The Betting Issue by Vegas Seven

Mob MUSeUM a Year Later: Hit or MiSS?

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

The pitfalls and glories of Super Bowl wagering. Our resident expert lays it all on the line. By Matt Jacob

PLUS Big game, big deals How a local boy made good at NFL Films

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Damien Hirst’s dot.

16 | The LaTesT

How Tony Hsieh’s laudable private investment in Downtown may ultimately hinder the creation of public spaces. Plus, a Character Study of UNLV director of basketball operations Kreigh Warkentien, Politics by Michael Green, and Anthony Curtis’ The Deal.

24 | Style

The Look with Glen Scott. Plus, Seven Very Nice headphones.

28 | National

The New York Observer on the greatest geek who ever lived, Nikola Tesla.

30 | Proßle

“How a Vegas Kid Helped Bring the Frozen Tundra to your PC,” by Michael Green. Craig McKeown and the art of NFL Films.

32 | super BowL BeTTing

Smart picks, wild props and big-game arcana from our indomitable expert, Matt Jacob. Plus, a look back at the game’s most thrilling point-spread moments, because in Vegas there’s no such thing as a boring Super Bowl.

37 | nighTLiFe

Seven Nights, Gossip, getting to know Sander van Doorn and Major Lazer, and photos from the week’s hottest parties.

61 | Dining

Max Jacobson on SHe by Morton’s. Plus, a Q&A with Anthony Bourdain, and Cocktail Culture.

69 | a&e

72 | Music

“Stream of Country,” by Danny Axelrod. Absurdist folk-rocker Todd Snider is easier to follow once you don’t care where he takes you. Plus, Jarret Keene’s Soundscraper, CD reviews and our concert pages.

79 | Art

“Spot On,” by Cynthia Behr Warso. Don’t try to connect Damien Hirst’s dots—the joy is in their inscrutable detachment.

82 | Movies

Hansel & Gretel and our weekly movie capsules.

Mob MUSeUM a Year Later: Hit or MiSS?

Departments

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

11 | Dialogue 12 | Vegas Moment The pitfalls and glories of Super Bowl wagering. Our resident expert lays it all on the line. By Matt Jacob

PLUS Big game, big deals How a local boy made good at NFL Films

on the cover

Photo illustration by Sherwin Yumul.

14 | Event 17 | Seven Days 20 | Character Study 94 | Seven Questions

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

A vintage slot machine at the Mob Museum.

9 VEGAS SEVEN

“Married to the Museum,” by Geoff Carter. We agree that the Mob Museum was a great addition to the city … but is it any good? We revisit the scene of organized crime a year later.

las Vegasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; weekly City magazine FounDeD February 2010

Publishers

Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger assoCiate Publisher

Michael Skenandore

editorial

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, Elizabeth Wolynski

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DireCtor

Danny DeFreitas

DePuty DireCtor Felicia Mello DeVeloPer Billy Steffens eDitor Jason Scavone staFF writer, runrebs.Com Mike Grimala ProDuCer Hayley Sparre

ProduCtion/distribution

DireCtor oF ProDuCtion/Distribution Marc Barrington aDVertising CoorDinator Jimmy Bearse Distribution CoorDinator Jasen Ono

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business DeVeloPment DireCtor Christy Corda senior aCCount manager Nicole Feely aCCount serViCe manager Nicole Bullis aCCount exeCutiVe Robyn Weiss

interns

Jessica Albano, Camille Cannon, Ashley Gates, Yazmin Kelley, Kaleigh McIlveen Amanda Pamblanco, Trey Tagliaferri

Wendoh media ComPanies

Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger ViCe PresiDent, Publishing Michael Skenandore ViCe PresiDent, marketing anD eVents Kyle Markman CreatiVe DireCtor Sherwin Yumul

FinanCe

ChieF FinanCial oFFiCer Kevin J. Woodward assistant Controller Donna Nolls general aCCounting manager Erica Carpino

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Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

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This week@VegasseVen.com Super Bowl Smarts

Let the HarBowl madness begin! Whether your colors are red and gold or purple and black, VegasSeven.com has you covered with tips on how to bet, what to eat and where to party during this weekend’s big game. Visit VegasSeven.com/SuperBowl2013 to get started.

Downtown Dishing

From Viva Las Arepas to Fat Choy, Downtown’s new crop of restaurants is eclectic and budgetfriendly. Stay up to date on the latest openings at DTLV.com/urban-epicurean.

Rebels on the Road

The Rebels hit the road again for games at Boise State on February 2 and Fresno State on February 6. Get insider access to all the UNLV news with Mike Grimala at RunRebs.com. Also, Robert Smith looks at the importance of role players Quintrell Thomas and Carlos Lopez-Sosa, and Sean DeFrank delivers his latest Rebel list—the seven most underrated players in UNLV history.

Cinephilia

“Arnold is back. The results are OK.” What more do you need to know about the latest Schwarzenegger release, really? Don’t get stuck watching a snoozer: Read up on all the week’s movie openings beginning Friday afternoon at VegasSeven.com/Movies.

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Egypt seems on the verge of another revolution, Iran sent a monkey into space, North Korea is saber-rattling after its latest missile launch and the U.S. Congress is collapsing under the weight of its members’ mutual loathing. Sounds like a perfect time to tear open the Doritos, plop down on the couch and watch football. Not that we’re ignoring the big issues: On Page 16, Heidi Kyser poses the too-seldom-asked question about the Downtown Project: “Who is all this really for?” Meanwhile, on Page 22, Michael Green examines how our potential congressional candidates are positioning themselves for 2014. But the heart of this week’s magazine is all about those traditional Vegas stalwarts: football wagering and the mob. (No, Roger Goodell, we’re not insinuating a connection.) On Page 32, Matt Jacob looks at the Ravens-49ers matchup and digs into the arcana of Super Bowl betting lore. And on Page 69, Geoff Carter examines how the year-old Mob Museum is fulfilling its potential as an entertainment option and cultural resource. Enjoy the read— and save some salsa for us. – Greg Blake Miller

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VEGAS SEVEN

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VEGAS SEVEN

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

vegas moment

What hath Vegas Wrought?  Chris Hadfield

We humans have always greeted the miracles of our own ingenuity with a mix of awe and terror. Samuel Morse’s first telegraph message—reaching instantaneously across miles and toppling the natural order of time and space—was a question from the Book of Numbers: “What hath God wrought?” It’s somehow fitting to ask the same question upon seeing Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s photograph of our blazing outpost of 2 million souls, nestled in the darkness of one of the world’s most inhospitable deserts. Hadfield lives aboard the International Space Station, a close cousin of Las Vegas in its splendid isolation—and its audacious potential to transform the frontier. Have you taken a photo that captures the spirit of Las Vegas this week? Share it with us at VegasSeven.com/moment.

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

EvEnt

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VEGAS SEVEN

[ upcoming ]

Feb. 22-23 Nitro Circus at Eureka Mesquite (EurekaMesquite.com) Feb. 23 10th annual Walk With the Heart of a Child at Fashion Show (CHFN.org)

Photos by Thomas Coruzzi and Emily Smith

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

The Thin Mint 5K and one-mile Shortbread Shuffle took place Jan. 26 at Town Square, with 438 participants braving the cold and rain in support of the Girl Scouts. The annual cookie sale highlighted the post-race party, which also featured interactive booths such as Girl Scouts robotics and Camp Foxtail. National Girl Scout Cookie Day is Feb. 8, so to find out where to stock up on Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos and, of course, a mountain of Thin Mints to stash in the freezer for the rest of the year, visit GirlScouts.org.

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“One boy wanted to be a sportscaster; the other an oceanographer.”

Profile {Page 30}

News, politics, media, essays and local kids made good

His Own Private Neighborhood

VEGAS SEVEN

it has been widely reported that Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh spent $45 million on Downtown property in 2012. That makes him a pretty big contributor of taxes to public coffers, so it would be wrong to say he doesn’t support local government. Nevertheless, Hsieh’s actions could have a detrimental effect on the public sector’s efforts Downtown. Here’s why: The wellmeaning Downtown Project—through which Hsieh reportedly plans to pump $350 million into the urban core—is providing a model for private ownership and management of the kind of facilities that are traditionally provided by municipal government. The latest example is the dog park. Hsieh recruited Cathy Brooks, a communications consultant from San Francisco, to come to Las Vegas and get a dog park built under the auspices of the Downtown Project. Similar, earlier examples can

be found in Hsieh’s persuading Zubin Damania and Connie Yeh to abandon their big-city jobs and set up, respectively, a private health clinic and a private school. Nothing too strange about that—except that the mantra of the Downtown Project makes everything sound as if it’s public: It’s all “for the community.” This rhetoric positions Brooks, Damania and Yeh as quasi-public functionaries—like secretaries of parks, health and education. But their respective budgets are focused on private institutions. That makes it seem like what they’re actually building is a business … and a company town to support it. Again, not that unusual in the Valley: Quasitown-building efforts led to Green Valley in the 1980s and Summerlin in the ’90s. But in those cases, land for parks and schools was reserved for the public sector. As someone with a stake in

the success of Downtown (I, too, own property there—my home), I’m grateful to Hsieh for his investment in the area and the economic boost it’s given. At the same time, I care deeply about the public institutions upon which our society is built. They provide a level playing field for people of all backgrounds to take advantage of the things that make life rich—things like parks, health care and education. City and county government can’t compete with private enterprise in a race for efficiency. Many developers and entrepreneurs considering Downtown have complained about counterintuitive rules, overbearing inspectors and an overall process that is cumbersome and slow. But even if we don’t always trust our public leaders to efficiently carry out the duties we’ve charged them with, the answer—at least part of it—is to hold them accountable and fix the system.

Circumventing the system to put “community” amenities in your own playground isn’t an example of public-private partnership. It’s private, period. And usually the private playing field isn’t a particularly level one. Take the dog park: It reportedly will be membershipbased and have certain barriers to entry. People who can’t afford to meet its criteria will be shut out. Meanwhile, the Downtown Project’s dog park would decrease the city’s (and community’s) motivation to work with a grassroots group led by COLAB founder Amy Finchem that has been trying for months to get a municipal dog park in the highrise condo neighborhood adjacent to the Arts District. My Hendersonian friends tell me they can’t throw a rock without hitting a public dog park—i.e., one open to everyone. As a Downtown-dweller

with three dogs, I’d love to be able to say the same thing (right now, my only option is at Eastern and East St. Louis avenues). But will the City invest in a public dog park when the Downtown Project one is already on its way? If Hsieh’s professed goal were simply to open a network of private businesses Downtown, I would be hard-pressed to take issue with his efforts. I understand the value of entrepreneurialism and innovation in our society. But if he is attempting to build more than a company town, he should keep in mind that great downtowns are built around great public gathering places, not private clubs. The Downtown Project’s Twitter feed proclaims it is “helping transform Downtown Las Vegas into the most community-focused large city in the world.” My question is: What does “community” mean to them?

Illustration by Thomas Speak

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

By Heidi Kyser

[ transportation ]

By Bob Whitby

ing them to promote policies that are bicycle-friendly.” So far, much of the coalition’s efforts have been dedicated to promoting a state law known as the “three-foot rule,” which says motorists must give cyclists three feet of clearance when passing. (We’re lucky to have such a rule; only 20 other states have similar laws. Even California doesn’t have one.) The coalition has also been instrumental in getting several other Nevada laws changed to help cyclists—most of them related to making safe turns. And it’s currently working to ensure that federal transportation funds include improvements for cyclists as well as pedestrians. Now the Bicycle Coalition is looking to increase its Southern Nevada membership,

and I’m considering joining up just on the strength of this yellow pamphlet and the events of this afternoon, when I was all but shaved by a panel van as I rode down Maryland Parkway. It’s going to take a lot of cyclists to kick the tires and light the fires, and luckily, Las Vegas has a lot of cyclists. They just have to begin calling legislators, emailing the RTC and caring about Not Getting Hit. “The bigger both in membership and geography we are,” McAfee says, “the more influence we will have.” – Geoff Carter Individual membership in the Nevada Bicycle Coalition is $20. For more information, visit NevadaBike.WordPress.com or call (775) 315-2719.

[ tHE HEaDLinEs ] foUnD matEriaL

Drummer photo by Takashi Okamoto; Rugby photo by David Barpal

Where the Sun Never Sets At least we seem to have moved past the national media’s incessant claims that the sky is falling in Las Vegas. But that’s only because Tony Hsieh is now holding it up. Hey, we kid! However, it does seem that the media has ditched its fascination with our foreclosed homes and high unemployment, and replaced it with a fixation on all things Downtown. The Western lifestyle magazine Sunset is the latest to trumpet the area’s resurgence, with most of the focus deservedly going to the efforts of Hsieh’s Downtown Project. New Orleans-based writer Wayne Curtis doesn’t look too far beyond Hsieh and all the usual locales, such as Downtown Cocktail Room and The Beat Coffeehouse, but give him credit for recognizing Frankie’s Tiki Room as part of Downtown (even if he doesn’t realize Raku is nowhere near Downtown). And, yes, the story has some of the usual tired Rat Pack references and misrepresentations that come with any Vegas tale written by an outside journalist. But it’s good to read positive accounts of our city again—even if the narrative needle is stuck on a new story. – Sean DeFrank Find the link at VegasSeven.com/Found.

UnfriEnDLY firE Without ever pulling a trigger, Nevada Assemblyman Steven Brooks hit a target dead-on—not his target, thank goodness; a philosophical one. National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre himself couldn’t have found a better poster child than Brooks for the urgent need to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. The assemblyman had threatened Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who had not named him chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. On January 19, according to statements by colleagues and family members, Brooks was in a fragile mental state, in possession of a gun and “looking to harm” Kirkpatrick. So, Metro tracked Brooks down, searched his car and indeed found a loaded revolver and extra ammo. Brooks said the weapon was still there following a shooting event the NRA had thrown that day for Nevada lawmakers. It turned out to be a lie: Brooks had been invited to the event at Battlefield Vegas, but didn’t show up. Still, for a minute there, the NRA, mentalhealth issues, gun violence, the Legislature—it all came together in the crosshairs. One suspects the NRA’s advice to Kirkpatrick would be simple: Get yourself a sidearm and come to our next shooting event. – Heidi Kyser

Friday, Feb. 1: And while we’re in a Pacific

mindset, let’s turn our attention to Japan’s iconic Kodo drummers, who use everything from massive, powerful strokes to delicate hand movements to evoke the rhythm of the seasons and the majesty of nature. This world-famous musical troupe kicks off its One Earth Tour right here, 7:30 p.m. at The Smith Center. Visit RockPaperScissors.biz for details and TheSmithCenter.com for tickets.

saTurday, Feb. 2: Do your Saturdaymorning errand trips often turn into hours-long absences as you bounce from garage sale to garage sale? Ours do. Which is why today is a special day. It’s Henderson’s Giant Garage Sale, billed as “50 yard sales in one.” We might not be home until dinner. 7 a.m.-noon at the Black Mountain Recreation Center, CityofHenderson.com. sunday, Feb. 3: And now for that ultimate rite of intensification, the Super Bowl. There are dozens of parties around town, but we’re going to hit the Foodie Bowl II, 2:30 p.m. at Due Forni, 3555 S. Town Center Dr. They’ll have pork-belly sliders and roasted oxtail, among other delicacies, and $20 buys you all the Peroni you can drink. Beats chips and salsa.

Monday, Feb. 4: Forensic investigation is all the rage these days, as the proliferation of CSI shows demonstrates. Springs Preserve feeds the frenzy with its newest exhibit, CSI: Crime Scene Insects, explaining how bugs help police solve crimes. Through May 12 at Springs Preserve. SpringsPreserve.org. Tuesday, Feb. 5: Tuesdays can be a bummer. Happily, this par-

ticular Tuesday marks National Pancake Day, which wouldn’t be noteworthy at all were it not for the free short stack of buttermilk pancakes at any IHOP from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Just walk in and load up.

Wednesday, Feb. 6: Enough American football. Let’s go global for

our hard knocks. The USA Sevens rugby tournament runs through Sunday at Sam Boyd Stadium, and the kickoff party is today, 1-6 p.m. at the PBR Rock Bar in the Miracle Mile. Get your mates in a scrum and get over there. Visit USASevens.com for tourney tickets and schedules.

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

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

The pamphlet is called How to Not Get Hit By a Car: Important Lessons on Bicycle Safety—and if I could, I would put one in the hands of every driver and cyclist in the Valley. A publication of the Nevada Bicycle Coalition, Not Get Hit is packed with piece after piece of twowheeled common sense: Make eye contact with drivers; don’t ride against traffic and so on. (The information is also at BicycleSafe.com.) So much pain and suffering could be avoided if people simply internalized this stuff—and I’d be able to ride Vegas’ streets without this sense of creeping terror. The Nevada Bicycle Coalition is looking forward to that terror-free day, too. The Washoe County-based advocacy group is dedicated to promoting safer cycling in Nevada “through better laws, better facilities, better law enforcement and educating bicyclists and motorists on the safest ways to share the road,” says Terry McAfee, the coalition’s president and founder. “Much of our work is about educating state legislators and encourag-

Thursday, Jan. 31: Here’s a question that wasn’t on your mind when you got up this morning: How did indigenous peoples see themselves in the contexts of colonialism and imperialism in the 19th-century American West? University of Minnesota history professor David Chang will address that topic in his talk “Native Hawaiians, Native Americans and a Globalizing World” at 7:30 p.m. at UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum. Free. 895-3401.

17 VEGAS SEVEN

aDVoCaCY on WHEELs

The LaTesT

About town

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

What was the seemingly abandoned metal tower at 11th Street and Ogden Avenue used for?

VEGAS SEVEN

Abandoned is a good word for it. This has been incredibly difficult to track down, with minimal results. Scouring the Clark County Assessor’s records of the land at the northwest corner of those two streets revealed nothing; the parcel in question was consolidated in 2009 (#13935-211-121), so no official individual record exists of the corner slice where the tower stands. Further, none of my normal sources had any idea what it was. Standing in front of the tower and staring at it for an hour did no good, either. I came up with some funny conspiracy theories (perhaps it’s used to “deliver happiness”) to amuse myself. But in reality, I hit a dead end. Until last week, when DTLV editor Geoff Carter was on a Downtown fact-finding mission and Derek Stonebarger shared some info with him. Stonebarger says that an old

Vegas cat from the neighborhood around his nearby (and yet to re-open) Atomic Liquors claimed that the tower is an old oil derrick. Decades ago, it was intended to be used as a neon signpost (á la Jerry’s Nugget) for a never-built casino. Sounds plausible to me, but if anyone out there can corroborate, negate or fill-in the story, let me know.

