June 24-30, 2010
The Essential Waters A snapshot of summer on the lake that makes Las Vegas possible
Plus:
Cheap Trick's Beatles salute What poker teaches us about life How to make soccer less boring
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Contents
This Week in Your CiTY 13
seVen DaYs
The highlights of this week. By Bob Whitby
14
69
90
reports on culture, politics and business from The New York Observer. Plus: The NYO crossword puzzle and the weekly column by personal finance guru Kathy Kristof.
“Content curation” becoming internet’s new catchphrase By Eric Benderoff
37
local newsroom
A farm team for Democratic women and fueling up without gasoline. Plus: David G. Schwartz’s Green Felt Journal and Michael Green on Politics.
naTional newsroom
The laTesT
our food critic visits the rare 120 steakhouse and comes back raving about the chicken. By Max Jacobson Plus: Max’s Diner’s notebook and Jet Tila shares the secret to his unique pineapple fried rice.
20
100
socieTY
snapshots from designer David Yurman’s party, and “The Art of Passion.”
TraVel
Weather, scenery and dining make Vancouver a summertime destination. By Max Jacobson
25 sTYle
102
This week’s Look, seven Very nice Things and designer David Yurman.
sporTs & leisure
45
so, you still don’t “get” soccer? Well, mate, a diehard fan tells you how to get in the World Cup spirit. By Ben Conmy Plus: Going for Broke By Matt Jacob
nighTlife
seven nights ahead, fabulous parties past and the insomniac man talks.
110
77
The trick to covering The Beatles while being yourself, and Rex Reed tries to understand The Killer Inside Me.
93 Dining
Big funny man Brad Garrett gets a room and a local garbage guy cleans up. Plus: trends, Tweets, tech and gossip. By Melissa Arseniuk
arTs & enTerTainmenT
Tech
seVen QuesTions
Cover and above: Lake Mead. Photos by Anthony Mair.
Feature
Wayne Brady talks about his funniest Vegas moment, and offers the city a new motto. By Elizabeth Sewell
30
The essenTial waTers
A snapshot of summer on Lake Mead By Bob Whitby June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 9
Vegas seVen Publishers
Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger AssociAte Publisher, Michael Skenandore
Editorial editoriAl director, Phil Hagen MAnAging editor, Bob Whitby AssociAte editor, Melissa Arseniuk news editor, Sean DeFrank A&e editor, Cindi Reed coPY editor, Paul Szydelko contributing editors,
MJ Elstein, style; Michael Green, politics; Matt Jacob, betting; Max Jacobson, food; Jarret Keene, music; David G. Schwartz, gaming/hospitality; Xania Woodman, nightlife contributing writers
Richard Abowitz, Eric Benderoff, Geoff Carter, Ben Conmy, David Davis, Geraldine Campbell, Graham Funke, Jeanne Goodrich, Jaq Greenspon, Andreas Hale, M. Scott Krause, Rex Reed, Christopher Rosen, Jason Scavone, Elizabeth Sewell, Kate Silver, Ida Siverio, Cole Smithey, T.R. Witcher interns
Mark Adams, Charlotte Bates, Kelly Corcoran, Jazmin Gelista, Natalie Holbrook, Sharon Kehoe, Patrick Moulin
art Art director, Lauren Stewart senior grAPhic designer, Marvin Lucas grAPhic designer, Thomas Speak stAff PhotogrAPher, Anthony Mair contributing PhotogrAPhers
Jessica Blair, Sullivan Charles, Danielle DeBruno, Brenton Ho, Tomas Muscionico, Beverly Oanes
Production/distribution director of Production/distribution, Marc Barrington Advertising coordinAtor, Jimmy Bearse
salEs sAles MAnAger, Sarah Goitz Account eXecutives, Christy Corda and Robyn Weiss
Comments or story ideas: comments@weeklyseven.com Advertising: sales@weeklyseven.com Distribution: distribution@weeklyseven.com Vegas Seven is distributed each thursday throughout southern nevada.
WenDOH MeDIa COMpanIes Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger vice President, PUBLISHING, Michael Skenandore director, MARKETING, Jason Hancock entertAinMent director, Keith White creAtive director, Sherwin Yumul
FinancE director of finAnce, Gregg Hardin Accounts receivAble MAnAger, Rebecca Lahr generAl Accounting MAnAger, Erica Carpino credit MAnAger, Erin Tolen
PublisHEd in association WitH tHE obsErVEr MEdia GrouP Copyright 2010 Vegas Seven, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Vegas Seven, LLC is prohibited. Vegas Seven, 888-792-5877, 3070 West Post Road, Las Vegas, NV 89118 10
Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
COntributOrs
Jarret Keene Soundscraper, page 81 Before serving as your guide to Vegas underground music, Keene earned a Ph.D. in English from Florida State University. Since then, he has written rock bios (The Killers: Destiny Is Calling Me, Manic D Press, 2005), edited short story anthologies (Las Vegas Noir, Akashic Books, 2008), and recorded an album of “post-apocalyptic primitive nuclear doom metal” with his band Dead Neon. He doesn’t sleep.
Graham Funke The Captains’ Log, page 60 Born and bred in Los Angeles. Eclectic childhood spent around the offices of legendary designers Charles and Ray Eames. Oldest of five kids. Mom grew grapes for Kenwood Vineyards and Dad has three Oscars for cinematography. College in San Francisco. Grad school at UCLA. Part-time commercial actor. Part-time writer. Full-time disc jockey. One-half of The Captains of Industry (internationally known, nationally respected, locally accepted). S.K.A.M. Artist. Collects high-end vintage sunglasses. Drinks Fernet-Branca, Suntory and Bollinger. Admires Robert Evans, Roger Vadim, Bob Guccione, Dominick Dunne and Anton Szandor LaVey.
Matt Jacob Going for Broke, 103 When we launched Vegas Seven, one of our missions was to establish a betting component to our sports section—we are, after all, the only state in the union that provides the opportunity to not only root, root, root for the home team, but profit from it, too. We turned to Matt Jacob, a 16-year Las Vegas resident and former sportswriter who took up handicapping five years ago. Jacob has penned our betting column since the debut issue, and it’s become a popular read as much for Jacob’s selfdeprecating writing style as for his picks. “My first play was the Colts in the Super Bowl,” he says. “Needless to say, Peyton Manning owes me—and I’m determined to collect!”
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Visit the Vegas Seven website June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 11
Seven DayS The highlights of this week in your city. By Bob Whitby
Thur. 24 Not all fraternity members spend their free time at the right end of a beer bong—some actually do constructive things. Like the boys of Pi Kappa Phi, for example. They’re on the southern leg of their cross-country Journey of Hope bicycle trek, and they’re stopping at the Veterans Memorial Leisure Services Center, 101 N. Pavilion Center Dr., at noon to raise funds for the disabled. The frat awarded Las Vegas’ Adaptive Recreation program $750, and they’re putting on a wheelchair basketball demonstration this afternoon to show what to do with the money. The Journey of Hope began June 13 in San Francisco, and winds up Aug. 14 in Washington, D.C.
Fri. 25 Two more great things that go great together: beer and art. But in this case, they aren’t in the same place. The beer part of the equation is the regular meeting of the Vegas Beer Lovers, 7 p.m. at Aces & Ales, 3740 S. Nellis Blvd. Every fourth Friday, the VBL gets together to share homebrews, commercial brews and camaraderie. Bring something to share. The art happens at 6 p.m. the lovely Springs Preserve (333 S. Valley View Blvd., RSVP to 822-8722) where the Unnatural History exhibit begins its 12-week hang with a cocktail reception featuring artists Richard Barnes and Don Simon. Their work juxtaposes animals and urbanity, making a statement about conservation and our impact on the environment. At least we think that’s what they mean.
Sat. 26 Most foot races are held in nice weather. Then again, most foot races are not Running With the Devil. This brutal-sounding event takes place in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (which you can learn all about on page 30), where the temps should be toasty. The course —as short as 5 kilometers or as long as 50 miles—goes up hill and down dale, and along the way you get drinks and an ice bath if necessary. No, you are not being punished; you have to pay for this. Your entry fee—$45 to $200 depending on distance and whether or not you pre-register—buys you an award if you finish and a T-shirt and post-race food even if you don’t. Check calicoracing.squarespace.com for details.
Sun. 27 Sunday is a fine day for a train ride, so go to Boulder City and take one on the Nevada Southern Railway, 600 Yucca St. The train runs from Boulder City to Railroad Pass, stopping behind the Railroad Pass Casino before heading back to the station. The first departure of the day is at 10 a.m. and the last one is at 2:30 p.m. For the price—$10 for adults and $5 for kids—it’s the cheapest bit of nostalgia in the Valley.
Mon. 28 Next time you tune into Vegas PBS, find comfort in the fact that those airwaves are coming to you from perhaps the greenest TV station in the country. That would be the new Vegas PBS Educational Technology Campus, 3050 E. Flamingo Road, which is celebrating its opening today. Not only does the $60 million building sport the largest installation of solar-voltaic panels on a commercial building in the state, it also has a geothermal well system to cool it. Students: The building also houses Clark County School District’s Virtual High School, and it’s so advanced it knows when you’re not doing your homework. Maybe.
Tues. 29 According to Help Hope Home, there are more than 14,500 homeless people in Southern Nevada, and 50 percent of the homeless are families with children. If you’re homeless, about to be homeless or know someone who is, there is help available today at Help Hope Home’s Project Homeless Connect, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center’s Cox Pavilion. The event connects volunteer service providers with those in need of legal aid, clothing, housing, job training, transportation, etc., in an effort to get people off the streets.
Wed. 30 If you’ve never seen the Killer in person, do so; after all, Jerry Lee Lewis is 74. Lewis helped invent rock ’n’ roll by blending boogie woogie, gospel and country styles into a hybrid that landed him in a lot of trouble back in the day. He may not have the spark he did when he played “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” on The Steve Allen Show in 1957, attacking his piano like a lunatic and looking the part as well with his unruly mop of hair, but age happens. Just be glad you still have the chance. He’s playing the Rio’s Crown Theater at 8 p.m. Tickets are $65.85. Call 777-7777 for information. June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 13
The LaTesT
What’s hip, what’s happening, what’s going on—and what you need to know right now.
Compiled by Melissa Arseniuk
Big Laughs Brad Garrett wanted to give his comedy club a name that would be easily recognized. “I thought I’d call it the Chris Rock Comedy Club,” he says—but he ended up naming it after himself. The Brad Garrett Comedy Club opens at the Tropicana on June 28. Garrett’s club comes as a boost to Las Vegas’ laugh factor, which suffered the loss of both the TBS Comedy Festival at Caesars Palace and L.A. Comedy Club in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood last year. Garrett sees the void as an opportunity. “It’s not just going be a place that you go when you stay at the Trop,” he says. “It’s going to be a place that you go for comedy in Vegas.” The actor/comedian has been performing on the Strip for more than 25 years. Until recently, he frequently shared the stage at The Mirage with his former Everybody Loves Raymond co-star, Ray Romano. However, Garrett won’t be returning to The Mirage any time soon. He’s committed to headlining at least 15 shows a year at the Tropicana, and anticipates being there more than that. The recently remodeled room was built for comedy. “This was [Rodney] Dangerfield’s room in the ’80s,” Garrett says. “He shot his specials here.” The walls are adorned with more than 100 pieces of memorabilia that Garrett has collected over the years, and he commissioned Steve Altman to do paintings of four famous comedians—Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Robin Williams and George Carlin—to set the tone. Pryor and Carlin are dead, so they won’t be gracing the club’s stage, and Garrett admits it’s unlikely, though not impossible, that Martin or Williams will perform there, either. “I doubt Steve [Martin] will be here,” he sighs. “I might be able to get, you know, Tony Martin may come by and do a little something for me, or Billy Martin, actually, is looking for work … .” Garrett headlines the first week of shows with Rob Sherwood. Dom Irrera, who recently performed at Playboy Comedy at the Palms, comes on board once his non-compete clause expires in August, and Saturday Night Live alum Kevin Nealon joins the lineup Dec. 17-18. Garrett hopes some of his funny friends will pop by for impromptu performances. “That’s what made the older clubs work,” he says. They’re gonna come by, they’re gonna have a couple cocktails and they’re gonna jump onstage. … The problem is, a lot of the big guys have other hotel contracts that I have to respect—and I do. But, you know, after midnight in this town, anything can happen.” Shows at 8 p.m. nightly, and 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets from $39, ages 18-plus, two-for-one tickets for locals on Tuesdays.
Drink
Beervana North Beer lovers rejoice: A new Yard House location adds six new brews to what was an already impressive beer list. The new pub at Red Rock Casino opened June 6 and offers 110 varieties on tap—28 fewer than the Town Square location. Still, there are a few notables on the list that aren’t available at its sister spot: Firestone Union Jack IPA, Grand Teton Au 14 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
Naturale Organic, Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale, Red Hook Copperhook Ale, Goose Island Matilda and Ommegang Seasonal. The 13,000-square-foot location is the first and only Yard House inside a casino. The restaurant and bar’s keg room is on display, has miles of beer lines and employs a cooling system that ensures all taps pour beer at 34-36 degrees.
