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[ upcoming ]
Sept. 7: Wine Walk at Town Square to benefit New Vista (NewVistaNV.org) Sept. 14: Fiesta Las Vegas Latino Parade & Festival (FiestaLasVegas.org)
Photos by teddy Fujimoto
August 29–September 4, 2013
What’s black and white and risqué all over? The annual Black & White Party, the 27th edition of which took place Aug. 24 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. Nearly 3,500 guests—all sticking to the strict two-tone (un)dress code— partied the night away in support of Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN). Among the entertainers were Britney Spears impersonator Derrick Barry from Divas Las Vegas, vocal impressionist Véronic DiCaire (who paid tribute to Madonna and Lady Gaga, among others) and performers from Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, who embraced the uninhibited spirit of the night with a sultry dance number. Organizers raised $130,000 for AFAN, an increase of about 10 percent from 2012.
THE LATEST
• Make predators uncomfortable by increasing the presence of “highly visible and proactive” uniformed private security and police outside of resort properties, particularly at entrances and exits. • Have a plainclothes task force observe crowds for potentially predatory behavior—everything from noticing a pickpocket sizing up a score to an intoxicated group becoming unruly—and act quickly to “deter or interrupt” the predator before anyone is hurt. • Create “situational awareness messaging” at the airport, in taxicabs, and at casinos to help tourists make themselves less of a target to potential predators. “Tourism-related crime,” Santoro says, “can be effectively reduced through a regional strategy that includes all the stakeholders: owners/ operators, police, private security, industry line-level workers and the tourists themselves.” Ironically, the best way to prevent crime—or even the perception of it—from becoming a problem for the Strip might be to discuss it more openly. By the time a city earns a reputation as unsafe, it may take years to undo the damage. In a world built on fantasy, frankness isn’t always fun. But when it comes to the risks of crime, honesty may truly be the best policy.
The wait is over, football fans. College games begin August 29, and the NFL season starts September 5. And we’re lucky to live in what may be the world’s best city for football fans. That’s not just because you can bet the games; it’s because of all the things that go hand-inhand with the betting: Big screens, Monday Night Football parties, and game-day food-anddrink specials will be everywhere all the way through the Super Bowl. And then there are the football contests. Of the dozen big ones this year, the most expensive are the SuperContest at LVH and the Friday Football Showdown invitational at the Golden Nugget, both of which cost $1,500. And William Hill is sponsoring a $100 college-football contest. All nine of the others carry either $25 entry fees or are free. Here are four favorites: • My top pick is Pick the Pros at the Boyd casinos— Orleans, Gold Coast, Suncoast, Sam’s Town, California and Fremont. It’s free, convenient, and you can win up to $25,000 every week. It’s popular, too, so you almost have to pop a perfect card to win, but it gets exciting anytime your sheet is clean going into the afternoon games. The weekly prizes were reduced by $5,000 this year to accommodate an end-of-year $100,000 drawing that requires playing in at least nine of the first 12 weeks to be eligible. • Station Casinos’ Great Giveaway is another strong contest for locals. You have to pay $25 for this one, but you get your money back at the end of the year if you play all 17 weeks and don’t win a prize. That must-play requirement takes away flexibility, but it’s a small negative. Take advantage of the buy-two-get-one-free deal to get three for $50—that’s $16.67 per entry. • The Palms has an interesting format with high weekly ($10,000) and monthly ($20,000) payouts, and less competition than Boyd or Station, but it’s the entry-fee bonuses that make it so good. Buy the maximum three entries, you get three more free. That’s six for $75—and if you enter by September 2, you’ll also get $10 in slot free-play, effectively lowering your outlay to $65. That’s a per-entry price of $10.83. • This year’s top newcomer is the $25 contest at Aliante, which has a four-for-three offer for $75—just $18.75 per entry. With $103,850 in prizes guaranteed, the contest needs 4,154 players to reach even equity (that’s when the money collected from entry fees is equal to the prize money). For many of us, it’s quite a trek to get to North Las Vegas, which means the contest has a good chance of being undersubscribed. That, in turn, would make each entry theoretically worth more than $18.75. And that’s good news for bettors.
David G. Schwartz is the director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research.
Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor and LasVegasAdvisor.com.
Crime and Perception
August 29–September 4, 2013
When it comes to safety, the Strip needs to defy the averages
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SEVERAL TIMES THIS YEAR, the Las Vegas Strip has made national news for the wrong reason: crime. There was February’s Maserati-and-guns crash on the Strip that claimed three lives. And recent weeks have brought an attempted Strip carjacking (apparently thwarted when an off-duty Metro offcer shot a suspect) and a carjacking at the Flamingo that ended in two deaths. When tragedy strikes, police and tourism offcials are usually quick to stress that these are random events in an otherwise safe city. They point to the fact that crime rates on the Strip have been falling lately (down in 2012 and early 2013) as proof that a Vegas vacation is fundamentally safe. Is this just public relations spin, or do they have a point? Rick Santoro, a national expert on security who has decades of experience in the casino sector, agrees that Las Vegas is, for the most part, a safe city to visit. “Violent crimes—including acts of sudden violence, robbery and carjacking—are still relatively rare within American casino-and-tourism cities, including Las Vegas,” he says. And carjacking, he notes, is on rise nationwide, not just in Las Vegas. The sense that the Strip is spinning out of control, then, is more about perception than percentages: Tens of millions of tourists pile into a highprofle, densely inhabited party space each year. When even a “normal” percentage of those people commit
crimes, it’s bound to draw attention. Most safety experts say that having more people around actually means less of a chance of being victimized, because there’s less of a chance for criminals to get away without being caught. But the same density that provides protection from some crimes, like muggings, makes others, such as pickpocketing, more likely. “There’s a tradeoff,” Santoro says. “You get benefts with saturation, but you also become a target-rich environment. When you have lots of people, with lots of money, you’ll also get predators looking to take advantage of people.” In the end, the seemingly logical argument that there’s nothing mathematically abnormal about Strip crime is a losing proposition. The Strip, taken in sum, is an $11 billion tourism operation—and perception is reality. So ensuring that the Strip is not only safe but “abnormally” safe remains a priority for everyone from Metro to casino operators. And while it’s impossible to stop all acts of violence, there are things, Santoro says, that police and casinos can do to make the Strip safer and improve public perceptions:
ILLUSTRATION BY THOMAS SPEAK
FOUR CAN’T-MISS FOOTBALL CONTESTS
Photo by lucky wenzel
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August 29–September 4, 2013
The laTesT
Most local fans know that Randall Cunningham was the greatest quarterback in UNLV history. Few know that he was a two-time All-American ... as a punter, averaging a school-record 45.6 yards per punt in his career.
GREG ESTAN DI A Tight End
TOM MACK Offensive Lineman LOCAL CONNECTION:
Longtime Las Vegas resident. CREDENTIALS: Like Kunz, Mack also was drafted second overall, but in 1966. He spent his entire 13-year career with the Los Angeles Rams, playing in 184 consecutive games as a left guard and reaching the Pro Bowl 11 times. After 10 years as a fnalist, Mack was fnally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999. DID YOU KNOW? After his playing career, Mack worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., for the nuclear power industry.