What is your favorite easy escape from Las Vegas? The obvious answers are places like Red Rock Canyon

and Mount Charleston. It always surprises me how many people who have lived in Las Vegas for years have never ventured out to one of these spots. In our hectic city, one should not neglect the rejuvenating aspects of the great outdoors. A similar, less-dusty alternative is a jaunt out to Boulder City. Its small-town, gambling-free, outdoorsy vibe really tricks the brain; it’s like driving 30 minutes from the Strip and arriving in Colorado or Northern Arizona. Brewpubs brush up against art galleries, and old favorites such as Art in the Park and the Back Stop Sports Pub mesh perfectly with newer bars like the Dillinger. Put it all together, and Boulder City has a growing cool factor, even as it remains our nearby escape to small-town America.

Questions? AskaNative@VegasSeven.com.

Illustration by Michael Wardle

Artifice became inspiration for Michael Wardle, a longtime Las Vegas artist who found himself feeling like a stranger in the Downtown bar. A pen and spare scrap of paper later, he’d captured that strange urban sense—you know the one—that everyone’s in on the cool news but you. That’s OK: Half the fun is imagining what they’re saying.

the latest

@RobDelaney

How many times a day is it normal to replay a blown sexual opportunity from 11 years ago in my mind?

@DJRotaryRachel

Johnny Marr, New Order, OMD—are they holding Coachella in a John Hughes movie?

@AsiaMuhammad

Some guy in the airport asked my dad twice if I was his girlfriend ... umm barf. #DumbestQuestionEver #ILookJustLikeHim

@reportermatt

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

By Rob Miech

VEGAS SEVEN

As UNLV bAsketbALL players high-five and joke with the ball boys and girls before a recent game at the Thomas & Mack Center, Kreigh Warkentien can’t help smiling. She spent a good part of her childhood out on that hardwood. Warkentien, 25, is UNLV’s director of basketball operations—one of only three women to hold such a post in Division I men’s basketball. But she hardly feels a stranger on the Rebels’ bench. A former administrative assistant to Arizona State coach Herb Sendek, Warkentien was one of Dave Rice’s first hires after he became UNLV’s head coach in April 2011. Rice—a member of UNLV’s 1990 national championship team—was consciously looking to make the Rebels’ rich basketball tradition a part of the team’s present. The hiring of legendary UNLV forward Stacey Augmon as an assistant coach helped cement those connections. So, in a quieter way, did the arrival of Warkentien. Her father, Mark Warkentien, was an assistant to former Rebel coach Jerry Tarkanian during the team’s glory years in the 1980s and early ’90s. (Warkentien trivia: As the Rebels prepared to

play Indiana in New Orleans at the 1987 Final Four, Mark noticed a Hoosier swingman named Kreigh Smith. The Rebels lost, but coach Warkentien’s first child got a name.) Kreigh grew up to earn her bachelor’s degree at ASU in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in communication and business. For Sendek, she oversaw travel, equipment, recruiting and training-table budgets, and assisted with academic support. She does all of that and more for Rice, overseeing players’ campus housing, maintaining compliance paperwork, arranging practice schedules and serving as a liaison between the coaches, players and academic adviser. Rice says she provides encouragement and structure for the players. Warkentien—who is working toward her master’s degree in sports management—dismisses the notion that the hurdles are higher for a female in such a male-dominated environment. “The biggest challenge would be letting yourself believe that as a female in this position you are different than a male,” she says. In any case, she’s dealt with bigger challenges. Warkentien was born with cystic fibrosis, or CF.

Both of her parents are carriers of the genetic disorder, but neither they nor her younger sister, Aubrie, have the disease. CF most critically affects the lungs, but it can affect other organs. Co-workers have become accustomed to Warkentien’s chronic cough, which is relieved by morning and evening sessions with a medicated nebulizer. Warkentien says hers is a mild case of CF, but the disease is often deadly, with an average life expectancy of about 40. To raise awareness, she volunteers for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s national Great Strides walkathon, which raised $40 million for research, care and education programs in 2012. “The growth of awareness over the past 20 years has been huge,” she says. “For people to know [about her CF] is important, as long as you don’t give yourself limitations.” For now, she’s most concerned with the basketball in her blood. She might one day be a collegiate athletic director, or even a director of player personnel for an NBA team—a title her father holds for the New York Knicks. Or, in 20 years, she still might have her dream job— the one she’s got right now, right here at UNLV. “Everything is a possibility,” she says. “I just try to take it one day at a time. You can’t really plan on basketball.”

[ MoDERn pAREnTing ]

@MahoneySucks

I’d use Instagram way more often if I had amazing boobs.

@mikebell790

Pres. Obama took time to speak about player safety in the NFL while in an ironic twist Terrell Suggs proposed a balancedbudget amendment.

@AmuseBoobs

I had a disturbing dream last night. I was working in an office and was wearing a pantsuit from Ann Taylor. Terrifying.

@ToddFuhrman

Can someone finally write a proper eulogy for the Pro Bowl? Game’s been dead for a full 3 years and needs to be put to rest already.

@EugeneMirman

I hope the success of Les Miserables in general leads to more singing about poverty.

@anjeanettec

If you don’t think you’re a douchebag, listen to yourself the next time you order coffee.

wE’vE coME To ThiS? Nannies and Housekeepers USA is airing sports-radio ads offering to entertain the kids while you and your friends watch the big game.

Share your Tweet. Add #V7.

Photo by Eric Ita

Prodigal Daughter

One perk of using Twitter to cover the #nvleg over radio or broadcast? I can’t mispronounce #Nevada here. #NewKidInTown

the latest Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013 VEGAS SEVEN

How to Lose Elections and Negatively Influence People CampaignS Seem permanent, and permanently annoying. To complain about it ignores history: Candidates always have been engaged in constant plotting. Grant Sawyer used to tell his staff when he was Nevada’s governor from 1959 to 1967 that politics and policy—or politics and governance—are inseparable. If you can’t get elected, how do you govern? If you can’t govern, how do you get reelected? Simply put, how officeholders vote reflects a confluence of factors—ideology, getting along with colleagues, establishing credibility in the elected body and with voters at home, and remembering that both elections and votes have consequences. So, consider the news that Erin Bilbray-Kohn—Nevada’s Democratic national committeewoman and the daughter of former four-term representative, state senator and regent Jim Bilbray—may challenge Joe Heck for re-election in House District 3 in 2014. Heck easily defeated John Oceguera, but BilbrayKohn would have several benefits Oceguera lacked: As a woman, she may energize a voting group that Oceguera couldn’t reach in the same way; as a non-officeholder, she doesn’t have the same record to attack; and she has deep roots in her party. Unlike most of his GOP colleagues, Heck isn’t in a “safe”—as in safely gerrymandered—district. So he is co-sponsoring the ridiculous “No Budget, No Pay” act that has been one of the key issues for his fellow Nevada Republican, Dean Heller. The bill is cynical and crudely populist, but it appeals to voters with a “throw the bums out” mentality (that is, unless voters think that the bums are the ones crafting the bill). Heck also voted against raising the debt limit and issued a statement out of Tea Party Talking Points 101—“I have said repeatedly that I would not consider voting to raise the debt limit unless there were major spending reductions included in the bill.” This can be

taken to mean that he doesn’t mind if the U.S. defaults, which could throw the global economy into (even more) chaos. So, Heck has a problem. If he tacks too far right, he risks losing the independent and moderate voters he won in 2012 and, to a lesser degree, in 2010. But if he doesn’t tack far enough right, he offends his base. Nevada’s other Republican representative, Mark Amodei, represents Nevada’s solidly Republican northern tier. But, like Heck, he could be sandwiched between ideologies.

my folks in the eye.” He mentioned that in the 2010 Senate race, his district had voted for Sharron Angle, the Tea Party favorite. What would he fear? Apparently, an Angle-style primary opponent. Since the ideological base of both parties turns out in primaries, he would be in trouble. But his description of his district ignores moderately conservative Republicans, especially in Reno (and Carson City, which he once represented as a moderate conservative in the state Senate). Finally, Amodei presumably hadn’t seen a recent USA Weekend study of diversity that should concern Republicans. The study created an index based on the probability that two randomly

The bill is cynical and crudely populisT, buT iT appeals To voTers wiTh a “Throw The bums ouT” menTaliTy (ThaT is, unless voTers Think ThaT The bums are The ones crafTing The bill). As 2012 ended, Amodei was the only Nevadan to vote against the bill that kept the country from going over the “fiscal cliff.” After doing so, he made a couple of admissions to the Las Vegas Sun that could haunt him: Admission 1: “I’m bummed out because I’m feeling pretty uneffective. It’s a pretty humbling day for the new guy.” This comes off not only as ungrammatical (or ingrammatical), but also as unwise. If you ran against Amodei, wouldn’t you love to have him calling himself ineffective? Admission 2: He said that if he had voted the other way, he didn’t think he could “go home and look

chosen people in a given county are of different race or ethnicity. Nationally, the index is 55 percent, up from 40 just two decades ago. One Nevada county is above the current national average: Clark. This should concern Heck. Meanwhile, of the six Nevada jurisdictions with the next highest probabilities—ranging from 45 to 55—five are in Amodei’s district. In 2012, Republicans lost in part by ignoring or railing against changing demographics instead of embracing them. As Heck and Amodei help make policy in Congress, the dictum of Sawyer, a liberal Democrat, should be ringing in their ears.

Super Sunday FindS Is there a bigger day in Las Vegas than Super Bowl Sunday? Maybe New Year’s Eve, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I’ve never been to a Super Bowl in person, but ever since I experienced my first in Las Vegas, I’ve never really wanted to. A lot of people apparently feel the same, because this town will be rockin’ this weekend. The bars and casinos will be promoting accordingly, and locals will have a better opportunity than most to take advantage. You won’t read about the good parties at the local taverns. They advertise with fliers on the bar and signs on the wall. Michael’s Pub at Rainbow and Flamingo, for example, makes a special sandwich for the game known simply as “the sandwich.” Their inhouse fliers say “The Sandwich Is Coming,” and I’m guessing it’s pretty good. So if you’re looking for a non-casino bar to watch the game, rule No. 1 is to check out the ads at the ones near you. If you go to the casinos, you’re sure to find action in all of the sportsbooks, but many casinos will also have parties in their showrooms or event halls. You can go high-end with $100-per-person (and up) tabs, but there are much more wallet-friendly deals to be had. One of the best if you want an all-in-one price is at the Silverton, where you can get unlimited food or unlimited drinks during the game for $20, or food and drinks for $35. Santa Fe Station and Fiesta Henderson are also offering all-you-can-drink deals (draft beer only) for 20 bones. South Point has a big free party with $1 dogs and $2.67 Buds (if you buy ‘em by the bucket). Terrible’s is running a tailgate party in the front parking lot beginning at noon, with dollar dogs and beers. If you want to make a bet, look for sportsbooks that give you a little something extra for making it. These deals tend to show up closer to game day, but here are a couple of examples. At either Arizona Charlie’s, a $20 bet on a parlay card or a $50 bet straight-up gets you a commemorative T-shirt. Jerry’s Nugget is also giving away T-shirts for a $20 parlaycard wager, plus Jerry’s will also exchange a losing ticket for a $5 table-game matchplay that’s worth about $2.40. At Luxor’s Public House, there’s a sign out front offering 15 percent off your entire bill if you show them a betting slip. I haven’t checked out the details, but it sounds like you can’t lose if you make a $20 bet and plan on running up a $135 bill in the restaurant. Even if you blow the twenty, you’ll book $20.25 on the discount. And there’s nothing saying you can’t get the 15 percent and win the bet, too. 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.

the latest

style [mirror, mirror]

Putting Your Best Face Forward How social media is reshaping facial plastic surgery By Dr. Jeannie

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

Khavkin

VEGAS SEVEN

Glen Scott

What he’s wearing now: Ted Baker shirt,

Photographed by Tomo

shoes, Nike FuelBand bracelet and Oakley sunglasses.

Creative director and co-founder Ben Sherman tie, Alternative Apparel sweatof 1010 Collective, age 33. shirt, H&M jacket, J Brand jeans, Cole Haan

Fashion motto: Always try things on in the store. I hate returning. The scoop: He may be at the helm of one of Downtown’s creative new transplants, but that doesn’t mean Scott will be showing

up to any meetings in a bathrobe a la Mark Zuckerberg. “Some people view it as a license to dress sloppy,” the advertising executive says. “But I think there’s a happy medium between presentable and comfortable.” Scott keeps his well-groomed yet relaxed mantra by browsing at boutiques such as Ted Baker and H&M that provide a versatile daily wardrobe. “Everyday I jet around a lot,” Scott says. “I always wear something I can meet a client in for a morning meeting, but then is nice enough to meet my lady out for dinner.”

According to a report released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, chinaugmentation procedures increased an astounding 71 percent between 2010 and 2011. The uptick is attributed to the angle of the camera when using video chat technology, which can accentuate the appearance of a weak chin or a sagging neck. As plastic surgeons, we are seeing a spike in both surgical and nonsurgical facial procedures because people don’t like the image reflected back at them from the computer screen. The advent of high-definition technology brought an increased awareness of skin imperfections and signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles. While this started out as a concern for celebrities and television personalities, as these technologies are becoming mainstream, more people are requesting facial procedures to look better for photos and other communication mediums. The tight job market may also be playing a role. Job seekers who post a video résumé want to project the best image of themselves to stay competitive in the current market. Let’s face it—you can’t Photoshop yourself for real life, but there are many surgical and nonsurgical treatments available to help you put your best face forward. Dr. Jeannie Khavkin is a board-certified and fellowshiptrained facial plastic surgeon at Khavkin Facial Plastic Surgery. EliteFacialSurgery.com.

the latest

style

Soundwaves

Headphone discoveries made at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show WhiTe LighTning

By Justin Alexander

Monster Diesel vektr

Love the sleek design of Diesel clothing? These futuristic headphones definitely match your outfit. $270, MonsterProducts.com.

The DocTor is in

Beats By Dre executive

For the music lover on the go, these fold flat for easy packing and are excellent noise cancelers. $300, BeatsByDre.com.

eye canDy

skullcanDy navigator

The smaller and more affordable sister to the popular Aviator series, this set defines on-ear quality. $99, SkullCandy.com.

auDibLe Luxury sTreeT Wear

sol repuBlic tracks ultra

sMs auDio street By 50 liMiteD eDition

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

They’re endorsed by 50 Cent and Pauly D, and you can’t get more Vegas than that. Plus, they have memory foam ear pads. $250, SMSBy50.com.

VEGAS SEVEN

Like a Pro

v-MoDa crossfaDe M-100

For an extra $25, engrave the shield with your logo like a superhero. $310.00; V-Moda.com.

Smooth, stylish and exclusive just like your taste in tunes. $180, SolRepublic.com.

The JuDges TabLe

sony x HeaDpHones

Be a bedroom superstar with this Simon Cowell-designed X Factor collaboration. $300, Sony.com.

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

the latest

national

VEGAS SEVEN

Tesla Gets Current

New generation of fans helping to fund museum in electricity pioneer’s ramshackle laboratory By Kelly Faircloth The New York Observer

For all the modern-day desire to emulate Steve Jobs, the heroic nerd isn’t a new American trope. As long ago as the Gilded Age, scientist Nikola Tesla was a celebrity. He lived at the Waldorf Astoria and was close friends with Mark Twain. Rather, as the inventor of an effective alternating current system of power generation, he’d helped usher in a new, electrified era. His ambitious visions of the future (and complete lack of a filter) made great copy, meaning newspaper reporters were always eager to put him in print. In 1901, at the height of his fame, Tesla built a laboratory in the rural farmland of Shoreham, Long Island. Dubbed Wardenclyffe, the facility was designed by Stanford White and meant to be the site of his greatest achievement yet: intercontinental transmission of wireless signals—i.e., radio. But it wasn’t to be. “Wardenclyffe was a landmark as magnificent in concept and execution as America’s Golden Age of electrical engineering ever produced,” writes Margaret Cheney in her 1981 biography Tesla: Man Out of Time— “magnificent and doomed.” Today, raccoons roam the graffiti-covered interior, which has been gradually stripped of all valuable piping and wiring. The soaring space has been subdivided into warren-like enclosures, arched windows boarded over. The tower that formerly loomed overhead is long gone. Until very recently, it was a Superfund site, polluted with silver and cadmium. While Marconi made it into the history books for his wireless innovations, and Edison was remembered as the great inventor of the light bulb and popularizer of electricity, Tesla fell out of favor. By 1916, he was bankrupt. (That made the papers, too.) He died at the New Yorker Hotel in January 1943, reportedly with only a snowwhite pigeon as a companion. For ages, he was remembered largely as a Doctor Strange-like figure, lurking in the shadows of scientific respectability. For 17 years, a retired teacher

named Jane Alcorn has been trying to turn the moldering near-ruin of Wardenclyffe into a science museum. She even organized a nonprofit and extracted the promise of an $850,000 matching grant from the State of New York, but couldn’t quite scrape together the $1.6 million required to buy the property. But now the Internet, that hive of fandoms, has spawned a new generation of enthusiasts ready to right the wrong of Tesla’s neglect. A fundraising campaign

on Indiegogo, spearheaded by Matthew Inman, creator of the popular Web comic The Oatmeal, drew more than 29,000 donations, and the Tesla Science Center now has $1.37 million to go toward the effort. The nonprofit organization, called the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, is currently in contract on the property and hoping to close by the end of the first quarter of this year. Born in 1856, an ethnic Serb in what’s now Croatia, Tesla

cobbled together an advanced education in engineering despite limited financial resources and struck out for America in 1884. Upon arrival, he proceeded, letter of introduction in hand, to the early R&D shop run by Thomas Edison. The understaffed Edison hired Tesla on the spot, but the relationship soon soured: The American supposedly promised his hardworking employee a substantial bonus to redesign the company’s

energy-generating dynamos, but when Tesla went to collect his prize, Edison reneged. The tale is a nice setup for the “War of Currents” that followed. As America embraced electricity, two technologies wrestled for dominance: Edison’s directcurrent system, which was first to market; and Tesla’s more efficient alternating-current system, commercialized by competitor Westinghouse Electric. The latter would emerge victorious, despite downright slanderous attempts by Edison to brand it as dangerous, including using AC to electrocute the Luna Park Zoo’s most troublesome elephant on Coney Island. To free up capital for the battle, Tesla released Westinghouse from a lucrative contract for the use of his patents—a move that would contribute greatly to his later poverty. But by 1901, he had already moved on to bigger, wilder ideas. At Wardenclyffe, he hoped to establish a facility for wireless communications on a transcontinental scale—hence the enormous tower that loomed over the building. (In the end, Marconi would get much of the glory, though, by building on Tesla’s patents.) Perhaps even more ambitious were his ideas for the wireless transmission of power, a technology that’s only just now, a century later, creeping into the marketplace. However, it was something more mundane that brought down Wardenclyffe: cash-flow problems. Even if the science had worked—and the Gilded Age had seen enough marvels that it might have seemed doable—Tesla’s primary investor, J.P. Morgan, didn’t become one of the wealthiest men in America by giving things away. The money dried up, and the project failed. The property was repossessed; the tower was knocked down (although the concrete and granite foundation remains). The building and land were sold to film manufacturer Peerless Photo, later acquired by the Belgian multinational Agfa Graphics,

came in, alerting his hundreds of thousands of fans to the cause. Suddenly it was less a dry matter of historical preservation than a mission to do right by an unjustly forgotten underdog. Inman first became aware of Nikola Tesla from a site called Badass of the Week and was struck by that typical disbelief that he didn’t already know about the man. “As I was reading the article I was kind of thinking, ‘Oh wow, that’s really impressive. Oh wow, he did—oh my God, holy shit, he did all of those things?’” Inman wrote a Tesla comic, included in his first book, 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful

Guides). But it wasn’t until he began selling T-shirts that read “Tesla > Edison” that he realized the depth of public devotion to this supposedly forgotten hero. “These things just started selling like crazy,” he explained. That’s when he decided to completely rewrite the original comic and turn it into a paean. Inman knew he didn’t have the technical background to do justice to Tesla’s feats of engineering. Instead, he decided to focus on “the spirit of what he did, in terms of—the guy was a huge nerd,” he said. The final product was titled “Why Nikola Tesla Is the Greatest Geek Who Ever Lived.”

