” creating that now-rare full album experience. ★★★✩✩

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1. Kendrick Lamar, Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City

a&e

concerts

Be prepared to take a nap before heading to the Appetite for Democracy three-week residency (ending Nov. 24). The show didn’t start until just before midnight, and rocked

Appetite features the band’s current lineup, which should perhaps be called Hired Guns N’ Roses, as Rose is the only original member. Three respected guitarists all performed solos; lead guitarist DJ Ashba’s was the standout. But none could take the place of original members Slash and Izzy Stradlin (why three guitarists now, anyway?).

From the “Chinese Democracy” opener to the confetti-covered “Paradise City” encore, Rose sang his ass off. and the band didn’t disappoint with hit after hit. Dizzy Reed, GNR’s longtime keyboard player, jammed on an instrumental version of Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter.” Rose performed “November Rain” on a levitating

Barbra Streisand November 8-14, 2012

MGM Grand Garden Arena, Nov. 2

VEGAS SEVEN

A true music fan’s bucket list only needs two items: See Babs perform in the flesh and get your tits autographed by Lemmy from Motörhead. I checked off the former over the weekend, surrounded by aging, Broadwayloving, mostly liberal Las Vegans. They came out strong for (a noticeably teleprompter-assisted) Funny Girl and were rewarded with an outstanding show. Bringing her Back to Brooklyn tour to a venue she christened in 1993, Streisand, 70, dazzled. Her vast orchestra kicked off with instrumental versions of “You’ll Never Know” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” as images of Babs growing up in Brooklyn shuffled on giant screens. She walked out, radiant and shiksa-blond, wearing a black two-piece top over a sequined gown and stunned with a shiningly rendered “On a Clear Day.” It was followed by “That Face” and a Rodgers & Hart-penned staple no one else should sing again, “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.”

piano above the crowd, and the band took turns running up and down the side stages that extended well above the first 10 rows. I only wished they’d turned it up a bit. I woke up the next day and my ears weren’t ringing like they used to back in the day when I saw the original lineup. ★★★★✩ – Jack Hallows

Stage banter bordered on Obama worship during a Q&A session. (The audience had been invited to drop questions into a box on the way in.) “Do I prefer reality TV or fantasy shows? Fantasy. Like Fox News.” Har! Politics aside, music was central and littered with stars and family. Opera-pop ensemble Il Vilo joined her on “Smile.” Chris Botti tooted his trumpet on “Emmanuel.” She honored composer Marvin Hamlisch, who died in August, by singing two of his tunes, the best songs she ever did, “The Way We Were” from the movie of the same name, and “Through the Eyes of Love” from Ice Castles. After a 25-minute intermission, Streisand finally rose from beneath the stage in a caped, empire-waisted red gown to singe hearts with “My Man.” Then she did two of her originals—“Lost Inside of You” and “Evergreen” (from A Star Is Born). Her son, Jason, arrived to duet “How Deep Is the Ocean.” Her sister, Roslyn, encore-duetted “Happy Days Are Here Again.” And we all left the Garden with our proverbial buckets filled after experiencing a legend. ★★★★✩ – Jarret Keene

Eddie Vedder photo by David Becker; Dirty Hooks photo by Joseph Connell

The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, Nov. 2

through three hours of musical nostalgia. Aside from Axl Rose’s typical obnoxiously late start (some impatient fans were demanding refunds by 11 p.m.), the set could have offered a little less Democracy and a lot more Appetite. There were tons of pyrotechnics, scantily clad dancing women, the latest in digital stage effects and … low volume.