J ON AT H AN OG D E N Offensive Lineman LOCAL CONNECTION:
LOCAL CONNECTION:
UNLV (2003-05). CREDENTIALS: Estandia played two full seasons with the Rebels (2003 and 2005), fnishing with 70 receptions for 807 yards and 10 TDs, with the bulk of those numbers accumulated during a stellar senior season. Estandia signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2006, but didn’t appear in an NFL game until 2007. In parts of three seasons with Jacksonville and Cleveland, he had 23 catches for 294 yards.
Las Vegas resident since 1999. CREDENTIALS: Selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the fourth overall pick of the 1996 draft, the 6-foot-9, 340-pound Ogden immediately established himself as one of the league’s most dominant offensive linemen. In 12 seasons—all with Baltimore—Ogden was named to the Pro Bowl 11 consecutive years (all at left tackle) and was a frst-team, All-Pro four times. Earlier this month, he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his frst year of eligibility. DID YOU KNOW? Ogden was the frst player drafted by the Baltimore Ravens after the franchise relocated from Cleveland.
LON N I E PALE L E I Offensive Lineman
August 29–September 4, 2013
GEORGE KUN Z Offensive Lineman
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LOCAL CONNECTION:
Las Vegas resident since 1985. CREDENTIALS: Kunz, who was the second overall pick of the 1969 NFL draft, played in 129 games (126 starts) with the Falcons and Baltimore Colts during an 11-year career. He made the Pro Bowl eight times as a left tackle, and was named frst-team All-Pro in 1975. DID YOU KNOW? Kunz was part of Notre Dame’s 1966 national championship team and once owned seven Las Vegas-area McDonald’s franchises.
LOCAL CONNECTION:
UNLV (1991-92). CREDENTIALS: A transfer from Purdue, Palelei played two seasons with the Rebels before being drafted by Pittsburgh in the ffth round of the 1993 draft. He went on to play fve seasons with the Steelers, Jets, Giants and Eagles, appearing in 44 games (26 starts) at
guard and tackle. DID YOU KNOW? In 2001, Palelei played for the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL, the league founded by pro-wrestling magnate Vince McMahon.
GREY RUEGAMER Offensive Lineman LOCAL CONNECTION:
Las Vegas native; Bishop Gorman High School (1994). CREDENTIALS: Ruegamer, a third-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 1999, played in 124 NFL games (17 starts) in nine seasons as a center for the Patriots, Packers and Giants, winning Super Bowls with New England (2001) and New York (2007).
TO D D L I E BE N S T E I N Defensive Lineman LOCAL CONNECTION:
UNLV (1978-81). CREDENTIALS: After registering a team-high 14 sacks over his fnal two seasons with the Rebels, Liebenstein was drafted in 1982 by the Redskins in the fourth round, and he spent his entire four-year NFL career in Washington. Liebenstein was a member of the Redskins’ Super Bowl teams in 1982 and 1983, winning a ring in ’82 and starting every game in ’83, including the 38-9 loss to the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII.
A N TO N PA L E PO I Defensive Lineman LOCAL CONNECTION:
UNLV (2000-01). CREDENTIALS: A junior college transfer, Palepoi led the Rebels in sacks and was named to the All-Mountain West Conference team in both of his seasons at UNLV before being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2002. He played four NFL seasons with three different teams, registering four sacks in 35 career games (one start). DID YOU KNOW? Palepoi was the 60th overall pick in 2002, which at that time made him the highest-drafted Rebel since Ickey Woods in 1988.
TA L A N C E S AW Y E R Defensive Lineman LOCAL CONNECTION:
UNLV (1995-98).
CREDENTIALS: Recruited as
a tight end, Sawyer switched to defensive end prior to his sophomore season at UNLV, and over three next three years he accumulated more than 120 tackles, including 15½ sacks. A sixth-round pick of Minnesota in 1999, Sawyer played fve seasons with the Vikings, totaling 11 sacks during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, starting every game both years.
A DA M SEWA R D Linebacker
DON SMEREK Defensive Lineman LOCAL CONNECTION: Basic
High School (1975). CREDENTIALS: After leaving Basic, Smerek headed north to UNR, where he was an All-Big Sky Conference selection at defensive end in 1979. Although undrafted, Smerek caught on with the Cowboys, where he had 14½ sacks in 69 games from 1981-87, playing alongside such feared Dallas pass rushers as Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Randy White and Harvey Martin.
BE AU BE L L Linebacker
LOCAL CONNECTION: Bonanza
High School (2000); UNLV (2001-04). CREDENTIALS: An All-State linebacker at Bonanza, Seward recorded 433 career tackles in four years at UNLV—99 more than any other Rebel in history. The Panthers drafted Seward in the ffth round in 2005, but he made just 36 tackles in 43 games over fve seasons with Carolina and Jacksonville. DID YOU KNOW? Fluent in Chinese and Spanish, Seward was a Chinese-language NFL broadcaster and an NFL representative in China in 2011 and 2012.
LOCAL CONNECTION:
UNLV (2004-07). CREDENTIALS: Bell played in 41 games over four seasons with the Rebels, fnishing with 320 tackles (third-best in school history), 10½ sacks, six forced fumbles and six interceptions. After his senior season, he was named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, then drafted in the fourth round by the Cleveland Browns in 2008. However, he appeared in just four NFL games. DID YOU KNOW? Bell is currently with the Spokane Shock of the Arena Football League.
H E N RY RO L L I NG Linebacker LOCAL CONNECTION:
Basic High School (1983). CREDENTIALS: After graduating from Basic, Rolling attended UNR from 1983-86, earning frst-team All-America honors as a senior. Rolling was a ffth-round pick of Tampa Bay in 1987 and enjoyed a sevenyear NFL career, tallying 225 tackles, fve interceptions and 6½ sacks in 88 games (47 starts) with the Buccaneers, Chargers and Rams.
JA M A A L B R IM M ER Defensive Back LOCAL CONNECTION:
Las Vegas native; Durango High School; UNLV (2001-04). CREDENTIALS: Brimmer won back-to-back Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2002 and 2003, being named an AllAmerican after the ’03 season. A safety, he fnished his Rebel career with 280 tackles (tied for seventh all time), 10 sacks and seven interceptions. Although he spent time in training camp with the Seahawks and Giants, Brimmer never played in an NFL game. DID YOU KNOW? On September 13, 2003, Brimmer tallied 11 tackles (two sacks), two interceptions and one fumble return for a touchdown to key UNLV’s 23-5 victory at Wisconsin, one of the biggest upsets in school history.
CH A R LES DIM RY Defensive Back LOCAL CONNECTION:
UNLV (1984-87). CREDENTIALS: Although
PHOTOS COURTESY UNLV PHOTO SERVICES
1990 national championship, being named team MVP and an All-American. After being selected by the Falcons with the 13th pick of the 1991 draft, Pritchard enjoyed a nine-year NFL career, fnishing with 422 catches, 5,187 yards and 26 touchdowns while playing for Atlanta, Denver and Seattle. DID YOU KNOW? Pritchard has been the radio analyst for UNLV football since 2006.