Within a week, the comic had more than 500,000 Facebook likes, and Inman found himself the unofficial king of Internet Tesla fandom. When he heard about the fundraising attempts, he stepped forward, offering up his hordes of eager Oatmeal readers. It took just days for the campaign to blow past its goal of $850,000. The project will require millions more in donations before the museum opens its doors, but such a day suddenly looks possible. For years Inman has referred to Tesla as an unsung hero, but between the funds raised and the press attention, “I almost feel like the dude is pretty well sung at this point,” he admitted. The question is, why now? One plank of Alcorn’s plan for the site hints at the currents propelling this renaissance: Besides classrooms and interactive exhibits, she’d like to include a hacker space. “If you had an invention in mind but you didn’t have a place to create your prototype, and you didn’t have the equipment, machinery or space to work on it, we could have a space with equipment you might not have at home that you could use to create your prototype.” Between his world-altering ambitions and his loner image, Nikola Tesla engages our infatuation with innovators and entrepreneurs. We’re in a cultural moment when shirtless photos of Mark Zuckerberg pop up on TMZ, even as he extols the “hacker way” in SEC filings; Google co-founder Sergey Brin appears at Fashion Week wearing Google Glasses. Everyone has his own idea for an earthshattering tech startup. And Tesla is the perfect em-

bodiment of the ever-optimistic idealist, holding fast to his disruptive convictions. “Even when everything was against him and he was broke, even when he was a little old man in his 80s, he was always working on something,” explained playwright Jeffrey Stanley, author of the semi-autobiographical Tesla’s Letters, which premiered off Broadway in 1999. That goes a long way toward explaining his popularity with the tech crowd: Google co-founder Larry Page likes to cite him as an inspiration; Paypal founder Elon Musk, in what looks like a self-aware admission of his own grand ambitions, named his electric car startup Tesla Motors. Edison, on the other hand, represents a corporate approach that lacks the cultural cachet it once held. In fact, according to Leonard DeGraaf, an archivist at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in New Jersey, Edison’s greatest legacy may be that he made inventors seem like a solid bet. “He makes invention safe for people to invest in, as an activity that they can throw money at,” because he proved he could deliver, DeGraaf explained. A valuable contribution to the history of American business— but one that, fair or no, reeks of mass-production in an era that fetishizes the creative and the artisanal. Besides, it’s so much sexier to take a chance on Space X, Musk’s great hope for colonizing Mars, than to invest in a practical, revenue-generating snoozefest like Paypal. That said, the bigger bets are a lot more likely to leave you alone in the end, with just pigeons for company.

29 VEGAS SEVEN

which owns the property today. But Tesla wasn’t completely forgotten. Many a curious autodidact would stumble onto the man’s legacy. Marc Seifer, author of the Tesla biography Wizard, described stumbling upon Tesla in the 1970s, while researching another man: “I said to myself, ‘This is ridiculous. If someone had invented all this stuff, I would’ve heard his name before,’” he remembered. Jane Alcorn, however, didn’t set out to rescue Tesla from obscurity. Rather, she simply wanted to find a new home for the small science museum housed in the local high school. “I had been aware of Tesla’s laboratory in a very peripheral way,” she explained. She knew Wardenclyffe, which was already empty, had originally been home to a scientist, but she didn’t know much about him. “Maybe that would be nice—to have a science museum in a scientist’s laboratory,” she thought. In the meantime, more enthusiasts were beginning to emerge. The inventor appeared as a minor but pivotal character in the 2006 fantasy movie The Prestige, portrayed by a gravefaced David Bowie. A fictionalized version of his Houston Street lab (which burned down sometime in the late 1800s) appeared in the 2010 Nicolas Cage movie The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. So as Alcorn worked toward securing the site, visitors from Japan, Istanbul, Europe and elsewhere would call her up and ask to have someone meet them outside Wardenclyffe, in hopes of learning new details. “This has been in the past—and will continue to be—almost a site of pilgrimage,” Alcorn said. That’s where Matthew Inman

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

Between his world-altering amBitions and his loner image, nikola tesla engages our infatuation with innovators and entrepreneurs.

The LaTesT

Profile

How a Vegas Kid Helped Bring the Frozen Tundra to Your PC Craig McKeown and the art of NFL Films

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

By Michael Green

VEGAS SEVEN

They were close friends at Walter Bracken Elementary School, a fat, dark-haired kid and a more angular redhead. Both skipped ahead to second grade, and their mothers were active together in the PTA. One boy wanted to be a sportscaster, the other an oceanographer. Craig McKeown, the redhead who liked the water, wound up with the career in sports. The darkhaired kid grew up to be me. In 1992, Craig joined NFL Films, first as a freelancer, then filming music videos and concerts for one of its arms, NFL Entertainment. Later he managed most of its camera and equipment departments. “We still had 11 of the best cinematographers in the world shooting football,” he said. It was a chance to work with those who filmed Franco Harris’ “Immaculate Reception” and what San Francisco 49ers fans know as “The Catch”—Montana to Clark. And it taught him a lot. When Craig and I went to Bracken, we were in the Aca-

demically Talented program, one of many school-district efforts to encourage advanced students to do more and better by letting them study outside the normal bounds of elementary school classrooms. Naturally, the school district scaled back. We headed to different junior high schools, knew each other a bit in high school and didn’t keep in touch much until recently. Facebook has a funny way of making old friends new again. The creativity Craig displayed in the A-T program was perfect for NFL Films. When Steve Sabol, who co-founded the company with his father, Ed, died last year, The New York Times summarized the Sabols’ contribution: “[They] melded cinematic ingenuity, martial metaphors and symphonic music to lend professional football the aura of myth and help fuel its rise in popularity.” They also were important to Las Vegas. Sports betting is big business here—$750 million a

year on the NFL alone—and the NFL wouldn’t have become so popular without NFL Films. The romance the films brought to the game helped make it a national obsession that transcended provincial fandom: the mythologizing, the blood and sweat and extreme closeups, narrator John Facenda (“the voice of God”) speaking in tones so elevated that we imagine he said things he didn’t really say (“The frozen tundra of Lambeau Field” is ESPN’s Chris Berman pretending to be Facenda). The NFL legend grew—and fed America’s betting culture. As the Web age dawned, Craig became an important part of the Sabol magic. “[Steve Sabol] was always a part-time coach and a part-time fan, always recognizing people for good work, always telling us to think outside the box,” McKeown says. “He had our backs and gave us the freedom to do our best. The cool thing with Steve was that he was so open to anything.”

For someone as imaginative as Craig, that freedom was intoxicating. “Part of my job was working with new toys and camera equipment,” he says. “The Internet was still young. There was still no video on there, and I wondered why we weren’t getting into that. I found a company that was able to produce fullmotion, 30 frames a second, on the computer screen. Steve always made a point that you need to throw a lot of mud against the wall and see if it sticks. He didn’t know a lot about the Internet, but he saw the possibilities.” So Sabol acted. Every year, NFL owners met with NFL Films executives. Sabol had Craig secretly record them as they arrived, then showed the footage at their meeting, via the Internet, with Sabol narrating from another room. Today, that sounds like no big deal, “but for us, at the time, it was electric. Steve was like a little kid. He knew that this could be really cool, exploiting video on the Internet. And we

wound up doing three years of Internet television programming.” And my old friend from Bracken Elementary became the first coordinator for NFL Films’ Internet TV. In 2008, Craig left NFL Films to freelance. His work for NASCAR brings him back to Las Vegas now and then—and to NFL Films. “When NASCAR was looking to expand its facilities, they came to NFL Films, talked with the people. Now you can see that NASCAR has drastically changed its production and shows to be basically NFL Filmsstyle: slow motion, hero shots, narration and music.” NFL Films has changed not only the way we look at football, but the way we look at all sports—part game, part epic tale, part war. The red-haired kid grew up to help make autumn Sundays look like classical history. The dark-haired kid went on to become a historian. Guess we still have a little in common after all these years. Except Craig’s got an Emmy.

Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Sporting News via Getty Images

Super Bowl XXXIV ended with the Titans a yard short and left Vegas with a giant push. For more episodes of betting suspense, see Page 35.

The Ravens Will Keep You in The BlacK

Charles Barkley—the basketball Hall of Famer/hack length of the longest field goal? Or which team golfer/frequent Vegas visitor who would bet four figwill use a coach’s challenge first? You can do that, ures on an ant race if given the chance—was recently and much more, thanks to dozens of proposition on Dan Patrick’s radio show lamenting how he’d lost offerings all over town. About the only thing you every NFL playoff wager he’s placed this year (and can’t bet on is whether the opening coin toss will would’ve lost the ones he didn’t land heads or tails—oops, my bad, place). That led to this exchange: Jay Kornegay over at the LVH will Patrick: Don’t bet the Super Bowl. take your action on that, too. bankroll: Barkley: [Brief pause.] What do you Indeed, the Super Bowl in the $1,585 think the Super Bowl’s FOR? That’s all 21st century is a degenerate gamLast week: 6-3 (+$138) the Super Bowl’s for! There’s a reason it’s bler’s dream. And therein lies the NFL PLayoFFs: 4-1-1 (-$2,436) the biggest party of the year, every year. danger: Many bettors—experienced NFL seasoN: 51-44-2 (+$539) The Round Mound of Rebound and novice alike—treat the final certainly isn’t alone in his opingame of the NFL season as though In February 2010, we gave Matt ion. Much to the (public) consterit were the final sporting event “$7,000” to wager. When he loses nation of NFL commissioner/head on earth, firing all the bullets in it all, we’re going to replace him hypocrite Roger Goodell, pro their bankroll on the one contest with a monkey. football’s popularity is inexorathat’s the toughest of the year to bly linked to gambling—and that win. (Think about it: In September, marriage is magnified when the bookmakers have to set lines for Super Bowl rolls around. This 50-plus college football and 16 NFL year’s Ravens-49ers matchup is expected to genergames; come the end of January, those bookmakers ate roughly $90 million in wagers—and that’s just have but one game on which to focus.) in this state. Throw in illegal and offshore betting, I learned this money-management lesson the and that number increases tenfold (and, yes, that hard way three years ago, when—in an attempt $5-a-square pool your grandma oversees qualifies to make a splashy debut—I invested 20 percent of as illegal betting). my initial $7,000 bankroll on Super Bowl XLIV, This year’s Super Bowl wagering menu is thicker backing the Colts as a 5½-point favorite against the than the phony nostalgia surrounding Ray Lewis’ Saints and also playing the game “over” the total. retirement. For instance, want to bet on the comI went 0-for-2, and I’ve been swimming upstream bined total sacks for the Ravens and 49ers? Or the ever since. [ Continued on page 34 ]

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

the underdog’s underrated defense will undermine Kaepernick, 49ers in Super Bowl XLVii

33 VEGAS SEVEN

Ask the NFL suits to reveal the secret to the Super Bowl’s success, and they’ll undoubtedly tell you (on the record) that it has everything to do with America’s passion for the great sport of football. Off the record? They’d probably still stick to that script. But put them on a witness stand and ask them to raise one hand, put the other on a Bible and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and the testimony would go something like this: “Thank the good Lord for gambling, and God bless the great state of Nevada for legalizing it!” Last year, the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl matchup attracted nearly $94 million in legal wagers in Nevada (and countless millions in illegal wagers worldwide), and predictions call for a similar handle for Super Bowl XLVII between the 49ers and Ravens on Feb. 3 at the Superdome in New Orleans. The action will last from before the opening whistle (Will the coin toss land heads or tails?) until the confetti starts falling from the rafters—and it will contribute greatly to another monster TV rating. To celebrate the “Big Game”— and, more specifically, Nevada’s big role in it—we’ve got all your wagering angles covered, from key betting trends to the seven Super Bowls that made bettors’ hearts skip a beat.

[ Continued from page 33 ]

Using a much more disciplined approach (and some Lance Armstrong-strength PEDs), I rebounded with back-to-back winning Super Bowls, including hitting my three biggest plays in the Giants-Patriots game a year ago. Also, from the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately department, I went 4-1-1 in the first two rounds of these NFL playoffs, and followed that with a 6-3 effort in college basketball last week. To recap: That’s two straight profitable Super Bowls, a near-perfect NFL postseason this year and an ongoing three-week winning streak. OK, so now that I’ve successfully jinxed myself, let’s move on to my Super Bowl XLVII selections … $220 on Ravens +4 vs. 49ers $40 on Ravens money-line (+150) vs. 49ers $77 on Ravens-49ers UNDER 47½ Let’s start with the point spread. As of press time, the consensus around town was San Francisco -3½ (down from an opening number of 4½). However, if

team for more than a decade). Check the results: The Ravens limited Eli Manning and the Giants to two touchdowns (the last of which came with the score 30-7); they held Andrew Luck out of the end zone (the Colts managed just three field goals); they gave up three touchdowns in five quarters to Peyton Manning, but only one after halftime (if not for two special-teams TDs, the Broncos would’ve gotten blown out); and they limited Tom Brady to one touchdown and two field goals (and a grand total of zero second-half points). By comparison, the 49ers defense—which some would have you believe is the second coming of the ’86 Bears—has allowed 34, 42, 31 and 24 points in four of the last five games. The only team San Francisco has slowed since early December? The Cardinals, who ranked dead last in the NFL in total offense this season and (in a 27-13 loss to the Niners) started a quarterback (Brian Hoyer) who was cut by two teams in 2012 and had been on Arizona’s roster

About the only thing you cAn’t bet on is the opening coin toss— oops, my bAd, the lVh will tAke your Action on thAt, too. you like Baltimore (as I do), it’s not difficult to find a shop offering plus-4. Regardless of which way you go, you’d have to be more clueless than Chris Brown’s next girlfriend not to get the best of this number. After all, not only is it tough to beat the oddsmakers in this game (as previously mentioned), but six of the past 11 Super Bowls were decided by three or four points. So I’m grabbing the full four points with Baltimore—and it’s not just because I’d fear for my life if I picked against Ray Lewis. Or because I despise all things San Francisco. It’s because of pure value, as this should be a pick-em game. Take away a completely meaningless 23-17 loss at Cincinnati in the regular-season finale—so meaningless that Baltimore’s key starters barely played—and here’s what the Ravens have done in their last four games: a 33-14 beat-down of the Giants (the same Giants who won 26-3 in San Francisco in October), a 24-9 rout of the Colts in a wild-card game and consecutive road wins over the AFC’s top two seeds, Denver (38-35 in overtime) and New England (28-13). Throughout Baltimore’s impressive run, QB Joe Flacco has received the bulk of the credit, and deservedly so (he threw 10 TD passes and no interceptions in those four wins). But unsung and underrated has been the Ravens defense (ironic, given Baltimore’s reputation as a dominant defensive

for two weeks. Back to the Ravens. A quick review of their season shows they’ve been beaten handily just twice (again, I’m throwing out the six-point Week 17 defeat in Cincinnati): They lost 43-13 at Houston (a week after losing Lewis to what was then thought to be a seasonending injury) and 34-17 to Denver (a flat spot after consecutive last-second, three-point defeats). In all, Baltimore has dropped five games that mattered, three by a total of seven points. Yes, I know the 49ers are 5-0 in Super Bowls (4-1 against the spread). I know the NFC has won four of the last five Super Bowls (covering in all five). And I know Colin Kaepernick is the NFL’s new messiah. But here’s what else I know: The Ravens won their only Super Bowl (34-7 over the Giants in 2001); the underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last five Super Bowls (with three outright wins); and in the past six weeks, Baltimore has taken down three future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks (both Manning brothers and Brady) who own six championship rings, and a fourth (Luck) who set multiple records in his rookie season. Call me crazy, but given those results and two weeks to prepare, I think the veteran Ravens defense can figure out how to contain a quarterback making his 10th career NFL start. Final score: Ravens 24, 49ers 17.