Guns n’ Roses and Streisand photos by Erik Kabik

Guns N’ Roses

Eddie Vedder The Pearl, Nov. 1

Eddie Vedder photo by David Becker; Dirty Hooks photo by Joseph Connell

Guns n’ Roses and Streisand photos by Erik Kabik

The sold-out crowd was happy just to see Vedder when he took the stage for the second of two nights in Las Vegas to open his postponed U.S. solo tour. He quickly earned the adulation in what became a special night for both performer and the audience. Vedder launched into “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town,” the first of several Pearl Jam songs he played, before switching from acoustic guitar to an electric for Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage,” then picking up a ukulele for a cover of Cat Stevens’ “Trouble.” He then played a handful of tunes from his Ukulele Songs album before the show took on a more intimate feel. Vedder dedicated “I Am Mine” to audience member Jason Baldwin, one of the West Memphis Three released from prison last year after 18 years following their questionable conviction for the killing of three boys, and was later joined by Dixie Chick Natalie Maines, another longtime supporter of the West Memphis Three, for two songs. Vedder also brought show opener Glen Hansard, who wowed the audience during his own acoustic set, back onstage for a few songs, including a rendition of “Sleepless Nights” in which both men sang without microphones from the front of the stage while Vedder played ukulele. Being days before the election, Vedder voiced his political opinions, taking some shots at Mitt Romney before launching into an extended rant that included California’s Proposition 37, Honey Boo Boo and former FEMA director Michael Brown.

But Vedder’s activism also provided the show’s most organic moment, when during a call for support for Heal EB, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting epidermolysis bullosa, a woman in the audience pledged $5,000 if Vedder would sing the Pearl Jam classic “Black,” a song he hadn’t performed solo before. After a couple of failed starts, with Pearl Jam keyboardist Boom Gaspar feeling out the chords on a pump organ, Vedder found the cadence and the audience helped him finish, supplying the falsetto vocal coda. Concluding the 150-minute show, Vedder was joined by Hansard, Maines and Gaspar for the spirited Into the Wild anthem “Hard Sun.” It ended a rare evening in which the artist seemed just as moved as those he was entertaining. ★★★★★ – Sean DeFrank

CARDS-ON-THE-TABLE TIME: I’ve seen few bands in my lifetime that are as fun to watch as the English Beat. The pop/ska band, scheduled to play the Hard Rock Café on the Strip on Nov. 9 ($22), has a number of truly great songs in their repertoire, songs that you’ll recognize from the jukeboxes in your favorite bars—including the jittery “Mirror in the Bathroom,” the menacing “Twist and Crawl,” and “I Confess,” perhaps the happiest song ever written about the fight that ends a relationship. The band’s lineup has changed drastically over the years—in fact, only singer-songwriter Dave Wakeling still remains from English Beat 1978. But where the one-remainingmember thing is usually bad news for these still-touring 1980s bands, one Wakeling is plenty. He’s a charismatic and genuinely funny bandleader who runs a tight, yet improvisational crew, and his voice hasn’t diminished one bit over the years. The English Beat is every bit as fun, and sounds nearly as good, as they did 30 years ago. SO GLAD YOU MADE IT: Speaking of clear-voiced legends, the great Steve Winwood is performing at the Pearl on Nov. 9 ($71-$102). Winwood is one of the few blue-eyed soul performers I can name for whom the label “blueeyed soul” doesn’t cut both ways: From the 1966 Spencer Davis Group smash “Gimme Some Lovin’” to his 1986 comeback single “Higher Love,” Winwood has been a soul singer, full stop. He never chased trends, like George Michael, and he never pandered to radio, like Michael Bolton. (In fact, I’m kind of embarrassed to even mention Winwood’s name so close to Bolton’s.) He’s only ever stood at the microphone, proud but unassuming, and sang his exquisite heart out.

The Dirty Hooks

Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel, Nov. 3 If you’re a regular Vegas Seven reader, you may have noticed us raving about this local trio. But even as we named their debut CD, Electric Grit, the Best Local Album this year, we still hadn’t seen them live. So we caught the Dirty Hooks at their fourth gig ever as they

opened for Mike Watt + the Missingmen. And it seemed like a fair chunk of the sparse crowd was there to support our local musicians. They rocked through the 10 songs from their album, proving that their solid talent extends beyond the studio. Front man Bobby McCall and drummer Jenine Cali sang spot-on vocal harmonies through vintage microphones. They were accompanied by Anthony

Ratto’s rock-star guitar riffs and organ interludes (including an extended improvised guitar solo when McCall broke a string). Color us impressed at the Dirty Hooks’ ability to not only sound as great—if not better—than their album. Their warm rapport and precision playing is far too good to merely play only local gigs for much longer. ★★★★✩ – Deanna Rilling

NOW ON SALE: The Mars Volta may be too extreme for some tastes and Yes may be winding down its career, but prog rock aficionados both young and old can still pin their hopes on Muse. The band plays at Mandalay Bay on March 17 ($46-$74). Surely Muse will be the band that helps the next generation to discover that winning combination of marijuana and Dungeons & Dragons.