Nightlife
Feel the Love
Bob Sinclar refects on “Love Generation” and the recent history of house music By Sam Glaser
BoB Sinclar iS widely credited for helping popularize house music. His use of globally sourced, fltered disco samples helped spark electronic dance music’s international growth and earned him a spot at the French-infuencer table alongside Daft Punk, Justice and David Guetta. Vegas Seven tapped the house legend for his take. Catch Sinclar September 6 at Hakkasan and September 8 at Wet Republic.
August 29–September 4, 2013
How did your development as an artist parallel the evolution of house music? The evolution is made with the evolution of technology. When I started to create my own sound, in ’91-’92, you had only a sampler and a small Atari computer, so you were able to sample two megabytes of music. You had a synthesizer, but you didn’t have any plug-ins; the computer didn’t have enough memory to manage your own beats. So it was very important, because you needed to be a musician, to create sounds, or buy a lot of records and recycle them. I came from the hip-hop scene, and I learned how the American DJs were doing their own beats and sampling jazz and disco to create their own music, and that’s what I was very, very excited about. Now the sound is in the software, and it’s easier for the young generation to make their own beats.
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Take us back to the ’90s French scene, when house music was just getting started. It was just about English sounds. It came from U.K., a genre called acid jazz. It was hip-hop beats with a musician on top. Then also at the same time, trip-hop arrived. So, my picture was all about acid jazz beats and trip-hop, and then we started to sample disco in ’95-’96 when Daft Punk’s frst album arrived. 1996 was the beginning of something. We started to speed up the tempo and sample something different.
Where did the house sound evolve from there? At the end of the ’90s, it was all about disco. Then at the beginning of 2000, I decided with another guy, DJ Gregory, to create a project called Africanism. I bought a lot of vinyl from everywhere around the world— disco sounds with different, original, classic instruments from that country. I started to sample not [just] disco, but African disco and Jamaican disco and Caribbean disco. We came back with the Soca beats and all these things. I used all the musicians, all this experience of acid jazz, disco, African music. That’s when I met Gary Pine, who was working with the Wailers in 2005, and we did “Love Generation.” Refect on your transition from underground DJ/ producer to established international hit-maker. I did “Gymtonic.” “I Feel For You” was Top 10 in U.K. And then I had a few good disco club tracks: “The Beat Goes On,” “Kiss My Eyes.” It was a time when the status of the DJ changed. We became artists. The Dutch or French thing disappeared into a worldwide market for DJs. The French guys show the way to all the young kids—how to create a small label, to make your music happen on vinyl—and then 2005 was a time where also the CDs and Pioneer arrived with the CD turntable. Before, you were obliged to manufacture vinyl yourself and distribute it, and you needed to create a big busi-
ness to make your music happen. When the CD arrived, this was not the case anymore. Also, in 2005 was the beginning of it on Internet. And this was the end of the vinyl, the end of the label. The kids arrived massively from 2005 to now. “Love Generation” chose me. My career after 10 years of work exploded into something else. You had a string of No. 1 hits between 2005-07. What was the secret recipe during those three years? It was my musical culture, my musical background. At frst I arrived in New York, and I wanted to do disco songs. I couldn’t even imagine doing a big club hit
with an acoustic guitar and a reggae singer. “Love Generation” was a revolution for me in terms of creativity—new beats with a different artistic direction in terms of singers. “Love Generation,” “World, Hold On,” “Rock This Party”—it was all about Jamaica, but with different beats behind that. But Jamaica came because of Africanism and all that background. What is your impact or legacy on the global electronic-
dance-music phenomenon? Maybe just to show that it was possible. To show to kids in 2005-06 that it was possible to be a DJ, to be your own manager, to create your own company and then to be your own artist. I was not alone, but I could be one of them. Before, journalists used to talk about drugs, about race, not about music. Now it’s not only about dance music, it is about a big genre of music that could ft and be mixed with pop music.
“It’s not about music anymore, and the mass of what I hear, it’s not music.” Get more of Sinclar’s thoughts on today’s DJs at VegasSeven.com/BobSinclar.
NIGHTLIFE
PROFILE
From top left: Ashleigh Elliott, Krystle Guerrero and Kalika Moquin (standing); Magin Allred (kneeling); Jenna Abraham and Brandi Rose (seated).
When Bad Is Oh-So Good August 29–September 4, 2013
What can a group of gutsy amateur dancers show folks about burlesque? Good girls can strut their stuf, too.
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By Jen Chase
“WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY?” Back in the 1800s, a burlesque show was expected to caricature the more serious aspects of life, to yuk it up. But in modern times, it’s all about stripping down. A group of hard-working Las Vegas gals is making sure there’s no way in hell you or anyone else will chuckle as they do their seductive striptease. And without a professional dancer among them, they’re not what you’d expect. Good Girls Gone Bad is a troupe of women whose daytime work lands them in all corners of Las Vegas’ entertainment industry—event promoters, cocktail waitresses, public relations managers, models—and who
perform choreographed sets at nightclubs, tackling something they weren’t sure they could do, but were willing to try. “You’re never too old, and it’s never too late to do something you’re passionate about.
And a lot of us are moms and have day and night jobs,” says Kalika Moquin, founding member by night, and by day a partner at JackColton.com and at the DJ management company Blackout Artists.
“This was a great opportunity to step outside the box and do something different. [And] who knows?” she adds. “Next year we may form a ski team.” Moquin, 31, inadvertently created Good Girls Gone Bad following a client meeting with Gallery nightclub about tweaking its programming. It was nearly a plain-old burlesque show of professional dancers until Moquin chimed in with a fresher concept: What if they threw girls onstage who were novices, but were well-known industry professionals who could pack a house with their contacts? Moquin reached out to women she knew and ended up with a core six, although sometimes the ranks swell to as many as 14. The only prerequisites for joining was a fat Rolodex they could use to fll a performance space with friends and clients, and some semblance of a dance background, be it a high school cheerleading or ballet when they were 13. But what goes unspoken is that each good girl who pretends to go bad should also have a healthy dose of self-esteem and maybe a wee thirst for the limelight. It’s the latter that helps this nonprofessional group look anything but amateur. “We’re all really outgoing, and we all have really big personalities,” says Jenna Abraham, 25, a cocktail server at the nightclub XS and model, with two young children. “I don’t think any of us has a shy bone in our bodies.” But smart, hot, brave women alone do not a burlesque group make. They needed moves. So they hired Jennifer Romas of JRR Enterprises, a longtime Strip choreographer who runs the entertainment at Gallery. She also recently choreographed scenes for Think Like A Man 2 and is herself a dancer. “They’re all super sexy and super talented. I’m honored to be working with these girls,” Romas says. Noting that rehearsals are sometimes challenging since she only works with pros, she praised the Good Girls Gone Bad ladies for having fun and looking great while doing it. “It’s
not easy [to dance]. They come off as classy, sexy, beautiful girls … I’m so proud of them.” In a practice before their most recent show at Gallery on July 15, the girls looked a lot more professional than their daytime titles suggest. Wearing dance warm-ups that make Flashdance’s Jennifer Beals seem like she rehearsed in a burka, the girls showed off their toned bods in crop tops, bras, short shorts and sparkly heels. Boas and giant feathers dotted the sidelines of their rehearsal space as Roma worked them through a vamped-up version of “Hey, Big Spender,” one of three numbers planned for that night. The girls execute some 6080 choreographed elements in a 3-minute song—shimmies, bumps-and-grinds, a teasing removal of a glove or stocking—all while actually dancing. If you don’t dance, cramming all that in your head and making it happen in heels can seem as impossible as a hockey player slapshooting a puck while skating backward. But like athletes, these girls make it look effortless. Well, mostly: Every now and then someone shimmies when they should’ve shook. “To be honest, this is very intricate. And these girls are killing it,” Romas says. “Yes, you girls are hot!” she hollers at them. “It’s all about the tease.” So, what’s it like to striptease for friends and clients? “The last performance was my frst, so I was really, really nervous,” Abraham says. “The costumes, the shoes, the lights, the spacing … then the curtain goes up,” she says. It can be a bit much. But clearly the nerves don’t show. “Some have said, ‘You’re better than the real Pussycat Dolls!” Moquin says. And what about negative feedback for these daytime professionals getting down to pasties at night? Both say they haven’t heard a peep. “If they don’t like it …” a smiling Moquin says, choosing not to fnish the sentiment. “Everyone who comes [to Good Girls Gone Bad] is going to see a good show. Everyone looks great up there.” She’s right.
