WHEN YOU’RE IN THE FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE, IT HELPS TO HAVE AN ARMY ON YOUR SIDE.
UNITED TO REDEFINE CANCER CARE
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada treats more patients than all other Nevada treatment centers combined. For two decades, we have been affiliated with the world-renowned UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and The US Oncology Network – one of the nation’s largest networks of community-based oncology practices.
UNITED WE HEAL
• Through our afliation with The US Oncology Network, you can put the knowledge and experience of nearly 1,000 physicians nationwide on your side. • Your individual treatment plan will draw on nearly 1,300 clinical research trials involving more than 56,000 patients.
RIGHT HERE IN NEVADA
• Comprehensive is the only oncology-specialized practice in the state of Nevada to be afliated with both UCLA and The US Oncology Network. • Comprehensive is now conducting more than 170 Phase I, Phase II and Phase III clinical research studies in Nevada. • As one of the leaders in UCLA’s research network, Comprehensive delivers the same groundbreaking treatments in state and close to home, without patients ever needing to travel to UCLA.
• More than 4,000 out-of-state patients come to Comprehensive each year to secure the strongest possible allies in their fght against cancer. • Comprehensive has helped develop 49 FDA approved cancer therapies.
Aziz Ansari
Modern Romance
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 MANDALAY BAY EVENTS CENTER
Mandalay Bay Box Offce 702.632.7580 mandalaybay.com |
800.745.3000 ticketmaster.com
BOW TO YOUR
CRAVINGS IT’S JAPANESE STREET FOOD BY WAY OF CHICAGO WHEN ONE OF THE
MOST ANTICIPATED RESTAURANT OPENINGS OF THE YEAR GRACES THE NEW PLAZA AT MONTE CARLO. – VEGAS RATED
At Yusho, exploring your appetite is the journey.
For menu or reservations, visit yusholv.com
Located on The Strip at
32
22 | THE LATEST
“Tales of the City.” From Tinder hookups to DJ tutorials, we present our personal ‘bests.’
24 | About Town
“Best of the City … 2024,” by Geoff Carter. Our man about town looks a decade down the road and honors the best of what he knows the Valley will be offering.
28 | BEST OF THE CITY
Dining, Page 30; Bars & Booze, Page 34; People, Page 37; Community & Culture, Page 40; Business & Services, Page 43; Health, Beauty & Style, Page 47; Arts & Entertainment, Page 49; Nightlife, Page 52.
57 | NIGHTLIFE
“Velvet Rope Royalty,” by David Morris. “The Queen of SBE” arrives in Las Vegas to set up her next court at SLS. Plus, a Q&A with MOTi, the Strip’s most peaceful pools, a sneak peek inside SLS and photos from the week’s hottest parties.
97 | DINING
“Birth of a Food Writer,” by Al Mancini. How does a law school graduate from New York City become a respected dining critic in Las Vegas? Hint: It took a lot of passion and a little bit of dumb luck. Plus, Tony Gemignani is creating a pizza empire, and Cocktail Culture.
103 | A&E
“Pointing a Divining Rod at L.A.,” by Jenessa Kenway. On its third anniversary, Vast Space Projects looks west … and the West looks back. Plus, Las Vegas Camera Club brings instant gratification, CD Reviews, Tour Buzz, The Hit List and a review of Jurassic 5 in concert.
108 | Music
“Rolling the Dice With a Young MC,” by Melinda Sheckells. Mac Miller talks a good game—on and off the stage.
110 | Movies
Boyhood and our weekly movie capsules.
136 | Seven Questions
20 | Dialogue 23 | Seven Days 26 | Gossip 109 | Showstopper O Face Doughnuts is our choice for Best Coffee.
Cover Design by Ryan Olbrysh
17 VEGAS SEVEN
PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA
DEPARTMENTS
July 24–August 6, 2014
Sabina Kelley on how her stint in Pin Up breaks a Strip boundary, the irony of removing tattoos and why Rihanna is out of hand.
THE LATEST
@Mitzula Just got asked if we’re booking the ESPYs. I get that it’s a slow day and all, but if you need ESPYs action you have a fucking problem.
@OyVegas Barflies really hate Obama. I mean, go into any bar in #Vegas and bring it up. Drunks just don’t care for the guy one bit. #conspiracytheory
@AbsintheVegas Under Las Vegas there’s rumored to be a sockpuppet kingdom. No humans have seen it, but it is said to have over 500 acres of rolling lint.