Oscar Goodman and other Vegas personalities offer their Super Bowl picks at VegasSeven.com/SuperBowl2013

Matt Jacob’s best super bowl proposition bets The Prop: Colin Kaepernick Over/Under 50½ rushing yards (at Station sportsbooks) The Play: Under The Reason: Ravens defense faced two mobile QBs this year—Robert Griffin III and Michael Vick—and each rushed for just 34 yards. The Prop: Will Kaepernick throw an interception? (at William Hill sportsbooks) The Play: Yes (-120) The Reason: Ravens have five INTs in playoffs, picking off Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. The Prop: Joe Flacco Over/Under 247 passing yards (at LVH sportsbook) The Play: Over The Reason: Flacco averages 283 passing yards per game last five games he’s started and finished. 49ers gave up 257 and 396 passing yards to Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan, respectively, in two playoff games. The Prop: First team to miss field goal (William Hill) The Play: 49ers (-130) The Reason: Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is 32for-35 on field goals this season; 49ers kicker David Akers is 30-for-44. The Prop: Vernon Davis Over/Under 3 receptions (LVH) The Play: Over The Reason: Tight ends have caught 25 passes vs. Ravens in playoffs—at least seven in each game—and Davis had five receptions vs. Atlanta in NFC title game. The Prop: First quarter total points Over/Under 10 (Stations) The Play: Under The Reason: Only twice in last 14 years have there been more than 10 first-quarter points. The Prop: Will more points be scored in first half or second half/OT? (William Hill) The Play: Second half/OT The Reason: Second half has been higher scoring in 11 of the last 14 Super Bowls (including push last year).

Jackie Smith’s infamous drop of a TD pass wasn’t the only play that led to “Black Sunday.”

7 Days of Betting suspense January 21, 1979, will forever live in sports-betting infamy as Black Sunday, the day the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys and gamblers ambushed bookmakers. The scenario: Pittsburgh opened Super Bowl XIII as a 4½-point favorite, but as money poured in on the Cowboys, the line dropped to 4 and then 3½, when bettors started backing the Steelers. Dallas ended up scoring two touchdowns in a 2:05 span late in the fourth quarter and lost 35-31; as a result, virtually everyone who bet the game won or got their money back. And those who went for the middle—betting both the Steelers -3½ and the Cowboys +4½—got paid twice. The lesson: Just because the Super Bowl seems like it’s over on the scoreboard doesn’t mean it’s over in Las Vegas. Here are the seven most-thrilling (from a gambling standpoint) Super Bowls, where millions of winners turned into losers—and vice versa—in the final seconds.

SUPER BOWL XIV Matchup: Steelers (-10½) vs. Rams Final score: Steelers 31, Rams 19 Game rewind: Facing the defending champs, the then-L.A. Rams had the double-digit spread covered the entire game—in fact, they took a 19-17 lead into the fourth quarter—until Pittsburgh capped a 70-yard drive with a touchdown with 1:49 left to play.

Forgotten fact: The Rams drove inside Pittsburgh’s 40-yard line on each of their final two possessions, but one drive ended with an interception (which the Steelers converted into their final score) and the other with an incomplete pass on fourth down. SUPER BOWL XXXI Matchup: Packers (-14) vs. Patriots Final score: Packers 35, Patriots 21 Game rewind: The teams combined for 56 points in less than three quarters, the final touchdown coming via the Packers’ 99-yard kickoff return, followed by a successful two-point conversion that put the game right on the point spread. Forgotten fact: In addition to the kickoff return, Green Bay had a two-play drive (capped by Brett Favre’s 54-yard TD pass) and a one-play drive (Favre’s 81yard TD pass). And although the final 18 minutes were scoreless, the Packers had a chance to cover, but kicker Chris Jacke was wide right on a 47-yard field-goal try with less than four minutes to play. SUPER BOWL XXXIV Matchup: Rams (-7) vs. Titans Final score: Rams 23, Titans 16 Game rewind: St. Louis scored on a 73-

spread in Super Bowl history. However, the underdog is 8-3 ATS the last 11 Super Bowls, including a current 4-1 ATS run.

vious nine. However, the last time the Superdome hosted the big game, in 2002, the Patriots beat the Rams 20-17 as a 14-point underdog.

2 The NFC is 18-8-2 ATS in the last 28 Super Bowls,

6 Six of the last eight Super Bowls overall and six of the

3 Favorites of 3½ to 6 points are 8-3 ATS in Super Bowls.

However, the lower-seeded squad—Baltimore is a No. 4 seed; San Francisco a No. 2 seed—is 12-2 ATS the last 14 years.

Confused about which way to bet Super Bowl XLVII? Well, sit back, relax … and pop an extra-strength pain reliever, because we’re about to add to your confusion. Here are seven Super Bowl betting trends as you continue to overanalyze the side and total in the Ravens-49ers matchup:

SUPER BOWL XXXIX Matchup: Patriots (-7) vs. Eagles Final score: Patriots 24, Eagles 21 Game rewind: With the score tied at 14, New England scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to take a 24-14 lead, only to see Philadelphia steal the spread-cover with a touchdown with 1:48 remaining. Forgotten fact: Midway through the fourth quarter, the Patriots had firstand-goal from the 4-yard line but didn’t gain a yard and had to settle for a 22-yard field goal. Also, New England safety Rodney Harrison intercepted Donovan McNabb at the Eagles’ 28-yard line with 17 seconds to play, but was tackled after a 6-yard return. – M.J.

1 The favorite is 33-13 straight-up and 26-18-2 against the

including 8-2 ATS in the last 10 and 5-0 ATS in the last five. However, since 1996, the AFC entrant has been an underdog six times and only once failed to cover the spread.

7 useful betting trends

yard touchdown pass with 2:12 remaining to snap a 16-16 tie. Tennessee took over at its own 12-yard line and drove all the way to the Rams’ 10, where with six seconds to play—and no timeouts—Steve McNair completed a pass to Kevin Dyson, who was tackled 1 yard shy of the goal line. Forgotten fact: The second push in Super Bowl history happened despite the fact the Rams entered the final minute of the third quarter with a 16-0 lead and still led 16-6 midway through the fourth.

4 Forget the point spread. If you can just predict the Super

Bowl winner, odds are you’ll walk away with some cash, as the winner has failed to cover the spread just six times in 46 years. However, it’s happened three times since 2004.

5 This is the 10th Super Bowl to be played in New

Orleans. The favorite is 6-3 SU and 5-3-1 ATS in the pre-

nine Super Bowls in New Orleans have stayed under the total. However, the over is 3-1 in the last four Super Bowls in the Superdome—including San Francisco’s 55-10 win over Denver in Super Bowl XXIV. In fact, the combined total score in the 49ers’ five championship appearances is 55.4 points.

7 OK, at this point, you’re probably thinking, “Screw it: I might as well just flip a coin.” That brings us to this final tidbit: The team from the NFC has won the coin toss 17 of the last 19 years, including 14 in a row prior to the Patriots breaking the string last year. As for the heads/tails ratio, “heads” hit in five of the last six Super Bowls—including the last four in a row—but prior to that, “tails” had been on an 8-1 run. The results for all 46 Super Bowls played to date: 23 heads, 23 tails. Yup, might as well just flip that coin … – M.J.

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

Photo by Tony Tomsic/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

SUPER BOWL X Matchup: Steelers (-7) vs. Cowboys Final score: Steelers 21, Cowboys 17 Game rewind: Pittsburgh turned a 10-7 deficit into a 21-10 lead with a safety, a field goal and a touchdown— all in the fourth quarter. However, the Cowboys drove 80 yards in five plays for a touchdown (and the backdoor cover). Forgotten fact: On the game’s second series, Pittsburgh’s punter fumbled and Dallas took over at the Steelers’ 29yard line. One play later, the Cowboys had a 7-0 lead.

SUPER BOWL XIII Matchup: Steelers (-3½) vs. Cowboys Final score: Steelers 35, Cowboys 31 Game rewind: After Dallas tight end Jackie Smith dropped a sure touchdown pass early in the second half— forcing his team to settle for a field goal—Pittsburgh broke the game open with two TDs in 19 seconds midway through the fourth quarter to take a 3517 lead. But the Cowboys answered with two quick TDs of their own, first scoring with 2:27 remaining, then recovering the onside kick and finding the end zone again with 22 seconds left. Forgotten fact: How close was Black Sunday to never happening? Dallas’ final points came three plays after Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach completed a 25-yard pass … on 4th-and-18.

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SUPER BOWL V Matchup: Colts (-2½) vs. Cowboys Final score: Colts 16, Cowboys 13 Game rewind: Dallas led 13-6 midway through the fourth quarter, but the then-Baltimore Colts turned two Cowboys interceptions into 10 points, with the game-winning field goal—and half-point cover—coming with five seconds to play. Forgotten fact: The Cowboys scored the first six points of the game, settling for two short field goals after squandering a pair of first-and-goal opportunities.

By Deanna Rilling

“Some artists keep their treasures for themselves. I like to play them out instantly.” ‘Joyenergizer’ {page 40}

Your city after dark, hot gossip, party pics, and Major Lazer

Thu 31

Apparently girl-on-girl kissing contests never go out of style, even after Las Vegas was bombarded by such antics when Katy Perry released “I Kissed a Girl.” Putting a new twist on the action, Tao will hold the Blondes vs. Brunettes Bowl, awarding $5,000 to the hottest blonde/brunette duo to swap spit. Sorry, gingers, you’re left out again. (In the Venetian, 10 p.m., TaoLasVegas.com.)

Ready for the Super Bowl, but not a fan of the crew at the corner pub? Cheer on your favorite team in style at Pure as it transforms into a sports lounge for those who like the VIP treatment. (In Caesars Palace, 1 p.m., AngelMG. com.) Lavo will also get in on the big game action with a viewing party, a.k.a. the Lavo Bowl, with open bar and/or gourmet buffet packages. (In the Palazzo, 2 p.m., LavoLV.com.) Add Hyde to that list, too, with its Ultimate Big Game Viewing Party and an afterparty with tunes spun by D-Miles. (In Bellagio, 2 p.m., HydeBellagio.com.) After all that game-day grubbing, work it off at The Bank for the Cheer Bowl, complete with—you guessed it—real cheerleaders! A dozen pros will perform a special “halftime” show. (In Bellagio, 10:30 p.m., TheBankLasVegas.com.) Technically Drai’s isn’t officially closing when Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall shuts down for a complete property overhaul. From what we can gather through Facebook chatter and industry peeps, the afterhours den of sin is merely migrating to a location within Bally’s till Bill’s is remodeled into a boutique hotel, including a new Drai’s dayclub/nightclub and rooftop pool. Stop by for one last hurrah at the OG spot with DJs Chris Garcia, Fabian Arche, Miguel Ortiz, DJ Direct and more. (10 p.m., Drais.net.)

Time to get artsy! First Friday is upon us again, but what really caught our eye this month (and got our inner-child super-stoked) is the massive HopScotch Party! The big blue Delivering Happiness bus will lead the charge as attendees of all ages are welcome to navigate through multiple courses, win prizes and boost their happiness levels till 10 p.m. (At Casino Center Blvd. between Colorado Ave. and Imperial Ave., 5 p.m., FirstFridayLasVegas.com.) Dirty South (1) is making moves. The multi-Grammy nominee has signed on for another Las Vegas residency, this time joining the XS roster with his first gig there tonight. (In Encore, 11 p.m., XSLasVegas.com.)

Mon 4

Techno! Techno! Techno! Oh, and some tech-house, too. The underground electronic revolution continues at Body English with Italian DJ/producer Stefano Noferini (2). Download his recent Toolroom Knights compilation to get geared up for the gig. (In the Hard Rock Hotel, 10 p.m., BodyEnglish.com.) Bust out the glitter and glue; Calvin Harris (3) needs help from fans to create a snazzy poster in honor of the release of his latest album, 18 Months, by interpreting the lyrics of “Sweet Nothing” featuring Florence Welch. Get some inspiration during his Surrender gig and more details at CreativeAllies. 2 com/Contests/748-design-aposter-for-calvin-harris. (In Encore, 10:30 p.m., SurrenderLV. com.) With Dutch/Canadian heritage and currently based in New York City, electro/house/ progressive DJ Bambi (4) is sure to have some of the hottest EDM tunes in her arsenal for her headlining set at Marquee. (In the Cosmopolitan, 10 p.m., MarqueeLasVegas.com.)

Tue 5 Nickel F---ing Beer Night. Fight Club 4. And since the first (and second) rule of Fight Club is “you do not talk about Fight Club,” well, we’ve said too much already! (At Beauty Bar, 10 p.m., Facebook.com/VegasNickelBeers.)

Wed 6 A big “Congratulations!” to nightlifer Yvette Brown and beau Eric Auger. The couple celebrates their recent engagement with another installment of Brown’s Cosmopolitan Connections networking events, this time at Gold Lounge. And while you’re welcome to shower the happy couple with gifts, the first 25 attendees get a present of their own in the form of gift bags from LMarie’s Bare Elegance, plus business-card drawings for a grip of other goodies. (In Aria, 7 p.m., CosmopolitanConnections.com.) Mom will like this one (since she already celebrates it on her own): Wino Wednesdays! The new promotion at Ranch House Kitchen starts today and continues every Wednesday with half-priced bottles of select vino for day-drinkers from 3-6 p.m. (In Town Square, RanchHouseKitchen.com.)

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

SaT 2

Ugh. After all that football on Sunday, we could use a dose of drag queens droppin’ it like it’s hot. Every Monday, you can join the ladies of Drink & Drag for Suite 250 (the venue’s new hip-hop night), offering a $5 beer/$8 liquor bust from 10 p.m. until midnight, and catch the Ru Paul’s Drag Race viewing party with host Coco Montrese. (In Neonopolis, 9 p.m., DrinkAndDrag.com.)

37 VEGAS SEVEN

Fri 1

Sun 3

nightlife

Jennifer Lopez.

Tommy Lee atop Adrian Young.

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

If there’s one thing Jason Statham loves, it’s rifling out gravelly voiced quip after gravelly voiced quip in mid-tier action movies. If there are two things Jason Statham loves, it’s that whole quip thing and premiering those flicks at Planet Hollywood. To celebrate the opening of Parker, Statham’s latest spin around the cool, tough-guy territory he’s trod from The

VEGAS SEVEN

Transporter to the other Transporter, he was at Planet Hollywood on January 24 along with co-star Jennifer Lopez. Which is a lot of hoopla for a movie destined for DVD dollar bins in the Walmarts, but at least it has the decency to not be Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Joining Statham and Lopez on the red carpet were Randy Couture, Claire Sinclair, Taylor Hicks and Coco Austin.

All-StAr Drum SquAD tAkeS Over vinyl

Either that or they were just going to the movie to get some ideas on how to plan a heist. Those long careers in fighting, modeling, singing and having an almost comically oversize butt could have just been part of the long con to get placed in highly regarded casino entertainment gigs. No one expects their headliner to sneak down to the vault during intermission, now do they?

Addiction’s Stephen Perkins, Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee and No Doubt’s Adrian Young. And Young, for some reason, decided to play part of the show wearing a ringmaster’s coat, no pants and a man-thong. Lee wore regular pants, which are, for him, the equivalent of a man-thong. Also in the audience was Vinnie Paul of Pantera for what we can only assume was to be a backstage séance to channel Keith Moon and John Bonham.

We live in a golden age of banging on random stuff—Recycled Percussion, Blue Man Group, Chris Brown if someone hands him a couple of drumsticks and puts him in a room with Frank Ocean and/or Rihanna. So when the Street Drum Corps took their percussion act to Vinyl, it just seemed au courant. But the punk-leaning drumJason Scavone is editor of DailyFiasco.com. Follow him mers upped the game by on the Las Vegas gossip trail at VegasSeven.com/Blogs. bringing in a collection of rock thumpers that included Jane’s

even the BAckStreet BOyS Are in their 30s One more thing to remind you that you’re soon to be in the hip-replacement set: Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys just turned 33. He celebrated January 26 with girlfriend, Lauren Kitt, and his sister, Angel, at Tao, where he talked about how the new Backstreet album would have a more mature sound. He also mentioned that for Valentine’s Day, he tries “to be as romantic as I can. I’ve had to learn over the years, but it works, especially if you have someone you love so much.” Oh, sure. Like there already weren’t enough women still swooning over Backstreet Boys, he has to go and say something like that. … According to reports, Palace Station headliner Louie Anderson had to be rescued on the set of diving-competition show Splash by instructor Greg Louganis and Detroit Lions thug Ndamukong Suh.

Nick Carter and his tin cake.

Lopez photo and Lee photo by Erik Kabik; Carter photo by Al Powers

Statham, J-Lo Bring Parker Premiere to P-Ho

nightlife

‘Joyenergizer’

Netherlander Sander van Doorn returns to his club-record roots By Deanna Rilling

Between the coast-to-coast festivals and the numerous club sets, keeping track of the number of times we’ve seen Sander van Doorn is futile at this point. One indelible image is the pure happiness van Doorn seems to exude while playing for any crowd, his smile beaming all the way to the partiers in the back. Needless to say, we just get a good vibe from the guy, like when we caught up with the Netherlands native before his most recent set in Las Vegas. Van Doorn returns to Marquee on February 8, as well as Lavo on February 12.

Will it be an instrumental or vocal track? What direction has it taken? Vocal. It’s kind of a tech-y track. The whole basis is really techno. It suits the whole Underworld feel, too, because they originated from the whole techno background as well. They’re my heroes—watching the movie Trainspotting with “Born Slippy”? It’s a big honor to work with them.

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Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

The big news my fellow music geeks will eat up is that you’re collaborating with the group Underworld, right? I’m really excited this is an official collaboration. I produced the track with Mike Knight—he was already working on something with Underworld. He felt he could combine it with a track that I produced already, so we started mixing the two together and this track came out called “World.” [The members of] Underworld loved the track, and were really up for it.