A&E

stage

Evergreen Vereen Versatility never goes out of fashion when Ben Vereen is onstage By Steve Bornfeld

Recognize that Grand Canyon-wide grin fronting a mountain of talent? Few performers wear their stage gifts as warmly—and few flash smiles identifying them as instantly—as Ben Vereen. “Hello, my king,” says the 66-year-old entertainer—yes, “king” and “queen” are his chosen forms of address, even for we monarchs he doesn’t know. Vereen’s résumé is full: Broadway legend (Pippin, Jesus Christ Superstar); TV star (Chicken George in Roots, Will Smith’s dad in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Jeff Goldblum’s detective partner in Tenspeed and Brown Shoe); and song and dance man extraordinaire. Vereen’s challenges have been many: discovering, at age 25, he was adopted; coping with the death of his 16-year-old daughter, Naja, in 1987, when a truck overturned on her car on the New Jersey Turnpike; nearly dying himself in 1992, while, when walking along a Malibu, Calif., highway, he was struck by a car driven by record producer David Foster, putting him through months of difficult rehab; learning he had diabetes in 2007. Yet that high-wattage grin remains, especially when conducting lectures on inspirational topics and African-American history. With a Las Vegas connection dating to 1966, when he appeared in Sweet Charity here, directed by Bob Fosse, Vereen returns for his inaugural appearance at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 10 in Steppin’ Out With Ben Vereen. Here, the perpetually upbeat performer—and godfather to R&B singer Usher—expounds on life on and off stage:

November 8-14, 2012

What will we see at The Smith Center? A precursor to a longer show called Steppin’ Out Live, which is a retrospective of my career and people I’ve worked with like Bob Fosse, Sammy Davis, Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine. It’s also a tribute to my audiences, thanking them for allowing me this wonderful journey. It’s a celebration of our lives—not my life, but our lives.

VEGAS SEVEN

You’ve been hailed as a “complete showman.” Is that versatility still valued? Show’s over. It’s gone. What I did and Sammy and Gregory Hines and Frank Sinatra, all those cats from that age of the showman, that period has gone away. Music has changed, people’s expression has changed, technology has changed. But there’s going to be a new face on it now. I work with young people, and I try to instill in them the discipline it takes to do this work. It’s not just a

Tweet or a Facebook [post]. It is an actual culture. Are there performers in whom you see that potential? Justin Timberlake. He’s acting, but he has to do theater now. Usher did Chicago on Broadway. Sean Combs did A Raisin in the Sun, tasting what it’s like on the boards. It’s important for them as artists and us as a culture. They’re attracting young people to the theater. If we don’t support it, it will fade away. Then we’re giving away part of our culture. Why was Sammy Davis Jr. such an influence on you? He wrote a book called Yes I Can, and I got that from Sam. Sam did not look at a color line, just a people line. We’re all part of God’s bouquet, and we should all love each other like a bouquet of flowers. And I got my discipline in work from him, how much he loved his audience and would give his being to performing.

With everything you’ve I was back [10 months after gone through on a personal accident]. I told someone I’m a level, did you ever feel you neon sign for possibilities. couldn’t go on? When your physical body Why do you revisit your says you can’t, your difficult times by inner spirit says giving lectures? Steppin’ Out you can. The acWe used to sing with Ben Vereen cident was nothing in church: “If I can compared to losing help somebody as The Smith a child. I would I travel on my way, Center, 7:30 p.m. go through the then my living will Nov. 10, $24accident 10 times a not be in vain.” $59, 749-2000, day if I could have TheSmithCenter. my child back. We’re in a cynical, com. Jelly’s Last Jam was post 9/11 world. Is the first show after it harder to inspire

optimism in young people? God created us, and God is an artist, and we’re all walking, talking art pieces. We need to get people to respect that art inside themselves. Then they’ll lift themselves up, and there will be no room for cynicism. We haven’t got time for it. If you could boil it down to one piece of advice, what would it be? Get to the mountaintop. But get there without hurting anyone.

