April 18-24, 2013
The ShaPe of Green • Sustainable design and the Nevada style • Architecture on a mission—literally • Eco-friendly fashion
PLUS: GAmbliNG oN vidEo GAmES
oNE ChippENdAlE’S StAr quESt
A biG yEAr for loCAl bEEr
EvEnt
Having a Ball
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[ upcoming ]
April 20 Vegas’ Baby Shower and Beyond (BabysBounty.org) April 27 Bubble Run (BubbleRun.com)
Photos by Bobby Jameidar
April 18-24, 2013
The 13th annual Governor’s Black-Tie Invitational attracted more than 600 guests, including Gov. Brian Sandoval, on April 11-13 at Southern Highlands Golf Club. The three-day event kicked off with the Governor’s Black-Tie Gala, which included a live and silent auction, dinner provided by the Four Seasons Las Vegas and live entertainment. At the Gala, Donald D. Snyder, who sits on the boards of several local charitable organizations and was a pivotal fundraiser for The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, was presented with the Governor’s Philanthropist of the Year Award. In all, the festivities raised nearly $900,000 for various Southern Nevada charities.
the latest
For the riviera, 58 is reason to Celebrate
April 18-24, 2013
Will Video Games Go Vegas?
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“GamblinG,” said John aCres at last year’s Global Gaming Expo, “is dead.” For support, the man who has been in the casino business for more than 30 years and invented the modern players-club card cited the plummeting appeal of spinning-reel machines for just about everyone under 40. He’s the only one in the industry who will say it so emphatically, but many others are worried, too. Which is why, in the past fve years, companies have been so eager to latch onto online gaming as a way to connect with new audiences. But, as Acres pointed out in his talk, an old product in a new bottle isn’t really a new product, as new as it looks. Could betting on video games be the last chance for gambling? In 2009, Woody Levin debuted BringIt.com, a website that let gamers open accounts and bet against each other on a host of Xbox, PlayStation and Wii games. Accepting bets from $1 to $100,000 per matchup, the service appealed to hardcore gamers and soon attracted more than 100,000 users. But encountering some technical challenges, Levin chose to shift emphasis toward the social-gaming space, hosting minigames where players competed for virtual currency. But he believes that wagering on video games has an enormous potential. “I think if it’s done right, there’s a huge market for what I call the ‘democratization of professional gaming,’” Levin says. “Right now in South Korea, people fll stadiums to watch top gamers play each other in Minecraft, and even in the U.S. online tournaments are broadcast,
with sponsored players competing for prizes up to $100,000. “So the ability of people to play online lets them be a professional gamer from their own home. You can take your specialized skills and, even if you don’t have the means to travel, you can make a living from it.” Well, you might think, Levin’s just a fanatic gamer with delusions of video-game grandeur. But it’s worth mentioning that, in February 2012, Levin’s startup—the one that let players bet on video games—was acquired by a large company. The name of the company? IGT. As in, the biggest slot-machine manufacturer in the world, a company that will live and die with the popularity of gambling. There are hurdles to casinos lumping into video-game wagering: For one, regulators have been notoriously balky about allowing players to wager on games of skill, and the industry doesn’t exactly embrace change, particularly in something as vital as its core product. Marco Valerio, a gaming reporter who has worked for QuadJacks, the Online Poker Report and the Global Poker Index, believes that the “pokerization” of video gaming, allowing players to bet money against each other within games of skill, is inevitable, mostly because “it’s fun, new
and possible, and game developers are ambitious.” Casinos, of course, are slow to change. “In 25 years,” Valerio says, “when casino attendance is suffering and for-money video games are thriving, there may begin a period of synergy. Casinos will want new blood and fresh business roaming the foor and video-game makers will want a unique ‘live’ experience, and easy access to people wandering around eager to spend money.” But it might not take so long: Virgin Gaming, another website offering the chance to win real money playing video games, has been online since 2010, and with Xbox Live integration, is a nearly seamless part of regular play. Casinos might jump in soon if only because so many of them fnd themselves in dire straits. Atlantic City casinos recently received permission to run their own fantasy-sports leagues. When your revenues are down 40 percent over the past six years, it’s not so much about taking risks as trying to survive. So, it’s not diffcult to imagine video gaming becoming the next online poker, with casinos providing facilities and a guarantee of fair play in return for a cut of the pot. In the big picture, humans have been betting on their own skills, from hunting to golf, for thousands of years. It’s only natural that they’ve taken it to the digital arena, and it’s only a matter of time before someone in the casino business takes a risk on catering to them. David G. Schwartz is the director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Studies.
Casino anniversaries usually aren’t a big deal. A casino might do something like free cake and Champagne as a marketing promo, but most just let the day come and go without so much as a press release. One of the reasons for the apathy is the relatively short time most resorts have been open. The Mirage made a bigger-than-usual deal of its 20th anniversary a few years back, but most of the other premier casinos, especially on the Strip, haven’t been around all that long. The notable exceptions are Caesars Palace, Tropicana, Flamingo, and Circus Circus, along with the Riviera, which is celebrating its 58th this weekend as one of two better-than-average anniversary celebrations in April. Hanging around for 58 years in this town is no small feat. It means spanning the Rat Pack and Elvis eras, the transition from the Mob to the corporations, surviving the evolution to the glitzy “New Las Vegas,” and lasting out the downturn. Considering all that, they deserve that slice of cake. But the Riv is doing it up a little better than most. The anniversary date is April 20, when there will be a special menu in R Steak & Seafood with dinner for two for $58. The R steakhouse is a good one, so $29 per person is a deal for sure. If you want to see a show afterward, admission is free to the Riviera Comedy Club’s finale of the Next Headlining Comic Search competition that night. There are also some gambling specials running April 18-20. If you play blackjack or roulette, getting specified combinations that include fives and eights on either game wins spins on the Money Blast slot machine to win cash and prizes. These bonuses are semi-long shots, but they’re not completely worthless. These are all neat little promos, but the one I like best is 58-cent drinks at Le Bistro Lounge. I haven’t seen the list of what’s on special, but I can’t think of many drinks that wouldn’t be a deal for 58 cents. This promotion has been running all month and will continue through April 30. Another anniversary takes place a week later at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur. AZ Chaz hasn’t been in business even half as long as the Riv, but it will still celebrate its 25th on April 25, with $25 prime rib in Ron’s Steakhouse and 25-cent pie in the Sourdough Café. There’s also dollar draft Bud at all casino bars, commemorative $5 anniversary chips, and cake and Champagne, of course. And it’s not an anniversary, but one more tax-day play has shown up in addition to last week’s list of tax-day bonuses. Cash your IRS refund check at any Station casino and get two free passes to the buffet. That includes Green Valley Ranch and Red Rock, and the deal runs through May 31. 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.
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April 18-24, 2013
Illustration by Thomas Speak
VEGAS SEVEN
The LaTesT
NatioNal
Who says style can’t be friendly to the earth and easy on the eyes?