Watch the ladies practice their routines at VegasSeven. com/GoodGirlsGoneBad, and cheer them on at the Diablo’s Cantina Industry Gong Show, 9 p.m. Sept. 10.
nightlife
parties
Wet republic MGM Grand [ Upcoming ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com
PHOTOS BY TEDDY FUJIMOTO AND TOBY ACUNA
August 29–September 4, 2013
Aug. 30 Tommy Trash and Rehab spin Aug. 31 Calvin Harris and Zen Freeman spin Sept. 1 Tiësto and Fergie DJ spin
nightlife
parties
Xs Nightswim Encore
[ Upcoming ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com
PHOTOS BY DANNY MAHONEY
August 29–September 4, 2013
Sept. 1 David Guetta spins Sept. 8 Morgan Page spins Sept. 15 Avicii spins
nightlife
parties
LaVO
The palazzo [ Upcoming ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com
PHOTOS BY AL POWERS
August 29–September 4, 2013
Aug. 30 DJ Skratchy spins Aug. 31 Paul Oakenfold spins Sept. 1 Vice spins
nightlife
parties
Gallery
planet Hollywood [ Upcoming ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SpyOnVegas.com
PHOTOS BY JOE FURY
August 29–September 4, 2013
Aug. 30 DJ Drama spins Aug. 31 Lupe Fiasco spins Sept. 2 DJ OB-One spins
Gastro Fare. Nurtured Ales. Jukebox Gold.
dining
trendspotting
Meet Matcha This traditional Japanese tea is hot, even when served cold By Jen Chase
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“Oh, it’s an acquired taste” just before spoon-feeding you something they love eating, it’s usually a setup for you to try something that might make you wince. But by all accounts, matcha is an on-the-fringe drink that can change how you think about green tea. “Most people are introduced to it by another [matcha] drinker,” says Naomi Rosen, owner of the online tea company Joy’s Teaspoon near Silverado Ranch. Rosen is a tea expert who since 2010 has helped Las Vegas expand its tea culture by launching the Las Vegas Tea Series and the Las Vegas Tea Fest. “There are a lot of people who draw peace and comfort from the act of making matcha, as well,” she says. “The ‘ceremony’ of making it is relaxing and beautiful to watch or participate in.” So, what’s all the fuss? High in antioxidants, green tea in general has long been known for fghting ailments such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, cancer and diabetes. However, green tea is also sort of the cilantro of the tea world, either loved or hated for its intriguing acidity, minerality and grass-in-a-cup tendencies. As with black and white varieties, you make green tea by steeping the goodness out of leaves that eventually get tossed in the trash. Matcha, on the other hand, is made from green tea leaves that are ground up in their entirety, forming a talcum-like green powder that is whisked with water and slowly sipped. Depending on the water temperature, waterto-powder ratio and the quality
of tea, matcha is at times bitter, smooth or vegetal. And because you’re drinking whole leaves and not just the water they took a bath in, one cup equals 10 of green tea. It bursts with the amino acid L-theanine, which is known for relaxing the mind and increasing clarity. It also has more caffeine than other teas, which makes it a darngood natural stimulant if you shun coffee or soda, and can even curb sugar cravings. Harvesting matcha is intense. Rosen buys hers from a grower in Japan’s Izu Province to sell at JoysTeaspoon.com, and says that bushes are covered toward the end of their season to slow growth and increase their chlorophyll levels (another health beneft). Then, leaves are usually handpicked, steamed, dried, de-stemmed and ground. Wildly popular in Japan, as with other beloved artisanal foods, most matcha grown in Japan stays there, which makes it expensive to buy here ($8-$35 for 2 ounces). In Las Vegas, you can order matcha at Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations that serve it latte-style with milk and sugar, a bastardized version far from the original that may taste sweet, but won’t be as healthy. “I don’t sell a lot of matcha to locals,” Rosen says, citing a “huge lack of education pertaining to matcha in general,” especially its preparation. (See below for advice on serving a traditional cup at home.) That said, “If someone tries a matcha latte from Starbucks and has an eye-opening experience and becomes a traditional matcha drinker, then I applaud those efforts.”
Making Matcha at hoMe
Using a traditional bamboo spoon, measure two almond-shape mounds of matcha into a fine sieve placed over your bowl. Sifting helps
Is it as easy as tossing a tea bag in hot water? No. But it’s not rocket science, either. All you need are a few tools and a dash of patience to turn making matcha into a moment of ritualistic bliss.
(about 175 degrees). The hotter the water, the more biting your brew, so be careful and experiment with whether you like matcha
remove clumps. (Note: The Matcha Police won’t hunt you down if you use a teacup or mug.) Add 4-6 ounces of hot (not boiling) water usucha (thin) or koicha (thick). (Warm cow, soy or almond milk can sub for water in a creamy version.) Using a bamboo whisk, stir the matcha using an “M” motion rather than circles (this helps create more froth, which is a good thing). Then, sip … and go attack the next thing on your to-do list, since all that caffeine will help you through the rest of your day. Buy online at JoysTeaspoon.com, MatchaSource. com, TheEnglishTeaStore.com or Teavana.com.
Photo by Anthony MAir
August 29–September 4, 2013
➧ When people off-handedly say,
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[ SCENE STIRS ]
OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO—OH, THE THINGS YOU’LL DRINK!