stage

November 8-14, 2012

Are we living in the Age of i–PhoniFurthering the man-vs.-machine ness? Of more actual contact and motif, a shiny, shapely humanoid less genuine communication? Of “showbot” is spotlighted in a clever advancing technology and recedsegment about robotics and why, as ing humanity? Certainly. Spread the announcer tells us, despite their the message. Don’t text it, Tweet it or capabilities “they don’t come close to post it. Shout it—silently, that is—from expressing themselves artistically, the stage of Blue Man Group’s new the way humans can.” Monte Carlo show Driving that now that the bluehome is an exhilahued triumvirate rating light-andhas relocated from sound pastiche the Venetian. in which the Our gizmo-gidtheater is transdy world has long formed into the been a juicy target for the face-painted luminescent interior of the human imps. Yet as our obsession reaches brain. Our merry mimes play a new absurd levels of literally distracting steampunk-style pipe instrument ourselves to death (particularly, texcalled a “neuronulum,” generating ting while walking and driving), the musical energy pulses, and pound blue dudes’ imaginative new set pieces giant “brain drums,” firing off keep their performance-art commen- streaking neurons and exploding tary sharp, funny and invigorating. synapses. Biology class, taken out of Segments staged at a recent sneak- the classroom and into a dream. peek show offered a glimpse at their Sprinkled with the Blue Men’s new, refitted venue—formerly home wide-eyed mugging and faux-wonto the JabbaWockeeZ and Lance Bur- derment, the production climaxes ton—where the production has been with a streamer shower and descent in previews, and opens Nov. 14. of fat, floating orbs for the crowd to Ushering audiences inside, a parade bat around. of thrashing drums and flashing lights Swapping Strip homes has restarring musicians, robots and pupnewed the blue crew, painting their pets marches through the casino to art in imaginative new colors. the theater doors. Onstage, the show’s best new riff features an iPad-spoofing STRIP POSTSCRIPT: Forget the “Gi-Pad,” three large, app-stuffed “circle of life.” Vegas has the Cirque screens for the daffy lads to fiddle with of Life, which comes full-Cirque as an announcer tosses in digs at the once again as Zarkana officially i-Generation: “We’re going to do for debuts Nov. 9 at Aria. reading what texting did for driving.” Locals, take heed: You can no Speed-scrolling through the longer renew your driver’s license, screens, the blue boys turn up classics apply for a home loan or vote withshredded into text talk. Shakespeare out proof of attendance at one of 4.37665 by 7.25Cirque to 9.81299 by 11.813 is reduced to “OMG, Romeo is soResized hot I the ubiquitous du Soleil pro- and Adjusted to 98.43% Vertical and 98.12% Horizontal could just die!” Tolstoy is sliced to “war, ductions. Birth certificates will be war, peace, war, war.” Pointed mesdenied unless pregnant women first sages are mixed in, some funny, as in take their children, in utero. this exchange between screens: Anyone hoping for a Blue Man Group “Don’t u want to have a real conversation where u look people in the eye?” spinoff such as the Orange Man Group or Chartreuse Man Group? E-mail sugges“Dude, u are creeping me out. I tions to Steve.Bornfeld@vegasseven.com. have to de-friend you.”

79 VEGAS SEVEN

Photo by Denise Truscello

Techno age needled anew in refreshed Blue Man show

A&E

movies

Pilot of his own Destruction Denzel Washington stars as a hero with a dark secret in this fantastic film By Michael Phillips Tribune Media Services

Flight is exciting—terrific, really—because in addition to the sophisticated storytelling techniques by which it keeps us hooked, it doesn’t tell us what to think or how to judge the reckless, charismatic protagonist played by Denzel Washington. Robert Zemeckis, the filmmaker, has a lot in common with Whip Whitaker, the veteran commercial airline pilot Washington plays with exquisite authority (authority under duress, which is more interesting than cardboard heroics). Like the protagonist, Zemeckis is a showoff, brash and highly skilled. He’s a director fascinated by what the medium’s digital-effects possibilities allow him to depict onscreen. Building on a career begun with Back to the Future, Zemeckis more recently focused his energies on a trio of slightly eerie movies reliant on motioncapture animation, halfway between cartoony and realistic: The Polar Express, Beowulf and Jim Carrey’s A Christmas Carol. It’s gratifying to find Zemeck-

is leaving behind the uncanny valley and showing what he can do with a script that scrambles, brilliantly, the audience’s feelings toward a brave and valiant savior with a few things to hide. The trailers for Flight suggest The High and the Mighty crossed with all four Airport disaster movies. But it’s not that sort of film. Here, thanks largely to Washington’s intricate portrait, the crises have more to do with morals and ethics than with mechanical failure and uncontrolled nose dives at 21,000 feet. It begins as an ordinary day for Whitaker. He’s in Orlando, a few hours away from a routine morning flight back to Atlanta. He and his flight-attendant lover (Nadine Velazquez) have been drinking and snorting cocaine. By phone Whitaker speaks briefly to his ex-wife, arguing about finances, their son and other sore points (“You wanted him to go to private school, not me”). The weather isn’t good. In the cockpit, Whitaker gets through some above-average turbulence