Hsieh Goes Atomic, Jenner Hits the Decks and Sinclair Geeks Out
July 24–August 6, 2014
THE COMSTOCK LODE was, in addition
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to the thing that gave us George Hearst as a character on Deadwood, the discovery that kicked off a land rush in Nevada, as miners focked to the state to get their hands on that sweet, sweet silver. Sure, our state has had other, less old-school land grabs since then. But it’s always nice to see these things come back into fashion. It’s comforting. Like, we could start walking up and down Fremont Street with a pickax. It’s just bringing 19th-century quirks back in style, not unlike the resurgence of mustache wax. Tony Hsieh is keeping a fne tradition alive, though. His Downtown Project recently acquired the land underneath Atomic Liquors for $3.48 million from Lance and Kent Johns, according to DTLV.com. Atomic still has a 10-year lease, and it will continue to operate under its current management. In a Facebook post, Atomic’s powers-that-be were quick to ward off speculation that the classic bar would become another notch in DTP’s bedpost, writing: “Downtown Project does not and will never own Atomic Liquors. ... Atomic Liquors is still and always will be independently owned and
operated and not infuenced nor controlled in any way by Downtown Project or Tony Hsieh.” Sure, but we’re going to be irate if that parking lot becomes llama-only. Brody Jenner is looking to stake his own claim on the DJ life. He’s already had dates around the country, including in Atlantic City. On July 18, Jenner stopped by Hyde Bellagio to make his Vegas DJ debut. He even snuck some Kanye into the set, despite not going to Yeezy’s wedding to Jenner’s stepsister. In fact, Jenner is on record as saying Kanye is like a stranger to him. Maybe this is the frst step toward a second season of Bromance. Claire Sinclair is using her hiatus from Pin Up to make a play for some of that abundant, neverending nerd money. While Sabina Kelley keeps the Pin Up seat warm (see Page 136), Sinclair is spending her week at San Diego Comic-Con to promote her comic book Wonder-
ous: The Adventures of Claire Sinclair. It’s a series that asks the question on everyone’s mind: What would happen if Sinclair was a broke college kid who volunteered for medical experiments and ended up with super powers? We know that’s the frst thing we were thinking of when we saw those Playboy pictures. Though this does make it some combination of the Super Bowl, Christmas morning and hitting the lotto for anyone who’s been waiting for Sinclair to dip into cosplay. Congratulations: Your time has fnally come. Ronda Rousey may have been trying to carve out her own piece of fghting immortality when she said she could beat Floyd Mayweather in an MMA-style fght. (Her boss, Dana White, agreed, because what else is he supposed to say?) But Mayweather wasn’t impressed. When a reporter asked him about Rousey on July 15, Money said he “didn’t know who he was.” Claim denied, apparently. On the bright side, this means that the chances of Mayweather and Rousey ever having a child together are slim. Because that child would be terrifying, and none of us would be able to stop it without military intervention … or at least a really sharp pickax.
@mkmcguane Las Vegas thought/ suggestion: perhaps a “Women Who’ve Nursed” section at the topless pool.
@BadBanana Already dreading a world where @alyankovic doesn’t release a new music video every day.
@JimmyKimmel What is the age at which people stop complimenting you for being a “good sleeper”?
@RealJeffreyRoss NEWS FLASH: I just saw two college kids out drinking with Casey Kasem’s body in downtown Nashville.
@PaulaPoundstone Next stop on the “Towns In Nevada Whose Founders Didn’t Put A Lot Of Thought Into The Name Tour,” Jean.
@Jeff8NewsNow All eyes on @MikeTyson Aug. 9th when he inducts Evander @Holyfield into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame. All ears, too.
@MichaelJNelson I feel like Joey, Ross and Rachel were MY friends. But then I also felt like Hogan, Kinch and LeBeau were prisoners in MY death camp.
Share your Tweet! Add #V7.
Our ffth annual celebration of all things Las Vegas honors winners in more than 150 categories—from the go-to spot for hangover food to our favorite ambassador. (Hint: He’s probably been in your bedroom.) Photography by ANTHONY MAIR and J O N E S T R A D A
METHODOLOGY: We combined several months’ worth of reader nominations
at VegasSeven.com with our editorial team’s never-ending exploration of the city, then networked with local experts to form or substantiate conclusions.
July 24–August 6, 2014 VEGAS SEVEN
40
BEST PLACE TO TEE OFF (WHILE COOLING OFF)
Golf Galaxy
Maybe you take your golf game more seriously than Tiger Woods (which ain’t saying much these days). Or maybe your idea of a successful round is not falling into the bunker. Either way, the new Golf Galaxy in Henderson helps duffers of all levels improve their game. In addition to the latest equipment, accessories and apparel from golf’s biggest brands (Ping, TaylorMade, Callaway, etc.), you’ll find an indoor driving range where you can test clubs and receive computer-generated swing and shot analysis (free of charge); five simulator bays that allow you to “play” some of the world’s top courses; and a large putting surface with three different speeds. Best of all: The only breeze affecting your shot comes from the air conditioning. 561 N. Stephanie St., Henderson, 702-436-1362, GolfGalaxy.com.
NIGHTLIFE Your city after dark, photos from the week’s hottest parties and relaxing pools for a party of one
Velvet Rope Royalty
'The Queen of SBE' arrives to set up her next court at SLS By David Morris
What does a director of VIP services do? I’ve really tried very hard to come up with another word for “VIP,” because I think it can be a bit intimidating to the average consumer. I don’t want anyone to feel intimidated by the phrase "VIP services" and think they are not VIP. We try to make people feel special and enhance their experience, and this sentiment is echoed by [CEO] Sam [Nazarian], who has always CO N TIN U ED O N PAGE 5 8
July 24–August 6, 2014
Are you excited to be back? After living in three major markets [Los Angeles, Miami and Las Vegas], I am thrilled to be back in a place where everyone is so passionate about hospitality. The [primary] industry here is hospitality, and this city never stops. That’s why people are so passionate about it, because to succeed in this environment you have to love what you do. I’m so excited to see that from the 100,000plus applicants we’ve had [looking] to work here.