The Comeback Kid
WHERE COCKTAIL COMPETITIONS are concerned, Las Vegas is no slouch. Routinely stern contenders in the most important and highest-profile competitions of the year, Las Vegas bartenders present the complete package: visually stunning cocktails of intriguing inspiration, balanced and delicious enough to warrant a second round. And when things don’t exactly go their way, the next time around, watch out! They come back swinging. Such was the case for Rx Boiler Room lead bartender/bar manager Nathan Greene, who last year took second in the Tales on Tap Competition, sponsored by Drambuie at Tales
of the Cocktail. He returned to New Orleans last month with something to prove, and did just that when he took frst place and $5,000 for his Nuttin’ Honey recipe, now gracing Rx Boiler Room’s iPad cocktail menu. The stirred combination of honey-sweet Drambuie, nutty oloroso sherry and walnut bitters, and spicy Bulleit rye is relatively reserved for a restaurant with such a showplace menu. But it says a lot about Greene, who is still a relatively new bartender. “It says I love depth: in people, in food, in cocktails.” Watch Greene prepare the Nuttin’ Honey and fnd the recipe at VegasSeven.com/Cocktail-Culture.
I’ve still not cleared all the business cards, and cocktail napkin notes from my desk following last month’s Tales of the Cocktail festival in New Orleans, and I’m still fishing swizzle sticks and Fernet challenge coins from my purse. I’ll be a while before I can Evernote all the liquor trends I want to keep tabs on and befriend on Facebook all the bartenders I met. But: July 16-20, 2014, is emblazoned on my calendar for the 12th go-round of the event that keeps me in bar swag and airline minis all year long. Of course, Nathan Greene (see left), cocktail apprentice Michael Doyle and I weren’t the only Las Vegans in NOLA—there were enough of us in New Orleans to rename the place New Vegas! And indeed I drank very well thanks to many of them. Absolut brand ambassador Kristen Schaefer doled out Elyx cocktails in the swanky Miss Beehave’s Copper Club at the maze-like Absolut Welcome Reception. If you haven’t tried Absolut’s newest expression, you shouldn’t have to look long as it’s quickly making its way around town. Try it in Greene’s cocktail the Philosopher’s Stone ($16) at Rx Boiler Room, featuring Elyx, Cocchi Americano, Peychaud’s bitters, smoked sea salt and grapefruit oils. A highlight of every year at Tales is the Spirited Dinner series, which pairs the bartenders and mixologists of the world with New Orleans’ finest chefs for one very cocktail-friendly night. I was fortunate to snag a seat at the Hennessy Privilège dinner at Sainte Marie Brasserie, with cocktails by guest-tenders including Steve Schneider of New York’s Employees Only and the recent documentary Hey Bartender. Although the star of the show was the Hennessy Paradis Imperial that completed the experience, it was mixologist Jordan Bushel’s Sling Royal that rocked my world. Of course, Tales doesn’t happen entirely by moonlight: The seminars are where the educational magic happens, and run 10 a.m. till 5 p.m., a foggy time when events start to dribble into happy hour. Las Vegas’ Francesco Lafranconi co-hosted “Hey, Good Looking,” a garnish class where I finally got to see what a channel knife can do in the hands of a master, and watched a tiki drink being garnished within an inch of its life. But “The Dark Ages: Mixology, 1967-1988” was the most enlightening seminar I attended as Esquire drinks writer David Wondrich and Jeff “Beachbum” Berry re-introduced both the Harvey Wallbanger and the notion of the “fern bar.” Apropos of the era, this seminar concluded not with a recipe or even a marriage proposal (true story!), but with a recitation of Heywood Gould’s “The Last Barman Poet.” You remember Cocktail, yes? I am the world’s last barman poet ... – X.W. Find the Hennessy Privilège Sling Royal recipe at VegasSeven.com/Cocktail-Culture.
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August 29–September 4, 2013
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A&E Philipo is a show producer-director-designer, former showboy (an almost forgotten term that refers to a professional singer-dancer-model) and keeper of the Old Way. He is meticulous in his desire to preserve the remnants of the golden age of stage spectaculars. He spends hours scanning old show programs in order to create a clickable database for future museum-goers. He refurbishes old costumes, decrying the fact
that a large collection of Bob Mackie pieces was left outside in a gazebo for more than 10 years (“No screens, no windows, just the sand and the heat—you can imagine what that does to feathers”). He’s flming Their Own Truth, a video-interview project for eventual museum display in which veteran show-business insiders tell their stories. (“It may not be factual, but it will be extremely entertaining.”) And he stays in touch with former
showgirls from yesteryear, hosting free tours and reunions so that they can see what they once wore and bask in the glow of limelight memories. Previously only open for private tours, the Showgirl Museum was one of the most amazing Las Vegas attractions that nobody could see. But on August 24, Philipo announced on the museum Twitter page that he was opening it to the public and requiring a
$10 donation for admission. Proceeds will go toward a planned move into a public venue as well as to refurbishing additional costumes. Toward his goal of expansion, Philipo is taking meetings and hoping to fnd the “right situation.” He is considering touring a small portion of the collection in shopping malls, but has turned down offers to show in casinos because of security issues. He is open to
future opportunities as long as he can guarantee the safety of the collection. To drum up publicity in anticipation of a move, he recently recorded a segment with Extreme Collectors on Canadian TV network Slice. The show debuts in September. Show host and antique appraiser Andrew Zegers appraised the collection on display at $15 million, making it the most valuable of the 56
Photos by tomo
August 29–September 4, 2013 VEGAS SEVEN
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Clockwise from top left: Grant (right) and showboy Michael Cammarata play to the camera in one of the museum’s sets; Melody Sweets models the Green Fairy costume that Philipo designed for her role in Absinthe; photos from Philipo’s days as a model; costumes on display in the museum.
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featured in Season 1. Philipo appreciated the professional validation. “It was nice to have him tell my business partner that I wasn’t making her waste her money,” he says. “She’s wondered many a time if I was.” Philipo’s larger goal is to show the general public what is involved in the glamorous side of entertainment. But his museum is not about fossilizing an old way in a perfectly preserved yet inert state. He wants to carry it on so the next generaGRANT tion can discover and re-create the PHILIPO’S glamour anew. LAS VEGAS “If there’s that SHOWGIRL odd little kid in the MUSEUM middle of nowhere like I was who Tours are $10 didn’t ft in, who and by appointwasn’t a jock, who ment only. Sign had artistic aspiraup at LasVegtions—to go in that asShowgirlMumuseum they will seum.com. learn what is important to learn,” Philipo says. “Maybe they end up being a stagehand, maybe they end up being a star, but they will learn everything that is involved in our business, and understand that even though it isn’t always as glamorous as people think it is, it’s still a lot better than most jobs.”
August 29–September 4, 2013
his museum is not about fossilizing an old way in a perfectly preserved yet inert state. he wants to carry it on so the next generation can discover and re-create the glamour anew.
Music
High tide: Wavves plays the Boulevard Pool on Aug. 29.