April 18-24, 2013
PhotograPhy: Danielle DeBruno First assistant: Shane O’Neal second assistant: Max Bangora stylist: Sarah Nisperos/Coterie styling assistant: Nicole Daniel hair: Eden Walton/Square Salon MakeuP: Natasha Chamberlin using Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics nails: Maria Garay Model: Kristina/Pinkerton Talent Company FLORAL DESIGN: Naakiti Floral NaakitiFloral.com
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Artifact earrings. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics airbrush foundation, Conceal, loose colour concentrate in Saturate and Wasabi and Lip Tar in Lovecraft. Sugarpill Cosmetic Secret False Eyelash.
ThE LocATioN: Awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, Aria boasts an on-site gasfired electricity co-generation plant, as well as slot-machine bases with displacement ventilation units that cool from the ground up. Its conservation technology saves 40 percent of water within buildings and 60 percent in outdoor landscaping annually.
Gypsy05 top, Coterie. H&M shorts and bra. Artifact earrings. Jewelry and Minerals cuff and silver stone bracelet. Love Heals bracelet, Coterie. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics airbrush foundation, Conceal, loose colour concentrates in Saturate, Wasabi and Chlorophyll and Lip Tar in Narcissus. Sugarpill Cosmetic Secret False Eyelash.
ThE ProducTS: To help minimize environmental impact, our makeup artist and nail tech integrated two eco-friendly products: Mad Hippie and Priti NYC. All products from Mad Hippie, a Texas-based skin-care company, are free of preservatives, fragrances and dyes, and come in recyclable airless pumps. Meanwhile, vegan, cruelty-free Priti nail polishes are nontoxic and offer more than 100 different shades. MadHippie.com (also sold at Hard Rock Hotel); PritiNYC.com.
April 18-24, 2013
ThE cLoThES: The wardrobe was selected with Mother Nature in mind. The H&M Conscious line emphasizes economic, social and environment sustainability. The Iron Fist shoes are 100 percent vegan, constructed from man-made products instead of animal byproducts. And, the jewelry is upcycled, reusing dated materials or junk that would have otherwise ended up in a landfll. For more information about the products used in this shoot, see VegasSeven.com/ EcoChic.
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Coterie 515 Fremont St. Facebook.com/CoterieDowntown Jewelry and Minerals of Las Vegas 410 E. Sahara Ave. JewelryAndMineralOfLV.com Artifact Market LV at Tivoli Village 420 S. Rampart Blvd.
April 18-24, 2013
h&M / Scoop NyC The Forum Shops at Caesars
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Where to Buy:
Green DesiGn April 18-24, 2013 VEGAS SEVEN
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A rendering of the St. Therese Mission garden and chapel.
In the Desert, a MIssIon BlooMs
Across the state line from Pahrump, a Las Vegas developer and a Henderson architect are creating a place for the spirit
By Nora BurBa TrulssoN
erally, cornering a niche market. When it’s completed—possibly by the end of this year—St. Therese Mission will include a Catholic chapel, visitor center, restaurant, living quarters for the resident priest and caretaker, gardens, outdoor event spaces, family burial plots and columbaria housing thousands of nondenominational niches for cremated remains.
close enough to Las Vegas to be a draw for the city’s large Catholic Filipino and Hispanic population. Dizon also discovered another market factor: “Even though our columbarium is nondenominational, we are largely a Catholic campus. There are no Catholic cemeteries in Las Vegas.” KNowN AffEctIoNAtEly as “Dr. Bob” for his doctorate in architecture, Fielden began his Las Vegas career in 1964, helped found the UNLV architecture program during the 1970s, and has been recognized by both the Western Mountain Region and Nevada chapters of the American Institute of Architects with Silver Medal awards, the highest honor for an architect. Long a proponent of sustainable design, Fielden recommended that the Dizons follow the U.S. Green Building Council’s guidelines and strive for LEED Platinum certification, the highest level of sustainable building. Inspired by the history of the adjacent Old Spanish Trail, Fielden prepared for the project by visiting the historic Mission San Xavier del Bac outside of Tucson, Arizona. “We used it for an evolution of an idea, a place in the desert for pilgrimages, where people could come for prayer and renewal.” He envisioned a design theme of an abstracted Spanish mission, a compound of several buildings scattered around a plaza, connected by colonnaded walkways and tree-lined paths. Designs for the mission buildings include thick, angled walls, evocative of old adobes, as well as
fat and angled roofines, interspersed with cupolas that serve as light wells. The centerpiece of the courtyard is a statue of St. Therese, the French Carmelite nun who is the patron saint of missions, forists, aviators and illness. To achieve the LEED Platinum certifcation, Fielden detailed the project with roof-mounted solar panels, drought-tolerant plants, recycled-content building materials and waterless urinals. The design also includes charging stations for electric vehicles and showers for those who feel like taking a long bike ride to get there. The Dizons broke ground in 2011. The chapel (which will be donated to the Diocese of Fresno) has already been completed, as has one of the columbaria. Already, the $20 million campus has hosted events, including a Christmas tree lighting that drew 300 visitors and weekly masses, courtesy of a priest the Dizons sponsored from the Philippines. (“There’s a shortage of priests in the area,” Dizon says.) There was even a baptism. “It was my son,” Dizon says, “and we were still under construction. I had to get the Bishop’s OK to do it on a construction site.” Dizon hopes the mission will also serve as an economic energizer for the sparsely populated area. Already, there’s a separate project proposed next to the mission’s property: BrightSource Energy has plans for a 500-megawatt solar complex on some 3,000 acres. “Both projects are complementary,” Dizon says. “We’re already calling this ‘Solarcon Valley.’”
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If you’VE EVEr taken the scenic route to Death Valley National Park, via the Old Spanish Trail, you’ve probably zipped right by the site, a creosotedotted stretch of Mojave Desert just outside the tiny hamlet of Tecopa, California. But on a 17.5-acre swath of land, a new construction project is melding faith, business pragmatism and sustainability. It’s also, quite lit-
St. Therese hopes to be many things: a final resting spot, a religious sanctuary, an event center for everything from baptisms and weddings to quinceañeras. It would be a contemplative spot in a landscape that rewards contemplation. The mission is the brainchild of the devoutly Catholic Dizon family, which has roots in the Philippines and a branch in Las Vegas. It was planned and designed by longtime Southern Nevada architect Robert Fielden, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and founder of Henderson-based Robert A. Fielden Inc. (RAFI). In 1996, the late Rafael Dizon began acquiring land in Inyo County, California, just across the state line from Pahrump. “We started doing a master-planned community there in 2006 when the market was really hot,” explains Randy Dizon, Rafael’s son and the president of the family’s Magnificat Ventures Corporation, which is developing the mission. “When everything crashed, we regrouped and decided to do the mission as a stand-alone project.” St. Therese Mission is patterned after the family’s similar project in the Philippines, says Dizon, who now lives in Henderson and runs the mission project with his brother, Rondic Dizon. In 2007, the family built a church in metro Manila, funded by sales of niches, then donated the church to the Catholic diocese. Dizon’s research showed that the Mojave Desert site would be perfect for the mission: far enough away from city lights for religious solitude,
April 18-24, 2013
St. Therese is being built to stringent LEED sustainability standards.
nightlife
Go Hardwell or Go Home
The Dutch DJ/producer is a tornado of activity, and he’s headed this way By David Morris
RobbeRt van de CoRput certainly keeps busy. The 25-year-old Dutch spinster better known as Hardwell just headlined Ultra Music Festival in Miami, is in the midst of playing two weekends at Coachella, is launching his own sold-out “I AM Hardwell” festival in Amsterdam and is set to help open Hakkasan Las Vegas on April 19 and Wet Republic on April 20. Vegas Seven caught up with Hardwell at Ultra to download all that’s happening.