This week iN your ciTy Eat
Tech
Farm to Table
BlackBerry Blues
Fresh seasonal produce is great, but can be hard to find—especially when many local farmers markets are held midweek (or, worse yet, midday and midweek, when most of us are at work), or in inconvenient locations. (There is nothing quite like a 40-minute drive to North Las Vegas for a few cobs of corn.) Fresh52 Farmers Market hopes to change that by bringing farm-fresh fruits and veggies to South Eastern Avenue on Sundays. The bazaar, which features food and crafts, officially launched on June 20 in the parking lot of Sansone Park Place in Henderson (9480 S. Eastern Ave., just south of Interstate 215). The 35-plus vendors offer a range of mostly Californiagrown produce (corn, asparagus, potatoes and more, along with strawberries, blueberries, cherries and other fruit), and prices are relatively reasonable: Packages of strawberries are $3.50 each (or three for $10), and a 12-ounce jar of salsa sells for $6. A variety of prepared foods—homemade jams, hummus, salsa and hot sauces—are also available, as are fresh-baked pastry and desserts from Las Vegas-based SasaSweets, gourmet dog treats from the Culinary K9 and handmade doughnuts from Sin City Delights. Other vendors sell a range of items, from natural skin products to handmade jewelry. 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays, fresh52.com.
Research in Motion’s BlackBerry defined the modern smartphone, but is the (barely) market-leading company losing touch with what consumers want? Data from Strategy Analytics suggest BlackBerry’s market share of smartphone shipments in the U.S. and Canada fell to 38 percent in March, down from 54 percent the year before. Meanwhile, Apple’s share climbed to 23 percent, up from 18 percent in 2009. One can only imagine what will happen when the iPhone is non-exclusive to AT&T, and is available on all four major U.S. wireless carriers as BlackBerry devices currently are. It seems that the only thing keeping many BlackBerry users from switching to iPhones, or more compelling Androidbased smartphones (the Motorola Droid, The BlackBerry HTC Incredible, etc.), Bold 9700 is widespread distaste for touch-screen keyboards. With the exception of the popular BlackBerry Messenger application, the range of available apps certainly isn’t keeping RIM’s customers coming. The company’s software download site, BlackBerry App World, is as cumbersome as it is limited, with 6,500 apps versus the 225,000-plus available for the iPhone. Thankfully, changes have recently been announced, including expanded payment options. (Customers currently need to pay for all purchases using PayPal, but will soon be able to put app purchases on their monthly wireless bill, or pay by credit card.) RIM is also gearing up to release its second iPhone-like, touch-screen BlackBerry. Its first keyboardless effort, the BlackBerry Storm, was a disaster— navigation was akin to driving through a snowstorm, thanks to bizarre springboard touch controls and not a single upgrade to its operating system—and now RIM is looking for (or perhaps needing) a hit. The Wall Street Journal reports the second, yet-to-be-named effort will be on AT&T this fall, and will include a slide-out keyboard in addition to the touch-screen, and a revamped operating system (BlackBerry 6). – Eric Benderoff
Brannon wants to make your mane over.
Win
summer Mane Summer is here, you’re tanned, you’re toned—or one of the two, at least—and you’re ready for some fun in the sun. But before you hit the pool, BrannonHair wants to make sure your mane is as summertime fresh as a new bikini. “This summer is all about texture, and lots of different textures,” says salon namesake Brannon, who has cut and styled notable Hard Rock Hotel regulars Pink and Carey Hart, as well as Jon Bon Jovi and Britney Spears. “Inconsistency has never been so in—whether it is a head of curls with some pieces braided and pulled back amongst the curls, or overaccentuating your hair’s natural frizz. There are no rules.” With this in mind, the mononymous Brannon is giving a deserving Vegas Seven reader a summer hair makeover. If winter has left you with tired tresses, e-mail brannongiveaway@weeklyseven.com by July 4 and tell us, in 100 words or less, why you deserve it. Snap a photo of your sad locks to send with your plea—and be sure to include your name, age and telephone number. Meantime, Brannon says summer style is all about you—so own it. “If there has ever been a summer that has allowed everyone to have their own individual look, it’s this one,” he says. “Just remember that there is a fine line between texture and trashy.”
Awarded
Top of the Heap Las Vegas is home to the safest garbage truck driver in the country, according to Environmental Industry Associations. Republic Services rear-load truck driver Anthony Lucious recently received the Driver of the Year award at the industry’s annual convention, WasteExpo, in Atlanta. Lucious won the industry-wide award based on his accident-free record and more than 100 letters from customers complimenting his service. He drives an average of 280 miles per week for Republic, making about 6,500 stops
along the way. He says the secret to his success is common sense. “All I can say is take your time, be safe, stay focused and always be aware of your surroundings.” The 43-year-old has been working for Republic Services for 22 years. Since receiving the award in May, he says he has been able to use it to his advantage. “A while ago my wife was complaining about my driving—‘Turn the radio down, buckle your seat belt,’” he says. “Now that I won … I always flash my Driver of the Year ticket.” – Kate Silver
Republic Services’ award-winning driver, Anthony Lucious June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 15
THE LaTEsT THougHT
The Winning Hand is Not to the swift …
The author of Ecclesiastes would have understood the World Series of Poker By David G. Schwartz
You’ve got to feel bad for Brian Meinders. Earlier this month, in Event 23 at the World Series of Poker (sixhanded limit hold’em, $2,500 buy-in), he did the right thing and still lost. If we’re muted in our sympathies, maybe it’s because the same thing happens to us so often. After three days of play, Meinders was in the fight of his poker life. He was alone at the table with Russ “Dutch” Boyd, who had whittled away Meinders’ two-to-one chip lead. The two men had been playing heads-up for hours when, at about 1 a.m. June 14, Meinders got what seemed a lucky hand: a pair of queens. When the flop came down a rainbow queen/king/jack, he looked to be in a good position. With no immediate flush draw, he had a strong hand: three queens. There wasn’t much with which Boyd could beat him. Things still looked good when the fourth community card, the turn, was dealt: a four. He was still cruising when the final community card, the river, was dealt: an ace. After Boyd checked, Meinders raised. Then everything fell apart. Boyd re-raised Meinders, and the New Jersey native immediately knew that things probably wouldn’t go his way. He called the bet, then tossed away his pocket queens as Boyd turned over a 10 and a four. On the last card of the hand, he’d made a straight, beating Meinders’ three-of-a-kind. Meinders didn’t do anything wrong. He just got unlucky when, out of all the cards that could possibly have come up on the river, an ace popped up, completing his opponent’s straight. It was a long shot, but poker, like life, is all about long shots, whether they fit the script or not. Boyd went on to win the tournament and claim $234,065, a World Series of Poker championship bracelet and the acclaim of his fellows. Meinders got 16 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
$144,650 and second place. That’s not bad a bad payday for three days work, but if that last card had been a 10 instead of an ace on the river, he’d be a WSOP champion. This wasn’t a freak draw. It would be rare to find a poker tournament in which everything went by the percentages and players who started the hand with the strongest cards won all the time. That wouldn’t be poker at all. One of the reasons, perhaps, why poker remains such a popular game is that it mirrors life; both are unpredictable and there’s no guarantee in either that you’ll be rewarded for doing the right thing, or punished for doing the wrong thing. In other words, poker isn’t always fair. Of course, it’s all about perspective. The best hand at the showdown wins the pot. It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t the best hand pre-flop, or that someone with a better hand folded on the turn, or that your opponent made a miracle draw to fill his inside straight and won a pot he had no business playing for. That, as they say, is the luck of the draw. And it has absolutely nothing to do with whether you’re a better friend, lover or parent than your opponent, or whether you need the money to save a life and he’s just going to blow it at the craps table. The cards have no conscience. But don’t take a poker player’s word for it. The author of Ecclesiastes, according to legend King Solomon in his old age, was grappling with this problem more than 2,000 years ago. “I have seen something else under the sun,” he writes
in Ecclesiastes 9:11. “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise, nor wealth to the brilliant, or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.” In other words, anytime you’re holding pocket aces, watch out—the guy sitting across from you just might make his flush on the river. This doesn’t mean you quit the game. After all, Ecclesiastes 4:5 tells us, “The fool folds his hands and ruins himself.” You don’t have to have the wisdom of Solomon to know that we must steel ourselves against bad beats, suckouts and plain awful luck, because the flip side is that even though the cards can work against us, they can work for us. There’s really no balm for bad luck, except for admitting that it’s just bad luck. Life goes on. And so does poker. That, perhaps, is the attraction. If we can play the next hand after getting a bad beat, and maybe even win, we can face anything that life throws our way. That’s small consolation to Brian Meinders, and everyone else who’s seen their luck go south with the turn of a card. But it’s reason enough to keep playing.
THE LaTEsT Gossip Star-studded parties, celebrity sightings, juicy rumors and other glitter.
Got a juicy tip? gossip@weeklyseven.com
Two For Three
Kim and Kourtney Kardashian strike their best “we miss Khloe” pose.
Khloe Kardashian was the odd woman out June 19, when her sisters, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, hosted Vegas Magazine’s seventh anniversary party at Surrender. The three sisters were to celebrate their magazine cover together, but when the time came, Khloe was nowhere to be found. Apparently she was back in Los Angeles, sick with the flu. Or flu-like conditions. Or, as our team of medical professionals would call it, a severe case of Lakeritis. (Other symptoms include overturning cars, lighting fires and losing what little grip you had on your sanity. It’s a severe condition, and if left untreated, symptoms can turn ugly—look what it did to Ron Artest.) The party at Encore was supposed to be one of the last press opportunities with all three of the ladies for a while, meaning the socialites may soon stop touting pay-forplay products up and down red carpets ad nauseam. Call us wishful thinkers. Still, our fingers are crossed that no one will hold Khloe to her contract, and force her to do a make-up appearance. We’ve seen her—and her over-exposed sisters— enough. Between all the sex tapes, reality TV shows, Twitter feuds, product-plugging and red carpet events, we’re good. Really. Now take the decade off. XOXO!
Tweets of the Week Compiled by @marseniuk
@JimGaffigan My 4 yr old son gave me a handmade card for Father’s Day. Maybe for Christmas I’ll draw him a picture of some toys.
@herodotusjr So, let’s see: IL-SEN comes down to “Liar” v. “Shady,” Reid v. Angle is “Schmuck” v. “Crazy”—and people say issue politics are dead!
@corblund I think I got a poker hangover.
@AllieBlaine Why is my cab driver
Dance, Dance, Revolution? There’s weird, and then there’s Ryan Cabrera dancing with The Offspring. And then there’s Cabrera’s hair—but we’re not going to go there. Dexter Holland and his fellow SoCal pop punkers performed at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on June 18, but stayed an extra day after the show, only to find themselves hanging at The Bank the following night, joined by a booty-shaking Cabrera. Naturally, things got a little competitive amongst the musicians, so they decided to settle things the only way they could: in a dance-off. And with that, the little respect we had for The Offspring died on the dance floor.
Phelps: McLovin’ It
18 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
@chanelwestcoast Some of
Michael Phelps rolled through town—and perhaps around with Miss California, Nicole Johnson—the weekend of June 18-20. The Olympian appears to have learned from his mistakes: Instead of getting handsy with a cocktail waitress when he got here, he flew in a beauty queen to get frisky with, instead. This is the kind of maturity that comes with age—and Phelps turns 25 on June 30. Embarking upon a pre-bday party of sorts, he started at Lavo on Friday, where he crossed paths with fellow sports legend, Wayne Phelps, Mintz-Plasse, Vice and perennial Tao party Gretzky. Despite Phelps having 14 Olympic boy Brandon Rogue. medals and Gretzky being the NHL all-time leader in goals, assists and points, the two were on the outside looking in when it came to the restaurant’s private dining room. (Apparently the A- and B-listers inside—Jamie Foxx, Paris and Nicky Hilton and Stacy Keibler—wanted to keep their dinner party jock-free.) Unsurprisingly, Phelps spent much of the next day at the pool. Unfortunately for him, Tao Beach’s pool is nowhere near Olympic size, so he couldn’t challenge the other frat boys to a 200-meter freestyle. Actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse (“McLovin” from Superbad) was also there, celebrating his 21st birthday. He and Phelps crossed paths again later that night, and Phelps took the liberty of showing the newly legal McLovin how to shoot Patron in style: in the booth with DJ Vice.
Fathers Know Best, or something
It was just a couple years ago that (nowclosed) Privé named Kevin Federline Father of the Year. That was back in 2008– countless cases of Marlboros, several pounds and a lifetime of regret ago. Instead of cashing in and hosting a Father’s Day party at a B-grade club, K-Fed settled for Father’s Day dinner at Union this year, where there was nary a token prize, comped bottle service or child of his in sight. Meanwhile, Anna Nicole Smith’s baby daddy and Details’ co-Father of the Year 2007 Cabrera: Rock, paper, scissors?
asking me for GPS!! He is mad that I don’t have it on my phone. WTF!?
honoree Larry Birkhead was in Las Vegas over F-Day weekend, too. Where was Dannielynn’s dad spotted, you ask? Checking out Holly Madison’s ta-tas in Peepshow, of course! His one-time Playmate of the Year and gold-digger of a baby momma may be dead, but his love for big fake boobies lives on. In Birkhead’s defense, breasts are fun to look at. And at least he had the good parenting sense to not bring his daughter to the show. Still, we’ve seen more stable-looking role model material in The Temple of Doom.
these girls who are topless here really shouldn’t be!!