57 VEGAS SEVEN
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE MAGALL ANES
CHANELL OLIVER BEGAN HER career in hospitality when she was 18, and aside from a yearlong stint helping Tao Group open Lavo in the Palazzo, she has been with SBE since its inception more than a decade ago. As the brand's global director of VIP services, she has come a long way since cocktailing at the company’s frst nightclub, Shelter. She recently helped open the SLS Miami and a slew of other SBE brands in South Beach. While many have dubbed Oliver "The Queen of SBE," she is really more of a people’s princess, striving to instill a service ethos in her team so that all SBE customers “feel VIP.” We caught up with Oliver just as she arrived back in Las Vegas to discuss her role when SLS opens August 23.
NIGHTLIFE
Tiësto continues to import talent to Hakkasan with MOTi By Deanna Rilling
July 24–August 6, 2014
WE REALLY JUST SHOULD RENAME HAKKASAN
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“Tiëstoland,” because he’s got a knack for bringing in the hottest rising EDM talent to support him (and even earn their own headlining spots). Add to that arsenal the 27-year-old Dutch DJ/ producer MOTi (a.k.a. Timo Romme). Following a busy production plate that’s included work with Quintino, DVBBS and, yes, Tiësto, even more is on the horizon for Romme, who has a release planned for each month until the end of the year. Before his gig at Hakkasan (with Tiësto, of course), Romme tells us more about being MOTi. You’ve been called the “not-sonew kid on the block.” What does
that mean to you? It means that I had a music career before this. I just got a new alias, but I’ve been DJing for a while now. But it was more European and a lot of gigs in the Netherlands, but never in the States. So that’s new for me. What was your career like before becoming MOTi? Before MOTi, I was playing as a duo, the Groovenatics, with my cousin. After awhile, we split up; we had different interests. Before DJing, did you have to take on some crappy job? I was still in high school, because
I started DJing when I was 18. After that, I studied to be a fashion designer [laughs]—something totally different. You collaborated with Tiësto on “Back to the Acid” in 2013. Was he the one who helped you nab the gig at Hakkasan? He was. I’m his support act at Hakkasan. Thus far it’s been amazing. Playing at Hakkasan is one of my dreams. A lot of people would love to switch places with me.
What’s the most unexpected or strange thing you’ve created, even if it wasn’t released? I make everything from indie rock to more pop songs, hip-hop or sometimes songs without instrumentals where I try to record my own vocals— which never works out. [Laughs.] The strangest ones are where I try to sing myself, because it sucks so bad!
When you sit down to work on a track, do you have a plan on which direction you’re going to take? I love making EDM tracks, but when
To hear what MOTi does best— producing music—visit Soundcloud. com/MotiOfficial. He opens for Tiësto at Wet Republic on Aug. 2.
PHOTO BY JORDAN LOYD
Get MOTivated
I’m making EDM tracks all the time, I get stuck after awhile, because I’m making too much music. I’m in the studio every day from morning until the evening. If I’m making the same kind of music or the same genre, after awhile it gets boring and I can’t work anymore. To keep myself interested in making music, I started working with different genres, a good way to educate yourself and think out of the box. I also think I can evolve. Sometimes it gets released, but most of the time it doesn’t. The Lil Wayne one [“Hello”] got released.
juices and other refreshing bevies. There’s plenty of shade, but if it gets too hot, just duck back into the spa for a dip in the cool plunge and then get back to work poolside ... doing nothing. 5:30 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.
July 24–August 6, 2014
Peaceful Plunges
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Where to fnd—and how to get the most out of—the city’s best relaxation pools By Laurel May Bond
MAYBE YOU’VE BEEN ON A FIVE-DAY BENDER,
and it’s just time to take it down a notch and recharge. Or perhaps you’re just past your pool-party prime. When shoulder-to-shoulder, bass-driven raging has you yarning for calmer waters, take a dip on the mellow side at one of these (relatively) tranquil Las Vegas spots.
ARIA THERAPY POOL
Bob around this heated infnity pool, or grab a lounger and stare blankly into space like it’s your job. No one will bother you, and you’ll never run out of fuffy, clean towels. Although there’s no substantial food on offer (and none of the hard stuff, drink-wise), the spa does have a nice selection of fruit
Chill level: Lazy, posh walrus. Who goes there: Spa patrons, hotel guests, locals ditching work. Getting in: $30 hotel guests, $40 non-guests. Key facts: This pool overlooks Aria’s Liquid Pool Lounge, a spot that gets a bit raucous on weekends. The DJ’s beats do spill over into the Therapy Pool zone (and even into the spa’s indoor jacuzzi and cold-plunge area), but the noise level is fairly tolerable. On the bright side, Therapy soakers have a nice vantage point of Liquid’s podiumperched go-go dancers’ rear ends. Don’t forget: A swimsuit. Although this is technically a spa pool, swimwear is required. VENUS POOL
Looking for a relaxing weekday spot in which to eat sushi rolls topless (or watch others do so)? Caesars Palace’s Venus Pool is the place. The 10,000-squarefoot, tree-dotted grotto offers cabanas, daybeds, couches and chaise lounges along with a full food and drink menu. DJs spin live here every day of the week, but Monday through Thursday—by Vegas standards—the scene is relatively sedate. Think of it as a way to get a taste of local daylife, without going full throttle. 11 a.m.-dusk daily.