April 18-24, 2013
Next up: your Hakkasan residency. What can we expect? Hakkasan is going to be amazing. It is going to be the No. 1 club in Vegas, and will be something that is refreshing to the scene. My night is going to be called, “Go Hardwell or Go Home.” I think that is also the best description of Vegas. When you go there and go out, you go all the way, and that’s what my night is going to be all about. It’s also going to be [themed] really futuristic—like “Apollo” or a spaceman. [“Apollo”] is my latest single, so the theme will be really spacey. I’m really looking forward to it!
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This time last summer you were a Tao Group resident. What enticed you to join the AMG family? I only have positive things to say about the Tao Group. Jason [Strauss, co-founder of Tao Group] is an amazing guy. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, but it was actually a decision of my management to go to Hakkasan. It’s good to do different things and spread out the sound. I had an amazing
residency at Marquee, and I am defnitely going to visit Marquee as soon as I get back in Vegas. You won two new International Dance Music Awards this year: Best European DJ and Best Remixer. Does that put added pressure on you to pump out hits? Well, it’s a good thing that I’m running my own label. I am still pushing myself really hard to come up with a lot of originals and remixes. I am always working on music. It doesn’t feel like work to me, because that is what I love to do the most—make music. I always go for quality over quantity. I actually make a lot of records, but only release the best. I try and release original tracks every two or three months. Is an album in the works? We are planning an album [for next year], but I am not sure when it’s going to be released. I am working on getting the right collabs, and have a few originals that I wrote. I am trying to make as many tracks as possible, 30 to 40 tracks, so that I can pick the best 12 or whatever. What’s your favorite track right now? My collab I just did with Dyro called “Never Say Goodbye.” I played it for the frst time at Ultra on the main stage, and that was defnitely the highlight of my set. That is by far my favorite record right now. I am really proud of it. And the next single? I recently did a collab with
W&W. There is no name for it yet, but it’s coming out really soon. How did you land a Sirius Radio show? I started my radio show in Holland, and it’s called Hardwell on Air. We released a podcast, and Sirius was like, “Let’s do it!” We broadcast it every week, and I am really happy to have my podcast here in the States. What’s the story behind your label? When I was 14 I signed my frst record deal at a company in Holland, and I started working there when I was 16. I saw the whole business and did some A&R for the label at the time. At 18 the time felt right, and I started my own label, Revealed Recordings. I’m working with several artists, and am always focusing on the upcoming guys like Dannic [Kontiki]. He is defnitely one to watch, and he’s making re-
ally great tracks. Dyro is also blowing up, and it’s just a matter of time before those guys are known names. You were certainly hanging with Tiësto a fair bit at Ultra. I met Tiësto three years ago and have worked with him. We always had a good connection, and in the studio [we work] fawlessly together. We are also really good friends, and it’s always a lot of fun to work together. It’s also a coincidence that we are from the same city in Holland. We hear that tickets for your “I Am Hardwell” festival have already sold out. It’s going to be my frst solo concert and going to kick off my world tour. It kicks off
on April 27 in the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam. It’s a whole show, and we are building our own stage! It’s going to be visually and musically next-level. I came up with it because I’ve played so many festivals worldwide and so many gigs that I wanted to come up with my own brand. In the past year, I developed my own Hardwell sound that I call “big-room progressive electro,” and I wanted to build a whole night with my visuals and my stage. I never get the opportunity to play a long set at festivals, and I think my sound fts the best at them. It will be a long, three to fourhour concert-like set. It will be the Revealed sound, and we will give people the best time ever.
As the countdown to his Hakkasan residency continues, follow Hardwell on Twitter at @Hardwell. For more from the DJ, visit VegasSeven.com/Hardwell.
nightlife
parties
Wet republic MGM Grand [ Upcoming ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com
Photography by Teddy Fujimoto and Roman Mendez
April 18-24, 2013
April 20 Hardwell spins April 21 Deadmau5 Unhooked April 26 Hot 100 launch party
nightlife
parties
Liquid Aria
[ Upcoming ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com
Photography by Roman Mendez and Toby Acuna
April 18-24, 2013
April 21 Mile High Takeover April 25 Liquid Ladies swim team launch party April 27 Andy Caldwell and Connor Cruise DJ sets
nightlife
parties
LiLy
Bellagio [ Upcoming ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com
Photography by Tony Tran and Teddy Fujimoto
April 18-24, 2013
April 19 PRspace.com professional mixer April 24 Style Lush fashion show April 25 Nicholas Blackham art showcase
Dining
drinking
Editor’s note: Southern Wine & Spirits territory manager Tony Goitia has been selling wine for 30 years, so it’s ftting that he would have his favorites—wines that he would recommend to the novice wine drinker as well as to his wine-geek friends. Both will descend in expected record numbers on UNLVino’s Grand Tasting on April 20 at Paris Las Vegas (UNLVino.com).
1. I like to start my tastings with Bubbles. But since I’m not dating her anymore, I now begin with Champagne. Real Champagne, which means it comes from the Champagne region of France, not some sparkling wine from Nebraska. Try the Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut. Pronounced “Perry-AYY zhoo-ETT,” (yes, you do pronounce the T!), the crisp acidity of this nonvintage Champagne will seduce your taste buds, begging you to have another sip. It’s Saturday night, and we’re drinking some PJ in the "Entertainment Capital of the World." What could be better? And we’re just getting started. Find it: Booth 51. Buy it: $40, Lee's Discount Liquor.
April 18-24, 2013
Seven Sips To Seek VEGAS SEVEN
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Make a beeline to taste these wines at the 39th annual UNLVino Grand Tasting By Tony Goitia
2. Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay is not to be missed. This is an un-oaked chardonnay, so if you are a fan of chardonnay that tastes like buttered popcorn, this may not be for you. However, if you like to actually taste the grape, this is a big winner. Crisp, clean, aromatic, and it comes in a very cool ceramic bottle. This is from the Wagner family of Caymus Winery fame. Think about enjoying this wine with oysters, lobster, crab … or all of the above. Find it: Booth 61. Buy it: $25.50, Smith's. 3. En Route “Les Pommiers” Pinot Noir was named for the apple orchards that once fourished in the Russian River Valley area. This 100 percent pinot noir is from the Far Niente folks—although produced at a separate winery and by a different winemaker—and is beautifully balanced, with loads of raspberry and plum favors. It’s great alone, but big enough to pair with just about anything. Yum. (Technical
term.) Find it: Booth 21. Buy it: $65, Marche Bacchus Wine Shop. 4. From Jayson Woodbridge— the guy who brings you Hundred Acre wines at a few hundred bucks a bottle—comes a new wine called If You See Kay. An Italian wine from Lazio, it is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, petite verdot and primitivo, and it lives up to the wineries’ motto: “Wide-open throttle or don’t bother doing it at all.” Big and delicious! Find it: Booth 15. Buy it: $21.50, Smith's. 5. Located in the heart of Sonoma, B.R. Cohn Winery was founded in 1984 by Bruce Cohn, who is also the manager of the legendary rock band, the Doobie Brothers. His B.R. Cohn Silver Label Cabernet Sauvignon is medium-bodied, full of black cherry favors and it’s a great value, meaning you won’t have to sell one of your kids to be able to afford a bottle! Unless, of course, you want to … Try it: Booth 15. Buy it: $16, Total Wine & More. 6. Are you a fan of “monster cabernets”? This one is a mouthful! Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District is one of those wines that makes you go, “Whoa!” Huge, full-bodied, rich—however you want to describe it, this cab rocks now but is also one for the cellar. In a few years, savor it with a bonein rib eye. Good things come to those who wait! Find it: Booth 16. Buy it: $50, Total Wine & More. 7. I’m a big port fan, and Graham’s 20 Year Tawny is the Master Blender’s quest for excellence as well as one of my favorites. A great age for port, this 20-Year is wonderful by itself, with nuts, dried fruits, robust cheeses or, if you aren’t hungry, try it with a great cigar. By the way, this port should be slightly chilled when served. Also, it really lingers on the palate, so you might want to save this one for the end of your UNLVino Grand Tasting adventure. Find it: Booth 10. Buy it: $60, Lee's Discount Liquors.