August 29–September 4, 2013
indie surf, aussie rock, alien shred
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Wavves is the show people many indie types are looking forward to this week. The scrappy San Diego surf-rock band is touring in support of its released-inMarch full-length Afraid of Heights. The album received positive reviews, and its single, “Demon to Lean On,” while paying homage to ’80s alternative bands like Pixies, rides big and noisy chords. My favorite Wavves tune of the moment, though, is “I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl,” a powerpop anthem about longing to meet the Foo Fighter/Nirvana drummer for reasons that have everything to do with the man’s big arms. I think. Hard to tell, since singerguitarist Nathan Williams prefers to write obscure lyrics. Still, this should be a fun show—9 p.m. August 29, Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan—and an ideal way to kick off Labor Day weekend. Hailing from the suburban-sprawling badlands of Phoenix, three-piece punk group Moovalya plays back-to-back Las Vegas gigs, and both of these 21-and-up shows are free—10 p.m. August 30 at The Dive (4110 S. Maryland Pkwy.) and 10 p.m. August 31 at Meatheads (1121 S. Decatur Blvd.). Moovalya’s first eponymous full-length arrived this time last year, and the band’s been busy touring their butts off all across California this month. They wrap up their Summer Exposure tour with these two shows, so if you enjoy hardcore punk played loud, fast and with melodic punch, these Warped Tour veterans should impress you. Surfing With the Alien six-string shredder Joe Satriani sets foot in the Pearl in the Palms 8 p.m. August 30. The virtuoso guitar god arrives as part of his Unstoppable Momentum tour, backed by three musicians—drummer Marco Minnemann, bassist Bryan Beller and keyboardist/ guitarist Mike Keneally. Satriani has been
playing two-hour concerts to raves, and his stage lighting and effects are said to be pretty cool, too. I haven’t experienced a purely instrumental rock show of this caliber in years, so I’m eager to see and hear one of the top guitarists alive bring it, well, live. Guitar legend Steve Morse (Kansas, Deep Purple) opens. Sometimes I like to impress the toocool-to-stump bartenders in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, by playing Drivin N Cryin songs on Internet jukeboxes of trendy watering holes. Sometimes it works! The hard-rock band from Atlanta, had a pair of heyday hits in 1990 with “Fly Me Courageous” and “Build a Fire.” But Drivin N Cryin has continued to record and tour every few years and remains one of those rare bands (like The Cult) that managed to somehow straddle the gap between alt-music fans who adored R.E.M. and heavy-metal headbangers who dug Def Leppard. Drivin N Cryin joins Winger and Hericane Alice for a few summer dates, including 7 p.m. August 31 at Santa Fe Station. The Rock Allegiance tour—featuring a hard and heavy lineup comprising Volbeat, HIM, All That Remains and Airbourne—touches down at 6:45 p.m. September 4 at The Joint. The latter, an Australian rock act, is the band I’m most eager to check out. Airbourne doesn’t obscure the fact that they strive to sound precisely like early (and fellow Outbackers) AC/DC. If you’ve heard Airbourne’s pounding, open-throttled “Live It Up,” then you know what to expect: stripper-enabling, alcohol-binging, classic car-revving rock ’n’ roll with guitar solo guaranteed every time. Not the most original ensemble in the world, sure, but who said having a blast requires any uniqueness? Your Vegas band releasing a CD soon? Email Jarret_Keene@Yahoo.com.
YeAh YeAh YeAhs
Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan, August 19 At the end of any live performance—whatever your taste in music—what you’ve just witnessed comes down to one thing: showmanship. This is what separates truly memorable gigs from all the rest. So what happens when you take spectacle and put elbow grease behind it? Ask Karen O, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ hot mess of a vocalist. She figured that much out from Day One: Put on one hell of a show—like they did at the Boulevard Pool—get under the audience’s skin, and fans will remember you for sure. The Yeahs—who broke out of NYC’s rock-revival
pack well over a decade ago—have employed this strategy to good effect over the years. Take O’s wild, flamboyant can’t-look-away-from-her performance and back it with Brian Chase’s primal, muscular drumming, and guitarist Nick Zinner’s angular, high-end slashing and you’ll feel it head to toe. So when O launches into “Mosquito,” the title track from the band’s latest album, early in their set, she might as well be singing about her infectious trio when she howls, “They’ll suck your blood … suck your blood.” ★★★★✩ – Todd Peterson
Peter FrAMPton August 29–September 4, 2013
LVH Theater, August 23
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This stop of Frampton’s Guitar Circus, the host’s tour featuring a rotating cast of guitarists, took awhile to offer any high-flying feats, with 87-year-old B.B. King opening the festivities. The blues legend mostly just talks to the crowd, allowing Lucille to chime in crisply every now and then, while his band does most of the work. But things picked up when Frampton took a seat alongside King for “The Thrill Is Gone,” first sitting in deference of the guitar great, before putting his own tasteful stamp on King’s signature song. Returning to the stage with his four-piece band, Frampton drew heavily from his iconic 1976 album Frampton Comes Alive! to open his set, including the familiar “Show Me the Way” and lesser nuggets such as “Doobie Wah” and “Lines On My Face.” Frampton strapped on
some ’90s alternative rock after that, welcoming Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo onstage for that band’s “Interstate Love Song” and “Vasoline,” as well as Frampton’s own “(I’ll Give You) Money,” resulting in some intense jamming. After mellowing things out with “Baby, I Love Your Way,” Frampton brought his circus to a crescendo, highlighted by an instrumental version of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” playing the vocal line on guitar before moving to his trademark “talk box” for the chorus and an inventive solo. He closed the guitar heroics with the classic “Do You Feel Like We Do” before winding down with a cover of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” At 63, Frampton will never fully escape his classic-rock renown, but he showed he’s still capable of generating fresh ideas. ★★★★✩ – Sean DeFrank
yeah yeah yeahs photo by Denise truscello/Wire image; frampton photo by Wayne posner
a&e
concerts
music
Rusty Maples is Ian Dewane, Max Plenke, Mike Weller and Blair Dewane.
Indie band Rusty Maples gave up steady jobs for a shot at success
August 29–September 4, 2013
By Jarret Keene
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“You guYs in a British rock band?” asks a Fremont Street passerby as members of Rusty Maples enjoy a smoke before a photo shoot. The band just completed a twoweek tour that took them from New Mexico to Wisconsin. The Maples look cool enough to pass for an overseas sensation. They sound even better. They’re the Vegas indie-Americana band of the moment, currently toiling in the studio on a proper full-length album. Their songs, like the anthemic “Pockets” off last year’s Make Way EP, are emotional and engaging. The Maples do melodic rock minus a formulaic approach and posturing. But this fall is make-it-or-breakit time. Rusty Maples need a strong showing at the Life Is Beautiful fest to impress club-booking agents and glom onto the U.S. festival circuit. Proving they can go toe-to-toe with top acts such as Kings of Leon will help the Maples hitch their wagon to bigger, more established fests such as Sasquatch!, Bonnaroo and Coachella. “We might get the noon slot at Life Is Beautiful,” frontman Blair Dewane says. “I’m just happy to see our name on a poster with bigger bands.” Dewane is too humble. The Maples played SXSW last year alongside a slew of great bands. In any case, his brother, guitarist Ian Dewane, knows the Maples’ recent show for SXSW V2V, a Vegas extension of the Austin festival at the Cosmopolitan this month, was equally important. A buzz is, in fact, building around the band. So are the crowds, which get bigger with every Maples show.