@djedmcdonald Just out of curiosity, I looked up the word douche in the dictionary and lo and behold, there was a big pic of Ryan Cabrera. @lady__poker Working with attorneys and playing poker—it makes me into this AMAZING liar. LOL!
@TheInfamousPJ “They were bad news bears.” “Oh they were bears?” “No. They were more like bad news skinny gays.” @Jesshazel This BP shit is making me so ashamed to be British. My best friend lives in Vegas. She’s sad because they killed her beaches and fishies! :(
@Daggy1 Dear Las Vegas: If Harry Reid gets voted back, don’t expect me or my friends to gamble in your casinos ever again. @TyLawson3 I heard if u hit a Kardashian, u win a championship. Kim K, holla me!!! I need ya for 17 min. @petenicely Sharron Angle—the Republican candidate for Senate in Nevada—is more Palin than Palin. @MightyOCD It says so much about Nevada that this chick was even in the state legislature. She makes Palin look like a Rhodes Scholar.
Society
For more photos from society events in and around Las Vegas, visit weeklyseven.com/society.
Passion for Fashion Fashion-inspired art met the latest styles from Carolina Herrera New York on June 10 as “The Art of Passion” took over Centerpiece Gallery at CityCenter. The event showcased artist Marilyn Minter’s paintings and Herrera’s pre-fall fashions, and blending style with substance—a portion of the proceeds benefited Nevada Ballet Theatre.
Photography by Sullivan Charles
20 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
2011 SLS AMG
It has wings for a reason.
925 Auto Show Drive s In The Valley Auto Mall s Henderson, NV 89014 702.485.3000 s www.mbofhenderson.com
Society
For more photos from society events in and around Las Vegas, visit weeklyseven.com/society.
cable-Ready cause David Yurman ascended to the top of jewelry world in the mid ’80s with the creation of his iconic cable bracelet, and on June 2 he came to Las Vegas to host a special shopping event at his boutique in the Forum Shops at Caesars. His wife, Sybil, and son, Evan, joined the jeweler (above right) at the event, and a portion of the proceeds was donated to the Nevada Cancer Institute.
Photography by Beverly Oanes
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Nike • Adidas • Elwood Stussy • New Balance New Era Emperial Nation G-Shock • Converse Travis Mathews Creative Recreation Kidrobot • Sneaktip Mandalay Bay Shops 3950 Las Vegas Blvd South 702.304.2513 Summerlin 9350 W Sahara Ave 702.562.6136 suite160.com
ENVIABLES
Style
Basket Weave
Brazilian design duo Fernando and Humberto Campana introduce a collection of layered baskets for Italian housewares company Alessi. Peneira, which translates to sieve in Italian, uses natural fiber trimmings to offset the stainless steel mesh material. $69 to $190, unicahome.com
DvF eYes
Diane von Furstenberg’s eyewear mirrors her signature looks like the wrap dress, love knot and classic DVF lips. Launched in the United States in January, the collection features a complete line of sun and prescription lenses. DVF, The Shoppes at The Palazzo. $125 to $245.
The Look Photographed by Tomas Muscionico
SEAN McALLIStEr, 31
Producer, FOX5’s MORE! Style icons: David Beckham and James Dean. Favorite designers: Tom Ford and Ted Baker. What he’s wearing now: Express tuxedo jacket, Chrome Hearts necklace, Tiffany & Co. ring, True Religion jeans and Steve Madden shoes.
Forever Young
Forever 21 will open a new department store concept July 24 at Fashion Show. The 126,000-square-foot location will carry the retailer’s lines: Heritage 1981, 21Men, Twelve by Twelve, Faith 21, Love 21, HTG81 and Love and Beauty. The first 700 guests will receive complimentary gift cards ranging in values up to $210. forever21.com; 369-8382
As the man behind the camera of FOX5’s popular morning show and its spinoff, MORE at 4, McAllister keeps his look fresh by buying and accessorizing wisely. “I splurge on some quality wardrobe items like jackets, vests and pants,” he says “Mixing in affordable shirts, ties and T’s keeps my options open on a daily basis. I also like to accessorize with necklaces, watches and rings.”
June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 25
Style
One on One
An aerial view of David Yurman’s boutique at the Forum Shops at Caesars.
Get to Know Jewelry designer David Yurman
By Laura Coronado Don’t call it a comeback. David Yurman never left the building. Now with his son Evan at his side designing men’s jewelry so on-trend, cool and hip that R&B mega-star Usher is among the celebrity clientele, David Yurman will always be considered contemporary. “It’s multi-generational,” Yurman says of his customer base. “It could be the grandmother. It could be the baby, and everyone in between. And they are collectors. I have an amazing amount of loyal collectors.” Known for his iconic cable bracelet, a stunning piece of swirled, sculpted metal that seemingly never goes out of style, one might believe that the Yurman story began in the 1980s. However, the real journey during his adolescent years when he studied the art of sculpting. In the 1960s, Yurman met his wife Sybil, a painter, and they were married in the 1970s. By the mid-’80s, both learned all they could about the fine jewelry market and established the David Yurman company. Today, they work as a team with their son included in the design process. “Everything we do, we collaborate on,” Yurman explains. “It’s not easy. It’s like democracy. So the jewelry will change, because we collaborate, and there’s more influence in the collection.” Celebrating 30 years, Yurman and
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team went into their design archives, selected 25 pieces and made a limited edition of 30 for each. Once sold, those pieces are officially retired. “We’re always remaking pieces. It’s just a better way to produce,” Yurman says. In the last two years, the jewelry brand has been experimenting with new materials. “Our son is a stone aficionado. He’s using some amazing spinels and color change garnets. It keeps us excited,” Yurman says. He has also added titanium, new alloys of silver, moon quartz and brown-green tourmaline to his design collection. Grateful for his success, David Yurman never stops giving back. While visiting his Las Vegas store at the Forum Shops at Caesars during a fundraising benefit for the Nevada Cancer Institute, Yurman quotes former Dodgers pitching great Orel Hershiser as one of the inspirations for his own charitable contributions. “He said, ‘If you have a lot, if you have extra, it’s incumbent upon you to give it back. Because at the end of the day, it’s really not yours.’ And the pleasure of giving back is so immense,” Yurman says. David Yurman’s Las Vegas retail store includes fine jewelry, timepieces and sunglasses.
Prasiolite cushion on point necklace, $1,450; blue topaz cushion on point necklace, $1,850; and amethyst cushion on point necklace, $1,850. All measure 20 mm.
David Yurman is known all over the world for his ornate and well-crafted jewels (left, below). Amethyst silver ice bracelet, $1,650; prasiolite silver ice bracelet, $1,550; and blue topaz silver ice bracelet, $1,650. All measure 7 mm (above). Large woven cable cuff, $14,750 (below, left).
June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 27
Style
Seven Very Nice Things 1 2
Bag Lady
Pool totes that are too cool for school 1. Barneys New York, $450 Classic canvas tote in lime. Barneys, The Shoppes at The Palazzo. 2. J.Crew, $55 Canvas stripe bag. J.Crew, Fashion Show. 3. Cole Haan, $228 Biscayne small tote. Cole Haan, The Shoppes at The Palazzo. 4. Tory Burch, $195 Stripe canvas tote. Tory Burch, The Shoppes at The Palazzo.
4 3
5. Diane von Furstenberg, $185 Nancy shopper tote in bronze links. DVF boutique, The Shoppes at The Palazzo. 6. J.Crew, $58 Sea urchin straw tote. J.Crew, Fashion Show. 7. Diane von Furstenberg, $185 Nancy shopper in vintage patch. DVF boutique, The Shoppes at The Palazzo. –Compiled by MJ Elstein
7 5 6
28 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
Retail Locations: Boca Park 740 S. Rampart Blvd. (S. of Suncoast Hotel) Phone: (702) 851-7474 Forum Shops at Caesars Palace (3rd floor across from Sushi Roku)
Phone: (702) 369-9192 Miracle Mile Shops 3663 Las Vegas Blvd S. (Across from the Gap) Phone: (702) 369-7394 Premium Outlets 805 S. Grand Central Pkwy., Suite 1945 (Near W. Bonneville Ave.) Phone: (702) 437-7932 Text AASTORE + zip code to 23000 to find American Apparel locations nearest you.
Meet Tesa, a store employee at our Waikiki store. Photographed on the beach in Hawaii, Tesa wears the Printed Malibu Swimsuit and Vinyl UV Visor.
Made in Downtown LA Sweatshop Free www.americanapparel.net
The Essential Waters
A snapshot of summer on the lake that makes Las Vegas possible By Bob Whitby
Photography by Anthony Mair
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Launching and retrieving boats at Las Vegas Boat Harbor (left); Patrolling Boulder Beach (right), Park Rangers give out free life preservers to swimmers.
In the summer of 1936, as Lake Mead filled behind the recently completed Hoover Dam, people living nearby worried that the rapidly accumulating body of water—at 400 feet deep and more than 100 miles long already the largest man-made reservoir in the country—was so massive and so incongruent with the dry Moapa Valley it was erasing that its presence would change the local weather and climate. In his book Colossus, Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century (Free Press, 2010), Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Hiltzik writes that the conjecture was such that the federal government devised a test to address residents’ fears. “Reclamation engineers anchored a timber raft on the surface with an
evaporation pan, a flat tin saucer equipped with instruments that could measure changes in the surface to a thousandth of a foot, hoping to calculate how much water the giant reservoir might be evanescing into the atmosphere. The results told them that the lake’s level was falling by six-tenths of an inch per day, meaning that 25,000 gallons were evaporating every second.” Their calculations indicated that Lake Mead loses 7 percent of its water annually to evaporation, which, government climatologist J. Cecil Alter reassured area residents, was not enough to change the local weather. “The water in a pitcher on a speaker’s stand is about as effective in air-conditioning an auditorium as Lake Mead is in modifying the climate,” Alter said, as quoted by Hiltzik. June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 31
Lake Mead may not have altered our weather, but it has changed our lives. Its water made sprawl possible throughout the arid Southwest, yet it also provides relief from that sprawl in the form of recreation in the desert. It is the cause of, and answer to, the way we live here today. Its shores are within a day’s drive for 30 million people. When temps hit triple digits, it can seem like they all converge on the lake at once.
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Just how popular is Lake Mead on a summer weekend? Stats from Memorial Day tell the tale: 197,000 visitors in 58,064 vehicles between May 28 and 31, more than 48 percent of all national parks in the country get in a year; 1,052 warnings issued by rangers; 20 arrests, 19 of which were for misdemeanor offenses and one for a felony; six boat accidents, three involving injuries; 23 calls for emergency medical assistance, six of which required advanced life support.
Echo Bay Marina (above). Park Ranger Prashant Lotwala tells a camper in Government Wash (right) that he has to leave. There is a 15-day maximum for backcountry camping; the camper said he’d been there for three months.
June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 33
LAke MeAd By the nuMBers Lake Mead National Recreation Area is 1.5 million acres, which equals almost 2,344 square miles, which is about 390 square miles bigger than Delaware. The lake itself covers about 180,000 acres.
Snowfall in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming accounts for 96 percent of the water in the lake. A gallon of gas costs about 50 cents more at the lake than it does in Las Vegas.
Twelve people drowned there in 2009. Rangers had to draw their weapons 60 times last year. “We have had problems with fugitives coming into the park,” says park PIO Andrew Muñoz. “Being right next to a major metropolitan area, our rangers see the same problems that any Vegas Metro officer could see.” The National Park Service estimates that it has to spend $4 million to $6 million for every 20 feet the lake level drops, extending ramps, and moving navigational aides and water intakes. The lake level dropped 114 feet between January 2000 and January 2010. For every one foot the lake drops vertically, the shoreline can recede up to 30 feet, depending on the gradient.
Quagga mussels were first found in Lake Mead on Jan. 6, 2007. It’s thought they got here on a private vessel towed from the Midwest, where the fast-breeding filter feeders have been plaguing the Great Lakes since the late 1980s. The Las Vegas Valley Water District spends about $1 million per year treating its water intakes on Lake Mead for Quagga mussels. The weight of the water accumulating in Lake Mead caused a series of measurable earthquakes along fault lines in the lake bed beginning in the late 1930s. There is a B-29 airplane in the lake in about 145 feet of water. It crashed July 21, 1948. All crew members were rescued.
Lake Mead gets 8 million visitors annually; at any given time, there are as many as 5,000 watercraft on the water. “Our visitation is equal to that of Yosemite and the Grand Canyon combined, and a lot of people don’t realize that,” says Andrew Muñoz, Lake Mead National Recreation Area’s public information officer.