You’ve had some interesting developments, particularly teaming up with Jay-Z’s label, Roc Nation. Was that a surprise to you as well? The great thing about [“Nothing Inside”] is it’s not actually a commercial track. I made it as a ‘Sander van Doorn’ track, and

there’s a lot of feeling in it. It’s a track that originated from the clubs, but it has potential to be played out on more commercial radio stations as well which makes it less forced, but just a really good track. It’s never going to be a No. 1 U.S. track—that’s not possible. But that doesn’t matter. If it could reach a lot more people by signing it to Roc Nation, it’s great. We first heard the recently released “Joyenergizer” during Electric Daisy Carnival last June. Did the label delay the track from becoming available to the public? Some artists, they keep their treasures for themselves. I like to play them out, so when I finish the track, I play it instantly to see the crowd response and adjust the track [if needed]. Before that track, I had “Nothing Inside,” “Kangaroo”—so many other tracks to be released first. It’s a long process. There are a lot of producers collaborating on film scores and video-game soundtracks, like you did with Halo 4. Are you a gamer? They approached me for the remix, and I had actually never touched an Xbox or PlayStation before. I knew the game because when I was a student, I never went to school actually. I always ended up at my friend’s place, and he had an Xbox, so I played Halo 1. When I got asked, they sent me an Xbox and 40 games, one of which was Halo 4, and I was loving it. I actually became a new gamer and am hooked right now. It’s such a beautiful game, and the great thing about the remix is I got to hook up with Neil Davidge, the original score’s writer. I’ve noticed that by doing the remix I’ve got so many new fans. Are you working on a follow-up to the From Dusk till Doorn live experience? Yeah, but it’s so much better! I’m really excited. I’m not going to say too much, but I’ve also produced a lot of new tracks, so perhaps there’s a new [artist] album coming, perhaps not, but it’s going to be a very exciting year. You’ll bring it to Las Vegas, right? I will bring it to Vegas, absolutely! Van Doorn shares his thoughts on the U.S. dancemusic market at VegasSeven.com/SvD.

Las Vegas has become a bucketlist location for music videos. But the end result is always better when someone has a connection to the city, such as Las Vegasbased DJ Scotty Boy. Along with his Houston producer, DJ Red, they’ve been making quite a few blips on the EDM radar, even more so now after teaming up with singer A. Jay Popoff of the band Lit for “Know Your Name Tonight.” A release on Fedde Le Grand’s Flamingo Recordings broke the track into the Beatport progressive house charts, garnering heavy rotation on SiriusXM and a spot on Le Grand’s 2012 Yearmix. The trio started off 2013 by getting out of the studio and in front of the cameras of Drex Lee Films. “We wrote the track about a year and a half ago,” Red says. “It was supposed to be a remix for Donald Glaude, and then when we wrote the structure of the track, we got greedy and wanted to keep that track for ourselves,” he laughs. “I’ve been friends with A. Jay for a while, and he’s into EDM,” Scotty says. The guys took advantage of Scotty’s Triple B: Backstage Bar & Billiards Downtown for that rock ’n’ roll feel. “We didn’t want a serious video,” Scotty says. “I wanted a video that our friends could watch and laugh. I had the idea of all of us being in a band—even though we don’t really play instruments.” “I play guitar!” Red corrects him. “I played my solo legit!” Cameo appearances in the video scheduled for a mid-February release include Revolvr, singer Sherry St. Germain and DJ Well Groomed, plus a bunch of local pals in the crowd. Follow @DJScottyBoy, @The_Real_ DJ_Red and @AJayPopoff for updates. — Deanna Rilling

Popoff photo by Drex Lee Films

scotty Boy, Red team with Lit singeR foR Las Vegas Video

nightlife

Dance Hall Monitor

Major Lazer declares musical liberation with 1 Oak residency By Deanna Rilling

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

Laaaasers. You can’t have a Las Vegas nightclub without a grip of ’em. Subsequently, 1 Oak has added the most major one to its roster with Wes Pentz (also familiar to electronic fans as Diplo), Walshy Fire and Jillionaire. Collectively they’re known by their single cartoon avatar, Major Lazer, a fictitious Jamaican renegade who was outfitted with prosthetic lasers after losing his arm in the Zombie War of the ’80s. (And only Major Lazer is depicted in the character collective’s press shots.) In advance of their 1 Oak residency kickoff February 5, Pentz lets us know what the Major Lazer experience is all about, as well as the album dropping this month.

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The term “residency” in Las Vegas can mean anything from weekly appearances to quarterly quickies. How often can we actually catch the group’s set? We’re doing six a year, so every two months you can catch us there on a Tuesday. I like that better because we can make it a real event. We have time to rehearse and try new things. We’re getting a lot of props and trying to do something really cool. I like 1 Oak because it’s a little more ratchet and crazy in there. With Major Lazer, the vibe is more country and crazy. There’s a real feeling of audience participation. We’re less standing there and putting our hands in the air, but actually creating an environment. We’re on the microphones, you’ll see stuff thrown out from us to the crowd, shit like that. It’s five of us that tour. We sell out big venues, but our show is more like a carnival. Plus, I love the Monday and Tuesday nights in Vegas. I love industry nights because the kids have already seen everything and they wanna hear new shit. Will you adopt a different theme for each gig? I think that could be cool—

that’s a cool idea. Thank you! I hear you’ve been working on the Major Lazer sophomore LP Free the Universe (out Feb. 19) right here in Las Vegas at DMI Studios with Luca “Digital Boy” Pretolesi? Yeah, Luca’s been mixing stuff for me for a while. I met him through some artists on my label. I asked him to do some house records because he’s good at that, but he ended up taking the reigns on the more crazy stuff. I did a dubstep [track] with Wynter Gordon and Shaggy and he killed it, he did such a great mix for the record. And now he’s doing some stuff for Snoop with me. I didn’t see any Free the Universe tour dates in Las Vegas. We’re just going to keep it at the residency. So if you want to see it, you have to come to 1 Oak. We might do EDC [Electric Daisy Carnival]; we’ll see. Right now we’re being very strategic. I think when we announced the dates, some of the shows—

it’s crazy; we sold 800 tickets the first day in Toronto. We almost sold out completely for our London show, which is in May. That’s 3,000 kids. We’re just trying to make it to the places that really make sense. You know, we try to be really clever, make it exciting and hit the right markets. Just make the biggest impact. Major Lazer garnered a MTV VMA nomination for “Hold the Line.” What kind of eye candy is in store for the new album, and will your interest in film play a role? We just shot a video in Jamaica that’s coming out in

February, and that’s gonna be crazy. I’ll probably make videos for every single song on the record. That’s what I love to do, and people really appreciate our visual side; because it’s such a unique project we have to give people all that. We’re gonna do a video [for the Bruno Mars collaboration] with Eric Wareheim, who did “Pon de Floor” for us. In general it’s gonna be a crazy album.

If you’re making a video for all of them, will there be an underlying theme or story? It looked like that before, but we did “Get Free” with [director] So Me from France; that became a really stylized video. Now they’re just all going to be amazing in their own aspects. But we have an overlying concept for a cartoon TV show ... It’s going to be the Major Lazer [character] in his own little cartoon world.

For more details on the upcoming Major Lazer album, Lazergram app and a gig on the moon, visit VegasSeven.com/MajorLazer.

nightlife

parties

hyde Bellagio

[ Upcoming ]

VEGAS SEVEN

See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com

Photography by Tony Tran

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

Feb. 2 DJs Jace One and Five Feb. 3 D-Miles spins Feb. 9 DJ Konflikt

nightlife

parties

bagatelle The Tropicana [ Upcoming ]

VEGAS SEVEN

See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com

Photography by Josh Metz and Teddy Fujimoto

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

Feb. 3 Super Brunch XLVII Feb. 7 Ladies Night Feb. 10 Snow Bunny Brunch

nightlife

parties

Gold Aria

[ Upcoming ]

VEGAS SEVEN

See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com

Photography by Teddy Fujimoto

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

Jan. 31 House of Gold Thursdays with DJ Sam I AM Feb. 1 ’80s Night with DJ Tino Feb. 2 Gold Saturdays with DJs Justin Hoffman and Madd Maxx

dining

“It’s the heartbreak of my life that she likes ketchup

on her hot dogs. It’s something I’m hoping to correct at some point down the line.” Anthony BourdAin ... {pAGe 64}

Reviews, Diner's Notebook, the best gluten-free pancakes (ever!) and beertails at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill

Filet Fatale

SHe by Morton’s—a steakhouse for young, single women and the men who want to impress them

[ Continued on Page 62 ]

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

We’ve just sunk down into our lavish, semicircular leather booth at SHe by Morton’s, a nightlife-inspired restaurant that is the second incarnation of the space originally home to Beso, when a basket of rolls brushed with cloyingly sweet honeycinnamon butter arrives. “There’s sugar in this bread!” a friend exclaims in mock horror. The music from an adjacent DJ booth, occupied by a female DJ, suddenly swells, rendering his next observation inaudible. It’s also irrelevant; this place isn’t targeting our generation, the baby boomers. Looking for a quiet dinner? Forget it. Yes, that’s a runway snaking smack down the middle of this dark, clubby room, punctuated by rows of amber chandeliers, hanging crystal beads, and art-decolooking room dividers of sharply angled brushed metal separating the dining room from its panoramic windows. I didn’t come on an evening when models walk this runway, but I can only imagine. It’s all but assumed that SHe’s diners will probably head upstairs to the restaurant’s nightclub for post-prandial revelry. Yet somehow, it feels quite corporate in here. Maybe it’s because the restaurant now belongs to Landry’s, the giant chain that has Claim Jumper, Chart House and dozens of others under its huge umbrella. A sign on the door tells us we’re entering SHe by Morton’s, a steakhouse chain that has also been swallowed up by Landry’s. The kitchen, which still has an 1,800-degree vertical broiler installed for Beso, puts out a retooled steakhouse menu originally created by chef Todd Mark Miller, although now in the capable hands of chef Eric Stecher. And Eva Longoria is still involved,

61 VEGAS SEVEN

Photo by Anthony Mair

By Max Jacobson

[ Continued from Page 61 ] Dining

Executive chef Todd Mark Miller, and Little Big Royales.

only today as a limited partner. Overall, the operation feels slick and self-assured, the servers clad in black and white, with their bow ties are undone, their shirt collars unbuttoned—very Clooney-esque. As you’d expect from a large corporate restaurant, there are a number of things to eat on a menu that leave little to chance. Chopped salad comes close to being pleasurable thanks to ingredients such as bacon, pecans and bleu cheese, but just misses the mark because of an overly tart dressing. Baked oysters (six Malpeques) are topped with crème fraîche and tiny dollops of black caviar— tasty, but pusillanimous at $24. I prefer the crusty little crab-cake

max’s menu picks Crab cake minis, $19. Little Big Royales, $19. Creamed corn, $11. Soy-laquered salmon, $32. Goodnight Kisses, $9.

minis and sliders called Little Big Royales, but I’d avoid the shrimp tempura, which doesn’t need all that extra sauce. If cold shellfish is your thing, there is a large selection of cocktails, tartares and similar items. Steaks come in “She-cuts,” “He-cuts” and “We-cuts,” and as one might

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

[ a SmaLL Bite ]

VEGAS SEVEN

Strange Bread-fellowS Strange bedfellows result when so many stars of stage, screen and TV gather to rub egos at the Sundance Film Festival. One bond rarely formed during Sundance, however, is gluten. All of Park City, Utah, seemed to eschew the stuff this year, including those seen just moments before downing their third frosty Stella Artois, the official beer of Sundance. The Denver-based Udi’s Gluten Free Table pop-up café was a runaway hit January 18-20, with celebrities including Julianne Moore, Mario Lopez, Jane Lynch, Mekhi Phifer, Brie Larson and Jennifer Coolidge filed in to get their glutenless grub on. They sampled flatbreads, soups, hamburgers, grilled

guess, the weight (and price) increases with each category—a cute idea. (Did I forget to mention that this steakhouse is geared toward women?) But I was slightly disappointed with my steak, a He-cut 16-ounce prime strip ($48). Although the meat was properly beefy and flavorful, it didn’t come with the char I requested. I was more impressed by the soylaquered salmon, a nicely sautéed, crisp-edged chunk, looking comfortable on a bed of Puy lentils, the fish topped with crabmeat and bell-shaped red and yellow tomato. Among a fleet of commendable sides, it’s hard to fault the excellent creamed corn, served in a stainless steel pan, or spears of perfectly cooked asparagus. A few desserts cater to feminine sensibility—heck, the dessert menu itself sports a tiny mirror with which ladies might inspect their maquillage—including a little box of housemade chocolates, and something called Goodnight Kisses: brownsugar meringue kisses of various size and shape, paired with cake roulade infused with banana-flavored cream. Next time I dine here, anyway, I’m bringing earplugs.

cheeses and desserts, as well as Udi’s muffins, granola, cookies and breads (UdisGlutenFree.com). My Park City-dwelling friends Lizy and Jeff shared with me their own gluten-free pancake recipe (below), which is utterly delicious whether you’re truly gluten averse or not at all. Mash 1 very ripe banana “to oblivion.” Add 1 heaping tablespoon of almond butter and combine well. Add cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg and a capful of vanilla extract to-taste. Add 1 large egg. Mix to a batter-like consistency. Over medium heat, melt coconut oil on a nonstick griddle and pour silver dollarsize disks of batter. As with traditional pancakes, small bubbles will form throughout, indicating one side is done. Flip and cook on the other side until golden-brown. In a saucepan, warm pure maple syrup and—if you aren’t also avoiding alcohol—add a little Crown Royal Maple Finish whisky. — Xania Woodman

The vaunted Las Vegas buffet is as much a part of the local landscape as blackjack tables, strip clubs and the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign. The Buffet at Aria (590-7111) has undergone a complete remodel, and it’s a considerable improvement. But what I find more interesting is what it says about what we are eating in America right now. Twenty years ago, if you approached casinomarketing execs with the notion of eating dim sum, Chicago-style deep-dish pizza or sushi on a casino buffet, you would have gotten a disbelieving stare. Today, these are de rigueur items you will find on any reinvigorated buffet in the city. Aria’s buffet isn’t grand as Bacchanal in Caesars or as accomplished as Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan, but it has its merits. The color scheme—burnt orange and beige highlights—is relaxing. And a formerly cramped space now feels sleek, cozy and modern. The buffet is divided into sections with names such as Sweets, Diner and Asian, clearly displayed in signage above the various dishes. Highlights include fresh oysters and King crab legs, naan bread and tandoori chicken at the Tandoori station and three or four Indian curries created by local Indian chef Tapan Bose of Mantra Masala. Sushi is made to order, and the Carvery stocks leg of lamb at dinner. Nice, smoky ’cue, such as beef ribs and brisket, has a proper smoke ring. The Asian station features dim sum and wok dishes, while the Italian station offers terrific cold cuts, pastas en casserole and both deep-dish and thincrust pizza. And don’t miss a twirling display of house-made gelati for dessert. Meanwhile, ever-young rock-star chef Kerry Simon seems to have made the transition to the new management at the Palms without a hitch. He’s still running Simon Restaurant & Lounge in Palms Place (944-3292), and several new dishes have infused his menu with energy. Say what you will about Simon, but there’s no denying he’s one of the best chefs in the city. Take for instance, his fork-tender Spanish octopus, paired with charred potatoes and sweet peppers; or a delicious roasted cauliflower salad with burrata, aged balsamic, duck salami and the surprise of pine nut brittle shot through the greens. Sure, you’ll still find the Simon standbys of meatloaf and red Thai curry on this menu, but make room for a Morro Bay black cod with bacon cider vinaigrette, or the thickest lamb chops in the city, now glazed with honey soy in a nod toward the Pacific Rim. Fried apple pie crowns a dangerous dessert menu, stuff Simon himself—in spite of what he might tell you—wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. Hungry, yet? Follow Max Jacobson’s latest epicurean observations, reviews and tips at VegasSeven.com/Blogs.

Todd photo by Andrew James; Sliders photo by Anthony Mair

What aria’s refreshed buffet says about you, plus simon says, ‘eat’

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dining

profile bigger and more adventurous scale. It’s the same creative team, same producers; I’m basically moving the band over to CNN and taking full advantage of the fact that we will now be able to shoot in places that we would never have been able to with Travel [Channel], and that we can make smarter television. We don’t have to have somebody shoving food in their face every five minutes. If we see something interesting, we can take a detour. There are many places left to discover. We just shot in Burma, which was an unthinkable scenario even a year ago to go over there and shoot. I’m mixing it up; there will be shows in Los Angeles and European capitals, but also sort of more difficult shows, probably a lot more technically difficult countries to shoot in.

It’s Not All Fear and Loathing

Anthony Bourdain returns to Las Vegas, and this time he brought friends By Grace Bascos

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

➧ Celebrity Chef, author and all ’round professional badass Anthony Bourdain rarely minces his words. (But don’t take our word for it—follow @Bourdain on Twitter for more than enough evidence.) The chef recently took time out from being awesomely cantankerous to dish with Vegas Seven about his new TV shows, what he’s been eating—it’s not as glamorous as you might think—and what he has up his sleeve for his upcoming evening onstage with fellow chef Eric Ripert, February 9 at the Palms.