Photo by Anthony Mair
➧ With more than 300 wines being poured at this year's event there is defnitely something for everyone. From bone-dry to supersweet, and ranging in price from $5 up to $75 per bottle, no matter what your favorite style, you will fnd some treasures here—and hopefully, you’ll remember them the next day!
Gastro Fare. Nurtured Ales. Jukebox Gold.
In 2007, the best friends dared each other to audition for Chippendales because they wanted to “see the world on their world tour.” They got the job and have been with the male revue ever since. Jaymes still smarts from the Amazing Race heartbreak. His father, a Vietnam vet, died of a rare cancer associated with Agent Orange in March. Jaymes, who wears his father’s dog tags, wishes that his dad could have seen him triumph. He also wishes that he could have wiped away the medical bills. To that effort, Jaymes has started a campaign called ForgetCancerNow.com to help raise money for his father’s bills. He hopes to eventually turn it into a fullfedged charity. But with his characteristic positivity, Jaymes fnds the bright side of not winning $1 million, saying that the loss has motivated him to chase
success instead of relaxing into moneyed stagnation. *** So how does one go about building a star career? Jaymes starts with a protein shake and a serving of entertainment news on his big-screen TV in his immaculate house—by a mountain, in the suburbs. (He grew up with very little, so he always dreamed of having his house look like a magazine. Mission accomplished.) This energizes him for jam-packed days, where his strategy seems to be: Try every strategy possible. Did I mention that he’s also a real estate agent in his spare time? “If you’ve got 85 pots on the fre,” Jaymes says, “one of them is going to boil.” Here are a few of those 85 pots: Music: It might seem like music would be outside the
realm of a Chippendales dancer. But Jaymes, who emcees and sings in the show, has been a singer longer than he’s donned the cuffs and bow tie. In fact, he performed and sang in Rio’s Show in the Sky, bouncing frenetically between Chipps and the casino foor until the show closed in March. On the day I rode along with Jaymes, he stopped by his producer Jason Tanzer’s house to record some music. Jaymes describes his style as “pop plus white-guy rapping.” The sound is stylish and upbeat, an audio incarnation of the performer’s personality. So far, that formula is working. At the end of the recording session, Jaymes and Tanzer discovered that the frst royalty check for his single, “Tonight,” had arrived, and it contained purchases from around the world. “I remember doing music this
time last year. Nobody would sneeze at it,” Jaymes says. “This year, the day my single came out People magazine did a story about it. Thank you, Amazing Race.” Jaymes has a history of perseverance, thinking of himself as a hard-working singer rather than one with the most talent. Leaving the studio, Jaymes told a story of getting dropped from show choir in high school. He dreamed of taking a summer job as a performer at a local amusement park, but without the help of the choir teachers, he faced slim odds. Not to be deterred, Jaymes approached his middle school teachers, who helped him prepare in their free time. He won the part, beating out his classmates. After all these years, Jaymes still remembers the teachers’ names, Kathy Higgins and Beth Harvey of Bailey Bridge Middle School in
Photos by Kin Lui
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Where do you go from there? This is what happened to Jaymes, 31, and his teammate James Davis, 28, the duo of superhumanly beautiful Chippendales dancers. And they are in a full sprint to use their Warholian gift of 15 minutes of fame to reset the clock. It’s like using wishes to wish for more wishes. Considering their made-for-their-close-up looks, cuffinks-and-bow-tie name recognition and genial personalities, it just might work. The more outgoing of the two, Jaymes is the duo’s de facto leader. He’s the type of extrovert who lets loose a Southern accent when he gets excited. The Twitter afcionados joke that Jaymes (@JaymesV, approximately 9,000 followers) is “tweet” and James (@James_MNE, approximately 4,200 followers) is “retweet.” But their friendship dates back further than microblogging.
Clockwise from top: Jaymes and Fox 5’s Rachel Smith interact post-taping; James and Jaymes perform in Chippendales; creating music in the studio with Tanzer.