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They buy fuel, rent boats and slips, stock up on beer and food and pump about $500 million into the region’s economy. The park itself is akin to a small municipality, with an annual budget of $17.8 million and a staff of 220 to 300 people, depending on the season, doing jobs as varied as picking up trash, providing emergency medical services and maintaining computers. Lake Mead is a resource, a city in miniature, an economic engine, a boating oasis and a recreational opportunity even if
you never get your feet wet. The park dwarfs the lake, and it’s unique because three desert ecosystems converge there: the Sonoran, which runs southeast through Arizona and beyond; the Great Basin, which extends north through Nevada, Utah and Idaho; and the Mojave, which stretches west to California. Although it’s only been here for 75 years, it’s hard to imagine life without Lake Mead. Especially in the summer. – Additional research by Charlotte Bates and Jazmin Gelista
Park Ranger Meagan Martin (left) conducts regular patrols by boat. Martin is also training as a pilot so he can spot park visitors in trouble more quickly by air. A rainbow over Echo Bay (above) .
June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 35
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THe LocaL Newsroom Assembly candidate Irene Bustamante Adams was part of Emerge Nevada’s Class of 2010.
Labor Pains Beginning July 1, the minimum wage in Nevada increases 70 cents an hour. What does that mean to Las Vegas businesses and employees? By Kate Silver
The Good ol’ Girls club Program recruits, trains Democratic women to run for political office
Photo by Anthony Mair
By Kate Silver Erin Bilbray-Kohn is working to create what she calls a “good ol’ girls club” in Nevada politics. As the executive director of Emerge Nevada, a program founded in 2006 to recruit and train Democratic women to run for local, state and federal offices, she’s off to an impressive start. Earlier this month, 12 Emerge graduates won in the primary election. “We always talk about Nevada having its good ol’ boys club,” Bilbray-Kohn says. “We’ve got our good ol’ girls club, but they’re all such fabulous, fine women that are really trying to create progressive change for the state.” The United States ranks 84th in the world for having women in elected office, trailing countries such as Mexico, China and Pakistan; and women represent just 17 percent of the U.S. Congress despite making up 51 percent of the country’s population Emerge is working to change that. The nonprofit group raises about $40,000 a year from donors to train women. To date, 60 have graduated from the sevenmonth program, dedicating one Saturday a month to learn about communications, ethics, the endorsement process, fundraising, media interaction and more. Five of those women have gone on to hold public office: Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel, Washoe County Commissioner Kitty Jung, Sparks Councilwoman Julia Ratti, Clark County District Judge Kathleen Delaney, and Douglas County school board member Cindy Trigg. Bilbray-Kohn, who is also the national committee woman for the Democratic Party of Nevada, says the program’s goal is to improve government by encouraging a greater diversity of thought. “This is not about feminism where we’re trying to replace men,” she says. “We’re just trying to create good government by bringing in different perspectives.” Tammy Peterson is one of the good ol’ girls. The Democratic
candidate for state Senate District 8 graduated in Emerge’s first class, in 2007. She credits the program not only with her campaign success thus far, but for inspiring her to run. “It made the whole process a little less daunting, and really was the reason I felt comfortable running,” Peterson says. Irene Bustamante Adams, winner of the Democratic primary for the Assembly District 42 seat, is a part of Emerge’s 2010 class. She regards her success and that of other Emerge graduates as a sign of what’s to come—and an inspiring message for future generations, including her 11- and 15-year-old daughters. “I feel very, very hopeful for my two girls,” Adams says, “that they’re going to actually be surrounded by women in public office and their generation will see the fruit of the labor that was laid for them.”
EmErgE NEvada graduatES Who advaNcEd to thE gENEral ElEctioN: Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel, Class of 2007 Tammy Peterson, candidate for state Senate, Class of 2007 Nancy Allf, candidate for judge, Class of 2008 Washoe County Commissioner Kitty Jung, Class of 2008 Betty Hicks, candidate for Washoe Commission, Class of 2009 Gloria Sturman, candidate for judge, Class of 2009 Diana Alba, candidate for county clerk, Class of 2010 Irene Bustamante Adams, candidate for Assembly, Class of 2010 Lynn Goya, candidate for Assembly, Class 2010 Susan Scann, candidate for judge, Class of 2010 Michele Schafe, candidate for Clark County assessor, Class of 2010 Laurie Bisch, candidate for sheriff, Class of 2010
Earlier this month, Fob James IV started thinking about measures to cut costs at his two Blondie’s Car Wash locations. The starting wage for his 20 to 30 employees is $8 an hour—a salary that remains higher than required only until July 1, when Nevada’s minimum wage rises 70 cents to $8.25 an hour for employers who don’t provide health benefits. Those who do provide health insurance will see the minimum wage rise to $7.25 an hour. That puts Nevada on par with 13 other states and Washington, D.C., which all pay wages above the $7.25-per-hour federal minimum. James says it’s a tough time to require small businesses, many of which are already struggling, to pay more. He’ll most likely have to make changes to absorb the added costs. “One thing we’ve talked about doing is we’re probably going to do away with full-service car washes. We were just doing a few a day as a convenience to the customer, but it requires us to have an extra person on the clock,” says James, who also co-hosts a conservative radio program on KLAV-AM (1230). That change will eliminate two shifts, one at each location. James isn’t pleased about it. In fact, he disagrees with the entire concept of minimum wage. “Typically, minimum wage is completely irrelevant. It’s not needed,” he says. “Somebody’s talents and skills and productivity always trump minimum wage.” His stance is familiar throughout libertarian-tinged Nevada. Still, voters are the ones responsible for the wage increase. They opted to raise the minimum wage beginning in 2006, when it rose from $5.15 an hour to $6.15 ($5.15 if the employer provided benefits), and it’s now adjusted annually as required by the state constitution. Jonathan Fine, president of Sting Surveillance, says he expects three of his 50 employees to lose their jobs. He is also opposed to the mandated increase. “With 15 percent of the Valley out of work, it would make sense to lower the minimum wage,” Fine says. “More people would be able to get jobs. In my opinion, the wage someone gets paid should be based on that Continued on page 39 June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 37
The Local Newsroom
Green Felt Journal
Inside the WSOP By David G. Schwartz
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38 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
If you’ve watched the World Series of Poker on ESPN, you might think that it’s a pretty laid-back event. Sure, there’s plenty of tension at the final table, but it’s basically just a bunch of guys and gals getting together to play cards, right? Actually, the two-month tournament at the Rio is all about the cards, but it is orders of magnitude more complicated than your Tuesday night home game. With 57 bracelet events, daily satellites and nearly 80 cash games going on over the course of the tournament, the World Series of Poker is more than an event. “It’s an organization, not an event,’ says Jack Effel, vice president of international poker operations and director of the World Series of Poker for Harrah’s Entertainment. “It’s got to be that way to be successful.” Planning for this year’s tournament started well before last year’s tournament was finished. The logistics are staggering. Getting tens of thousands of participants and hundreds of employees where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there isn’t easy; neither is coordinating multi-million-dollar prize payouts. But Effel and his team at the tournament quietly get it all done. Effel, a Dallas native who combines a lifetime love of poker with a business degree from the University of Mississippi, has brought new-school organization planning to an old poker institution. It’s a necessary marriage: Since its 2004 acquisition by Harrah’s, the tournament has more than quadrupled in size from slightly over 14,000 entrants in that first year to nearly 61,000 last year. Giving those 61,000 players good poker requires an army of dealers, cashiers, supervisors, beverage servers, security officers and back-of-the-house financing and accounting folks. The military metaphor is apt; an organization of this size needs clear lines of command to function. No fewer than five managers report directly to Effel. They include day and swing-shift tournament managers, who oversee the action in all bracelet (championship) events; a satellite manager, in charge of smaller buy-in events that can land players seats in the main event; a live manager, in charge of the 78 tables hosting “live” cash games in which players bet as much or as little of their own
money as they wish, like they would in any poker room; and a dealer manager, in charge of the more than 900 dealers who have been hired to deal the games. Just to put it in perspective, this year the WSOP has well over 300 tables spread out in the Rio’s Amazon and Pavilion ballrooms. The average Las Vegas Strip poker room has 15 tables (the Rio’s year-round room has 10). That’s just the organization; then there are the games themselves. Before the explosion of the WSOP, no one had organized poker tournaments with thousands of entrants and hundreds of “cashes,” or players whose finish merits a share of the prize pool. With a dozen or so players finishing in the money, it wouldn’t be hard to compute the right payouts. But when hundreds of players are cashing at an event, it’s not so easy. After a small percentage is retained to pay the tournament’s staff, the rest is divided among winners. Obviously the winner should get the most money, but there are many ways to divide the pot: Should it be top-heavy with the final table taking most of the money or more gradually distributed? The problem has occupied some of poker’s brightest minds for the past few years. So Effel, in consultation with the Player Advisory Council (particularly Barry Greenstein and Howard Lederer) and Adam Schwartz, his finance professor at Ole Miss, devised a computer algorithm that allows a sensible and fair distribution of cash prizes. Based in part on the Golden Ratio—a mathematical concept familiar to Pythagoras more than 2,500 years ago—the computerized calculation is a good example of Effel’s blend of old and modern, all in service of a better tournament. As the World Series of Poker continues to grow, there’s no accepting the status quo. “There’s never a moment when we say we’re good enough,” Effel says. “We have to continue to push forward because that’s the only way we’re going to make improvements.” So no matter how well things go this year, you can bet that Effel and his crew will be working to make the tournament run that much better in the future. David G. Schwartz is the director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research.
Finding an alternative Valley’s fleets leading charge in moving away from oil-based fuels By david davis How many alternative-fuel vehicles are operating in Las Vegas? The answer is probably a lot more than you think. The American public seems conflicted in its view of alternative-fuel vehicles. According to a Consumer Federation of America report in May, more than four out of five Americans said it is important that the country reduce its consumption of oil—and that number has undoubtedly gone up since the BP oil spill. Yet according to a recent Harris poll, less than one out of five Americans would be likely to buy an alternative-fuel vehicle. Much of this conflict is undoubtedly due to the “chicken-and-egg” problem: Drivers don’t want to buy the vehicles until fuel is readily available, and stations don’t want to sell fuel until there are enough vehicles on the road to make it worthwhile. People seem to like the idea of alternative-fuel vehicles but are unwilling to buy them. This is not true for one important group of car buyers, though. Fleet managers can avoid the “chicken-andegg” problem by fueling vehicles at one central location, and the costs of maintaining a fleet can even make it economical for a manager to build a fueling station. Alternative-fuel vehicles have been quietly operating in Las Vegas for years. In the 1970s, Yellow Cab became the first fleet to introduce alternative-fuel vehicles to the Valley. Former general manager Jack Owens says he got frustrated with the fluctuating gas prices due to the oil embargo in the ’70s and changed his entire fleet of taxis to compressed natural gas before changing in 1981 to propane, which he found to be more efficient. Owens says the long-term cost of propane is similar to gasoline, but now-renamed Yellow-Checker-Star Transportation still comes out ahead since propane prices do not fluctuate like gas prices. Propane engines run cleaner than gas engines, and last twice as long, so the vehicles require less maintenance. Today, every
Photo by Anthony Mair
minimum wage Continued from page 37
individual’s skills. The minimum wage getting higher just makes the less skilled person unaffordable to a small business. Every $1 an hour is $2,080 a year, plus increased taxes and insurance.” William Stanley views it quite differently. The director of organizing for the International Union of Elevator Constructors doesn’t even think the conversation should revolve around the minimum wage. “To me, the right discussion shouldn’t be a minimum wage; it should be a living wage,” he says. “While I think the minimum wage going up is a good thing, I still think we’re woefully short of making sure that people who work full time can live on it.”
Yellow-Checker-Star vehicle still runs on propane. The city of Las Vegas also has recently been converting its entire fleet of vehicles to use alternative fuels. Dan Hyde, the city’s fleet and transportation services manager, is something of a local alternativefuel evangelist, and is also the executive director of the Las Vegas Regional Clean Cities Coalition. Hyde has overseen the effort to convert the city’s 1,500 vehicles to alternative fuels, which is 90 percent complete. The city’s vehicles run on a variety of fuels, including compressed natural gas, biodiesel and even hydrogen. The city’s hydrogen fleet is tiny, but Las Vegas has been a pioneer in using hydrogen. The world’s first hydrogen energy station opened here in 2002, and a second opened in 2007. The newer station is even completely self-sustaining, since it uses solar power to convert water into hydrogen. The largest fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles in the city belongs to the Clark County School District, which runs about 2,000 vehicles on biodiesel, including more than 1,500 buses. Every year, more companies discover the advantages of alternative fuels. The Regional Transportation Commission has added 118 hybrid-electric coaches to its fleet, and 103 coaches that run on compressed natural gas. With so many vehicles, fuel companies have started offering alternative fuels for sale in Las Vegas. The Dan Hyde has headed the city’s effort to move to alternative fuels. largest of these is Haycock Petroleum, which has All together, there are more than 10,000 alternativebeen selling alternative fuels here for 15 years. Marty fuel vehicles operating in the Valley. Few private O’Conner, vice president of fleet fueling, says Haycock vehicles are part of this number, but with changing atcurrently sells fuel primarily to government agencies and titudes and increased awareness, the “chicken-and-egg” companies that run fleets of vehicles. Haycock does offer problem is rapidly becoming less of an issue. these fuels to the public, but individual consumers rarely purchase them. Currently, natural gas is available at five public stations, biodiesel at 13 and propane at 18 (while For a list of public alternative-fuel stations in Las Vegas, go to the two hydrogen stations aren’t open to the public). lasvegascleancities.org/alt_ fueling.html.