Chill level: Caligula on half a Xanax. Who goes there: Hotel guests, mostly. Getting in: Women always get in free, guys are free on Thursdays. Don’t forget: It’s a major faux pas to bust out the cellphone in a topless pool area. This is strictly a no-picture zone—selfes or otherwise. PALMS PLACE POOL
A mere $30 spa fee grants access to not only the Drift Spa, but also the Palms Place Pool, perched up on the sixth foor of the Palms Place Tower. Grab a seat on a lounger, splurge on a cabana (amenities include dedicated server, stocked mini-fridge, TV and ceiling fan), or squat on one of several seats plopped right in the shallow end. Take in the lush landscaping, along with a full bar and delicious organic seasonal food from Simon Restaurant. Just pray to whichever gods you worship that no one shows up with their kids. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Chill level: Mellow gold. Who goes there: Hotel guests, bargain-hunting locals. Key Facts: As mentioned above, there’s nothing to stop breeders with screaming progeny in tow from accessing this area, and all the eye rolling in the world won’t make them vanish. Also, if you’re shy, be advised that, thanks to picture windows overlooking the pool area, diners at Simon may be feasting their eyes on more than just chef Kerry Simon’s delicious food.
PALMS PL ACE POOL BY ROUSE MEDIA
NIGHTLIFE
Clockwise from left: the Palms Place Pool, Aria’s Therapy Pool and Caesars Palace’s Venus Pool.
PARTIES
A SNEAK PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN AT SLS LAS VEGAS Gone are the camels and the sand-colored minarets of the Sahara. In their place, sleek white towers with subdued gray accents and crystalline floor-to-ceiling windows rise from a dusty construction site. Reviving the all-but-forgotten north end of Las Vegas Boulevard, SBE’s first hotel-casino will open August 23 in the Sahara’s footprint. Old Vegas saw Dean, Frank and Sammy frolicking there, but the new SLS Las Vegas brings with it the Sayers Club and suites designed by Lenny Kravitz and Philippe Starck. Inside, there will be Hollywood favorites such as Katsuya, Cleo, the Griddle Café and a new concept by José Andrés called Bazaar Meat, complete with its own Bazaar Casino. Also, an Umami Burger Beer Garden & Sports Book will round out the six casual and three fine-dining concepts. Foxtail features a pool club, and nightclub Life will further acquaint tourists and locals with SBE’s raucous style of all-day and all-night partying. I was recently given a pre-opening tour of the space, and there are a few surprising nuances to note.
XS
Encore [ UPCOMING ]
July 25 Deadmau5 Unhooked July 26 Zedd spins July 27 Skrillex spins
ART IS EVERYWHERE. Guests who enter from the porte
cochere off Las Vegas Boulevard will step onto an LED floor installation from Korean Technologies. The company designed seven multimedia displays around the property, including a large LED cloud over the center bar. THE BUFFET WILL HAVE A CABIN-CHIC DESIGN. And it is
more intimate than the Las Vegas buffet standard, with only 300 seats. Located on the second level, it creates a dichotomy, as everything in SLS Las Vegas is “beyond enormous” compared to its Los Angeles counterparts. BAZAAR MEAT WILL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST RESTAURANTS IN LAS VEGAS WITH MORE THAN 400 SEATS. Bazaar Casino
will have table games and lounge seating, creating a true bridge between gambling and dining. Bazaar Meat’s kitchen will have impressive firepower with three massive wood-burning grills, two wood-fire ovens and two Josper grills. There will also be a raw-meat bar of tartar and carpaccio. In the back, there will be a 44-seat dining room with a seafood bar (featuring fresh live scallops, oysters, sea urchin and king crab), plus an all-silver private dining room space with two long tables that will seat 11 guests each. Expect animal-head wall accents throughout. THE VIP AND NON-VIP QUEUES FOR LIFE NIGHTCLUB WILL BE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE VENUE. Adjacent to Bazaar
July 24–August 6, 2014
Meat and Bazaar Casino, Life will have direct access to a pool deck on its second level. Foxtail will face the main pool deck and will have three garage-style doors to create an indoor-outdoor vibe. The Sayers Club will have a patio facing Las Vegas Boulevard. President Rob Oseland promises looser slots, lower limits on table games and lower price points for restaurants and bars. “Our gaming floor, food and beverage platform and location will appeal to locals,” he says. “Tourists are also going to find great value for their gaming dollar here in comparison to [other resorts on the] Strip.
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FRED SEGAL IS NOT ONE STORE BUT SEVEN, AND THEY WILL BE POSITIONED AROUND THE ENTRANCES. Entering
See more photos from this gallery at SPYONVegas.com
from Las Vegas Boulevard, there is a men’s Fred Segal to the left and a women’s Fred Segal to the right. Guests coming in via the Paradise Road entrance encounter the five other stores. – Melinda Sheckells
PHOTOS BY DANNY MAHONEY
SLS LAS VEGAS WILL AIM TO BE LOCALS FRIENDLY.
PARTIES
[ SEVEN MORE NIGHTS ] THU 31
Catch Flosstradamus at Encore Beach Club and give a listen to “Drop Top,” the duo’s collaboration with rap group Travis Porter. DJ Times calls it a “thrilling arena trap scorcher.” (At Encore, 10:30 p.m., EncoreBeachClub.com.)
FRI 01
DRAI’S BEACH CLUB The Cromwell [ UPCOMING ]
July 25 Warren Peace spins July 26 Slander spins July 29 Yacht Club
For the first time since Life Is Beautiful in October, indie electronic group Passion Pit returns— this time for a DJ set at Palms Pool. (At the Palms, noon, Palms. com.) After you recharge, join us at the Foundation Room for Vegas Seven’s annual Best of the City party, celebrating all the winners on Pages 28-55! (In Mandalay Bay, 10 p.m., HouseofBlues.com/FR.)