Chesterfeld County, Virginia. If he ever wins a Grammy, he’ll take them as his dates. Jaymes is also working on an album with James, who plays the guitar in Chippendales and in a metal band called My Name Engraved. Jaymes fgures that since they are more famous together than apart, they might as well make music together. They have already booked 17 gigs around the nation, including gay pride events (Jaymes is gay and has a boyfriend; James is straight and has a girlfriend). The only catch: Jaymes hopes to convert James to pop music. Reality Television: After their success on Amazing Race, a plethora of production com-
panies approached Jaymes and James, offering to produce a spin-off. The duo turned down the offers, instead opting to produce their own TV show. “That’s what my $100,000 education is for,” says Jaymes, who majored in electronic media and minored in history and public relations at Virginia Commonwealth University. So far, Jaymes is executive producer—in conjunction with Atomic Television—of a travel show called, What the Hell Do We Do Here, where Jaymes and James seek and follow the travel advice of passersby. The show has the friendly dynamic that made them popular on Amazing Race. Jaymes seems to enjoy the producer role as much as he enjoys the screen time. They plan to
TV News: News anchor Rachel Smith of KVVU Fox 5’s More show describes Jaymes as a “one-take wonder” because he is a natural in front of the camera. On the day of my ridealong, he taped with Smith as a replacement for the regular anchor, who was on vacation. Jaymes also co-hosted his regular show on Fox 5, More Access Weekend with Lindsey Simon. When it was time to change into his on-air outft, provided by John Varvatos, there was some excitement in the newsroom. Apparently, last time he changed clothes in the corner of the room. No such luck this time. Later, between takes, Jaymes commented that it was hot under the lights in his layered suit. I looked up to discover that he had unbuttoned his shirt—revealing ogle-inducing pecs and abs—to “keep the borrowed clothes from getting sweaty.” The camera woman replied with a hint of admiration, “You’re not used to wearing clothes, are you?” Celebrity Appearances: While it may not seem like our hometown hunks are all that famous—we’ve been accustomed to having them on team Chippendales for years—wherever they go, people want their pictures. Over lunch at Sammy’s
Woodfred Pizza, the duo one time: 12 in Vegas and 12 explained that Amazing Race on tour. Of those 24, Jaymes is brought them a contingent one of their only stars and the of pre-teen fans. Principals only openly gay member. In an invite them to speak at career informal poll, people’s reacdays. I found this a little hard tions to this fact fall into two to believe … until a male camps: One, “Aren’t they all customer in his mid-40s asked gay anyway?” (No, they’re not.) for a photo with them for his Two, “Can one be an openly gay daughter. Jaymes took a sheet Chippendale?” (Yes.) In fact, it’s of paper and wrote a greetpractically ideal. If you’re going ing to the daughter, which he to fantasize about masculine displayed in the photo. Later perfection, better to do so that night, when Jaymes was without the messy possibility scarfng down a sub sandwich of dating. Or, as I like to think, pre-show, the two got called “If I can’t have him, no woman down by request of a tourist can.” family with a gaggle of tween Jaymes doesn’t spend much daughters. Graciously, as time talking about his sexualalways, photos were taken, and ity, and he leaves his boyfriend then more by other people, out of the limelight. But here’s including a woman in her 40s, what he had to say when he who wasn’t “into this sort of hosted the Aid for AIDS of thing,” but said her daughter Nevada walk on April 14: “This was. While Chippendales is by no past year was the frst year that means kid-appropriate, seeing Chippendales was like, ‘Hey, two friendly, buff teammates you know what, we’ve got on Amazing Race offers a neusomething for everybody [contered version of masculinity, struction workers, vampires, putting them in the party rockers and safe tween-idol zone. military offcers]. Chippendales Capitalizing on We’re also going to this popularity, the have an openly gay The Rio, 8 guys follow a packed Chippendale.’ They nightly, 10:30 schedule of celebrity let me do it, and p.m. Fri-Sat, appearances, often for they’ve been super $50-$73, 777charity, even if they super supportive. 7776, RioLasVe(thankfully) haven’t A big shout-out to gas.com. reached the Holly Chippendales for letMadison level of ubiqting us do that. Evlas Vegas uity. The duo’s next erybody’s welcome Broadway Bares big appearance will be now: gay, straight, a special performance in-between, everyPeepshow Stage in the April 21 AIDS thing.” at Planet Holfundraiser Las Vegas See additional photos, lywood, 11:59 Broadway Bares: The and watch Jaymes as he p.m. April 21, Barest Show On Earth. prepares to go onstage $30-$60 ($25and talks about life $55 in advance), Chippendales: as a Chippendale at Ticketmaster. There are only 24 VegasSeven.com/Chipcom. Chippendales in pendales. existence at any
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shop the pilot in May. There’s another reality show in the works, about Jaymes’ life and circle of performer friends. The production company that does Giuliana & Bill is producing it, but all other details are undetermined. And, of course, Jaymes and James would jump at the chance to return to Amazing Race.
April 18-24, 2013
“i rememBer doing musiC this time last year. noBody would sneeze at it. this year, the day my single Came out people magazine did a story aBout it. thank you, amazing raCe.” – Jaymes Vaughan
A&E
musIc
‘Too Close’ the Deal
HIgH on rock ’n’ roll
Alex Clare goes from TV commercial to commercial success By Deanna Rilling
If you’ve lIstened to the entire The Lateness of the Hour album from the U.K.’s Alex Clare, you’d know he’s far more than just that guy whose song “Too Close” became popular thanks to an Internet Explorer commercial. There’s a mixture of everything from down-tempo/ trip-hop and dubstep to bold choral elements and even peaceful acoustic piano. But it’s that soulful voice that shines through—no matter the accompanying music—that makes him a standout songwriter. We caught up with Clare before his April 18 performance at the Hard Rock Café on the Strip.
April 18-24, 2013
How are you combining the electronic elements with live instrumentation on this tour? My good friend Kola Bello, he has a whole bed of synths. Most of the bass is reproduced live just using a bass guitar—it makes a world of difference with effects pedals and effects units. Then we’ve got live drums and live guitar. It’s a pretty standard setup. We do have a backing track as well. You can run more complicated orchestral and choral lines off of that, because obviously we can’t have an orchestra everywhere we go! We tend to be very sub-heavy when we play, so obviously that’s a quite important thing for a venue and for the crowd to be ready for.
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Will there be any new material worked into your set? There’s going to be at least two new songs. We may even work in a third one, but we obviously don’t want to put too much [new] material in, because then we’ll have a lot of people in the crowd going, “What’s this? I’ve never heard this before.” I’d like to put more in, but we’ll have to see how it goes for the frst couple of shows. Not too many new electronic-music fans in the U.S. are familiar with jungle or even garage, but one can hear nuances of that in your music. How did those infuence your style, and what other
elements, maybe from bass line.” I think that Alex clAre wItH tHe your youth, did you helps. When you write knocks incorporate? a song that’s on guitar What you guys call elecor piano, you come at if Hard Rock Café tronic dance music, in from the angle of “OK, on the Strip, the U.K. we have so many I need to have a melody 9 p.m. April 18, sub-groups, so many that I can shift and have $18 ($15 addifferent rave nights that a lyrical counter to it.” vance), 733-7625, came up all over the U.K. The only track that I TicketWeb.com. and Northern Europe. can think of that was a I always loved driving bass line before it was around in the car when actually a written song I was 17 years old, blasting out the was “Humming Bird.” “Humming speakers. Being a songwriter from Bird” I wrote by just humming a slightly more classical school, I al- the bass line and then putting it ways felt most comfortable with just through a synthesizer. The words a guitar and a vocal. I really wanted and the melody just fell into place. to marry those low-frequency bass But I think that coming at it from lines from jungle into what I did a songwriter angle as opposed to a acoustically. That’s kind of how the DJ/producer angle defnitely helps songs got born: mixing the live soul keep the soul in the music. elements that I felt comfortable doing with electronic production. Will we hear the precursor to another album this year? Lots of music with electronic Keep an eye out for some new undertones these days tends to be tracks coming out, hopefully by the kind of soulless. How do you fnd end of this year. a balance between wonky bass For the full interview with Alex Clare, lines and heartfelt emotion? including how Lewis Carroll plays into I always write the song frst. I his music and working with Diplo, visit never come at it from the angle VegasSeven.com/AlexClare. of “Oh, here’s a beat. Here’s a
My favorite local nonprofit Push Forward is throwing a cool benefit party with live music. All proceeds benefit Push Forward’s mission: giving at-risk Vegas youth a sense of direction, empowerment and mentorship via skateboarding. Three of my favorite ramp-worthy bands—The Swamp Gospel, Crazy Chief, American Buckshot—play at 9 p.m. April 18 at Beauty Bar. I look forward to seeing three other groups on the bill for the first time: Fuzz Solow, Unfair Fight and Mersa. Admission is $5, and it’s for a great cause—teaching kids to stay out of trouble by embracing skate culture. Get stoked! The calendar date 4/20 ignites cannabis-inspired bands to hit the road and spread the message of head-expanding, mind-blowing guitarmanship. One of the best heavy psychedelic groups I’ve heard in many years is L.A.’s Blaak Heat Shujaa. The stoner-metal trio should have you tripping your balls off at 9 p.m. April 20 at Favorites. Signed to California stoner-rock label Tee Pee Records, Blaak Heat Shujaa are on a roll, having released an EP in December and then just last week unveiling a fulllength titled The Edge of an Era. I’ve been especially enjoying the album’s senses-shattering 10-minute track “The Obscurantist Fiend (The Beast Pt. I)” for the way it builds and then collapses like a hungry, star-devouring black hole. If you dig the Palm Desert vibe à la Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, you’ll surely want to bask in Shujaa’s sonic sunshine. Also on the bill: The Ultra Electric Mega Galactic, the Freeks, Demon Lung, Lotus and Seated Behind the Sun. Brooklyn post-punk band The Men man up at The Bunkhouse Saloon at 10 p.m. April 24. Last month, the quintet released a fourth album, New Moon, incorporating serious country elements (saloon piano) into their blistering noise-rock attack, causing one music critic to describe them as, to paraphrase, Dinosaur Jr. meets Tom Petty. Awesome, right? Can’t wait to hear The Men’s new songs—like high-voltage “Electric” and Neil Young-shredding-his-amplifiers ballad “I Saw Her Face” in all their onstage glory. I’m not too tough to admit I’m bringing earplugs. New bits: SquidHat Records continues to scoop up bands. The label’s latest signing: local punk stalwart Guilty By Association, which formed 12 years ago, released a couple of albums and shared a stage with everyone from Exploited to Circle Jerks. In July, SquidHat will release a remastered, 20-track double CD of Guilty By Association’s debut album, Detox, and the band’s follow-up, American Decay. Expect a summer CD-release party at Double Down Saloon and a tour. Guilty By Association hopes to unveil a new disc in early 2014. Info at SquidHatRecords.com … Vegas doom-metalheads Demon Lung join Castle for a summer mini-tour, with shows surrounding both bands’ Doom in June (June 1) appearance: Lake Tahoe, Scottsdale, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Info at DemonLungBand.com. Your Vegas band releasing a CD soon? Email Jarret_Keene@Yahoo.com.