Stanley points out that $8.25 an hour will still be challenging for an individual to live on, much less a single parent. In those scenarios, he says, companies that aren’t willing to pay a living wage are simply focusing on their own bottom line, ignoring the fact that the rest of society will be subsidizing their employees, whether it’s through food stamps, county hospitals or any number of social services. Still, with more than a 60 percent increase in the minimum wage since 2006, coupled with the highest unemployment rate in the country, Nevada employers—and even economists— aren’t sure what the increase’s impact will be on Las Vegas. Jeff Waddoups, associate professor of economics at UNLV, admits the current situation could be worrisome. “I think there’s val-
ue in a minimum wage, but that doesn’t mean you can raise the minimum wage forever, arbitrarily high,” he says. Waddoups says the coming months will be a time for Nevada businesses to focus on tightening their budgets and practices, trimming any fat that might be left and becoming even more efficient. But there’s no guarantee that all businesses, from retail to restaurants, car washes to coffee shops, will be able to do that without making adjustments in staff. “There’s a degree to which you exhaust all these efficiencies and say, ‘Sorry guys, the wage is so high I can’t afford to have you on,’” Waddoups says. “And I don’t know how high that wage is. I don’t think anyone really knows how high that wage is. It’s different for every firm.” The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, for example, will see minimal changes in
the books next month. “It is going to impact us a bit, but not significantly,” says Phil Patent, president and CEO of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Nevada. “It’s going to impact our payroll maybe 1 percent.” Patent expects the raise will apply to about 12 percent of the workforce of 125, and most of those affected are part-time employees. For years, he says, the company has strived to pay employees above minimum wage—something that’s become more challenging with the annual wage increases. About a year and a half ago, the company even began offering health insurance to full-time employees. “We have always paid a bit higher because we want to focus on getting a little better caliber of individuals,” Patent says. “And in this sense, it’s kind of insulated us.”
June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 39
The Local Newsroom
Downtown events center aims for special niche By T.R. Witcher The real work of closing big deals at conventions is usually done off-site, away from the hoopla, banners and noise of other vendors, in a conference room or ballroom where companies can host private receptions or entertain favored clients. But these spaces have their own distractions—especially in Las Vegas—they’re not terribly exciting, and they tend to come with plenty of regulations. (Vendors aren’t allowed to repaint the walls, for one.) Dan Maddux envisioned a different kind of meeting space, a more exclusive venue located in downtown. In March, he opened MEET Las Vegas in a former bank building at the corner of Fourth and Bridger Streets, giving the area a venue it lacked. “What I wanted to do is carve out a special niche in Vegas as a boutique events center in the downtown core,” Maddux says. Both inside and out, MEET has the sleek functionalism of an ultra lounge. At night, LED lights can be custom lit to bathe the three-story building in a variety of colors. Inside is 30,000 square feet of private, completely customizable space, which includes a
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Unistrut framing system on the first floor that allows users to alter the layout. “What most facilities don’t have is a rigorous rigging infrastructure,” Maddux says. “If you want to take a [typical] ballroom you have to spend a significant amount of money to create the environment you want, and lay all the technology and spend a lot of money to cover all that up.” MEET has a full-service kitchen with catering, an outdoor pavilion with valet parking, and computer training conference rooms on the top floor. There’s also plenty of eye candy, like the nine-screen plasma TV array, or the wall of fog that vendors can project images onto. “It is a niche market that some people want,” says Jeremy Handel, spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “There are some companies holding a corporate event and they don’t want to be in a resort.” The question is whether this new kind of venture can take off downtown. “It’s a function of who their target market is,” says John Restrepo, principal of Restrepo Consulting. “If they’re going after smaller or localtype meetings, there’s probably a need for that.” The concept, he adds, makes sense, but the “question of location is a different story.” Despite a glitzy opening bash, MEET hasn’t hosted many vendors. Maddux says he’s still trying to get to know event planners in anticipation of a busier 2011, when he expects MEET to “[show] some nice returns.”
Users can change the layout and color scheme of MEET Las Vegas.
Even during this recession, there are projects downtown that are either planned, under way or completed, and Maddux is bullish that many of them will create new demand for meeting space. Whenever that time comes, Maddux said MEET will be ready. “We can provide,” he says, “for a lot of other kinds of businesses.”
Photo by Anthony Mair
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The Local Newsroom
Politics
Winning comparison probably won’t follow through for Angle By Michael Green
Reruns are a summertime staple, so it’s fitting for Sharron Angle—whether or not she knows it—to try and rerun a previous Nevada political campaign. The difference is: This time, it won’t work. Angle has been limiting her media appearances. She disappeared so quickly when reporters tried to question her on election night, Lance Burton probably was jealous of her magical abilities. Since then, she has appeared on Fox & Friends and Sean Hannity’s liefest, and ran from the press on Capitol Hill when reporters tried to interview her about running for the Senate. In 1982, conservative Republican Chic Hecht upset Howard Cannon, a powerful four-term Democratic senator from Nevada not noted for charisma. Sound familiar? Since Hecht wasn’t tall and handsome and had a slight speech impediment, he avoided the media whenever possible. His mostly stealth campaign concentrated on small personal appearances and attack ads that occasionally contained a grain of truth. Hecht’s campaign was brilliant because it worked, although his election enabled President Reagan and Congress to target Nevada for the nuclear-waste dump that Sen. Harry Reid has blocked after a 24-year fight, one Angle would overturn in 10 seconds. A comparison or two with Angle’s situation already has popped up, but the differences help explain why what worked for Hecht in 1982 doesn’t work for Angle in 2010: • Cannon entered the general election campaign wounded. Four-term congressman Jim Santini challenged him from the right in a bitter primary. Some Santini supporters wouldn’t back Cannon in the general election. This time, if the primary hurt anyone, it’s Angle. • Hecht came into the general election with a mostly unified party. Some longtime Republicans were loyal to Cannon and stayed that way. But Angle doesn’t have the relationships in the Republican establishment that Hecht had. • Hecht had been out of office for 10 years and had nothing to do with national issues. Angle ran for the House in 2006 and was a member of the state Assembly from 1999-2005, so she has a record to run on or from. • Cannon’s campaign didn’t take Hecht seriously. The day after the primary,
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Cannon turned to campaign manager Jim Joyce—not the author of Ulysses or the umpire run through the wringer for messing up a perfect game, but maybe the shrewdest Nevada political operative ever. Cannon told him to schedule a debate. Joyce said no. Knowing of Hecht’s speaking issues, Cannon said, “I’d destroy him.” Said Joyce: “You’d legitimize him.” So, they never debated. Meanwhile, Cannon’s campaign paid little attention to what Hecht did or said. For Angle, the problem isn’t a debate with Reid so much as whether his campaign takes her seriously. Considering how quickly critical ads and websites materialized, Reid and his campaign take her very seriously—as they should. Hecht could fly under the opposition’s radar. Angle can’t—and won’t. • The media didn’t take Hecht seriously—or, more accurately, paid him little attention. After the campaign, some reporters and commentators accused him of hiding from them. Not really. He just didn’t seek them out—but that was mutual. When the media wanted to find Hecht, he could be found. Whether or not journalists take Angle seriously, they aren’t ignoring her. Nor can they. Nearly 30 years ago, 24/7 cable news was in its infancy and the Web was something Charlotte spun to save Wilbur the pig. If Hecht said anything embarrassing before he ran for office or during the campaign, it didn’t go viral on YouTube. Furthermore, no one in the media seemed so determined to elect Cannon or defeat Hecht in 1982 as to slant coverage so baldly as to be journalistically embarrassing. On the Sunday after this month’s election, the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s front page promoted a story on Angle with a skewed headline and took the unusual step of promoting an anti-Reid editorial. Whether the R-J’s unsubtle unfairness helps Angle or redoubles Democratic efforts remains to be seen. The final difference is that Cannon and Hecht were living these events as they happened. For Reid, they’re history— and he doesn’t want history to repeat itself. The betting here says it won’t. Michael Green is a professor of history at the College of Southern Nevada and author of several books and articles on Nevada history and politics.
Nightlife
Entertaining options for a week of nonstop fun and excitement.
Compiled by Xania Woodman
Thur. 24 The weekend gets rolling a little early, thanks to the monthly installment of Down and Derby. Strap on your skates and get on the boogie-train as guest DJs Nugget, Bonics and resident DJ $HR3D spin the crowd into an eight-wheeled frenzy. And for once, guys are allowed (or even encouraged) to wear short-shorts. At Rain at the Palms, doors at 10 p.m., $15 at the door, $5 with online RSVP at downandderby.org. No rollerblades allowed, old-school skate rentals $5.
Fri. 25 It’s a day to celebrate the female form as Azure launches Femme Fridays, with trendy fashions, giveaways and female DJs beginning with DJ Miss Joy. (At Palazzo, 11 am-6 pm. $20, locals, ladies free.) Later that night, Slightly Stoopid plays Friday Night Live at the Hard Rock Hotel (doors at 7 p.m., concert 8 p.m., $29.50 in advance, $38.50 at the gate.), and another FNL concert series goes down out on the east side of town, as the Village at Lake Las Vegas presents a free concert featuring ’80s rock band The Reflex from 7-10 p.m.
Sat. 26 The day gets under way as the threesome otherwise known as Swedish House Mafia—DJs Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso—take the Wet Republic decks by storm at 2:30 p.m. (At MGM Grand, doors at 11 a.m., $50 men, $20 women.) Later that night, Viva Rock Vegas brings Imagine Dragons, Otherwise and six other bands to historic Water Street. After the show, the official afterparty goes down at the Goldmine Tavern. (At the Henderson Events Plaza, 200 S. Water St., 4-10 p.m., $10, all ages. Goldmine Tavern, 23 S. Water St., 10 p.m.-close, no cover.) Another option: The group known for extraordinary cover songs, The Dan Band (Old School, The Hangover), performs at Dick’s Last Resort’s third anniversary party (at Excalibur, 11 p.m., no cover.) and Crown Nightclub serves up Infected Mushroom—the progressive trance/ dance duo, not the fungus. (At the Rio, doors at 10 p.m., tickets $25.) If you’re looking for something a little more mainstream, Gym Class Heroes lead singer Travie McCoy takes over Blush with a special performance of his hit single “Billionaire.” Once there, ladies drink free champagne from 11 p.m.-midnight. At Wynn, doors at 9 p.m., $40 for guys, $30 for girls, free for local ladies and industry.
SeveN NIghtS
Sun. 27
The tide brings Groove Armada to the shores of Encore Beach Club, along with guest DJs Chuckie, Afrojack and resident Kaskade (doors at 11 a.m., $50 for men, $40 for ladies, local ladies free), while the sounds of Beatport wash over Tao Beach as Beatport Beach returns with special guest Dirty South. (At the Venetian, doors at 10 a.m., $20 cover, all ladies and local men free.) After the sun sets, The Bank overflows with power as the Pool Power 20 celebrates the 20 most influential men and women of the Vegas pool scene. (At Bellagio, doors at 10:30 p.m., $30 for men, free for ladies and all locals.) And if nothing pool sounds cool, Murphy’s Law Bar & Grill combines drinking with thinking for its new Pub Trivia Night. 1590 E. Flamingo Road, 7-9 p.m., no cover.
Mon. 28 Look Monday straight in the eye as DJ Babu, Evidence and Rakaa Iriscience of the Dilated Peoples play industry night at Jet. The L.A.-based group is largely underground, but they’ve collaborated with Kanye West—although the resulting single, 2004’s “This Way,” was hardly declared the best single of all time (it peaked at No. 106 on the U.S. charts). At The Mirage, doors at 10:30 p.m., $30 for men, $20 for ladies, free for locals ’til midnight.
Tues. 29 Blush honors the most influential men in Las Vegas nightlife—including Fox 5’s Jason Feinberg, Jason “JRoc” Craig of N9NE Group, Crown Nightclub’s Darin Feinstein, Red Bull’s own Tony Cordasco, and Marklen Kennedy and Bob Shindelar of Tao Group—at the annual King of Clubs part. Meantime, the ultralounge gives all the girls free champagne from 11 p.m.-midnight. At Wynn, doors at 9 p.m., $30 for men, locals and industry free.