VEGAS SEVEN

What’s the typical agenda when you come to Las Vegas? I go for UFC [bouts] fairly regularly with my wife, who’s an enthusiast and a practitioner. Generally [we] come in, grab a bite to eat, go to a fight and bug out. I’m good for one destination meal and maybe a utility meal or two, catch the main event. I’m not a gambler. What goes on during your road show, Good vs. Evil: An Evening With Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert? It’s a lot of fun, because I do a lot of solo gigs, it’s easy and

fun to do with Eric. We’ve been doing this for a while now, and it surprised both of us how successful the whole enterprise has been and how well it’s gone over. We are very different people with very different professional backgrounds to say the least, so I think much of the fun is taking an adversarial stance. There are so many things that he cannot say, and I try to go right to those. We generally open with, for lack of a better term, what I call, “alternating hostile interrogations.” I sit him down in the most uncomfortable chair in the world under a naked light bulb, and

subject him to a classic police or prosecutorial line of inquiry, after which he gets his chance. How do you see Las Vegas fitting into the culinary landscape? Any place with that much money floating around you’re going to have a top-level service industry to accommodate that. Some chefs are really, really good at it. Some chefs can open an outpost in Vegas or Macau or anywhere, and it’s going to be good. I hear Robuchon’s place is amazing, I thought Daniel [Boulud’s] was

terrific. There’s a weirdness factor to eating at a restaurant as good as Carnevino in these cavernous spaces in a casino setting, but I think the food there is superb. I am rumored to not be a Bobby Flay fan, but I think he runs a pretty good restaurant. … I had a very good meal there years ago, it’s just disconcerting to look out the window and see someone on a respirator feeding the last of their disability check into a slot machine. Trying to chew your food when you see that is a little difficult. I’ve been dying to go to this place Raku which I hear is fantastic, which is totally nonbranded, but one of those great anomalies; I’d love to eat there. It’s a great bar town, too. I’m a huge fan of the Peppermill and the Double Down. There’s a lot to love about Vegas. Your CNN show, Parts Unknown, launches in spring. How will this be different from No Reservations? I’m not going to be doing anything that I haven’t already been doing, except it’s on a

How did you get involved with The Taste, your new competitive cooking show on ABC with Nigella Lawson? It’s like somebody offers you an F-14 [and says], “Would you like to fly an F-14 off the deck of an aircraft carrier?” Now, I’ve never flown an F-14 before, and I’m not saying I necessarily know how to fly one, but given the opportunity to try … at this point in my life I was pretty excited to do it. I’d do it again in a hot second. We all ended up really caring about the competitors and the process, and I became much more personally invested in this thing than I ever anticipated. It was blasting off to another planet for me, and I had a really great time.

What’s one thing your young daughter doesn’t like to eat? I could tell you she doesn’t like raw celery. She loves raw oysters. Doesn’t like mustard; it’s the heartbreak of my life that she likes ketchup on her hot dogs. It’s something I’m hoping to correct at some point down the line. She’s a remarkGood vs. Evil: ably adventurous An EvEninG eater. She got an Easy With Anthony BourdAin And Bake for Christmas, and she’s killing me Eric ripErt with those fucking muffins. I’ve been 8 p.m. Feb. 9, eating those sugary the Pearl at the muffins for my Palms, tickets start at $59, 944-3200, proud daughter, Palms.com. and of course I can’t say no.

Dining

drinking

Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Beertails gordon ramsay steak uses a virtual Chunnel to transport you from Paris to England in less than 60 seconds, the time it takes you to walk through the tunnel from Paris Las Vegas into the sleek restaurant. At the new Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill in Caesars Palace, it’s almost instantaneous. Wide open to the casino floor, the pub’s bar, lounge and dining room positively shriek “The British are here!” from the iconic red phone booths to the staff’s punk-era uniforms. But that’s only after you’ve noticed the beer—it’s everywhere. At the bar, the array of tap handles and the wall of kegs make a sudsy statement. Even the cocktail

menu seems to want to draw your attention to beer. Created in collaboration between Wirtz beverage development specialist Andrew Pollard and Caesars Palace beverage director Jean-Pierre St. Claire, the Underground and the Scuffle ($14 each) showcase beer’s potential as a cocktail ingredient. Dark, rich and complex, the Underground is a dessert cocktail with some soul—Three Olives Supercola, Fernet Branca and chocolate syrup combine with Guinness Draught and are topped with house-made chocolate-Guinness cream. Similarly, the Scuffle joins Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Whiskey with vanilla

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

[ Scene StirS ]

VEGAS SEVEN

Burns, BaBy, Burns, and Clooney’s is the offiCial tequila of the light group Never was a more memorable Las Vegas winter’s evening spent than on January 25, also known in certain circles as Burns Night. Celebrating the life and works of famed Scottish poet and “Auld Lang Syne” composer Robert Burns, the inaugural Burns Night at the Whisky Attic above the Freakin’ Frog included the reading of four of Burns’ poems aloud, including “Address to a Haggis” and “Johnie Lad, Cock Up Your Beaver,” referring,

of course, to the hat. Attic owner Adam Carmer skipped his usual proprietary spirit-evaluation method and instructed instead that shots of Scotch be downed immediately and often by the 20 or so attendees. Between the toasts, colorful readings and compulsory shot taking, we ate haggis, sooo much haggis. The traditional and somewhat intimidating dish of oatmeal, offal and the tears of wee babes wrapped in a sheep’s

stomach was served four ways—one being a vegetarian spin—and I swear on a bottle of Famous Grouse, each was more delicious than the last. While I don’t expect to see fried haggis wonton in the Freakin’ Frog bar menu any time soon, I definitely hope to see Burns Night return next year. Turning now from Scotch to tequila, Casamigos Tequila (a collaboration between actor George Clooney, restaurateur Rande Gerber and developer Mike Meldman) is gaining popularity among Las Vegas nightclubs, edging out even the most called-for shots. In fact, Casamigos has been named the official tequila of the Light Group’s properties, selling for $15 per shot in the clubs and $545 per bottle, with lower prices at

syrup and Boddingtons Pub Ale, topped again with that house-made chocolate-Guinness cream and a pinch of sea salt. The ingredients represent America, England and Ireland, so while they come together harmoniously, the Scuffle’s inspiration was a good old-fashioned bar fight! Mind the gap! Score the recipes for the Underground and the Scuffle at VegasSeven.com/Cocktail-Culture.

the pools, lounges and restaurants. “Our relationship with Casamigos is based on a few factors. First and foremost will always be taste and quality,” says Paul Scaringe of Light Group operations. “We have incorporated Casamigos into several specialty cocktails at Light Group, and have found the taste to be better than our original recipes, which utilized other popular brands.” Find more information about Casamigos— as well as a strange and hilarious video starring its founders—at CasamigosTequila.com. $43 blanco, $53 reposado at Total Wine & More. For more scene stirrings and shake-ups, visit VegasSeven.com/ Cocktail-Culture.

A&E

Five tight asses stare straight at me, wriggling in rhythm. Swiveling around, they turn into 10 bouncy breasts. Covered— for now —but impressive nonetheless. ShowStopper {pAGe 81}

We agree that the Mob Museum was a great addition to the city … but is it any good? We revisit the scene of organized crime a year later. By Geoff Carter

the NAtioNAl MuSeuM of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement celebrates its first anniversary this Valentine’s Day, and attention must be paid. It’s taken me nearly a year to check out the institution colloquially known as “The Mob Museum,” unless you count my hard-hat tour of the renovated Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse—79 years old, this year—before any of the exhibits were installed. But this month, I finally paid a proper visit. I finally got made. And I’m kind of ashamed that it took me so long, because the finished museum is a marvel.

The previously empty rooms are now chock-full of artifacts: Thompson submachine guns, flasks from the Prohibition era, a copy of the Gaming Control Board’s “Black Book,” pieces of early Vegas booster Abe Schiller’s wardrobe and even a replica of Sing Sing’s electric chair. Every surface not devoted to artifacts or video is now covered with photos and text. Too much text, perhaps? When I picked up my ticket a docent warned me time was tight: “We close in two-and-a-half hours. Each of the floors takes about an hour to see, and there’s three of

them.” I didn’t believe him until I was deep into the third-floor displays—you begin at the top floor and work your way down—and I realized that every room was a textbook. You could easily spend a week in the Mob Museum doing the reading (see sidebar on Page 70 for one writer’s effort). At least it’s good reading. I enjoyed the exhibits devoted to the birth of the mob and the origins of Las Vegas, and I like the sly way the museum coils those parallel stories around each other until they combine,

[ Continued on Page 70 ]

69 VEGAS SEVEN

Illustration by Hernan Valencia

Married to the Museum

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

Music, movies, books, concerts and an artist who’s on the spot

A&E

[ Continued from Page 69 ]

pop culture

spectacularly, in a second-floor exhibition devoted to Vegas’ first golden age. And I’m impressed by how the museum uses the features of its historic building—in particular, the courtroom where the Kefauver Committee hearings were actually held in November 1950—to put you inside the mob story in a way the museum’s interactive exhibits can’t quite do. You’d have to be made of some pretty dense stuff to not be affected by the room devoted solely to the Al Capone-led St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929. When a film on the massacre ends, the screen retracts noisily upward to reveal the brick wall against which the members of Chicago’s North Side Gang were aligned and summarily executed. This simple effect—from dramatization to bloodstained reality—is profoundly chilling and wholly unforgettable. But man alive, it’s a lot to process, both in terms of the volume of information and the tone in which that information is presented. Some of the exhibits flirt with self-parody; the wall devoted to global piracy— with its collage of pills, fake designer purses and counterfeit Sylvester Stallone DVDs set in resin—strongly resembles an art project we made in 1995 to win a lifetime supply of Fruitopia. And the voice of the museum verges on satire: Toughsounding, dry-voiced males narrate nearly every film and every exhibit; facility wouldn’t be tempted to go there. it’s like receiving the opening narration But it does, and again, perhaps that’s of Law & Order over and over again. understandable. Being bad is easier That speaks to something and more fun than being that troubles me about the good, and even the exhibits the Mob MuseuM Mob Museum. Although law devoted to those who fought enforcement gets equal time the mob seem awestruck by 300 E. Stewart throughout the museum—right the cold-blooded efficiency of Ave., 10 a.m.-7 down to a stern-faced “cop” the criminal organization that p.m. Sun-Thu, who Mirandizes you in the elenecessitated the fight in the 10 a.m.-8 p.m. vator—sometimes the museum first place. Fri-Sat, $20 is unclear about which side of (Admittedly, I might feel (Nevada resithe police line it favors. I supthat way because most of the dents $10), 229pose that’s fair—the same could crime-fighting exhibits are 2734, TheMobbe said of nearly every Martin near the end of the tour—first Museum.org. Scorcese film, even Hugo—but floor. By the time I got to I thought that an educational them I had been at the mu-

Three Times a museum-Goer

From dramatization to blood-spattered reality: The Mob Museum’s interactive exhibits draw you into the mob war.

seum for two hours, and I was feeling a bit punch-drunk.) But these are quibbles. At the end of my visit, I was happy to find my early, positive opinion reaffirmed: The Mob Museum is a gift, and Las Vegas is better for having received it. The museum draws in tourists who might not have otherwise ventured Downtown, and more important, they’re curious and intellectually engaged—just the kind of visitors who’ll enjoy the localsoriented culture we’re making on nearby Fremont East. (One of the museum employees expressed genuine surprise when I told him I was local.) These aren’t the ones who drink yard margs and have The Hangover on Blu-Ray; these are the ones who’ll read Dennis Lehane while drinking a Negroni at the Mob Bar. They get it. I’ve never been one of those people who blithely says, “Aw, this town was better when the mob was running it.” No, I’m glad they’re gone; they killed people and terrorized the weak. But the Mob Museum has greater ambitions than glorifying thugs. So much of this city’s history is lost, imploded or papered over with Hollywood’s misleading fictions. The Mob Museum not only collects this lost information, but also presents it without apology. The history of our beginnings is there, splattered on the walls.

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

The moB TaLKs

VEGAS SEVEN

The mob may keep a code of silence, but luckily for us, the Mob Museum does not. Over the past year, the museum has maintained a terrific relationship with the local community through a regular schedule of special events ranging from hosted lectures to good old-fashioned parties. The museum’s public relations policy is more akin to omnipresence than omertà. The lecture series is a perfect example. The museum’s second-floor courtroom, used during opening hours as a theater showing a film on the Kefauver Commission, is just the perfect size for visiting experts like Dr. Mark Galeotti, a specialist in transnational organized crime; Jack Garcia, a retired FBI agent who spent years undercover in the Gambino crime family; and former Mayor Oscar Goodman, the attorney who defended

The first time I went to the Mob Museum—during the VIP/Media opening, with pop-up bars distributing free drinks every few feet—I knew that I would have to return at least once. Regardless of the cocktails, it was simply impossible to absorb the massive amounts of information presented within the walls of the former post office in one trip. The second time I went to the Mob Museum was like seeing an old friend. I lingered in my now-favorite parts (the Prohibition area; the Las Vegas room; the interactive exhibits where you can “fire” guns), and I studied up on some of the aspects I’d missed. Even though it was my second visit, I was still overwhelmed by all the history presented. By the time I reached the final floor, I felt a debilitating mental fatigue that kept me from learning anything new. Another trip was needed. The third time I attended the Mob Museum, I felt like a tour guide. I had to constantly stop myself from rushing my companion and giving away spoilers like, “Just wait till we get to the part about the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” The third time round, I still felt the same sense of overwhelming fatigue. Instead of reading what I had previously skipped, I found myself returning to those familiar bits. It was like being on a long car trip with only one magazine that you keep flipping through to articles you’ve already read. Not that I didn’t enjoy it. I just felt a sense of guilt that I was unable to see, read and do all the museum had to offer. Fortunately, I see a simple solution. On your first trip to the Mob Museum (if you haven’t gone, you must go), follow the prescribed route from the third to first floor. On subsequent trips, start at the end and work your way backward. That way your brain will be fresh to get the most of the mobsters. – Cindi Moon Reed

Anthony “The Ant” Spilotro. These events strengthen both the museum’s community bonds and its singular ownership of an entire chapter of American history. The museum also knows how to have fun without being disrespectful to those who made sacrifices in the ceaseless battle against the mob. The museum granted free admission on “Kefauver Day,” November 15—the day the Senate hearings on organized crime came to Las Vegas (and the museum’s aforementioned courtroom) in 1950. For “Repeal Day”—the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition—they held a party with speakeasy-inspired cocktails. And at 10 a.m. February 9, the museum is asking locals and visitors to take a “Blood Oath”—not to join the mob, but to shore up the life-saving bank at United Blood Services. Donors get two free admissions—and unlike the real mob, I’ll bet the Mob Museum would like you to tell everyone you know. – G.C.

A&E

music

StREAM Of COUNtRY

Latin(ü)-metaL, Jersey thrash, KentucKy tang

Absurdist folk-rocker Todd Snider is easier to follow once you don’t care where he takes you By Danny Axelrod

after 19 years on the road and almost as many albums filled with humorous and heartfelt material, alt-country singer-songwriter Todd Snider resembles a Texas troubadour along the lines of his hero and mentor Jerry Jeff Walker. In conversation, Snider offers the same meandering, beer-soaked and bong water-stained perspective that he performs for his audiences. The 46-year-old East Nashville, Tennessee, veteran has carved out a niche as an authentic storytelling voice, a folk guitarist writing about society’s lovable knuckleheads, fuckups and outliers. He is one of the stars of the catchall genre known as Americana (an amalgam of country, rock ’n’ roll, folk and the pioneer spirit). Let’s just say Snider is way left of mainstream country, with satirical songs such as “Conservative Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight, White, American Males.” This Friday, he’s bringing his brand of hippie honky-tonk to the Orleans, playing a show for hockey fans after the Las Vegas Wranglers game. … Because, why not? You have a hockey game as your opening act. Any weirdness in sharing a gig with athletes? For years, we opened for hockey games, but then our last album went and sold seven billion. [Editor’s

Note: Snider’s 2012 release, Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables, is No. 80 on the Billboard folk chart.] And man, that’s just fucking everybody, so now the script is flipped, which can be awkward. But we’re all old friends. It’s not really a competitive thing, and for the most part everybody on the tour stays pretty heavily medicated. So nobody really feels, or does, or seems to notice anything. What does the term Americana mean to you? As a listener, I love both Americana and jam shit. I see myself as a hippie folk singer who sometimes brings a band that’ll shroom out and rock balls, which is what we will quite likely do ... on ice, of course. Among your peers, who is your favorite musician? And what are some of your influences that might surprise people? I wouldn’t dare to call [the Black Crowes’ singer] Chris Robinson my peer, but technically we earn

our keep the same way. He is my favorite songwriter. I think he is the truest artist of my generation. I like Ozzy, and metal in general. Also rap, classical, ’40s-era stuff, Krishna Das. Many artists experience selfdoubt. Was there a moment when you were at a career crossroads, not sure if you were going to make it? What got you through it? Nope. …well, drugs. They’re not just for breakfast anymore. Does being such a liberal guy in the country-music business ever rub people the wrong way? Toby Keith once attacked me, and then molested me. It’s still hard to talk about. I kinda liked it. Any resolutions for 2013? Nah, but I am resolving to up my vices by at least two. Todd Snider post-game concert at the Orleans Arena, 7 p.m. game, 10 p.m. concert, Feb. 1, $19.50-$40 (no discount if you skip the game), 284-7777, OrleansArena.com.