SAT 02
Dutch electronic duo W&W brings their sound to Hakkasan with Eva Shaw. (In MGM Grand, 10 p.m., HakkasanLV.com.) Meanwhile, Kaskade continues his Summer Lovin’ residency at Marquee. (In the Cosmopolitan, 10 p.m., MarqueeLasVegas.com.)
SUN 03
Diplo’s pulling double-duty, and you should join him. First he spins at Encore Beach Club (at Encore, 11 a.m., EncoreBeachClub.com) and later with his Major Lazer crewmembers at XS. (In Encore, 10:30 p.m., XSLasVegas.com.)
MON 04
Now under new ownership, Beauty Bar unleashes its revamped Industry Night, offering drink specials to anyone flashing a TAM card—you know who you are. DJ Pride 3000 provides the beats. (517 Fremont St., 10:30 p.m., TheBeautyBar.com.)
July 24–August 6, 2014
All the typical fun of Tuesday Blend collides with live performances from young hip-hop players Vince Staples, Audio Push and Skeme on the Paisley Summer Tour at Hard Rock Live. (3771 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 9 p.m., Facebook.com/WaterholeKings.)
WED 06
VEGAS SEVEN
82 See more photos from this gallery at SPYONVegas.com
After canceling an April show because of one member’s “trapped nerve,” inescapable electronic duo Disclosure arrives at Brooklyn Bowl. (At the Linq, 7 p.m., Vegas.BrooklynBowl.com.) Hiphop producer DJ Mustard (given name Dijon McFarlane) spins at Surrender. (In Encore, 10:30 p.m., SurrenderNightclub.com.) - Camille Cannon
PHOTOS BY TEDDY FUJIMOTO AND JOSH METZ
TUE 05
NIGHTLIFE
PARTIES
HAKKASAN MGM Grand
[ UPCOMING ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONVegas.com
PHOTOS BY TOBY ACUNA & TONY TRAN
July 24–August 6, 2014
July 24 Dzeko & Torres spin July 25 Fergie DJ and Jeff Retro spin July 26 Calvin Harris and Burns spin
DINING
SCENE
Variety Is the Slice of Life Is Tony Gemignani Las Vegas’ new Pizza King?
July 24–August 6, 2014
By Al Mancini
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IT’S BEEN LESS THAN A YEAR SINCE
11-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani burst onto the local scene with Pizza Rock on the corner of Third Street and Ogden Avenue. The place was an overnight success, in no small part due to the chef’s decision to offer 11 different styles of pizza, and his ability to do all of them pretty damn well. But Gemignani’s not content just to have the Valley’s hottest new pizza
spot; he’s currently working on three more restaurants: a second Pizza Rock in Green Valley Ranch, a to-go spot called Slice House in the same resort, and a restaurant called Little Tony’s in Palace Station that will introduce a new style of pie to Las Vegans. “As a lover of pizza, I couldn’t just focus on one style,” says Gemignani, who has six other restaurants in California, including San
Francisco and Sacramento. “I celebrate all the styles.” The chef is also dedicated to variety in his overall restaurant experiences. While each restaurant may borrow elements from one another, they are distinct concepts. For instance, the Las Vegas Pizza Rock offers fve varieties of pizza that aren’t available at its Sacramento namesake. So how will the Green Valley Ranch location set itself
apart from the Downtown locale, despite having identical menus? First, it will be smaller. But, the chef says, “I think we’re gonna build it better.” When I ask him to elaborate, he hints of an upgraded version of the Peterbilt semi that houses the DJ booth; the new one will be more integrated into the bar. “It defnitely has more play with the customers and a different look.” “There’s [also] a special table that is based on roulette,” he says. “I’m not gonna say what it is, but it’s a table that people are gonna want to be at. It’s the best seat in the house, actually.” Over at Palace Station, Gemignani and his crew are working on a completely different concept that combines a build-your-own pasta bar with an exciting entry into the local pizza wars. “Little Tony’s is gonna be pretty
special,” the boss promises. “It’s a combination of Tony’s and Capo’s [both in San Francisco]. I’m bringing in a castiron skillet pie, where the cheese is pushed to the edge and almost slightly burnt. It’s a new style that we’re incorporating there.” Actually, it’s not completely new for the team. It’s a style known as The Dillinger, and it took frst place in its division at this year’s International Pizza Challenge. Despite juggling so many the restaurants (and so many pizza styles), Gemignani shows no signs of slowing down. “It’s my whole life,” he says proudly. “I live and eat pizza. If you look at my day-today operations in the industry, it’s rare that I get a day off and don’t think about pizza.” Now that he’s determined to build a mini empire in Las Vegas, we have a lot more pizza to think about as well.
PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA
Gemignani’s third book, The PIzza Bible, is due out of the oven in October.
DRINKING
101
Turn to Page 35 to see how O’Donnell fared in the competition, and get the Rye So Serious recipe at VegasSeven.com/ CocktailCulture.