Wed. 30 The wait is over as Social House makes its highly anticipated return, resurfacing in its new spot in Crystals at CityCenter. (First seating at 5 p.m., restaurant open until 10:30 p.m., bar and lounge ’til 2 a.m., 736-1122 for reservations.) Also that night, the Palms gets a new resident as improv comedian Matt Donnelly brings his Executive Monkeys show to the Lounge with special guest, actress and avid poker player Shannon Elizabeth. (9 p.m., $25.) When the show’s over, cross the casino floor and ride the elevator up to Ghostbar, where DJ 88’s ever-dope party, Snitch, gets going with guest DJ Tendaji Lathan. Lathan’s name means “makes things happen” in Swahili. Coincidence? We think not. Doors at 10 p.m., $20 cover, free for local ladies. June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 45
Nightlife
xs | encore
46 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
Photography by Jessica Blair
Nightlife
Crown nightClub | the rio
Photography by Beverly Oanes
Upcoming june 25 | Iron Man 2 actresses anya MonzIkova and jasMIne dustIn host june 26 | Infected MushrooM perforM june 27 | roller BoogIe wIth dj hollywood, dj frankIe and the sugar hIll gang june 30 | far east MoveMent perforM
48  Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
Nightlife
Moon | the PalMs
Photography by Jessica Blair
Upcoming June 29 | Jay-R vs. DJ BoomeR at Bang! , plus JoRDan stevens anD Keith evan
50 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
Nightlife
Tao Beach | The VeneTian
Upcoming June 26 | SPORTS ILLuSTRATeD SuPeRMODeL JeSSICA WHITe CeLeBRATeS HeR BIRTHDAY June 27 | InSOMnIAC PReSenTS BeATPORT BeACH SunDAYS WITH DIRTY SOuTH
54 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
Photography by Brenton Ho
PERFORMING THE HIT SINGLE “BILLIONAIRE” “ BIL ION
3rd ANNUAL KING OF CLUBS TUESDAY, T UES ES SDA DA A JJUNE NE 2 29 9 RECOGNIZING THE MEN WHO RUN THE SHOW Aaron Fust Aaron Kelly (AK) Adam Rolfe Bob Shindelar Bobby Minkoff Bobby Morton (Baby J) Chris Lane
Corey Nigrelli Darin Feinstein Derrick Auger (Mountain) Ed Parker Francis Fox Gino Lo Pinto Jack Colton
Jack Lafleur Jacko Smiley Jason Craig (J-Roc) Jason Feinberg Jordan Miner Leo DeSouza Marc Jay
Mark Alums Marklen Kennedy Mike Myers Moose Nando Nano Cartegena Norman Ly
Paul Dilongo Ruben Herrera Stan Tudor Tony Cordasco
FA C E B O O K . C O M / B L U S H N I G H T C L U B | T W I T T E R . C O M / B L U S H N I G H T C L U B D
W Y N N L A S V E G A S | L O C A L L A D I E S A L WAY S F R E E | D O O R S O P E N A T 9 P M T U E - S U N | D R E S S C O D E E N F O R C E D 702.770.3633 | BLUSHLASVEGAS.COM | MANAGEMENT RESERVES ALL RIGHTS
Nightlife
The Captains’ Log
Electric Flower Power Insomniac founder Pasquale Rotella tracks the evolution of the techno party
By Graham Funke where a DJ would play funk and disco (which inspired my career path later in life), and a second, more popular section that featured electronic music, which we called “techno.” My partner in crime during this era was a man named Pasquale Rotella, whom most in the industry know as the owner of Insomniac Productions, and the mastermind behind what have grown into the biggest electric musical festivals in the country, including Nocturnal Wonderland, Together As One and the Electric Daisy Carnival. It’s amazing to me that the little parties we attended every weekend evolved into massive events with tens of thousands of people in attendance, world-renowned talent and millions of dollars in revenue. Still, I’m not surprised at Rotella’s role in its success, as he is a businessman with a heart and, at the end of the day, a fan with passion for music, community and experience. The 2009 Electric Daisy Carnival in L.A. drew 135,000 attendees, and the brand has now expanded to reach three other locations (Denver, Dallas and Puerto Rico). As the man at the helm, Rotella couldn’t be any busier, yet he took the time to sit down, reminisce and ponder the future of his electronic flower. Graham Funke: As the ’90s progressed, a lot of those party people, myself included, moved on to other interests—yet you Benni Benassi performing at the 2009 Electric Daisy Carnival in Los Angeles. started a weekly party called Insomniac. What was it about that era that kept you underground party scene, but was later labeled inspired, and inspired to pick up the torch? the “rave” scene. Pasquale Rotella: It was a unique environment An episode of Beverly Hills 90210 cast a negative for me because growing up in L.A., originally living light on my Saturday night pastime of choice, in Venice and hanging out with the people I hung out complete with preposterous egg exchanges, with, people were very standoffish, and sometimes abundant n’er-do-wells, and some sort of love put up fronts. The thing that grabbed me at the drug called “euphoria.” parties was the vibe between people—walking into The reality was far more enlightened, and each a room where people weren’t caring about how they week brought a new adventure, starting with were dancing, and not even caring that they weren’t the purchasing of tickets at a secret map point dancing with someone else—and the energy behind (usually on Melrose Avenue), continuing with a the music. The combination was something that was long, camaraderie-stoking drive in the car, and impactful to me. culminating with a grand celebration that didn’t GF: Perhaps something that will manifest at this let up until dawn. weekend’s Electric Daisy Carnival. What’s in store The parties were held in all sorts of places: for everybody? abandoned warehouses (Saturnalia), water parks PR: We’ve been doing the show since 1993 and (Mickey’s Holy Water Adventure), shopping malls never have we done a production like this before— (Love II), you name it. Regardless of venue, the it’s far beyond anything that we’ve ever done. space was usually separated into two areas—one
I grew up in L.A., and my father was gone quite a bit. He was in the television industry, and the tight schedules of shows like Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers and The Greatest American Hero kept me in somewhat of a paternal role in aid of my mother, who was rearing what would end up totaling five children. Having been burdened with so much responsibility at such a young age, my parents felt I had proven myself trustworthy by the time I entered my early teens, and allowed me to come and go as I pleased, sans curfew, as long as I stayed safe and let them know where I was. Come Saturday night, I was in downtown Los Angeles, attending what was then regarded as an
60 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
I’ve traveled the world, and checked out dance events, and I’ve never been to anything ... like what we’re putting together. I don’t want to talk about anything specific, but I’m excited for it all. The production level is just beyond anything we’ve ever done. In every category, it’s doubled, if not tripled. You’re coming, right Graham? GF: No, dude. I perform in Kansas City on Friday and St. Louis on Saturday. PR: You never come! How can I get you to come? Do I have to book you to perform? GF: Yes. Looking back on our teens, I realize that it was the overall experience that attracted me every week; not who was performing. Sure, the music was important, but really just part of a bigger package. What about you? PR: The music was the huge draw for me back in the day—I didn’t know who the DJs were, or even who the producers were, but I knew the only place I could find that sound was at these events. Maybe I didn’t know what to call it, or who to give credit to, but I knew that I liked it, and it got me hyped. I think that’s why I kept going and a lot of people didn’t. So yes, the environment and the spectacle of the event was something that lured me in, but it was the soundtrack to my experience that made for a complete package. It wasn’t attributed to any one thing; it was the music, the people, the vibe, the specialness of what was going on. That environment opened my ears to the music. GF: And now Insomniac is the name in this industry, Pasquale Rotella is a success! You’ve set North American attendance records, you’ve turned down offers from major concert promoters, you have an international following. Where is this headed? PR: I’m always looking toward perfecting, I’m always striving to do better, to do the best event I can. And there’s always something more that I can do. Many people have told me that I should, but I’ve never sat back and said, “I did it.” GF: You’re still hungry for it. PR: Yeah, I love it. I really enjoy it. There’s a lot of good stories, we’ve touched a lot of people in positive ways. It sparks, opens something in their minds to get creative and it inspires them to pursue those dreams. Visit electricdaisycarnival.com for more information about the upcoming Electric Daisy Carnival, or insomniac.com for details about Rotella’s other upcoming events Graham Funke and his DJ partner, StoneRokk, push the boundaries of what it means to be a DJ, determined to restore the once-glorious luster to their craft. In addition to contributing to Vegas Seven, The Captains of Industry (thecaptainsofindustry.com) entertain audiences at clubs across the country and maintain weekly residencies at Moon and Playboy Club.
DJ Tina T & DJ Tino
featuring the Sound Candy DJs:
DJ Frank E, DJ PETEy & DJ VaJra with special guests
DJ SPair & DJ JEFF G
Hosted by Playboy Model
JESSE PrESTon
Featuring a patriotic performance by
ThE FirE-n-icE DancErS With special guest
DJ ScEnE
Watch the fireWorks from 51 stories above the strip For info & VIP reservations: 702.777.6875 or www.riolasvegas.com Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2010, Harrah’s License Company, LLC.
RV0-35
Nightlife
Cocktail Culture
Bloody Harry As served at High Society at Nove Italiano, $15 Touted as the best reason for a tourist to postpone his or her Sunday flight home from Las Vegas, Nove Italiano’s “Sunday High Society Dayclub” blends clubbing, imbibery and recovery victuals within a sort of party brunch at the Palms—with a strong emphasis on the party. Bartender Jack “Sugar” O’Brien serves up this meat-lover’s version of the Bloody Mary, and it starts with vodka infused with rosemary, mirepoix (chopped carrots, celery and shallots) and red, yellow and hot peppers. The veggie medley may sound complicated (on Sunday morning, especially), but you can still get a vegetal kick using flavored vodkas. Try Modern Spirits’ celery peppercorn, Square One cucumber, Crop cucumber or tomato, or the old standard, Absolut’s first flavor, Peppar. Then bring on the meat! 2¼ ounces vegetable-infused vodka Bloody Mary mix (O’Brien uses about 4 ounces of Freshies brand mix) 1 strip cooked bacon
1 Slim Jim 1 pickled green bean wedge of lemon bacon-flavored salt (for rim)
Combine vodka, ice and desired amount of Bloody Mary mix in two cocktail shakers (or large glasses) by “rolling” the mixture back and forth, from one shaker to another. Use a lemon wedge to adhere the bacon-flavored salt , available at baconsalt.com) to the rim of a fresh pint glass, then pour the mixed cocktail into the fresh pint glass—just be sure to leave room for the bacon, Slim Jim and the pickled bean!
By Xania Woodman
The D.I.Y. Mary Building a better bloody bar with Kerry Simon At Palms Place, Simon’s much-loved Sunday brunch features a $10 all-you-candrink Bloody Mary bar and chef Kerry Simon’s secret tomato base. When faced with the dizzying array of accoutrements and hot sauces, Simon says it’s best not to complicate things. “You can be brave, you can be adventurous—you just also need to be cautious,” he says. However, his personal preference is simple: “Stick to the basics.”