new order with Johnny Marr Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan, April 11
Before their show at the Cosmo, New Order was one of the least engaging live bands I’d seen. I last saw them live in their heyday—late 1987, following the release of Substance—and with the exception of Pater Hook, who wore his bass low on his body and hunched over like a caveman to play it, I’ve never seen a sheer personality void so perfectly embodied onstage. I mean, keyboardist Gillian Gilbert ate a fucking sandwich in the middle of the set. Sure, New Order 1987 could make the notes, but that hardly matters when said notes are produced by reanimated corpses. Happily, New Order 2013 proved to be none of that. The band that played Vegas was engaged, solicitous and above all, joyful. Peter Hook is no longer in the band—replaced by Tom Chapman, who plays using Hook’s tuning and Neanderthal stance—but that’s a small price to pay for a band that actually delivers a full and satisfying set. They ripped through note-perfect versions of their hits (“Blue Monday,” “Regret”), their deep album cuts (“Love Vigilantes,” “World”), and even some Joy Division classics (“Atmosphere,” “Love Will Tear Us Apart”) with energy and brio. Vocalist and guitarist Bernard Sumner even danced a bit. They almost seemed a New Order tribute
band, and it felt great to believe in them again. Opener Johnny Marr inspired a different sort of belief. I’ve seen the former Smiths guitarist three times before now—with Modest Mouse, the Pretenders and, er, with the
Smiths—but this was the first time he seemed a full-on rock star and not a divinely gifted shrinking violet. He performed songs from his solo album The Messenger and a trio of Smiths classics, including a transcendent version of “How Soon Is
Now,” with a confidence that bodes well for future solo work. His singing isn’t quite up to the level of his exquisite guitar playing, but with the other guy from the Smiths maybe calling it quits, he’ll do just fine. One last note to Mssrs. Sumner
teGan and sara
April 18-24, 2013
Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan, April 10
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Hitting Las Vegas just two nights before a high-profile gig at Coachella, twin-sister act Tegan and Sara could have treated this show as a glorified tune-up. But they are far too sincere for that. Instead, they bared their hearts for 90 minutes to a crowd that absorbed every musically induced emotion and reciprocated in kind. They opened with four tunes from their latest album, Heartthrob, a slight departure from their previous six releases in that the songs yearn for a bigger audience with their radio-ready beats and hooks. The new tracks seemed more nuanced and fully developed in the live setting, as the Quin sisters traded lead-vocal duties throughout the night, backed by a four-piece band, with Sara taking the first shift on “I’m Not Your Hero” before Tegan dedicated “I Couldn’t Be Your Friend” to “all the crazy ex-girlfriends and boyfriends out there.”
and Marr: It wouldn’t have killed you to team up for at least one song by your supergroup, Electronic. But that was the only black mark on a deliriously great night of music. See you again in 30 years. ★★★★★ – Geoff Carter
“The Con” and “Arrow” flashed back to full-blown ’80s new wave with their heavy synthesizers and electronic beats, while “Walking With a Ghost” and “Back in Your Head” proved equally enthralling despite their relative simplicity. Introducing “Love They Say,” Tegan asked if anyone was in love, before adding, “Is there anyone here super sad and going through a really bad time? I don’t want to leave anyone out.” The Canadian twins turned the Cosmo pool into a “little bit of a dance party” with songs “Alligator” and “Drove Me Wild,” as pulsating keyboards and disco rhythms lifted the already-enthusiastic crowd even higher. After performing their latest single, “Closer,” the sisters returned unaccompanied—Tegan on acoustic guitar with Sara on vocals—for “Call It Off“ before the band returned for “Feel It In My Bones.” It was an unabashedly honest performance by the sisters, who continually voiced their appreciation to the crowd, offering an authenticity that wasn’t lost on those listening. ★★★★✩ – Sean DeFrank
Photos by Erik Kabik
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movies
Father Time has apparently fallen down on the job when it comes to Robert Redford.
Aging But Ageless
Robert Redford must be growing older but it doesn’t seem that way in The Company You Keep By Michael Phillips
April 18-24, 2013
Tribune Media Services
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some actors are lucky. In the third act of their careers, they become dream versions of their own parents, or grandparents. Paul Newman did that. So did Katharine Hepburn. We got to know them, and love them, at one age; then, against every Hollywood dictum, they were allowed to mature, to mellow, as they acquired a few more years. They weren’t competing with their iconic youthful images so much as putting our memories of those early years to good use, as the crow’s feet, slowed gait and thinning hair came along and changed them. It’s a privilege to watch an actor age gracefully in the movies; so few are given the chance or the roles.