Photo by LordMichaeL bautista
On Leaves
When the band opened for Lord Huron at Beauty Bar recently, the audience was as excited to see Dewane and Co. as the headliner. And a packed gig in Reno, with people up front pressing the stage and singing along as intensely as they do at home in Las Vegas, opened the band’s eyes. This whole professional rock band thing might actually work out. Maybe we should knuckle down and play L.A. next. No wonder, then, that the Maples musicians unanimously quit their jobs in April to focus on their band full time. “We’re all in the same spot,” says drumRustY maples mer Max Plenke, who shows now ekes out a living as a freelance writer. 4:30 p.m. Aug. 31 “When we come back at Las Vegas Ski from the road, we’re and Snowboard picking up odd jobs, Resort’s Mountain making enough to Fest, $15 ($10 in buy groceries for advance), SkiLasour girlfriends. Any Vegas.com. creative energy that we might’ve spent at work 6 p.m. Sept. 21 we’re now putting at Downtown toward this band.” Brew Festival at Giving up a steady Clark County Ampaycheck is a scary phitheater, $45 ($35 in advance), proposition for your DowntownBrewaverage weekendFestival.com. warrior rock stars. But the Maples’ leap of Oct. 26-27 at Life Is faith seems necessary, Beautiful, $159.50, inevitable. It also seems LifeIsBeautifulFesto be working. Right off tival.com. the bat, their body language and style of dress communicate poise, turning the heads of hipsters along Fremont East, another of whom asks me if the Maples are famous. “I comb my hair and tuck my shirt in,” Dewane says. “Ten years ago, I’d have said to myself, ‘What am I doing?’ Now I pay attention to how many times I say ‘fuck’ onstage. We still need to work on our confidence of being onstage and what we’re displaying to an audience. To realize we have people’s attention up there.” Adds Blair: “Bottom line—we suck if they’re not into it. We can’t let that happen.”
A&E
Movies
Bots of Fun The World’s End delightfully refreshes the alien-invasion genre
August 29–September 4, 2013
By Michael Phillips Tribune Media Services
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Zippy, kinetic and brashly funny, The World’s End comes to the U.S. from its native England hard on the heels of This Is the End, an American comedy about ordinary mortals (comedians, actually, so maybe not so ordinary) manning up to deal with apocalyptic plot developments. World’s End, a collaboration among director Edgar Wright, co-writer and star Simon Pegg and co-star Nick Frost, joins the trio’s earlier genre scrambles Shaun of the Dead (zombie
invasion plus rom-com) and Hot Fuzz (Bad Boys-brand action movie plopped down in Miss Marple land). For a while, you think you’ve wandered into the wrong movie. Every trailer, poster and shorthand description of The World’s End in existence mentions the alien robot Invasion of the Body Snatchers angle, yet for a good while Wright’s film is simply the story of 40ish London bloke Gary King (Pegg) struggling with his alcohol
addiction but determined to reunite the old gang for another go at the 12-pub crawl that defeated them at age 19, back in their green, gray hometown of Newton Haven. Upon their return, everything’s slightly off. The pubs have all been standardized (“Starbucked,” as one of the guys puts it). Old drinking acquaintances fail to recognize Gary and his mates, played by a marvelous quartet of actors. Frost portrays the reformed pub conqueror, now a well-
Take a swig every time you see a robot replica in The World’s End.
to-do, soft-spoken investment type, whose proximity to Gary spells a probable tumble off the wagon. Martin Freeman (The Hobbit), Eddie Marsan and Paddy Considine fill out the dance card, along with Rosamund Pike as the one Gary adored once upon a time. The movie is madly, wonderfully at odds with itself. As with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the multiple personalities of the project pay off. This one’s also grown-up enough to look at Gary’s arrested development as not simply a charming boy-man quirk but something holding him back. (In this regard, The World’s End is the opposite of the Hangover movies.) When decapitated, or limb-lopped, the robot replicas taking over the town bleed blue goo, which is an interesting sight. Wright stages
the fght sequences (one too many, I’d say) as Jackie Chaninspired melees, with the fearsome fve-some clobbering the aliens with anything and everything available, including pub stools. At this stage in their careers, Pegg and Frost have done so much together onscreen, and so smoothly and well, their communication skills border on the surreal. I do wish Pegg had found more variations on the theme of pop-eyed mugging to pull in the early scenes; Gary is meant to be a bit tiresome, the party boy who won’t stop, but Pegg is, in fact, a better, subtler actor than you see here. Nonetheless, he’s the spark plug of Wright’s party. The World’s End has the blithe, skillful air of: Take it or leave it. The World’s End (R) ★★★✩✩
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A&E
movies
Watered doWn Stif drink required to endure the weak relationship stories in Drinking Buddies By Michael Phillips Tribune Media Services
A short glAss of 3.2 beer, Joe Swanberg’s Drinking Buddies has the advantage of a “name” cast that happens also to be talented: Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson as employees of a Chicago microbrewery, at work and play; Ron Livingston and Anna Kendrick as their signifcant others, though as in all Swanberg flms the signifcance of all the relationships at hand is up for debate, for grabs and for a halfhearted change of partners. The casting advantage is also a disadvantage, in that the skillful quartet at the center of Drinking Buddies reveals the weaknesses in the material. The occasional honest moments emerge nonverbally, as when the camera catches a few
Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson mix love and microbrews.
seconds of second thoughts fitting across Wilde’s face, for example. The skeletal storyline engineers an attraction between her character, a hard-drinking key player in the male-dominated craft brewery, and Johnson’s funloving colleague. It’s clear they like each other. It’s clear, too, that their partners are mutually attracted. The only question in Drinking Buddies is who’s going to transgress frst and to what degree. Chicago-based Swanberg shot the flm last year in various Chicago locations and on the beach in Southern Michigan, where the two couples spend a weekend
together. Like a lot of indie flmmakers, Swanberg (who wrote, directed and edited) encourages a looseness on set, leading to plenty of improvised variations on whatever was written. Now and then, a sharp bit of casual-sounding dialogue spices things, as when Livingston, sampling a microbrew at a tasting, is asked to describe the combination of favors and comes up with “jelly sandwiches ... dark clouds of puberty on the horizon. ...” What happens in Drinking Buddies isn’t a matter of surprise or insight; it’s more a matter of four people, plus a handful of side characters (Jason Sudeikis, Wilde’s squeeze
off screen, plays a co-worker), beering their way into passiveaggressive compromising situations and then avoiding the Big Talks that might prove diffcult or messy. The male leads aren’t particularly differentiated; both feel undeserving of their good fortune. “I probably spent the first month wondering what was in it for her,” Livingston’s character confesses to Kendrick’s. The chemistry between Wilde’s character and Johnson’s, meantime, is established through their high jinks (smearing cold cuts on each other’s faces, etc.) and the way they crack each other up.