July 24–August 6, 2014
The punk-inspired bartender uniforms at Gordon Ramsay Pub in Caesars Palace are, in a word, cheeky. But they rather suit a place that has beer-keg walls and the U.K.’s iconic red phone-booths as a backbar. It also suits the bartenders, who are themselves a lively bunch. Barman Adam O’Donnell brought that playful spirit with him as a talisman going into the fnal round of the second annual Bols Best Bartender competition staged by Vegas Seven and Bols Bartending Academy last month at BLVD Cocktail Company in the Linq. His fnal-round entry cocktail, Rye So Serious, is everything that’s right about mixology right now: simple in its construction, balanced in favor and fnish, and an original that is greater than the sum of its parts. “The Templeton rye and Bols elderfower create a great combination of big, bold spice and light, fragrant sweetness to engage a wider audience than if they were used separately,” O’Donnell says. He has to do this sort of self-evaluation on the regular as he and his Pub co-tenders have a cocktail competition among themselves nearly every Wednesday night. “The guys I work with all help create an environment where we push each other, root for one another and make work a more positive place to be.”
VEGAS SEVEN
PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA
Keep It Simple, Syrup
CELEBRITY POKER
TOURNAMENT Hosted by
Brad Garrett Benefitting the
Maximum Hope Foundation
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2014 NEXT TO WOLFGANG PUCK BAR & GRILL AT MGM GRAND
Buy-in only $250 | $10,000 in cash prizes | $100 rebuys and add-ons! Pre-register online with a tax-deductable donation of $250*
Event details available at www.MaximumHopeFoundation.org Registration begins at 9:00 AM | Cards in the air at 12:00 PM Lunch generously donated by Wolfgang Puck. Enjoy food and fun in the company of celebrities and poker pros!
Tournament benefits Maximum Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing practical assistance to families caring for a child with life-limiting illness.
Follow us for more details MGMGRANDPOKERROOM
@MGMGRANDPOKER
MGMGRAND
@MGMGRAND
All proceeds beneft Maximum Hope Foundation. Cash prizes totaling $10,000 are guaranteed, though not all funds raised will be applied towards this amount. *Registration payments made in-person at the tournament will NOT qualify as charitable contributions.
A&E
MOVIES
TIME WORKS WONDERS Remarkable Boyhood defly captures actors’ growth over a dozen years By Michael Phillips Tribune Media Services
BY THE MIDPOINT of Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, the round-faced young Texas boy played by Ellar Coltrane has become a lanky, plaintive teenager. Already an hour or so of screen time has foated by. Linklater made the flm with a core group of actors over a 12-year period, starting with the kids played by Coltrane and Linklater’s daughter, Lorelei Linklater, 7 and 9, respectively. As the characters become teens before our eyes, you wonder what became of the younger versions? You miss them, not because they’re extraordinary, but because they are exquisitely ordinary. Midway, you’re struggling to remember what Coltrane acted like on screen an hour ago, before he grew, before his voice changed, before all those hours of video gaming. From prepubescence to young adulthood in Boyhood, the audience travels through the narrative with these characters, named Mason and Samantha. They weather a good deal of churn in their home lives, in between doing what millions of kids were doing the last few
Coltrane (with Hawke) grows before our eyes.
years: listening to music, arguing, wondering if their blended family will ever really blend. It’s a series of eyeblinks, from lower school to college. The plain-spoken magic of Boyhood shows rather than tells. It allows us to feel the passing formative years and the slow-drip accumulation of experience without amping up the conficts, the crises or resolutions. When Boyhood begins, Mason’s parents are long divorced. Patricia Arquette plays Olivia, and her lack of pretense or affectation as a performer is perfect for this project. Packing up to relocate, Olivia enlists her kids in cleaning out their soon-to-be-ex-house. At one point, Mason paints over a door frame, the one with all the different heights and different dates marked in
pencil. The moment is tapped just so. Mason’s father, Mason Sr. (played by Ethan Hawke), is a glamorous occasional presence in their lives. At frst he seems to be an eternal adolescent with a cool car and not enough money or sense of responsibility. Then, like so much of Boyhood, he changes on you, reveals new colors, adds on years and even wisdom. He remarries and has a baby; Olivia gambles on one alcoholic control freak of a new husband, and then another. Boyhood contains no narration, no “Six Months Later” signage. When we see Mason driving, it’s a pleasant shock; he’s driving already? Largely misunderstood by temporary father fgures, Mason explores his interests through photography. Boyhood can be seen as Linklater’s photo exhibit in
July 24–August 6, 2014
SHORT REVIEWS
VEGAS SEVEN
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Sex Tape(R) ★✩✩✩✩
Like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Jake Kasdan’s Sex Tape is a grim cautionary fable about the evils of technology, in this case pitting its desperate protagonists against an unseen force people refer to as “the cloud.” Unlike 2001, it’s also a stupid, strenuous sex farce starring Cameron Diaz, Diaz’s dorsal-view body double and Jason Segel as a couple with a provocative solution to their current coital slump: Make a sex tape! If Sex Tape ends up making money, it’ll be on the backs of its valiant performers’ comic charm, but it’s stretched thin to the breaking point.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (PG-13) ★★★✩✩
Rise of the Planet of the Apes proved it’s possible to reboot a franchise while avoiding that sinking feeling of movie capitalism at its dumbest. The war between the ravaged species in Dawn has driven the surviving ape colony to the redwoods north of San Francisco. There the apes encounter a human survivor on a mission to determine if a dam can be restored to help desperate human city dwellers in the Bay Area. Gary Oldman is their leader, eager to take back the planet by any means necessary.