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

[ VIDEOGRAPHY ]

VEGAS SEVEN

“Love Bite,” MeLody SweetS Not to be confused with the Def Leppard power ballad “Love Bites,” Absinthe burlesque singer Melody Sweets turns the verb into a noun for her serpent-in-the-garden, Arabian-scaled, electro-puff pop tune “Love Bite.” A sexy snake—or a man-hungry Eve looking to swallow Adam(s) whole—Sweets frolics in the desert with what looks like the on-loan, all-beefcake cast of Chippendales at Rio (actually, it’s the male cast members of Absinthe). The show’s ringleader, the Gazillionaire, moonlights as a turbaned snake-charmer who awakens Sweets, then struggles to rein in her seductive power. Why don’t you help me shed my skin, she sings. And I’ll let you in. Hazy digital effects suggest she’s an erotic mirage, a sexual figment of the charmer’s dehydrated imagination. As anyone who’s been lust-fanged understands, the first taste is dizzying. As a singer, Sweets knows a nip is all it takes. Call Poison Control, she advises. As Leonard Cohen sang, There ain’t no cure for love. (Watch the video at VegasSeven.com/Melody.) – Jarret Keene

The new two-day Downtown fall music festival Life Is Beautiful begins a monthly free music showcase at 8 p.m. February 6 at Artifice. It’s an effort to find top local bands for the fest, which will feature national artists. The first six groups to make a bid are Rusty Maples, American Cream, Same Sex Mary, Coastwest Unrest, Play for Keeps and the Perks. More showcases will be announced. Bands interested in battling for a spot can visit LifeIsBeautifulFestival.com. More cool shows this week: New York post-hardcore quintet Ionia ionizes the sonic atmosphere of Cheyenne Saloon at 10 p.m. February 2. This aggressive and melodic (and mysteriously unsigned) band’s only album to date is 2010’s Moral Hazard. Ionia’s disturbingly compelling song and music video “Mutiny” casts adolescence as a brutal, dilapidated institution where catatonic drugs, violent interrogations and merc-dudes with AR-15s are routine. Also setting Ionia apart is “Gasoline Rainbow,” an acoustic guitar-based, grunge-era ballad. Sharing the bill is Saint Diablo, a Virginia metalcore act that mixes in Latin grooves and Spanish lyrics. Their song “Watch Me Kill” is a menacing mélange of nü-metal hooks, throat-stabbing thrash and moshpit-exploding breakdowns. Tim Thurtle, who used to do all-ages shows at Area 702 Skate Park, is now booking great bands over at LVCS. Which is why I’m salivating over the list of shows slated in the coming weeks: Angry Samoans (Feb. 9), Soulfly (Feb. 15), Sister Sin (Feb. 24), Nile (March 26). Check out the calendar at LVCountrySaloon.net. This week, the old-school East Coast thrashmetal scene makes its skull-rattling presence felt when Overkill slays LVCS at 10 p.m. Feb. 3. The New Jersey band took its name from a now-classic Motörhead song way back in 1980 and haven’t let up. Overkill’s most recent CD, The Electric Age (the band’s 16th!), is high-voltage rock that never loses its charge, from the AC/DC-on-crystal-meth stomp of “Wish You Were Dead” to blues-kissed, funkinflected “Old Wounds, New Scars.” This is one of those rare bands that gets better with age. Vegas’ own Avenger of Blood opens. Finally, the band with the best name this (or any) week, Nashville Pussy, penetrates LVCS at 10 p.m. February 4. Born to die in a rock ’n’ roll band/Always sounded like a hell of a plan, snarls frontman Blaine Cartwright in the song “From Hell To Texas,” from 2009’s album of the same name. The Pussy’s Skynyrd-crossed-with-Lemmy-mixed-with-Angus-Young attack is impossible to resist, and if you haven’t experienced the band onstage yet, you’re in for a whiskeydrenched, amplifliers-cranked treat. Your Vegas band releasing a new album? Email Jarret_Keene@Yahoo.com.

music

(LocaL) cD reVieWs By Jarret Keene Alt rock

The Roxy Gunn Project, On With the Show (Self-released)

One of the few Vegas bands to know the ’90s are back is led by too-young-to-remember-Nirvana Roxy Gunn. Her band’s first album rekindles grunge’s good-ol’ days, when female-fronted bands such as Garbage piled up. Show shows off her seductive, fiery voice, which suits the retro songwriting. In punk-pop “Goodbye Kiss,” Gunn even cites a Clinton-era anti-depressant: I don’t care about you anymore/So I’ll pop another Prozac and mop the floor. Barenaked Ladies-like “Other Side,” meanwhile, strips down to acoustic guitars and a lingering melody. ★★★✩✩

2. A$AP Rocky, Long.Live.A$AP 3. Kendrick Lamar, good kid m.A.A.d city 4. Toro Y Moi, Anything in Return 5. T.I., Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head 6. Dropkick Murphys, Signed and Sealed in Blood 7. The Lumineers, Lumineers 8. The Game, Jesus Piece 9. Deftones, Koi No Yokan 10. Imagine Dragons, Night Visions According to sales at Zia Record Exchange on 4503 W. Sahara Ave., Jan. 21-27.

Trevor and the Joneses, There Was

Lightning (Self-released) Most bands working in the psychedelic tradition sound alike, as if cribbing the same records. However, this Vegas group sonically acknowledges owning a Flaming Lips disc. In opener “Dig This,” frontman Trevor Jones boasts about being odd rocker out: If that’s what passes for music/Well, then dig this. Recorded at Brian Garth’s now-defunct Chrome Werewolf studio, Lightning strikes hard, fast, delivering 10 loose, melodic tracks. “Grooving at the Speed of Light” will reaffirm your love of music. ★★★★✩

thrAsh metAl

Avenger of Blood,

Spawn of Evil EP (Self-released)

Five years ago these thrashers released the superb Death Brigade on Heavy Artillery before going on to … implode. Drummer Shannon Frye was left with the pieces, reuniting with guitarist Marc Flores and recruiting shredder Brandon Gulling, bassist Jeremy Hamilton and vocalist R.A. Carnage. Recorded at Constantine Studios in Vegas, these three tracks are pure death-thrash—razored guitars, skull-splitting drum tones. “Centuries of Hell” will take years off your ears. ★★★★✩ Avenger of Blood plays LVCS at 10 p.m. Feb. 3.

Disc scan

Upcoming albums on Jarret’s radar … FeB. 5: Still basking in the acclaim of a 2010 Grammy nomination for his previous disc, English folksinger, songwriter and guitar-shredder richard thompson’s Electric was recorded in Nashville and comes with 16 new tracks, including the excellent “Good Things Happen to Bad People.” FeB. 12: In celebration of his 40th year as a performer and songwriter, the Bryan Ferry orchestra enables the Roxy Music singer to cover and rearrange his songbook in the style of Roaring ’20s jazz with The Jazz Age. Yes, “Do the Strand” is included. FeB. 19: Nick cave grounds his noise-rock combo Grinderman to reunite with his backing band the Bad Seeds for the comparatively subtler Push the Sky Away.

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

1. Bad Religion, True North

Psyche PoP

73 VEGAS SEVEN

What We’re Buying

a&e

concerts

the Gashers

Double Down Saloon, Jan. 25 It was an outrageous punk-rock birthday bash as SquidHat Records celebrated its one-year anniversary with an extravaganza headlined by the Gashers. The latest incarnation of local legends the Peccadil-

loes, the Gashers took the stage at 2 a.m. and attempted to whip up the crowd after a series of kickass preceding acts (Surrounded by Thieves, Guilty by Association, Candy Warpop and Pet Tigers). They were only moderately successful, however; you know the crowd is waning when the bouncer has to instigate the mosh pit. At

one point, guitarist/vocalist Jason Hansen asked something to the effect of, “Hey where’s the coke?” Enthusiasm levels aside, they went about their business with a focused and frantic barrage of old-school punk rock that sounded as authentic as it did reverent to past masters. Song topics, ranging from the Occupy movement to

meth monsters, were relevant and engaging. I’m not sure at this point what is most desired in a punk-rock vocalist, but Hansen succeeded admirably. The rhythm work of James Messina and Sandy Moreno was slightly imbalanced; while he kept the lines rolling along effectively, she at times appeared to be barely hanging on with what was basically

the same 4/4 thrash song over and over. No out-and-out fuckups, however, and the vocal doubling between Hansen and Moreno, who are husband and wife, was a good indication of what it might sound like at home when there are disagreements. That really worked in this case. ★★★✩✩ – Danny Axelrod

street Drum corps

VEGAS SEVEN

It started with three people in black bandana masks pounding on metal, drawing the crowd in. Just when we got comfortable, the second song erupted with lead singer Adam Alt blaring the hit “Sdc X” off their most recent album, Children of the Drum. Oh, and surprise: feathery strippers on stilts! They emerged from the crowd dancing evocatively. This was only the beginning of what would be a mesmerizing performance by Los Angeles percussion punk-rock outfit Street Drum Corps. The concert offered choreography and an intense light show featuring graphic video images. So many different people with multicolored hair and painted faces were onstage jumping, smashing and hitting things at any given time, including guest appearances by Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee, Jane’s Addiction’s Stephen Perkins and No Doubt’s Adrian Young. At one point, some performers jumped off the stage and jammed right alongside the audience members. A girl even brought her own sticks to drum with them. Street Drum Corps drummed on anything—from pipes and garbage cans to wooden chests and the occasional triangle. Their grimy yet refined stage presence could only be matched with their raw dynamic sound. ★★★✩✩ – Ashley Gates

The Gashers by Jesse Nabers; Street Drum Corps by Bryan Schnitzer

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel, Jan. 26

Ben Folds Five The Pearl, Jan. 25

Ben Folds by Edison Graff/Stardust Fallout; Lady Gaga by Picture Group

I never saw Ben Folds Five in concert before the trio’s breakup in 2000, other than their outstanding 1997 performance captured on the DVD The Complete Sessions at West 54th. But in catching Folds three times as a solo artist since 2006 (always with a backing band), I came away each time feeling like his shows didn’t possess the collaborative spirit and intensity that the Sessions performance did. But with Ben Folds Five now back together after 12 years apart, and touring behind their 2012 comeback release The Sound of the Life of the Mind, they still maintain that same synergy. Folds remains a piano-pop genius based in Tin Pan Alley, crafting tunes that are mostly irreverent but often heartbreaking, sometimes containing both elements. At times the show felt like a recital, with fans hushed during the delicate “Thank You for Breaking My Heart” and 1997 hit “Brick,” while

up-tempo rockers “Battle of Who Could Care Less” and “Do It Anyway” gave the show a piano-fueled punk dynamic. And newer songs such as show opener “Michael Praytor, Five Years Later” and ivory tickler “Draw a Crowd” fit seamlessly alongside ’90s fan favorites such as “Philosophy,” “Kate” and “Song for the Dumped.” Folds displayed both his sense of humor and his musical proficiency on the always-improvised “Rock This Bitch,” this time performing it as a pulsating Krautrock track while singing in German gibberish. Drummer Darren Jessee showed his dexterity, heightening “Selfless, Cold and Composed” with jazzy precision and giving “Do It Anyway” a rockabilly shuffle, while bassist Robert Sledge was the unsung hero of the evening, his fuzzy tone and rhythmic playing enhancing rocker “Erase Me” before switching to cello for the ballad “Sky High.” And both backing musicians blended wonderfully with Folds on three-part harmonies throughout the show, most notably during “Missing the War” and encore “Underground,” confirming that their union still produces a winning formula. ★★★★✩ – Sean DeFrank

lady GaGa

MGM Grand Garden Arena, Jan. 25 Few artists can get away with making an entrance by popping out of an inflatable zippered vagina. But Lady Gaga can. When her Born This Way tour made a two-night stop in Las Vegas, she brought the spectacle that fans have come to expect from the pop star—one that perhaps only her true fans can appreciate. The production value of the show was high, naturally. Costumes were elaborate, and included lots of latex, pink hair, her famous meat dress and a twisted take on a nun’s habit. Sets were interesting and dynamic; highlights included a gothic castle and a Trojan horse. Her hit songs were a fun use of her powerful voice; the best were “Born This Way,” “Poker Face” and “Paparazzi.” She even had a backup dancer whom she referred to as “Black Jesus.” But Lady Gaga fell short when she repeatedly offered contrived “self affirmations.” One example: leading the audience in a chorus of “I don’t give a fuck,” in regard to society’s views on self-image and sexuality. (Gaga’s mantra is proven to be hypocritical by all the effort she clearly puts into her own appearance.) She then dove in for the biggest

cliché and wrapped herself in an American flag while skipping around the outer perimeter of the stage during “Americano.” By the end of the two-hour show, the routine was old and tiresome. One thing is for sure: Gaga is a great singer and should let that carry her. I think we would all enjoy with less “Monster”-shtick (what she calls her fans) and more of her beautiful voice. ★★★✩✩ – Melinda Sheckells

DRUMCORE: How do you know that a drummer’s knocking at the door? The knocking speeds up! What do you say to a drummer in a nice suit? “Will the defendant please rise?” Hey, did you hear the one about the drummer who finished high school? Me, neither! … OK, that should about do it. I’ve gotten all the drummer jokes I know off the table, so I can tell you to go see the Kodo Drummers of Japan at The Smith Center on February 1 ($29-$89) without giggling. This ensemble, a fixture on the world stage since 1981, performs ancient Japanese taiko drumming with a bit of modern flair, and if you can take an evening of moderate-toheavy pounding, it can be fascinating to watch. Here’s a fun fact: The Kodo Drummers all occupy the same village on Sado Island in Japan, a nearly 33-acre natural wonderland on the Ogi Peninsula. The younger drummers live communally in a former schoolhouse while apprenticed to the main ensemble. There’s probably a good drummer joke to be gleaned from this information. I’ll pass it on as soon as it’s baked. STEIN WAY: Hi-ho! Silverstein performs at the Hard Rock Café on the Strip, February 6 ($16 in advance, $18 day of). Here’s what I know about them as of this writing: They named themselves after Shel Silverstein, which is awesome, and on first blush they sound like any number of screaming post-hardcore bands, which is less awesome. Admittedly, this isn’t my style of music (pretty much everything I liked about metal was lost after Limp Bizkit), but there’s something to be said for a band that can get your blood going, and Silverstein is at least that. Four supporting acts—Like Moths to Flames, Secrets, Glass Cloud and Issues—share the bill, which makes this show a steal at less than $4 per band. NOW ON SALE: And the crowd goes mild! Beach House is coming to the House of Blues on Apri1 5 ($22). The Baltimore duo’s dreamy hypnopop is a must for anyone who enjoys the Cocteau Twins, Mazzy Star and sitting quietly in dark rooms, wondering why love must inevitably fail.

reading [ Book Jacket ]

in the thrilling BoB lee Swagger SerieS, the third Bullet’S the charm By M. Scott Krause Remember what I said last time about making an effort to read more serious fiction in 2013? I’ve already broken that resolution with one of my guilty pleasures. For the last few nights, I’ve curled up with Stephen Hunter’s The Third Bullet (Simon & Schuster, $27), the latest installment in Hunter’s “Bob Lee Swagger” saga that began with Hunter’s excellent Point of Impact (1993). Bob Lee Swagger is a no-nonsense former Marine, a Vietnam vet armed with legendary sniper skills, a supreme sense of honor and a keen sense of justice. Every few years, Hunter fires off another Swagger novel and I immediately stop what I’m doing, unscrew the top of my head, and introduce another multilayered, action-packed thriller. Time and time again, Swagger gets involved with the kind of problems only bullets can solve. Not the type of thing I normally read, but something I recommend wholeheartedly. The Third Bullet is Hunter’s eighth Swagger book and one of the best, delivering the thrills and intensity of both Point of Impact and Time to Hunt (1999), while revisiting some of the same characters and loose plot threads. Although I consider Hunter a guilty pleasure, I don’t mean to dismiss him as a purveyor of sub-par pabulum. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his film criticism at The Washington Post and has some serious writing chops. Hunter writes about firearms and ballistics with the same reverence and loving detail that romance novelists reserve for describing lingerie and Kama Sutra positions. The Third Bullet begins with a bit of self-parody. James Aptapton—an author bearing great resemblance to Hunter himself—is killed by a Russian assassin while researching the

Kennedy assassination; naturally, the writer’s widow appeals to Swagger for justice. Hunter, with all his ballistics knowledge and expert plotting skills, has fashioned a completely plausible take on Kennedy’s assassination. Swagger’s quest for the truth takes him to Moscow, where he tangles with the Izmaylovskaya gang, a dangerous brotherhood of murderers, kidnappers and human traffickers. No story about the Kennedy assassination would be complete without Dallas, and Swagger spends much of the novel reliving the events of November 22, 1963. Hunter fans will get a special thrill from The Third Bullet, because so many of the winning elements from Point of Impact figure in the new novel. In addition to the complicated assassination plot and several gripping gun battles, Hunter reintroduces several supporting characters: FBI agent Nick Memphis, CIA agent Hugh Meachum and Meachum’s cousin, a gifted shooter confined to a wheelchair. The Third Bullet is a bull’s-eye for Hunter and should be a hit with readers. ★★★★✩ Keep warm with “Book Jacket,” our coolweather reading series by M. Scott Krause.

[ What I Want to Read ]

77 VEGAS SEVEN

There is a cottage industry of books about/inspired by/ vaguely related to PBS’ hit British Edwardian soap opera Downton Abbey. A sampling includes: The World of Downton Abbey (St. Martin’s, 2011); The Real Life Downton Abbey: How Life was Really Lived in Stately Homes (John Blake, 2012); The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook (Adams Media, 2012). Amid so many reading options, the most appealing is the one that holds the best claim to the word “real.” Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle (Broadway, 2011) is written by the Countess of Carnarvon, a.k.a. the actual heir to the actual castle where the TV series is filmed. In this book, Countess Carnarvon writes a biography of her ancestor Lady Almina, who was the inspiration for the character Lady Cora Crawley. We just hope that the contemporary Countess inherited writing chops along with her title.

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

Book wishes by Vegas Seven A&E Editor Cindi Moon Reed.

art

a&e

‘Spot’ On

Don’t try to connect Damien Hirst’s dots— the joy is in their inscrutable detachment By Cynthia Behr Warso

Damien Hirst. Every mention of the blockbuster British artist is preceded or followed by a reference to his level of artistic merit (or lack of), his personal ethics (or lack of), his wealth (no lack of), notoriety (no lack of) and the art market conditions of the last several decades that drove fine art prices sky high (of which he was a major beneficiary). Love him or hate him, Hirst is one of the world’s most famous living artists. Michele Quinn of MCQ Fine Art Advisory is bringing his art Downtown with 40 Spot Woodcuts from his 2011-2012 series. You shouldn’t miss it. The exhibition is modest compared to Hirst’s infamous $12 million shark preserved in a vitrine (“The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living,” 1991), or his sculpture of a human skull bedazzled with more than 8,500 diamonds (“For the Love of God,” 2007). The Spots are circles of color: isolated, contained, coolly abstract

and minimalist. As opposed to Hirst’s more outrageous pieces, this is the kind of art that can trigger a complete emotional disconnect. Amplifying the effect, Hirst’s elegant prints betray no trace of the artist’s hand, which isn’t surprising considering his oeuvre and his penchant for outsourcing to assistants. These woodcuts leave no room for commentary of the usual sort—for the kinds of feelings they evoke in the viewer or any other experiential bonbon. The briefest description should suffice: Hirst’s colorful Spots appear solo or in symmetrical arrays. Don’t go looking to find yourself. In art, human beings like a face. We long to see ourselves reflected back, and we want to lock eyes—even if only with the orbital sockets of a skull or the opaque peepers of a dead shark. Now we thrill to the stalking behavior of ravenous international art buyers. If it isn’t personal, visceral or vicious, we feel

“Benzyl Viologen,” 14 by 14 inches, woodcut on paper.

no passion for it at all. Which brings us back to those indefatigable, inhuman Spots. The titles are perhaps the most immediately relatable thing about the pieces in this show. Who hasn’t popped a pill out of a sanitary foil pack? Help yourself to a bright orange “Mepartricin” (12 by 12 inches), or fill a placebo pre-

scription for some multicolored “Isovanillin” (19.5 by 25 inches). These Spot prints are also reminiscent of candy dots stuck on paper strips. It’s possible to imagine Hirst’s entire body of work reduced and encapsulated in the Spot series: organic matter compounded into some kind of shaman’s medicine bundle

based on an inexplicable binary code, and made solely to be consumed. Sickness, side effect or cure depend entirely on one’s point of view. 40 Spot Woodcuts by Damien Hirst at MCQ Fine Art, 620 S. Seventh St., noon-5 p.m. Mon-Fri through April 26, opening party 5-7 p.m. Jan. 31, 366-9339, MCQFineArt.com.