Robert Redford is a slightly different case. He’s not aging gracefully; he’s aging supernaturally. He’s now 76. He looks terrifc, and it’s movie-star terrifc, which makes it harder for him to fgure out how to play an ordinary (or even extraordinary) character who happens to be getting on. The copious and permanently wind-swept hair remains ready for its close-up, and there’s a moment in Redford’s new flm, The Company You Keep, when his character, a ’60s radical long in hiding and wanted for murder, runs down a dark street at night, thinking he’s being followed. It’s as if the Redford of All the President’s Men nearly 40 years ago never stopped running once he met
with Hal Holbrook in that D.C. parking garage. Taken from a novel by Neil Gordon, The Company You Keep is livelier than the last couple of flms directed by Redford, Lions for Lambs and The Conspirator. It’s best enjoyed as an actors’ showcase. Premise: Redford is Jim Grant, a progressive public interest lawyer living in Albany, New York. He’s a widower (the wife in the novel wasn’t dead, just a trashy mess of an ex) raising a preteen daughter on his own. Then a cub reporter (Shia LaBeouf) ferrets out the truth on this man: He’s really a former member of the bomb-throwing, bank-robbing Weather Underground anti-war collective. So Jim runs. He has his name to clear and a daughter to pro-
tect. Jim and the reporter, Ben, become ideological frenemies of a sort, taunting each other with arguments of liberal idealism vs. apolitical cynicism. The Redford character darts across the country, contacting his former Weather Underground associates, with the purpose of fnding his great love, the one they call Mimi, who now smuggles marijuana for a comfortable living and who considers her old fame a sellout to the cause. Mimi’s played by Julie Christie, whose beauty remains undimmed by the years. Better still, it’s a face that hasn’t been messed with. She looks her age, even if her character as written by screenwriter Lem Dobbs is a smug fnger-wagger. The movie as a whole is like that. (If its brand of liberal despair feels strident to a liberal, I don’t know what the other half of the country will make of The Company You Keep.) Wisely, though, the story acknowledges a full and fractious spectrum of lefty-ism, from Grant’s nonviolence credo to the “burn, baby, burn” mentality of some of his colleagues. Nick Nolte shows up for a couple of scenes as one ex-
Weather member, and though I couldn’t catch most of his dialogue, it’s always a pleasure to watch him. Richard Jenkins enjoys himself as a jumped-up Bill Ayers-type revolutionary now teaching on the university level. Terrence Howard plays the FBI agent on the hunt. The novel was a digital epistolary, told through emails written by the protagonist to his teenage daughter. The movie struggles to turn the story into a paradoxical easygoing thriller, beftting the age bracket of its key ensemble members. The other half of The Company You Keep, the one with LaBeouf digging for clues to his quarry’s past, features such worthy young talents as Brit Marling and Anna Kendrick. But this is Redford’s show, and Christie’s and Jenkins’. And Susan Sarandon’s. And when Brendan Gleeson shows up, his scenes may be expositionheavy and not particularly well-written, but you think: Good old Brendan Gleeson. There’s a face. The Company You Keep (R) ★★★✩✩
A&E
movies
check swing
42 turns a spotlight on Jackie Robinson the icon, but leaves the man in the shadows By Michael Phillips
Tribune Media Services
42, writer-director Brian Helgeland’s portrait of Jackie Robinson, treats its mythic Brooklyn Dodger with respect, reverence and love. But who’s in there, underneath the mythology? Has the movie made Robinson, a man who endured so much in the name of breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier and then died before his 54th birthday, something less than three-dimensionally human? I’m afraid so. This is a smooth-edged treatment of a life full of sharp, painful, inspiring edges. Helgeland tips the narrative balance toward Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey, played here in a sustained grumble by Harrison Ford, opposite Chadwick Boseman’s implacable Robinson. The latter’s story cannot be brought to life without Rickey’s; their fates and places in history belonged to one another. But 42 settles for being an attractive primer for the legend of Robinson and the faith that saw him through. The movie doesn’t condescend. Rather, it protects and enshrines. Helgeland focuses on 1945, ’46
and ’47, when Robinson married, got signed by the Dodgers for their minor league affliate in Montreal and then swung his way into 20th-century heroism as the frst African-American in pro baseball. Boseman has the right stuff to take on Robinson. The movie allows him scant opportunity to prove as much. After each new encounter with prejudice and racism, Helgeland shows us the man who soldiered on without losing his composure, certainly not to the degree so many were hoping he’d lose it. Yet we spend so little private time with this private man. We see on-screen, with Nicole Beharie as Robinson’s adoring wife, Rachel, a dream of a marriage. Some of the stresses are acknowledged. In passing. As for Ford, he’s fun. He gets all the good zingers while everyone else stands around looking either impressed or aghast or discreetly angry. Rickey may well have once said, “You practically nursed race prejudice at your mother’s breast!” to a racist team manager. The way the line drops itself in the scene in question,
Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black) and Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) find a bond in Brooklyn.
however, feels screenwriterly in the extreme. Helgeland has talent (L.A. Confdential), but the 42 script has the tentative air of a project watched very, very closely by Robinson’s survivors. For better or worse, a couple of supporting players steal the movie. As Leo Durocher, Dodgers manager and controversial horn dog, Christopher Meloni injects a jolt of energy. And as announcer Red Barber, John C. McGinley nails, with perfect period infections, the play-by-play commentary featuring such phrasing
delicacies as “chin-wag.” “Like our savior,” growls Ford’s Rickey after Boseman’s tightly wrapped Robinson has eaten his latest load of racial epithets, “you gotta have the guts to turn the other cheek.” I don’t recall Robinson’s rejoinder, but it’s likely he didn’t have one; there are times in 42 when Robinson appears confned to the dugout of his own biopic. Maybe this approach is justifed: In Robinson’s 1972 autobiography, quoted in The New York Times, Robinson wrote: “Today
April 18-24, 2013
short reviews
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Evil Dead (R) ★★✩✩✩
This remake of Sam Raimi’s 1983 cult classic offers plenty of reasons to jump and turn away. Mia (Jane Levy) has quit drugs, and her withdrawal confuses her senses. Her brother and her friends have brought her to the cabin in the woods to cure her. But is she seeing visions of demonic possession, or is this simply the cold turkey playing tricks on her mind? There’s a demon that jumps from human to human, and more splashing of bodily fluids than one knows what to do with. All in all, it’s OK, and likely a franchise ... again.
The Place Beyond the Pines (R) ★★★★✩
Luke (Ryan Gosling) is a motorcycle stunt performer traveling with a two-bit carnival. Coming through small-town New York, he learns he has fathered a son with a local waitress (Eva Mendes). Luke turns to bank robbery while also trying to establish a relationship with his son. Then, the story switches to the police officer (Bradley Cooper) who is plagued by becoming known as the hero who pursued the “moto-bandit.” It’s a fine film with really solid actors playing well-written, authentic characters.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
The action is nonstop in this sequel. But do we really want our action to never end? Like, ever? The plot concerns the murder of the Pakistani president, stolen nukes, a frame-up job by COBRA disgracing the Joes. The Joes fight back. Spoiler alert: They win. Sure, there’s Channing Tatum as Duke, Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock and even ole Bruce Willis as the original Joe, but the movie plays out like a video game, and certainly we’ve learned by now that there should be a difference.
as I look back on that opening game of my frst World Series, I must tell you that it was Mr. Rickey’s drama, and that I was only a principal actor. As I write this 20 years later, I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the fag; I know that I am a black man in a white world. In 1972, in 1947, at my birth in 1919, I know that I never had it made.” Only hints of that complicated hero can be detected in 42. 42 (PG-13) ★★★✩✩
[ by tribune media services ]
The Host (PG-13) ★✩✩✩✩
This movie version of Stephenie Meyer’s departure from the Twilight series is painful to watch. Earth has been invaded by aliens called Souls. Some Souls called Seekers locate humans to serve as hosts for other Souls. Saoirse Ronan plays Melanie, whose body is sublet by a Soul named Wanderer. Melanie and her Soul become frenemies, and Melanie arm-twists her visitor to return to Melanie’s cave-dwelling survivalist clan. Then Wanderer falls in love with Ian (Jake Abel). And then ... you get the picture. It’s agonizingly slow and just not very good.
movies
Olympus Has Fallen (R) ★★✩✩✩
Admission (PG) ★★★✩✩
Spring Breakers (R) ★★★✩✩
The Croods (PG) ★★✩✩✩
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (PG) ★★✩✩✩
The Call (R) ★★✩✩✩
All of the skilled actors on display in this absurd comedy can’t save the film. Las Vegas magicians Burt (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) have a stale act, and Burt’s become a terrible person. They can’t stand each other. And there’s a dangerous new kid in town, a Jackass-y performer (Jim Carrey) who gives the bloodthirsty public what it wants. While Alan Arkin and Olivia Wilde manage ably in their scenes, the rest of the movie is poor.