22 Jump Street (R) ★★★✩✩
The peculiar sweetness of 21 Jump Street has taken a hiatus in this brazen sequel that’s both slightly disappointing and a reliable, often riotous “laffer.” 22 Jump Street tests the bond of this police partnership when the boy-men are assigned to work undercover, again as brothers, this time at a college where a new designer drug has claimed at least one life. Be sure to hang around for the closing credits, which imagine all sorts of Jump Street sequels to come, all of which look funnier than A Million Ways to Die in the West.
motion, fctional but true and honest. The movie’s unusual gestation represents a signifcant portion of the director’s life. He spent it well. The way Linklater rounds out Olivia’s story feels vaguely patronizing, or at least dismissive, though clearly this wasn’t the flmmaker’s intention. The idea was to remind us that we’d better appreciate what and who we have in our lives while we have them. And while we can still remember what they looked like when they were very young. Some flms fll 164 minutes with sound and fury signifying nothing. Boyhood opts for a different approach. In completing this beautiful project, Linklater took his time. And he rewards ours. Boyhood (R) ★★★★✩
By Tribune Media Services
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (PG) ★★★✩✩
In a world of tired sequels, this DreamWorks Animation offering feels and flows like a real movie. It’s as satisfying as the initial 2010 Dragon, based loosely on the Cressida Cowell books. Now a young adult, adorkable Viking lad Hiccup (Jay Baruchel, voice) and his intended, Astrid (America Ferrera), live the good life in the remote village of Berk, ruled by Hiccup’s benevolent father (Gerard Butler). This is a coming-of-age story, and the film rewards our investment in it.
Tammy (R) ★★★✩✩
Brash yet insecure, Tammy (Melissa McCarthy) lives somewhere in downstate Illinois, and when we meet her she’s having an epically lousy day. The bulk of the story unfolds in Missouri, where grandmother’s cousin (Kathy Bates) has a huge riverside estate, and lives contentedly with her lover (Sandra Oh). The movie exploits heavy drinking and working-class-shlub clichés for fun, until it suits the plot to play them for pathos. The best bits care not for plot, or forwarding the action or any other overrated screenwriting element.
Deliver Us From Evil (R) ★★✩✩✩
Begin Again (R) ★★★✩✩
Starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo, Begin Again is the latest film by John Carney, responsible for the landmark Once, and although comparisons are invariably unfair, the two films have so much in common that the question of whether off-the-cuff lightning can strike twice is inevitable. The answer, unfortunately, is no. Yet, just when you are ready to completely write off Begin Again, the music starts to play, the camera takes it all in and makes us a part of it, and the film’s unpersuasive emotions don’t seem to matter as much.
Earth to Echo (PG) ★★★✩✩
Classed up by its cast, Deliver Us From Evil concludes with a rip-roaring exorcism in a police interrogation room. Co-writer and director Scott Derrickson’s extremely loose adaptation of the book Beware the Night concerns the book’s co-author, New York Police Department Sergeant Ralph Sarchie, played by Eric Bana. An atmosphere of dread is established by placing various children at risk. Half the time, Deliver Us From Evil is genuinely interested in Sarchie’s all-toohuman demons, and half the time we’re marking time until the big exorcism.
Earth to Echo is an engagingly unassuming E.T. knockoff, a kids movie that serves up a similar alien-with-kids story in a Blair Witch/ Paranormal shaky-cam package. Three tweenage pals are about to be split apart forever. Their Nevada subdivision is being demolished for a bypass. The no-name cast spreads from the kids to the adults, but the parents find a laugh here and there. Adults? You’ll be underwhelmed. But remember, we’ve seen worse fake E.T.’s, especially in the years right after Spielberg’s masterpiece came out. And your kids will be tickled.
Transformers: Age of Extinction (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
Jersey Boys (R) ★★★✩✩
The fourth installment of Michael Bay’s $2.6 billion franchise about a race of robot freedom fighters is an aggressively charmless act of digital confetti. Transformers will bury us. It’s no spoiler to point out that this chapter ends with Optimus Prime, long-winded leader of the nice robots, soaring into space to continue the fight with someone or thing. Except, oh, there’s a bad robot who collects Transformers and wants, no kidding, to spread his “seed” around. Also, demolition: lots of it. What’s disappointing is the lack of confidence.
Jersey Boys the movie is a more sedate animal than Jersey Boys the Broadway musical. Those who missed the theatrical edition of the tale of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons—how they found their sound and wrestled with temptations—may wonder what the fuss was about. It begins in Belleville, New Jersey, in 1951 and ends with a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1990. Some scenes are frankly theatrical, such as the hardship tour of the famous Brill Building. Jersey Boys is rationally exuberant to a fault.
L AS V EGAS FILM FESTI VAL INTRODUCES
MUSIC VIDEO LAB SPONSORED BY DOWNTOWN PROJECT
direCTed by: denis bosnJakoviC crazy chief/rock n roll
PREMIERING SATURDAY, 10:00PM AUGUST 02
AT C O N TA I N E R P A R K
This year The downtown project and las vegas film festival launched the Music video lab. With a mission to encourage creative collaboration between local musicians and flmmakers, DTP selected seven bands and LVFF picked seven directors to work together.
niCk ThoMpson - GuiTar
Each team was awarded $500 and will premiere their music videos at the Offcial Festival
Jesse aMoroso - GuiTar
Party on Saturday at Container Park.