Washington depicts a complex psychological portrait.

well enough. Then Zemeckis puts the audience through just enough hell to give Flight an opening thrill, but not a cheap or needlessly extravagant one. After the crash landing, only a handful of the plane’s passenger and crew end up dead and Whitaker becomes a hero. But he knows he was legally drunk when it all happened, to say nothing of the cocaine. He learns that other people know this too, though the news has yet to go public. Whitaker’s old friend and union rep (Bruce Greenwood) is around for comfort and for counsel, as is a smooth, cagey lawyer (Don Cheadle, excellent). Kelly Reilly, the supple English

actress, is a vulnerable fellow addict Whitaker meets early on in the hospital. Their relationship develops in unexpected ways, but almost everything that works in Flight is unpredictable. (The last 15 minutes, less so, and a touch soft, but I felt the movie earned the ending it chose.) Zemeckis lets some leisurely dialogue sequences establish more than one mood, more than one facet of Whitaker’s dilemma. John Goodman tears up two juicy scenes as Whitaker’s dealer and devil/angel confidant. As Whitaker and his increasingly concerned allies face an imminent National Transportation Safety Board hearing regarding

November 8-14, 2012

short reviews

VEGAS SEVEN

the crash, Flight dares you to root for the man in the middle, even as you root for his reckoning. Washington, whose face in Flight becomes a series of bargains and lies, interacts wonderfully with his fellow actors. So few directors care about that sort of thing anymore; so few care about choreographing the interaction between the camera and the actors without resorting to cutting. Flight is Washington’s show, and he’s marvelous in it. But Zemeckis and his team put everything in place so that Washington could run with it, with unnervingly good results. Flight (R) ★★★★✩

[ by tribune media services ]

Wreck-It Ralph (PG) ★★★✩✩

Cloud Atlas (R) ★★✩✩✩

Chasing Mavericks (PG) ★★★✩✩

Fun Size (PG-13) ✩✩✩✩✩

The latest from Disney Animation is a wild and imaginative exploration of a video-game fantasy, i.e., what happens in the lives of our favorite game characters when we’re not playing them? Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) is weary of his prescribed lot in life: He’s not a bad guy, so why does he have to play a bad guy in the arcade game Fix-It Felix Jr.? Ralph goes on the run, teaming up with Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) to traverse the video-game world landscape and grapple with the modernera game soldiers led by Sgt. Calhoun (Jane Lynch). It’s fun enough, but a bit hectic.

This adaptation of David Mitchell’s spinning top of a novel exists to vex, intrigue and discombobulate unsuspecting audiences six ways to Sunday. It defies description. Six storylines spanning several centuries, from an 1849 Pacific Ocean voyage to the year 2321, provide the narrative webbing. Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving and others play many roles apiece. Some of the stories work, but others fall flat. It’s a fascinating look at some very large themes, but it’s a bewildering effort that doesn’t really work.

This film is about surfing the legendary and mysterious secret break the Mavericks, off the coast of Northern California, and teenage Jay Moriarty who became famous there. Jay (Jonny Weston) gets the surfing bug from his next-door neighbor, Frosty (Gerard Butler). Jay lionizes Frosty and stows away when Frosty sneaks off to Mavericks, of which only a quartet of veteran surfers are aware. Frosty mentors the kid, training him to survive and ride the break. It’s an entertaining story with awe-inspiring surf footage.

This Halloween film concerns a Cleveland high school senior (Victoria Justice) who misplaces her preteen brother (Jackson Nicoll) on trick-or-treat night. This film is a soul-crusher, completely devoid of any humor, point, quality or value. The narrative shape recalls other more successful onecrazy-night comedies such as Adventures in Babysitting, but it fails magnificently. I don’t know for whom the hell this bell tolls. Maybe it will toll for Nickelodeon-fed offspring, but I doubt it.

movies

Alex Cross (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩

Seven Psychopaths (R) ★★★✩✩

Tyler Perry makes a go at being a conventional action hero in this reprisal of Morgan Freeman’s role in previous film adaptations of James Patterson’s novels. A murderer, known as Picasso (Matthew Fox), is killing people and leaving Cubist-style drawings at the scenes of his crimes. He appears to have his sights set on a multinational industrialist (Jean Reno). But not if Alex Cross (Perry) has anything to say about it. Revenge is game here, and while Perry does OK, the film just isn’t very interesting.