CheF SIMon’S Bloody Mary Bar: • Vodka: Absolut, Absolut Citron, Absolut Peppar, or Skyy • Salt rim: sea, celery, lemon-pepper, or chili • Pickled vegetables: asparagus, cherry peppers, cauliflower, green beans, pearl onions, gherkins and olives • Sauces: More than 50 varieties of hot sauce, plus Tabasco, Cholula, Sriracha and Worcestershire • Minced horseradish • Fresh celery stalks • Cilantro • Beef jerky • Wedges of lemon and lime
Take your home bar one step further with the addition of fresh, seasonal and locally sourced produce. Every Thursday, the Molto Vegas team of Batali and Bastianich restaurants presents Bet on the Farm, an indoor festival of locally sourced fruits, vegetables, herbs, eggs and grass-fed beef. Chefs rub shoulders with local foodies (and bevvies) as they browse the selection, which includes honey from Death Valley, and locally roasted coffee and dates from Mojave Desert-based China Ranch. Bartenders take note: Carnevino bartender-mixologist George Austin Sproule says berries and stone fruits are currently at their peak, and summer melons will be arriving shortly. 7485 S. Dean Martin Dr., 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursdays, cash only, betonthefarm.com. 64
Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
Bloody Harry by Danielle DeBruno
Farm to Glass: It’s a Movement
The NaTioNal Newsroom This week in the New York Observer
it’s spitz-o-phrenia! Is the prospect of the disgraced former New York governor making a big prime-time comeback on a trusted cable news network making you kind of crazy? You’re not alone
Illutration by Drew Friedman
By Felix Gillette and Reid Pillifant Around 11 a.m. on the morning of June 15, CNN staffers convened in the newsroom on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center to listen to the company’s U.S. chief, Jonathan Klein, talk about the state of the network. One month had passed since Campbell Brown had resigned from CNN, stoically admitting along the way that her once rock-steady career had been no match for the treacherous shores of CNN’s 8 p.m. hour. “The simple fact is that not enough people want to watch my program,” Brown wrote in her resignation letter, “and I owe it to myself and to CNN to get out of the way so that CNN can try something else.” But, for God’s sake, what? In recent years, the question of what CNN could do to win back the 8 p.m. time slot has seemed like a question that would bedevil Time Warner executives for the rest of eternity. Now, rumors were swirling. Earlier that morning, the New York Post had reported that Klein was close to finalizing a deal with Eliot Spitzer which would make the former governor one-half of a left-right pundit duet, in a show similar to Crossfire, which Klein had canceled some five years earlier. According to multiple sources who attended the meeting, Klein said no decision had been made, that he had considered a broad range of options for 8 p.m. His list of potential candidates, he told the staff, had consisted of 100 names. Not so long ago, a TV news executive looking for talent to anchor a new show would more or less be limited to the narrow field of accomplished hard-news journalists. These days, the cable news landscape is a diverse ecosystem of various hardy survivors. Former politicians, talk-radio jockeys, prosecutors, activists, shock jocks and sportscasters now run roughshod through the territory, threatening to trample any mild-mannered reporter who happens into the fray. Enter the Steamroller. Of Klein’s list, Spitzer remains the front-runner. How did the Harvard Law School graduate–turned–crusading New York attorney general–turned–middling New York governor–turned–Client No. 9–turned–disgraced tabloid punching bag–turned real estate family man–turned Slate columnist suddenly become a viable cable news candidate? The truth is, a solid foundation in scandal has come to be a perfectly respectable starting point for any smallscreen aspirant hoping to break through in an age of hundreds of channels and on-demand everything. Whatever else his qualifications, Spitzer has proven in recent times to have a knack for one of the more prized skills in cable news—namely, polarizing audiences. Call it Spitz-o-phrenia. “He’s a Rorschach test,” Peter Elkind, the author of Rough Justice: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (Portfolio Hardcover, 2010), recently told The Observer. “People hate him and they sort of bite their lip about how he screwed up. And people admire and like what he did as attorney general.” On the other hand … “My perception is, he would be great on television as a magnet for viewers because he’s so smart and he’s such a
great lawyer,” said Lanny Davis, a television pundit and former special counsel to President Clinton, who calls himself an old friend and supporter of Spitzer’s. “I was actually asked this question by a fellow who was thinking of hiring him and I said, ‘Forget about his political career, he’s going to have good ratings because people are going to watch and be fascinated by him,’” Davis added. “Because this is about someone who’s willing to bounce back. It’s part of an American narrative that goes all the way back in history. We love Horatio Alger. We love forgiving.” Others recoil at the mere presence of Spitzer’s mug on TV. Recently, The New Yorker’s television critic Nancy Franklin watched Spitzer filling in for Dylan Ratigan on MSNBC. “I was practically blown out through the back of my couch, I was so repelled by the sight of him,” Franklin said. “I found him unpleasant to listen to and to look at. … He’s very smart. But he’s not really right for television.” Her objections, she explained, were on practical and moral grounds. “He’s sort of one of these high-energy dead souls who populate television now,” she said. “CNN would be rubbing it in our faces, frankly, if they hired him.” And yet … “Eliot still has a tremendous amount to offer,” argued Jimmy Siegel, who created the television advertisements for Spitzer’s ’06 campaign. “He’s still the brightest guy I ever met.” The idea of Spitzer-ascommentator is a curious one for CNN, a channel that built itself on substance but now finds itself chasing ratings. “At the beginning, I thought it was ridiculous that anybody would even consider him for television,” CNN co-founder Reese Schonfeld said. “I think his television persona is among the worst I’ve ever seen. His great strength was that he’s a dictator. That’s not something that really works for an 8 o’clock news show.” What about daytime? During the summer of 2009, Ratigan was getting ready to launch a new show on MSNBC, called Morning Meeting. As the former CNBC anchor surveyed the cable news landscape looking for ideas to help his show break through, he got to thinking about Spitzer. Ratigan felt that Spitzer was one of the most knowledgeable people in the world on what Ratigan describes as “the obvious massive theft and cover-up being perpetrated against the American people by the banking system in collaboration with our government.” And so Ratigan joined Jacob Weisberg, the Slate Group Continued on page 70 June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 69
The National Newsroom
Baring Their Brains to heaven
Spitzer Continued from page 69
By Michael H. Miller “SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!!!!” Allen Ginsberg told Jack Kerouac in a letter from 1957. Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” was a hit after a high-profile trial over its presumed obscenity, and Kerouac’s second book, On the Road, had transformed the author nearly overnight into the most popular novelist in America. “God knows what oblivion we’ll wind up in.” Kerouac and Ginsberg sparked a new kind of American romanticism: Instead of settling down and keeping their bellies full, they would stay hungry and keep looking. They didn’t just wish to be read by America; they wanted to create a new country, a place for the madmen, drug fiends and sex addicts. “I want to write about the crazy generation,” Kerouac wrote to Ginsberg in 1949 of his work-in-progress On the Road, “and put them on the map and give them importance and make everything begin to change once more.” No, they had no idea the trouble they’d end up in. Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg: The Letters (Viking, 2010) chronicles not only the rise of a still controversial literary movement but also everything left in its wake: the anxieties, pretensions and intimacies of these two icons. A sense of foreboding pervades the 25-year correspondence. It begins with Kerouac in jail in 1944, on an accessory to murder charge. Ginsberg and Kerouac had known each other for just a few months. Their friend Lucien Carr had murdered their other friend David Kammerer for drunkenly coming on to him one night and dumped the body in the Hudson River. Carr told his friends William Burroughs and a 22-year-old Kerouac about what had happened. None of them said anything to the police. Finally Carr confessed, and Kerouac went to prison. He married his girlfriend so she would pay his bail. These were bleak beginnings, but their brush with death and the law made Ginsberg and Kerouac take each other seriously, even when no one else would. They criticize each other’s writing—not just poems and stories, but the language of the letters themselves—with
a severity that makes their harshest critics seem kind. Kerouac calls Ginsberg’s language “peckerhead romanticism”; when Kerouac compares On the Road to Ulysses, Ginsberg tells him, “You’re juss crappin around thoughtlessly with that trickstyle often, and it’s not so good.” The collection reads like a Dostoevsky novel: It begins with a murder and ends, essentially, with a suicide (Kerouac’s death from cirrhosis of the liver in 1969). The authors are wild and unguarded, real-life protagonists that never quite made it into the Beat literature: Kerouac, stubborn, paranoid, hot-tempered, but in love with every person he meets; Ginsberg, the horny kid prone to hallucinations and consumed by poetry. Unfortunately, the letters become sporadic near the end of the friendship, and only some of Kerouac’s decline is on view here. As his popularity rises, the binges become noticeably longer and the writing disintegrates in the haze of inebriation. “When I sawyeouek what I sawk woue and that’s that. I’m drunk. You can see I’m writing this letter drunk.” Ginsberg was no ascetic himself. “Got high on junk last night and though of you,” he writes. “Said myself we must—now we are famous—not get drawn apart by varying fames or worlds.” Even at the height of their popularity, the correspondence feels like it’s racing toward a tragic conclusion. It is fitting, then, that these letters are themselves emblematic of the end of an era: This large volume is one of the last major correspondences spanning several decades between two influential writers before long-distance phone calls became cheap. The book is all about conclusions—the end of a friendship, the end of ’50s paranoia and ’60s optimism, the end of written correspondence itself. Yet what Ginsberg and Kerouac created persists. The legacy of the Beat Generation still saturates American popular culture. Somewhere, a 16-year-old in a used car just discovered On the Road and is about to set off without a destination, in search of a madness that destroyed the best minds of a generation.
The relationship between writers Jack Kerouac (second from left) and Allen Ginsberg (far right) is chronicled in a new book. 70
Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
editor, and Jon Meacham, the editor of Newsweek, in helping Spitzer build up his post-scandal media career. Ratigan made Spitzer the first guest on his first show. Later, Spitzer began serving as the substitute anchor, filling in for the entire week after Memorial Day. The ratings were so-so. For the week, according to Nielsen numbers passed along by MSNBC, Spitzer averaged 312,000 total viewers and 82,000 in the 25-54 demographic—a drop from the week before, when Ratigan’s show averaged 352,000 viewers and 105,000 in the demographic. For a man so desperately trying to re-enter public life—and there is little doubt Spitzer is, at the very least, very interested in running again—the ratings game presents a conundrum: Which needle to move? “In order for him to be successful, he has to be exciting and entertaining,” said longtime Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf, who ran Spitzer’s television advertising in 1994 and 1998 but no longer speaks to him. “If he is exciting and entertaining, he will appear idiotic as a politician who is serious and of consequence. Therefore, if he’s a successful television broadcaster, the probability of him being a serious person in public life again declines precipitously. That’s the danger he faces.” And yet, for a man of Spitzer’s urgency, there seems an equal danger in doing nothing. “By this time, it does seem like he needs to do something to revamp his image, because right now it’s just immediately connected to the scandal,” said Leonie Huddy, a political psychology professor at SUNY Stony Brook. “Negative information is always more powerful than positive information. One little bit of negative information can often tip someone to think badly, whereas it takes a lot more positive information to boost someone’s standing or image.” To wit: In April, a Marist Poll said nearly 60 percent of New Yorkers do not want Spitzer to run again anytime soon. That is slightly better than the roughly 70 percent from the previous fall—but still not good for someone eyeing elected office. In the end, the potential hookup between CNN and Eliot Spitzer may be less a meeting of passion and more a potential arrangement of necessity between two institutions seeking a hasty resurrection. “It could be that they’re realizing that their model is failing,” Salon columnist Glenn Greenwald speculated of CNN. “But if they do stick with their current model, I think they’re going to want to sandpaper around those rough edges. And that’s what I’m saying when I watched him hosting that show; I felt like he was making a concerted effort to do that. If they hire Eliot Spitzer and then just try to turn him into Brian Williams or Matt Lauer, then what’s the point?” By mere dint of CNN floating the test balloon, Spitzer seems destined for a prominent spot in the cable news firmament sooner rather than later. And when this happens, you can bet you’ll hear that familiar frequency of howls of anger alternating with hums of admiration—sometimes from unexpected corners. “I think Spitzer is incredibly smart, he was a brave and devoted public servant, and I think we are lucky to have his contribution in any arena he chooses to engage,” feminist and occasional Democratic consultant Naomi Wolf cooed to The Observer via e-mail. “I do hope, though, that he won’t enjoy TV too much to return to public life, where we really need him.”
Photo by John Cohen/Getty
How the Beats invented themselves and their own America
Style & Culture
Oh, balls: Why I love the sport of soccer
Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
By Simon Doonan “Grow a pair.” It’s my new favorite sexist expression. When anyone within earshot is exhibiting less-than-assertive behavior, I exhort him/her to “Man up, dude, and grow a pair.” The young moderns of Hollywood would appear, based on recent startling developments, to be taking my edict and running with it, all the way to the gender reassignment clinic. First Chaz Bono grows a pair and now Kathlyn Beatty! Yes! Last week the world learned that Warren Beatty and Annette Bening’s 18-year-old daughter now goes by the slightly Semitic name “Stephen Ira” and is planning, allegedly, a surgical modification of her lady-parts. In these confusing heady days of fluid gender, celebrity lumber-jills, designer hormones and burgeoning trannypower, the FIFA World Cup, with its uncomplicated display of traditional masculinity, is something of a lemon sorbet. It is the ne plus ultra of male gender performance, and I for one could not be happier … and more titillated. Since the World Cup started, the only thing screeching louder than a vuvuzela has been yours truly. Surprised? Don’t be. After all, I grew up in the U.K. Though Reading, my hometown team, lingered in the Fourth Division for most of my childhood, my enthusiasm was undeterred. I spent many an afternoon in the half-empty, rain-lashed stadium yelling “Up the Biscuits!” The Biscuits? This was the nickname given to our trusty team, courtesy of the looming, stinking, belching presence of the Huntley & Palmers Biscuit factory. The years have rolled by, the salaries of the players have increased, and so has my prurient interest in their private lives and the carryings-on of their wives and girlfriends, a.k.a. the legendary WAGs. I’m talking about the likes of Colleen Rooney, Cheryl Cole and, of course, pop star/WAG/fashion force Victoria Beckham. Don’t knock it. The flashy shenanigans that enhance and enrobe the cult of soccer provide my otherwise classist and cash-strapped homeland with a compelling and much-needed dollop of dolce vita. If you’re not sure what I am banging on about, then you need look no further than the hedonistic John Terry. His name became forever etched on the Brit psyche after Sue and Ted, his mum
and dad, were respectively nabbed for shoplifting and selling cocaine in a pub. The headline-grabbing, boozing Chelsea captain recently caused a furor when he shagged a teammate’s lingerie-model girlfriend. Delicious! If my soccer enthusiasms are seeming a bit pervy and inauthentic, well, there’s a good reason for that: They are. I support teams purely based on the glamour, naughtiness and physical appearance of the players. I wanted Portugal to win against Côte d’Ivoire last week purely because Cristiano Ronaldo was playing and his legs are better-looking than those propelling Didier Drogba. Last Saturday, I rooted for Slovenia based on all those jutting cheekbones. Players I am currently keeping a close eye on: Miloš Ninkovic of Serbia, Roque Santa Cruz of Paraguay and Georgios Samaras of Greece. Where is the U.S. in all this? I admit that Benny Feilhaber is a very handsome dude, but his lack of interest in expensive designer duds and his earnest desire to fly under the tabloid radar is a bummer. If the U.S. hopes to dominate the sport—my more knowledgeable soccer-aholic pals seem convinced it will happen in the next 10 years—then the Yanks need to step up and play the game, by which I mean that they must embrace the fabulash, nouveau riche excesses of soccer, get a spray tan, buy the Dolce & Gabbana wardrobe and for God’s sake learn to GROW A PAIR!!!