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

They’d like for you to think of it as a welcome sign for Fremont East. On January 26, Laura Berk and Josh Levine, the organizers of the Inside Out—Las Vegas, installed a mural on 107 Las Vegas Blvd. North. It covers the exterior wall of what was an abandoned 7-Eleven (and is now under construction as part of the Downtown Project). Shot by Las Vegas photographer Jenn Burkart and with sponsorship from local print shop Tangible Color, it’s the local incarnation of a global art project with about 9,000 locations (InsideOutProject.net). The mural is a series of 24 personality-driven black and white portraits. The subjects: random people who were found walking around Fremont Street. These anonymous individuals mug for the camera, revealing a slice of friendly, if unknowable, humanity. They hint at the possibilities of a Downtown community that is still being built. Berk, 22, and Levine, 23, are themselves new faces on

79 Fremont. They both came from the East Coast about six months ago to work on the Downtown Project (although they are quick to state Inside Out’s independence). The duo chose this art installation as a way of humanizing a dehu-

manized landscape full of empty buildings. They plan to create an online fundraising campaign for additional locations in Las Vegas, but with this one mural, they’re already well on their way toward reaching their goal. – Cindi Moon Reed

VEGAS SEVEN

Mural photo by Laura Berk

The New Faces oF FremoNT

Book the Boneyard for Your Neon Nuptials F e b r ua ry 1 4 , 2 0 1 3 It’s Vegas. It’s Valentine’s Day. What beter way to tie the knot (or re-tie the knot) than with a “Walk Thru Wedding” in the historic Neon Boneyard?

To schedule your wedding please contact our Event Coordinator, Cynthia Behr Warso at cynthia@neonmuseum.org.

$777 Wedding Package Includes: fresh rose bouquet & boutonniere, individual wedding cupcakes, champagne toast, professional photography and his & her commemorative shirts. See website for details.

neonmuseum.org

stage

erotic revues seem tamer in porn-loving vegas

Raack N Roll’s Tracy Vietmeier.

Mud Wrestling Every Wednesday Night 11:00 p.m. Don’t miss a single slippery minute.

2-for-1

Shot & Drink Specials For more information, go to

facebook.com/tigilleys

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

copia, the annual AVN Awards ceremony brings the entire industry to town for an orgy of self-celebration. Even a Vegas/porn-themed comedy—The Performers, starring Henry Winkler as a Ron Jeremy-ish character, and set at the AVNs—just opened on Broadway (to middling reviews). Never before has Sin City been this sinful. Erotic revues? How PG-13-ish. Occupying that space once belonging to Jubilee!—positively G-rated by comparison—Raack N Roll and sister skin shows have actually risen in class by virtue of society growing more crass. Via our public embrace of the porn aesthetic, Vegas reflects it back to America even more than California, where it plays out pretty quietly inside the homes and mansions in which it’s shot. Back at the Raack rehearsal, off to the side of the stage for some show shtick is an x-ray-like boob-meter machine onto which the performers step. Film of different sets of breasts slides by on a screen in front of their chests until the ladies and the mammaries are a match, announced by a “ding! ding! ding!” How downright … cute. STRIP POSTSCRIPT: Oops, they’re talking again about a Britney Spears residency at Planet Hollywood. Prediction for best-selling gift-shop item: Britney Spears Crotchless Panties. Guaranteed to please the paparazzi in your life.

What rock song makes you want to reveal your breasts? Gentlemen, kindly abstain, even if you have a noticeable rack. Ladies? Email your choice to Steve. Bornfeld@VegasSeven.com.

VEGAS SEVEN

Five tight asses stare straight at me, wriggling in rhythm. Swiveling around, they turn into 10 bouncy breasts. Covered—for now—but impressive nonetheless. Career advice, kids: There are worse gigs than watching this for a living. Inside Downtown’s D Las Vegas showroom, rehearsals are under way—lovely lasses writhing to the Osmonds’ “Crazy Horses” blasting over the speakers—as topless danceathon Raack N Roll resurfaces. Despite a successful run last year at Hooters hotel-casino, it shuttered when the property converted its show space into a lounge. Producers Angela and Matt Stabile—whose carnal catalog includes X Burlesque and Men of X—are retooling rockdriven Raack, re-debuting February 1. “Sexy girls and rock and roll go hand in hand. People are always looking for sexiness and fun,” Angela Stabile says. “I sit in the back sometimes and see an 85-year-old Asian woman or an old couple and think, ‘How did they decide to come?’ But I’m like, Thank you, God.” After visiting a truckload of titillating teases—Shades of Temptation, iCandy Burlesque, X Burlesque, Peepshow, Crazy Girls, Fantasy—to determine the best-breast bets, one truth emerges even bigger than Coco Austin’s assets: In 2013 Vegas, topless parades are so … quaint. Retro. Sweetly innocent, in a double-D way. Probably not the description practitioners expect, but consider their niche in our current culture. Although we’re not ground zero for porn—that honor belongs to California’s San Fernando Valley, where the majority of it is produced—we’re certainly ground one. Porn princesses prance across our cityscape almost weekly, throwing bashes at clubs and making appearances, increasingly perceived as mainstream personalities (even without dating Charlie Sheen). Numerous stars call Vegas home. After California voters last year approved a law requiring condom use in porn videos, many producers are expected to migrate to Las Vegas—already host to a significant slice of the porn biz—where they can again go commando. Climaxing our pornu-

A&E

movies

Witch hunt or Wild Goose chase?

Watching Hansel & Gretel is like trying to follow a trail of breadcrumbs By Roger Moore

Tribune Media Services An r-rAted horror action comedy fairy tale—how’s that for genre bending? Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is more Gatling guns and grenades than the Brothers Grimm. It takes the kidnapped kiddies into adulthood, where they’ve parlayed their fame at cooking a witch’s goose into a business. Got a witch problem? Call H & G, the extermination experts. High-concept pitch or no, the movie doesn’t really work. They were shooting for sort of a witch-hunting Zombieland, an F-bomb-riddled Van Helsing packed with comical anachronisms—a Bavarian forest past with witch trials, pump shotguns and primitive stun guns, where bottles of milk have woodcut pictures of missing children on the labels. Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) show up just as the village of

Augsburg is about to burn a redhead. “Gingers” were a favorite target of witch hunters. Hansel shrugs this barbaric crime off, but Gretel insists that the locals need “evidence.” That puts them in conflict with the sheriff (Peter Stormare), who can’t get a handle on their “witch plague” and the missing children who come with it. H & G have been hired to do what he cannot. It isn’t long after Hansel mutters “anyplace we can get a drink in this hellhole?” that the siblings are on the job, chasing lesser witches in pursuit of the Great Witch, played by Famke Janssen as if the makeup is going to do all the acting for her. And there may be a troll involved. “Trolls are extra,” Hansel growls, always watching their bottom line. Hansel and Gretel have a

Gemma Arterton and Jeremy Renner as the aggressively anachronistic duo.

groupie (Thomas Mann), and the woman (Pihla Viitala) they saved from burning in the opening scene wants to repay the favor to Hansel, a repayment that involves skinnydipping. And when they’re on the clock, they have all manner of clever gear to help them battle the wand-wielders—pistols, rifles, a semi-automatic crossbow, the aforementioned

stun gun (hand-cranked). Writer-director Tommy Wirkola focuses on the fights, and flings all manner of viscera at the 3-D camera as limbs are whacked off and heads and torsos explode. Less attention was paid to the story, and the dialogue is a tad over-reliant on the random F-word to land a laugh. The cleverest touch? Hansel’s

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

short reviews

VEGAS SEVEN

Mama (PG-13) ★★★✩✩

The prologue tells us of a father fleeing scandal, grabbing his children and speeding into the mountains. They crash, wind up at a remote cabin, and then something happens to him. Five years later, searchers find the girls, now feral, nonverbal, like rats almost. Their uncle (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) takes them in, but his girlfriend (Jessica Chastain) is reluctant. Naturally, all is not as it seems, thanks to whatever kept them alive in the woods. Chastain and the girls, Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nélisse, are great. A solid ghost story.

Broken City (R) ★★★✩✩

Billy (Mark Wahlberg) is a disgraced former cop turned private eye who is hired by the mayor of New York (Russell Crowe) to tail his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones), whom he suspects of having an affair. Billy finds some evidence all right, but that’s when the script goes a little nuts with coincidence and improbability. Crowe is a great shady mayor, and the scenes in which he growls back and forth with his rival played by a masterful Jeffrey Wright are worth the price of admission. All in all, it’s entertaining, if a little too convoluted.

The Last Stand (R) ★★★✩✩

Arnold is back. The results are OK. Schwarzenegger plays Ray Owens, the sheriff of a sleepy Arizona border town. Little does he know that Mexican gangster Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) has escaped federal custody and is speeding toward them to escape into Mexico. Federal agent Bannister (Forest Whitaker) warns Owens that they’re coming. So it’s up to Owens and his ragtag crew, which includes town eccentric Lewis Dinkum (Johnny Knoxville), to block the border. Arnold may be old, but he can still bring the smack down.

mania for candy-covered houses is what landed Hansel & Gretel in that witch’s clutches, all those years ago. Now, he carries an ancient hypodermic needle and takes injections to ward off insulin shock. The moral of the fairy tale? Lay off the candy or a witch’ll get you. Hansel & Gretel (R) ★✩✩✩✩

[ by tribune media services ]

Gangster Squad (R) ★★✩✩✩

A triumph of production design but a pretty dull kill-’em-up, this 1940s-set L.A. cops vs. gangsters movie falls short. Directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) and based on a nonfiction book, the movie’s violence is over the top and its script is underwhelming. Sgt. O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and his team of rogue officers (Ryan Gosling, Giovanni Ribisi, etc.) take on the notorious Mickey Cohen, played with relish by Sean Penn. A couple of fine performances play off the iconic set design and help along the revenge killings. It’s entertaining enough, but as a whole it lacks a lot.

movies

Zero Dark Thirty (R) ★★★★✩

Django Unchained (R) ★★✩✩✩

The Guilt Trip (PG-13) ★★★✩✩

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (PG-13) ★★★✩✩

Jack Reacher (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩

This new Tom Cruise vehicle does its work sleekly and well. However, it’s a little hard to watch given recent news events. Jack Reacher (Cruise) is off the grid as a cop, ex-military sniper and investigator. An accused killer, coming out of a coma, asks for Reacher to help clear his name. Rosamund Pike plays Helen, the defense attorney who’s on the case. Eventually, it all boils down to The Zec, played with relish by Warner Herzog. It’s a sharp film, but with lots of gun violence.

This first of three movies to be extracted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s slim novel is moderately engaging. Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), a homey hobbit ill-suited to dangerous adventures, gets mixed up in just such a quest. Bilbo and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and 13 dwarves set out to reclaim the ravaged kingdom or Erebor. Peter Jackson is up to his old tricks, and it’s pleasant enough, but three films seem a bit extreme.

Les Misérables (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩

This film version of the popular French Revolution musical (based on the classic novel) is destined for Oscar nods. That being said, it doesn’t exactly work. Hugh Jackman has the chops to sing his way through as Jean Valjean. Anne Hathaway takes a turn as Fantine and nails her one song, “I Dreamed a Dream.” But otherwise, director Tom Hooper fumbles with a few numbers, moves his camera far too much, and relies on Russell Crowe who can’t really pull off the singing as Javert. It’s just all right.

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

Barbra Streisand returns to the big screen here, and the result is not bad. Streisand plays Joyce, the long-widowed mother of inventor Andy (Seth Rogen). Out of guilt, Andy asks Joyce to accompany him on a work trip. The secret mission is to hook up Joyce with a long-lost beau. A tight if formulaic script does well enough, but the performers here do a lot of the lifting. It’s a sweet movie, in its way.

Quentin Tarantino returns to the big screen with his long-anticipated and extremely controversial slave revenge Western film. Jamie Foxx plays Django, a freed slave who teams up with his bounty hunter savior (Christoph Waltz) to rescue Django’s wife (Kerry Washington) from a venal plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). It’s a mashup of Tarantino’s favorite old movies and songs, and it’s brutally violent in action and language. A lot of it is engaging and typical Tarantino style, but after the second hour, it gets stale.

83 VEGAS SEVEN

Director Kathryn Bigelow has accomplished something pretty special in this partially fictionalized yet pseudo-realistic film about the Osama bin Laden manhunt. Jessica Chastain plays Maya, a CIA operative in Pakistan, who ultimately is appropriately sidelined for the climactic raid on bin Laden’s compound. Bigelow strives for immediacy and realism, and the film remains impressively complicated and nonpartisan in its treatment of the events. The best film of 2012.

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7 questions

When did you first realize that Kaepernick was a perfect fit to run the Pistol? When we recruited him— 2006 was his [redshirt] year— that was only our second year running the Pistol. So he was recruited like we recruit every other quarterback, to come in and learn the system and see if he’s growing into it. When he came here, he was a decent player but wasn’t anything that you’d say, “Boy, that’s the next guy.” In his redshirt freshman year, he was the backup to Nick Graziano, who broke his foot in the fifth game. Kap went into that game and played extremely well for not playing one snap prior to it, and he’s never looked back. Even with Kaepernick’s accomplishments at UNR, did you think he would be this successful in the NFL? I felt that if he got a chance he would be. This successful and this fast? No, nobody could have known that. And that’s a tremendous compliment to [49ers offensive coordinator] Greg Roman and [head coach] Jim Harbaugh of recognizing his talents and athleticism, and putting him in an offense that he can understand and can manage. He looks comfortable in what he’s doing.

Chris Ault

The former UNR football coach on Colin Kaepernick’s success, a possible move to the NFL and why he really doesn’t hate UNLV

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2013

By Sean DeFrank

VEGAS SEVEN

Chris Ault wAs already a College Football Hall of Famer when he returned to the sideline in 2004 for his third head-coaching stint at his alma mater, the University of Nevada, Reno. But his biggest contribution to the game was still ahead of him. In 2005, Ault installed his Pistol offense, a hybrid of the traditional shotgun and singleback sets. Two years later, with quarterback Colin Kaepernick deftly piloting the offense at UNR, the Pistol took off, and today it can be found at every level of football, including the NFL. On February 3, Ault’s creation—once thought to be a

gimmick—will be on display for the world to see when his former pupil Kaepernick leads the San Francisco 49ers against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. Ault, the only college football coach whose team has led the nation in passing offense (1995) and rushing offense (2009), resigned from UNR on Dec. 28, days after his Wolf Pack gave up a 13-point lead with less than two minutes left in the New Mexico Bowl, losing 49-48 to Arizona. That defeat left the 66-year-old Ault with a 233109-1 record in 28 seasons with the Wolf Pack.

How gratifying is it to see an offensive scheme that you created gain legitimacy at football’s highest level? It’s unbelievable. The last three years, the Pistol has branched tremendously at the college level; it’s all over the country. And I really thought, “They’re looking at it as a college offense, and that’s great.” I really never gave it much thought for the NFL, because that league is pretty much a copycat, and you don’t do things like this. I’m so excited. When I saw the Washington Redskins and the 49ers run it, I just thought, “Boy, it’s a new era.”

With the success of the Pistol in the NFL, should we expect to see you on an NFL coaching staff next season? We’ll see. It certainly has opened some dialogue with some people—nothing serious, nothing concrete—but if I could help somebody and be of value to them on the offensive side of the ball or wherever, I certainly would be interested. As someone who has bled Wolf Pack blue most of your life, how much do you revel in UNLV football’s struggles? You know, there was really no competition when I came up here. When I was at UNLV as an assistant (1973-74), we would kick the dog out of Nevada. Nevada wasn’t ready to compete, but that playing field has been leveled—and then some. I really feel strongly about this, and I’ve said it many times: There are only two universities [in Nevada]; you

want both those programs to be strong, because then when you play, it’s certainly more meaningful. Absolutely, I want to beat them every time we play, but I’ve been through eight coaches there. And the difference between our program and theirs is stability, there’s no question about it. The one thing I admire about UNLV is they’re trying to improve the program. I’m just one of those guys who feels it’s better for both teams to be good than to have one side dominate the other. Why does the UNLV-UNR rivalry seem to mean more to Northern Nevadans than Southern Nevadans? I’ll be honest with you: I’ve made it that way. When I came back here—I’m an alum—there wasn’t much up here in terms of tradition. … Before I came back, [the Wolf Pack] were struggling, even to the point that UNLV dropped us [as a football opponent in the early 1980s]. That really set me off, and it took us a few years to get it back. To me, it’s very important to understand that every time you play, you’re playing for a championship, and it’s grown from there. I’ve been fortunate that it is a big part of our program up here, and the people of Northern Nevada certainly have bought into it in terms of the game itself and the Fremont Cannon. Is there anything about Las Vegas or UNLV that you will admit that you like? [Laughs.] Let me tell you something, and I speak publicly about this, even in Reno: UNLV gave me my first opportunity [to coach] at the collegiate level. And that was Bill Ireland, who was the athletic director, and [head coach] Ron Meyer. And I have never, ever, ever forgotten that. I have never been disrespectful—oh, I’ll say some funny things [about UNLV], but I have always appreciated that opportunity. And when that 1974 team went into the UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame—I was an assistant coach [that year]—I was very proud to be a part of that. So deep down inside, yeah, I’m about rivalry and all that stuff. But I have never, ever forgotten what UNLV gave me an opportunity to do.

What led to Chris Ault’s decision to resign after 28 seasons as UNR’s football coach? Find out at VegasSeven.com/Ault.