Filmmaker Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) brings us this black comedy romp. Colin Farrell plays Marty, a blocked screenwriter, who’s blown past his deadline for his screenplay of Seven Psychopaths. His friend Billy (Sam Rockwell) and his accomplice Hans (Christopher Walken) make a living kidnapping dogs and returning them for reward money. Fatefully, they take the wrong dog, a shih tzu belonging to a murderous gangster (Woody Harrelson). The humor is dark and razor-sharp.

Argo (R) ★★★★✩

Here Comes the Boom (PG)

This thriller from director/star Ben Affleck is based on unclassified documents. The story is set in 1979 when 52 Americans were taken hostage in Tehran by Iranian revolutionaries. Six U.S. State officials escape and hide at the Canadian ambassador’s home. CIA operative Antonio Mendez (Affleck) concocts a plan: Fly into Iran, pose as a film crew scouting locations and fly out with the six Americans playing the roles of crew members. With a sharp script and deft direction, the Oscar buzz is justified.

★★★✩✩

Sinister (R) ★★✩✩✩

Taken 2 (R) ★★✩✩✩

Struggling true-crime author Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) doesn’t tell his family that he’s moved them into a house that was the scene of a mass murder. He finds old home movies of that murder and many others, and, even though he’s shocked at the images and the satanic figure that turns up in reflections, he doesn’t flee the house where his boy has night terrors, his daughter does strange drawings on the wall and his wife (Juliet Rylance) wonders what’s going on. The movie telegraphs its cheap scares.

This sequel is so much lousier than it needs to be, largely due to a director in over his head. Extending a work trip to vacation with his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) and daughter (Maggie Grace), Liam Neeson’s ex-CIA op, Brian Mills, is kidnapped and held captive in a hellhole by murderous Albanians. There is no film without Neeson shooting, stabbing, strangling and mixed martial arts-ing dozens of Albanians who want him dead, want his ex-wife dead and want his daughter as a sex slave. The action is a headache.

November 8-14, 2012

Scott Voss (Kevin James) is a high school biology teacher, a single man barely able to muster the gumption to ask out the school nurse (Salma Hayek). Their crumbling school needs $48,000 to save the longtime music teacher (Henry Winkler). Solution: Voss, who wrestled in college, enters mixed martial arts and makes it all the way to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Las Vegas. Although it takes a while to get going, it’s actually all right.

VEGAS SEVEN

Promotion

TRIPS /TRENDS /ADVICE

Tesla’s Model S

Wins Automobile magazine’s Highest Honor Tesla Motors announced that its Model S, the world’s first premium electric sedan, was chosen as winner of Automobile magazine’s most prestigious award,