dan ConWay - druMs
dreW Johnson - voCals roxie aMoroso - bass
direCTed by: dusTy fruend
direCTed by: adaM Zielinski
direCTed by: MiChael reilly
HALEAMANO/REGGAE
TOSTECITY/DJ DUO
THE ALL TOGETHERS/ HILLBILLY JAZZ
ryan fleMinG (GuiTar)
Gabriel allread aka Gables
ken - Mandolin/banJo/voCals
israel Waahila (ukulele)
Jeffrey MadlaMbayan aka doodle do
Cindy - upriGhT bass/voCals
JusTin CenTeno (lead GuiTar)
MiChael - GuiTar/voCals
JuanCho lopeZ (bass )
brenna - Cello/voCals
burTon kelly (druMs and perCussion)
direCTed by: andrea WalTer
direCTed by: breTT WalTers
direCTed by: ToM hinueder
TOY BOMBS / INDIE ROCK
RHYME N RHYTHM / HIP HOP
A CROWD OF SMALL ADVENTURES / INDIE
Cole barnson
Jerry Wayne - eMCee
MeGan WinGerTer-sTrinGs/keys/voCals
brandon MCbride
freddy Tiff - eMCee
JaCkson WilCox-GuiTar/voCals
bob Cane - eMCee
eriC riCkey-GuiTar/keys
Mosi (a-1ne) - eMCee
kevin oakley-bass
TadoW - druMs
anThony serMeno-druMs
CoCo Jenkins - bass k-nyCe - keys
P R E S E N T E D
B Y
j u Ly 3 0 – a u g u S T 3 , 2 0 14 | lv f f. C o M
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SEVEN QUESTIONS
a ponytail and no PIN UP makeup, I get treatKelley appears in Pin Up ed like a scumbag. 10:30 p.m. Thu-Sun through But if I’m all dolled July 31, $55, 702-380-7777, up in makeup and StratosphereHotel.com. heels and a dress, everyone’s like, OK, cut through the line. I’m a princess. It’s so funny. They look at the tattoos like, ‘Why is this scumbag sitting in frst class?’ What’s the status on the next season of Best Ink? They have not completely told us yet. They have until March to tell us. I don’t know 100 percent. I have heard through the grapevine that we are, but I don’t know. I’m hoping. Is there a level of irony with you operating Bombshell Tattoo Removal out of the Hart & Huntington tattoo shop? Everybody says that! It’s funny because my exhusband was a tattoo artist and I was doing tattoo removal. We covered the industry. He could put ’em on, and I could take ’em off. That was my plan B when I was pregnant with my last daughter. I didn’t know if I was going to model anymore. I was like, what can I do that’s part of the tattoo shop, but not tattoo, because I can’t draw? I went to school to do tattoo removal, and I really liked it. In a way I almost feel like people feel more comfortable coming to me to get their tattoos removed. Most people who are getting their tattoos removed, it’s something they did when they were drunk or they were young and it’s a stupid tattoo or it’s a racist tattoo or something they’re not proud of. When they go to a doctor’s offce and they’re heavily tattooed like that, whether they have that stuff on their face or real prominent places, a lot of doctors will look down on you for that. I feel like they feel a lot more comfortable with me because I am so heavily tattooed, they don’t have to be as ashamed about some of the stuff they are getting removed. I’ve seen it all. It doesn’t surprise me, and I don’t look down on people for anything.
Sabina Kelley
The model on how her stint in Pin Up breaks a Strip boundary, the irony of removing tattoos and why Rihanna is out of hand
July 24–August 6, 2014
By Jason Scavone
VEGAS SEVEN
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You left Jubilee! 15 years ago. Was getting back onstage like riding a bike? It was a little nerve-wracking the frst day that I came in. The second I got up there and started rehearsing, it all came back to me. I love it. I’ve had so much fun with it, and the cast is amazing. It’s been awesome. Your style is very different than Claire Sinclair’s. How do you think the audience is going to take that? Pretty well. Claire is not a trained dancer, but she’s got a great personality, and she can make it work. She’s not tattooed, so that’s going to be a different
aspect altogether. People are going to be like, ‘Whoa, what is this girl doing?’ Because there’s never been a heavily tattooed girl headlining a show on the Strip. So I think that’s a big boundary that’s getting broken. You’re seeing a lot of performers who are tattooed get roles where the tattoos still can’t come into play. Lena Headey from Game of Thrones has work they cover or digitally erase. Shouldn’t it be something people are used to now? It’s in a weird place still. It’s defnitely a lot more acceptable than it used to be. But especially for women, it’s still looked down upon. When I go to the airport, if I’m all bundled up in sweats, hair in
What’s the one people are getting right now that’s going to be the regrettable tattoo of the future— the tribal arm band of the next few years? Right now a lot of girls are getting their whole chest blasted, and over their eyebrow girls are doing writing. A lot of really young girls are going crazy right now and blasting their necks and chests. And, yeah, it might look cool right now, but unless you’re completely secure in your job, I don’t think it’s a good idea at all. I waited a long time before I did my neck, and when I jumped to do my neck, the TV show wasn’t even happy about it. They were pissed. They were trying to cover it at frst. They put me in turtleneck dresses and put my hair all to one side. I think it was a little too overboard for them. I called them out on it, and they let it go. I got a lot of reactions at frst. But now everyone loves it. It’s probably my best tattoo. If you could take that removal laser and point it at one celebrity tattoo, what would it be? Rihanna’s hand. She just covered up the stuff she got in New Zealand. She got something real tribal in New Zealand, then turned around and got it covered up. Even more than the underboob Isis thing she has going on? Oh, God, I forgot about that. The hand one just sticks out so much, though. The Isis one hasn’t bothered me as much. There are a lot of celebrities who have some crap tattoos.