It’s Ice Age with humans and less ice. The Croods are a brood of cavepeople; there’s Ugg (Nicolas Cage), Ugga (Catherine Keener), Eep (Emma Stone) and some others. Earthquaked out of their dwelling, the Crood brood embarks on a search for a new home. They come across Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a caveboy who knows about fire and has “ideas.” Guy leads the Croods toward a place he calls “Tomorrow” where survival lies. Not a whole lot here, and like most Dreamworks vehicles, it’s way too much.
Jordan (Halle Berry) is a hotshot 911 operator in Los Angeles. On a call in which she tries to coach a teenage girl away from a home invasion, Jordan slips up, fails, and the girl is murdered. Dedicated to redeem herself, Jordan gets another emergency call in the form of Casey (Abigail Breslin), who has been drugged and kidnapped and wakes up in the trunk of a speeding car. Jordan coaches the hysterical teen through a series of daunting situations. Berry is enough of a pro to handle this, but the film is a dud.
April 18-24, 2013
Writer-director Harmony Korine is a resolute sleaze monger. This helps Spring Breakers, in which not-so-innocent debauchery turns sociopathic. It’s about four teenage girls, three nasty (Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens and Rachel Korine), one nice (Selena Gomez). Determined to have a memorable vacation, the girls get some spending cash by fake-pistol-waving in a restaurant. But things steadily move into a more dangerous space, with an impressive turn by James Franco as a lively gangsta rapper.
In this fraught romantic comedy, Portia (Tina Fey) is a Princeton University admissions officer with a secret. Her live-in boyfriend, a professor played by Michael Sheen, treats her like a dog—literally. But on a road trip, Portia visits a new-age alternative high school, run by John (Paul Rudd). John believes a promising applicant just might be the same boy that Portia gave up for adoption. Fey and Rudd are smooth as silk together, but the film is only half good.
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This movie is Die Hard in the White House, where terrorists appear out of nowhere to storm Washington, take over the White House and seize the president (Aaron Eckhart) and most of the cabinet. Their only hope is ex-Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), the only man who knows how to get into the fortified presidential bunker where the hostages are. Banning stabs, shoots and strangles his way through legions of terrorists. There are much better thrillers out there.
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7 questions
“We opened up the radish, and it had cavities that you and i could sleep in!”
Linn Mills
The longtime horticulturist on the importance of soil prep, his landscaping pet peeve and the one veggie he can do without
April 18-24, 2013
By Matt Jacob
VEGAS SEVEN
110
From his days growing up on a farm in Salt Lake City to his former job as a horticulturist for the Springs Preserve and Las Vegas Valley Water District, Linn Mills has dedicated his life to the great outdoors—and to helping others learn to enjoy the great outdoors. To wit: In 1992, Mills launched Southern Nevada’s Master Gardener program, which over the past two decades has spawned more than 1,000 certifed Master Gardeners who have volunteered more than 270,000 hours to help local residents in their quest to build their dream garden. Although Mills retired from the Springs Preserve and Water District in October, he still frequently gets his hands dirty, whether it’s through his Sunday gardening-advice column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, talking horticulture at various local social clubs or tending to his own home landscape. And as we turn the corner toward another long, hot summer, the 76-year-old is quick to reassure budding horticulturists that it is indeed possible to maintain a perfect garden in our harsh desert: “Some of the best gardens I’ve ever seen have been right here in Las Vegas.”
What’s your frst gardening memory? My mother always had herbs [growing] right by our door. My assignment was to weed. I got to grow the pumpkins, but I had to do all the weeding [frst]. It took a long time, because you plant pumpkins in May but don’t harvest them till the end of October. So [eventually] I came up with an idea on how to keep kids into gardening, frst by planting radishes, because you [harvest] them 21 days later. Then you get the spinach 10 or 15 days later, then the lettuce and so on. The idea was for the kids to always have a success story, to keep them going up to the pumpkin harvest. Is there a landscaping faux pas you see around here that bugs you? Aaarrggh! Have you ever looked around and seen all these plants sheared in gross geometric forms? That’s exactly what is not supposed to happen! And it’s spreading across this Valley like wildfre—and I mean like wildfre! Right now, the cassias are out in bloom—it’s a big, yellowfowered bush. And if you let it grow naturally, it’s loaded with blossoms. But the gardeners always come in and shear them off. When they do that, they’re removing all the wood, as we call it, where the fower sites are. So all you’re doing is looking at a lollipop on a stump. And it’s ugly! You don’t
need to drive very far around town to see it. Is there a particular fruit tree people shouldn’t try to grow here? Well, as soon as I say, “You can’t grow this,” you’re going to have 14 other people say, “Yes you can!” I once got a call from someone asking if we could grow cherry trees in Las Vegas, and I said no. Then I spent the next hour on the radio listening to people talk about success stories. But cherries need a lot of cold temperatures—we call them chilling hours, which is temperatures under 45 degrees. They need up to 1,500 chilling hours, and we only get about 300 here [annually]. What’s the last thing you planted that didn’t survive? My wife loves gardenias, she loves gardenias—did you get that? They like acid soils, and they like iron and all that stuff. So I see a gardenia in the nursery, come home, put it out in the garden, and she’s so excited. Then I hear, “Oh, what’s gone wrong?” I don’t even want to [talk] about gardenias. I’ve seen beautiful gardenias here, but they’re so fnicky. Do the gardening questions you receive sometimes crack you up? Oh man alive, I’ve got tons of those. I had this lady come in one time, and she had a radish this big [mimics the size of a softball], and she wanted to know when to harvest the radish. And I just kiddingly said, “Well, you gotta wait two weeks.” We opened it up, and it had cavities that you and I could sleep in! What’s your least favorite vegetable? Ha! I guess I gotta go along with George [H.W.] Bush on this one: broccoli. Now, I like caulifower, but I just don’t care for broccoli. When I go through a buffet line, I’ll always pick up the caulifower, but I never stop for the broccoli.
Photo by Kin Lui
What’s your best springgardening tip? I’d have to tie it into soil preparation. People try to bypass that because they come from, say, San Diego, where they have a lot of organic matter in their soils. We don’t have any, because we don’t have any rain or any vegetation. So you have to take time to prepare the soil. And then you learn to plant at the right time [of year]. When you do those things, a lot of the issues people raise about gardening go out the window.