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Betting

November 8-14, 2012

Lions, Seahawks to make for another long weekend for battered bookmakers

VEGAS SEVEN

Ordinarily, hearing the words “Black yards and churned out passer ratings Sunday” leaves me feeling as queasy of 35.5 and 37.3! In other words, the as Jets fans when they hear the words Vikings quarterback has lapped Cam “Sanchez drops back to pass …” And Newton in the “Sophomore Slump of that’s because usually I’m the one ut- the Year” race. And while Minnesota tering the phrase after a catastrophic did post a 20-13 victory in Detroit on NFL Sunday. This past weekend, Sept. 30, the stats say it was a fluke: though, I heard “Black Sunday” and The Lions outgained the Vikings by immediately busted out a grin that 114 yards, had more first downs (23was wider than Andy Reid’s backside. 15) and were better on third down The reason? It came from the other (6-for-16 vs. 3-for-12). Minnesota only side of the betting counter, where won because it opened the game with sportsbook directors stood in shock a 105-yard kickoff return for a TD. after taking a beating in Week 9—so This is a classic NFL midseason role much so that it was front-page news reversal, as Minnesota has dropped Monday on ESPN.com. three of four (both straight up “I’ve been in this business and ATS) while the Lions have for 26 years, and won three of four I’ve never seen (going 4-0 ATS). what I saw yester$110 on Seday,” Jay Kornegay, ahawks -6½ vs. vice president of Jets: Last week, I race and sports at the justified laying the bankroll: LVH, told ESPN. chalk with Seattle by Jimmy Vaccaro, saying that if the Se$1,308 a Las Vegas oddsahawks could defeat Last week: 4-0 (+$380) maker for nearly Tony Romo, Aaron NFL season: 29-23-1 four decades and Rodgers and Tom (-$2,893) now spokesman for Brady in their house, College football William Hill North they could certainly season: 34-27 (+$435) America, called it beat Ponder. Now it’s “the worst single Sanchez’s turn to deal In February 2010, we gave regular-season day with Seattle’s stout Matt “$7,000” to wager. When I’ve ever seen.” pass defense ... not he loses it all, we’re going to Quick recap: Favorto mention the loudreplace him with a monkey. ites went 10-4 against est stadium in the the spread in Week 9, NFL … in likely poor including taking eight weather conditions. of 12 decisions on Sunday. Throw in Giddy-up! (FYI: The Seahawks are the fact that “square” bettors coupled now 4-0 SU and ATS at home this year several of these favorites in big-score and 7-2 SU and ATS in their last nine parlays, and you can see why Kornehome games; New York has lost nine gay, Vaccaro, et al. were crying poor. of 12 on the road, going 4-8 ATS.) Perhaps the most shocking develop$110 on Syracuse +2½ vs. Louisment was that I, too, joined in on the ville: The Cardinals are 9-0 (and ninth cash grab, scoring with the Broncos in the BCS standings). Syracuse is 4-5 and Seahawks. And that followed (and one of those wins came against Saturday winners on Kansas State and Stony Brook). So why is this number San Jose State, resulting in a perfect so short? Because Louisville is a fraud: 4-0 week that pushed my bankroll Five of the Cardinals’ nine wins were back into quadruple figures. (Alas, I by a total of 21 points, and their vicwas not the lucky one who hit a 15tims include Kentucky (1-9), Division team parlay at Red Rock Station, turn- I-AA Missouri State, Florida Intering a $5 wager into a cool $100,000—at national (2-8), Southern Miss (0-9), least as far as you know ...) South Florida (3-6) and Temple (3-5). On to this week’s selections (note: $77 on Colorado State +2 vs. all point spreads are as of Nov. 6). UNLV: Oct. 24, 2009. That’s the last $220 on Lions -2 at Vikings: 8, 19, time UNLV won a road game. Since 11. No, those aren’t the coaching IQ then, the Rebels are 0-20 away from results for Jason Garrett, Chan Gailey Las Vegas. I repeat: 0-20. And they’re and Romeo Crennel. Those are Chris- favored this week. Seriously? tian Ponder’s completion totals in his Best of the Rest: Fresno State -3 at last three games. In two of those con- Nevada ($55); Iowa State +10½ at Texas tests, he amassed 58 and 63 passing ($55); Texans +1 at Bears ($55). For Matt’s “Best Bet” Monday-Friday, visit WeeklySeven.com/ GoingforBroke.

THIS Y FRIDA

STEVE WINWOOD

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 9

PITBULL

FRIDAY DECEMBER 28 SATURDAY DECEMBER 29

STYX

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16 SATURDAY NOVEMBER 17

ANTHONY BOURDAIN & ERIC RIPERT SATURDAY FEBRUARY 9

ALICE COOPER MOODY BLUES FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30

SATURDAY DECEMBER 15

LISA LAMPANELLI

JOE BONAMASSA

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16

SATURDAY APRIL 20

7 questions

Do you have a favorite Vegas buffet? I really don’t go to buffets much anymore, for health reasons and restraining orders. I actually loved the buffet at the old Sands—they had a great buffet. But when you think about it, I worked at the Dunes, and they blew that up. I worked at the Sands—that was my first headlining gig on the Strip—and they blew that up. When I got to the Sahara, I said, “They’re probably packing dynamite around this place right now.”