August 29–September 4, 2013
short reviews
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The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
Based on the series of novels, this latest fantasy film is a stilted, silly mishmash of earlier franchises. Clary (Lily Collins) finds out that she is actually a Shadowhunter, a descendant of a warrior angel who showed up a thousand years ago to battle demons. Her unsuspecting admirer (Robert Sheehan) finds out. And a mop-topped explainer Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower) has the tedious job of explicating every single thing throughout the movie. There are five more of these planned, probably none of them amounting to much.
The Butler (PG-13) ★★★✩✩
Lee Daniels directs this historical drama in which the fictional Cecil Gaines (played by Forest Whitaker and loosely based on Eugene Allen) served several presidents as a White House staffer before, during and after the Civil Rights movement. His wife (Oprah Winfrey) raises their two boys while her husband spends too much time at work. Their oldest son, Louis (David Oyelowo) becomes a disciple of Dr. King and then Malcolm X. While Whitaker does great with the material he’s given, the film is a bit heavy-handed.
Jobs PG-13 ★★✩✩✩
This biopic about the late Apple computer guru Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) is just not very interesting. Kutcher’s performance is bland, and the depiction of Jobs is flat. We’re shown the origin story—the start in the Jobs family garage, the early, clunky Apple computers in the ’70s, paving the way for sleek multizillion-dollar design perfection. Whereas The Social Network was an in-depth, skeptical character study, all we get from this is that Jobs was greedy and conniving, with nothing underneath.
Drinking Buddies has a cleaner structure than Swanberg’s earlier wanderings, but after several projects I still don’t know what compels him as a flmmaker or if he has anything to suggest other than Women Are Hard To Figure Out and Relationships Are Hard To Sustain. My favorite moment, ironically, belongs to Swanberg, the sometime actor; his few seconds of rage as a motorist blocked in the street on moving day are funny and nicely unexpected, especially after all the inconsequential mutterings in between rounds. Drinking Buddies (R) ★★✩✩✩
[ by tribune media services ]
Paranoia (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
In this film, we get Harrison Ford playing a Steve Jobs-type tech powerhouse who’s about to launch a “game changer” of a smartphone. Gary Oldman plays his protégé turned murderous business rival. The minnow swimming among the sharks is Adam (Liam Hemsworth), who loses his job after blowing a product pitch. Oldman’s character blackmails Adam, sending him undercover to purloin a few trade secrets from Ford’s company. It’s too bad—the basics are there, but the end result is pretty bland.
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me; I just think it’s [about] the direction the head coach [Bobby Hauck] wants to go. I did give a little bit of assistance [before] one game—I broke down some flm and gave Bobby a synopsis of what I thought, and they went out and won the game. I called him the next week, but after that game, he was kind of busy.
The football legend-turned-pastor on landing in Las Vegas, winning a ‘Super Bowl’ and being shunned by his alma mater By Matt Jacob
August 29–September 4, 2013
Those who are old enough to remember Randall Cunningham in his prime don’t need to be reminded that he was a uniquely gifted quarterback, someone who revolutionized the position at a time when Michael Vick was a toddler and Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffn III were just fgments of their parents’ imaginations. For those who aren’t old enough to remember those All-American days at UNLV (1982-84) and the spectacular 16-year NFL career, well, this is why YouTube exists. Now a dozen years removed from his last competitive game, Cunningham has spent his retirement years in his adopted hometown, devoting his days to the three “Fs”: family, faith and football. An ordained minister, pastor Cunningham operates Remnant Ministries on East Windmill Lane, minutes from the Strip. Away from his church, he’s helped mold son Randall II into a highly recruited quarterback and world-class high-jumper. About the only thing missing from Cunningham’s otherwise fulflled life? Two phone calls: one from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the other from his alma mater.
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How did you end up choosing UNLV? My older brother Bruce [a defensive back] decided to come to UNLV, and when he signed his letter of intent, I decided I would take a visit. When I did, I dropped all the other offers, because I loved it here so much. The coaching staff cared about the players, the community cared about the players, it was a winning program—a great coaching staff with [then-head coach] Tony Knap. They made me feel like they wanted me— and I knew there was success on the horizon.
At what point in your life did you know you were athletically gifted? When I was a young kid, everybody compared me to my older brother Sam [Cunningham, a fullback with the New England Patriots from 1973-82], and said, “You’re going to be just like Sam.” I was always taller and faster and just more aggressive than the other kids my age, so people would always give me confdence by saying, “You know what? You’re going to make it to the pros, like your brother did.” I was about 9 years old.
You blazed a trail for today’s slew of dual-threat quarterbacks like RG III, Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson. Which of those guys most reminds you of you? I think Kaepernick because of his confdence. When I entered the NFL, I believed that I was going to be in the playoffs and be in the Super Bowl early in my career. You never think about how it’s a team effort; I was just so caught up in myself. … So when I look at Kaepernick, I love his confdence. I love RG III’s confdence—that’s something you have to have.
When you look at the UNLV football team’s struggles over most of the past two decades, what emotions do you feel? Disappointed. Very disappointed. Because I’ve offered my services to the team, to the coaching staff, to the athletic director, to the alumni. I’ve offered to be a consultant. But nothing’s come of it. I’ve got my degree. I don’t have a bad image, I was successful in my football career, not only as a player, but as a student of the game. And I would love to be a part of UNLV’s football program. I sat down with the athletic director [Jim Livengood] before he retired, and we really talked about it, and he was about to do it. Next thing you know, he’s gone. Have you ever been told why they don’t want you? Um, no. I don’t have a clue. I know it’s not anything against
Your NFL résumé includes nearly 30,000 passing yards and more than 200 touchdowns. You’re the all-time leading rusher for quarterbacks. You have an 82-52-1 record. You even had one of the longest punts in NFL history. So why aren’t you in the Hall of Fame? That’s a good question! [Laughs.] I guess the same reason a lot of [deserving] people aren’t in there. It’s unfortunate. … I was always told the impact that you made on your position was important, and the people who call me like yourself to do interviews tell me that I was a trendsetter. I’ll tell you one thing: I went out and played with all of my heart. I played for God, I played for my team, I played for my family, I played for my hometown and my college town. I tried to keep a clean image, didn’t get in trouble, didn’t do drugs, and I did everything that I was supposed to do. It’s just unfortunate that I have not been voted into the Hall of Fame. But I don’t lose sleep over it.
How did Randall Cunningham go from NFL star to ordained minister? And what are the chances his son winds up at UNLV? Find out at VegasSeven.com/Cunningham.
Photo by steve sPatafore
Randall Cunningham
The athletic ability will always get the job done; a quarterback who’s a great athlete in the NFL can win a minimum of seven, eight, nine games.
What’s the most memorable game of your career? There are so many. But one that really stands out wasn’t even in the NFL, or college, or even high school. It was actually when I was coaching my son’s team in eighth grade. We were in the Super Bowl, and we won in triple overtime. At the end of [regulation], the score was 12-12 or 19-19 or something. And I just remember how these young kids had fought back, and that just really encouraged me as a coach to know that I was taking what I learned in all the games I played in at all the different levels, and I was pouring [that knowledge] into these youths.