John Pinette The hefty comedian on hanging with Sinatra, his role in the Seinfeld finale and why he and zip-lining don’t get along By Matt Jacob

November 8-14, 2012

➧ If you were to compile a list of “that guy” stand-up comedians—as in, “Hey, isn’t he that guy from

VEGAS SEVEN

so-and-so?” and “Where I have seen that guy before?”—John Pinette’s name would be near the top. The big man has appeared on the big screen (The Punisher, Junior, Dear God) and the small screen (most famously as the carjacking victim in the Seinfeld finale, as well as several successful standup specials on Comedy Central). The Boston native and former Las Vegas resident has also shown up on Broadway (playing Edna in Hairspray) and taken his stand-up act around the world, both as a headliner and as the opening act for everyone from the Pointer Sisters to the Chairman of the Board. “Something always seems to come along for me; I’ve been very lucky,” Pinette says. “I just kind of pop up like Forrest Gump in different places.” Fresh off a two-month stint in Canada, Pinette, 50, brings his self-deprecating brand of humor to the Orleans showroom Nov. 9-10. (Buffet managers, you’ve been warned …) What’s the one thing about Las Vegas that always makes you laugh? Well, the one thing I base my act on—I always thought the buffets were a riot. It’s just a bunch of people scrambling

around like they’ve never been fed before. Coming originally from Massachusetts, I’d fly into Vegas and see a sign: Breakfast buffet $2.49. And I’m thinking, “I can eat $2.49 worth of toast.” When I started working Vegas

in ’89, my idea was if I lost money gambling, I’d get it back at the buffet. But now they have these fancy ones, like “allyou-can-eat for five grand.” Well, I’m out. I don’t think I can do any damage there.

You opened for Frank Sinatra in the early 1990s. What was that experience like? I did three sets of arena tours with him. I did Foxwoods in Connecticut; I did the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles; and we did Vegas, [including] his second-to-last date at the Desert Inn. It was amazing to sit at the side of the stage and hear him and the orchestra. It was still that old kind of Vegas thing when you had a comic, then the musical act; that was the template from the ’50s on. So I opened for the Pointer Sisters, I opened for the Four Tops, the Oak Ridge Boys, Liza Minnelli, Steve & Eydie, and it was a great experience and really helped me learn. But Mr. Sinatra, I would say, was the most welcoming as far as just being one of the crew. You’d be invited to dinner afterward, you hung out a little bit more. It was every bit the experience that I would dream of. Did he give you any career lessons? If you’re going to do it, do it with class. Also, he [frequently] came in and out of retirement, and he taught me that you could say that you’re retired, but if you’re a true performer, it really calls to you. When you landed the part in the Seinfeld finale in 1998, did you know immediately that you’d be part of popculture history? Well, it had a huge buzz about it before it was even filmed. And the script was very hush-hush; in fact, I only had two script pages, but those had to be signed out and returned,

and you signed a nondisclosure form. But it was neat. And of course, that courtroom scene was pretty amazing; it was the history of Seinfeld in one room. But I was just terrified that I was going to get fired. I thought, “I’m going to call someone and tell them I’m in the last episode of Seinfeld, and I’m going to get cut out.” But the first day we shot that carjacking scene, [executive producer] Larry David was nice enough to tell me that that [scene] was definitely in. And then I just had a small [part] in the courtroom scene, but I needed to be there as part of the background for several days. So I knew right away that it was something special; just to be on Seinfeld was something special. You’ve dropped a lot of weight in recent years—are you in Speedo shape yet? Not unless they drastically reshape the Speedo! And you know what? I may very well never be, and that’s OK. I do have to have that abdominalplasty done in mid-2013—I have to have the loose skin removed— and there is enough loose skin to make me a wife. And I’m pretty happy about that. I think I was in my best shape right after I left Broadway, and now I’m back to the gym. In fact, I did 45 [minutes] on the elliptical today. I actually brought out the old panda outfit—I have this black velour Sean John sweat suit; I mean, it’s fucking ridiculous, it really is. Women are petting me at the gym. So I brought out the sweat suit today, and my road manager who is staying at my house looks at me and says, “What the fuck are you wearing?” So I looked in the mirror and said, “Well, time to get new sweat suits.” I look like a gangster panda in this thing. What’s on your bucket list? My bucket list or my antibucket list? I’ll tell you what’s on my anti-bucket list, and it rhymes with bucket: zip-lining. Because gravitationally, I don’t zip. I’ve tried it, and let’s just say the zip line had a little give to it. I basically just walked across the jungle floor.

For Pinette’s views on America’s glutton-free movement, visit VegasSeven.com/Pinette.

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