Torrid action with Cristiano Ronaldo. June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 71
The National Newsroom
The 50-Year-Old Psycho 2
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ACROSS 1 Tucson-to-L.A. dir. 4 In the opening scene, Janet Leigh is seen wearing one 7 Pressure starter 10 Pump output 13 Like some stares 16 Gloss 18 Attached, snail-mail -style: abbr. 19 Hither’s partner 20 Intro to system 21 Cartoon barkeep 22 In his cameo, Hitchcock is seen wearing one 24 Climbs, as stairs 26 Do a yard job 27 FDR spy grp. 28 FDR project 29 With 31 Across, first remark from Norman that has a certain “uh-oh” quality 31 See 29 Across 35 Puts on 36 Flop’s sound 37 Psalms word 38 Ballet bend 40 Flesh-and-blood 42 Siberian city 44 Kurd or Turk 47 The only instruments used in the score (to
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NOTE: “Psycho” premiered in New York City 50 years ago this month, so I thought I’d test your factoidal knowledge.
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remove all of the “color” from the music) 49 “___ all my fault” 52 On the line 55 Made a tree house? 56 With 62 Across, “uh-oh” remark No. 2 from Norman 62 See 56 Across 63 “Just” advice? 64 Spray target 68 Copier woes 69 Away’s partner 70 AA or AAA 72 1961 space chimp 74 “___ chance!” 76 Like some paper 80 With 82 Across, “uh-oh” remark No. 3 from Norman 82 See 80 Across 85 Noble’s home 89 Crusoe, for one 90 Ballpark fig. 91 Joseph who wrote the script 93 Cantaloupe, e.g. 95 Spacecraft 99 Cheeky 100 Facing spud duty 103 Up in the air 106 Geraint’s lady 108 Boots the ball 110 Composer whose score worked so well that Hitch-cock doubled his pay and put his name right before his own in the opening credits
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114 Beatles song whose arrangement was inspired by the music in “Psycho” 116 PBS benefactor 117 Mil. category 118 B. Boxer is one 119 Unending 120 Actor who’s guarding crazy Norman at the end of the film 123 Story progression 124 By way of 125 Spanish uncle 126 “___ had it!” 127 HBO series set in New Orleans 128 Mileage, maybe 129 Request 130 Mama porker 131 Marion buys one and Norman sinks it 132 It’s often after you DOWN 1 Celebrity register 2 Journalistic tourist site in D.C. 3 Sticky trap 4 Nanny’s warning 5 Messenger ___ 6 Play part 7 Stifle ___ 8 Trig ratio, briefly 9 Detach a lapel mike 10 Creation 11 Switch choices 12 “Such a tragedy”
13 About to happen 14 Long time 15 Landscaper’s shrubs 16 Patton player 17 Child’s punishment 23 Actor Montand 25 Stunt legend 29 Gauguin’s retreat 30 Bela contemporary 32 Mitt’s church, initially 33 In the style of 34 Cellist Pablo 39 Sicilian rumbler 41 One may trip on it 43 Tartan wraparound 45 Part of 116 Across 46 Actress Talbot 48 Change totally 50 Happy hour shout 51 Mogadishu resident 53 Like some grins 54 Skywalker mentor 56 Financial daily, briefly 57 Of the dawn 58 Bullets and such 59 “___ we forget” 60 Eagles’ roosts 61 Gloomy 65 The red, perhaps 66 Reporting basics, “Five W’s and ___” 67 Thorny bloom 71 They make you sweat 73 Narrow waterway: abbr. 75 Mennen lotion 77 Richmond-to-D.C. dir. 78 Dutch cheese 79 Call cost, once 80 Schwarzenegger, jocularly 81 Boozers 83 Vegas alternative 84 Anthony Perkins’s was $40,000, same amount that Marion steals 85 Supervision? 86 2009 Super Bowl champs 87 Playwright McNally 88 Broadcasting union 92 Having coffee, maybe 94 Japanese drama 96 Garment line 97 While ticked off 98 “Am I dreaming?” request 101 Actress Deborah 102 Crime scene clues 104 Dent site, often 105 Taxing trip 107 Part of a G major 109 1983 Indy winner Tom 111 Mystery writer Marsh 112 Strike ___ for 113 Diatribe 114 Isaac’s eldest 115 Singer Redding 120 Nervous twitch 121 “Green Acres” first name 122 401(k) alternative
Hollyworld
Year 1 A.M. (After Michael) By Richard Siklos Do you remember where you were when you heard that Michael Jackson died? That’s a retro question nowadays—the kind of thing that is earnestly said about John Lennon or Elvis Presley. For this generation, obviously, the answer is: You were at your computer and read it on TMZ. It’s hard to believe that a year has already passed since the megastar was pronounced dead on June 25, 2009, apparently from an overdose of the anesthesia he was being administered to feign sleep as he rehearsed in Los Angeles for a series of comeback concerts portentously titled “This Is It.” And by “hard to believe a year has already passed,” what I mean is it actually feels considerably longer. So much has happened since Jackson’s untimely death at age 50. He’s had a hit movie with a big-selling soundtrack; sales of his past recordings have skyrocketed; and every move or utterance by his children, parents and siblings is followed by the celebrity press and blogosphere as though they were the Kennedys in the days of Camelot. Later this year, an original album of unreleased Jackson songs will be released, and a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas is in the works. The conventional line now is that Jackson is bigger in death than he was in life—and even bigger than Elvis Presley, the musical “King” whose daughter, let’s recall, the “King of Pop” was married to for a brief time. (And, yes, at some point there will be a Neverland permanent attraction to rival Presley’s Graceland, though the betting is it will be in Las Vegas rather than at the existing Neverland Ranch near Santa Barbara, Calif.) Setting aside the tragic fact that Jackson is not around to see it, his renewed mega-stardom would no doubt have pleased him deeply—after the success of his record-setting Thriller 27 years ago, Jackson sought only to top himself, an ambition that was as unhealthy as it was unrealistic. Transformed physically and behaviorally into the tabloid caricature of Wacko Jacko, the singer spent Continued on page 74
Photo by James Veysey / Retna Ltd.
1
By Merl Reagle
6/24/2010 © M. Reagle Answers found on page 74 72
Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
Michael Jackson’s finances have never looked better.
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New overdraft rules and you By Kathy Kristof, Tribune Media Services
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2]VM 9HJDV 6HYHQ
Arts & Entertainment
Not so Lonely Hearts: (from left) Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander and Tom Petersson.
Music
Fixing a Hole Cheap Trick fills the niche of Beatles nostalgia, whether they like it or not
By Richard Abowitz
For decades Cheap Trick were the most Beatlesinfluenced group not named Badfinger. According to singer Robin Zander, even before his group began doing a Beatzles tribute: “I knew the material inside and out since I was such a big fan of The Beatles.” So it made sense that in 2007, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the original album, Cheap Trick began performing a full-length cover concert of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. According to Zander, he originally thought performing Sgt. Pepper was a bad idea, but the chance to perform at the Hollywood Bowl for the first time overrode his doubts. The short album was extended by guest stars such as Joan Osbourne singing other Beatles classics, and
the Dec. 12, 2007 show was released as an audio CD and DVD. The show in that incarnation played a series of concerts at Las Vegas Hilton. And, like former Hilton headliner Barry Manilow, Cheap Trick has taken the act to Paris. Zander shows a bit of Pepper fatigue in his assessment of the disc: “It isn’t really my favorite Beatles record. It wasn’t pop enough for me. The best songs weren’t there. I was a big fan of Revolver and Rubber Soul. The whole marine band motif was kind of silly to me in a way.” Then, realizing the blasphemy, he quickly adds: “I’ve grown to appreciate the album a lot more. I’ve realized there is more than is on the surface.” But leading a band with its own clutch of hits into Continued on page 78 June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 77
Arts & Entertainment
Reading Bookini
Sites to see
How to Booze by Jordan Kaye and Marshall Altier
By Geoff Carter
By M. Scott Krause I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Why should I take money out of my precious alcohol budget to buy a book about what to drink?” Fair question. The truth is, if you’re only interested in a compendium of popular cocktails, you need the 67th edition of Mr. Boston: Official Bartender’s Guide (Wiley, 2008). The 1,500 or so recipes jammed between those famous red covers ought to hold you for at least a few months. On the other hand, if you’re a budding bartender or amateur mixologist trying to match “the right cocktail with the right moment,” How to Booze (Harper, $14.99) might be a better choice. Although the book contains just more than 100 recipes, the authors have decades of drinking experience: Kaye is a former bartender and sommelier (and current lawyer). His writing partner, Altier, is a professional bartender with numerous accolades under his belt. Happily, their book provides something Mr. Boston can’t: opinions, wisdom and sound judgment. How to Booze quickly covers glassware and basic skills, and immediately addresses the right drink for a first date: the Dark ’n’ Stormy, with “two ingredients, no pretense, and the adven-
turesome warm spice of ginger to keep things interesting.” Elsewhere, the authors provide suggestions on what to drink with your ex (an Old Cuban), what goes best with a random sexual encounter (a Sidecar), and what liquid might lubricate a threesome (a Negroni). And that’s just the first chapter. All along the way, the authors provide thoughtful reasoning with their recipes. This book will guide you through weddings and funerals, toasts and eulogies, meeting in-laws, and making New Year’s resolutions. And should you find yourself feeling hungover the next morning, the authors have a full-proof (though not necessarily 40-proof) remedy. How To Booze isn’t as much fun as drinking, but it’s pretty darn close. Cheers to the authors, and na zdrovia to the readers! Because reading is more fun while sprawled out by the pool, Bookini is the name of our summer reading series.
Cheap Trick Continued from page 77
the colossus of The Beatles must be exhausting and perhaps a little too humbling to the rock star ego. Zander describes the nightly challenge: “We are still Cheap Trick. We are not a cover band. Sometimes I feel myself falling into Beatles cover mode, because I have heard the music my entire life. To retain myself sometimes can be a battle.” Cheap Trick has their own fans, tours and songs, and even to be the world’s best-known Beatles cover band is a shallow replacement for the original rock star experience. Cheap Trick modestly titled their latest album The Latest (2009), but new material means Zander is itching to perform his own tunes, and that is what he wants to do these days. “When you are playing your own music it fulfills you in a way that doing other people’s music doesn’t really. To me, it does anyway.” The Latest remains as Beatles-influenced as ever for Cheap Trick. Zander does not think performing Sgt. Pepper for a couple years added any particular quality to the new Cheap Trick record, which is not to say there was not influence. If there was an effect on The Latest, the 78
Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
psychedelic side of The Beatles’ music is more detectable where Cheap Trick usually stuck to the pop sound of their inspiration. Zander describes the Vegas runs of Sgt. Pepper candidly as “a chore.” “It is more of a plannedout show. They asked us to do this and since we already had done it we felt comfortable.” For the return shows, Zander says not only are the guest stars gone, he is re-energized by the pared down approach. “This is more Cheap Trick. This time it is Cheap Trick seriously doing the whole album. We have cut away the fluff. It is a fun show, but it is honed in on two entities: Cheap Trick and Sgt. Pepper.” Still, Zander seems ready to leave Sgt. Pepper behind and let Cheap Trick return to being the only entity on his stage. And, so unlike other acts who cannot wait to try to get a permanent Vegas residency, Cheap Trick’s take on Sgt. Pepper is definitely temporary beauty at Paris. Sgt. Pepper Live Featuring Cheap Trick. $75-$250, Paris Las Vegas Theatre. June 25-26, June 29-30 and July 21, 24, 28, 31. 888-727-4758.
OTHERS WALK AND CHEW GUM (mandolinandunicycle.wordpress.com) Steve Jobs can talk multitasking all he wants, but until he finally meets Matthew Manos, he won’t know the meaning of the word. One day, Manos made up his mind to learn to play the mandolin and to ride a unicycle, two things he’d always wanted to do. Then he doubled down: Not only would he learn to do these things, but he’d figure out how to do both at once—and he gave himself one month to master the trick. The results are ... nah, I’m not telling you. Go and see.
ROLLING RENT-FREE (poopt.tumblr.com) On the animated series Futurama, a character spoke appreciatively of public transportation as being like “a rolling apartment with no rent.” In that sense, P.O.O.P.T. (Pooped Out On Public Transportation) is a kind of lifestyle publication, one that depicts urbanites crashed out on buses and trains. Some have found ways to block out the light—hoodies pulled low, newspapers draped over faces—but most are just plain bushed, either from too little downtime or too much partying. The user-submitted photos here would do Walker Evans proud: They capture the city dweller at his most genuine moment, just trying to put more hours into the day.
TRUTH IN DOODLE FORM (stuffnoonetoldme.blogspot. com) The author of Stuff No One Told Me (But I Learned Anyways), one Alex Noriega, claims to be “a robot from Barcelona.” The Barcelona part is probably true, but no robot could have come up with the very human advice Noriega gives in the guise of single-panel cartoons. My favorites of his recent realizations: “Being successful means something different to each person. Respect that.” And another: “Always be yourself, unless you’re an arrogant bastard.” And: “No one cares about the two weeks you ‘lived’ [in another country]. Stop bragging about it.” Journalist Geoff Carter is a Las Vegas native living in Seattle, land of virtual titillation.
VINCE NEIl
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doors 8Pm | concerT 9Pm TickeTs available aT and The Pearl box office
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Arts & Entertainment
Music Soundscraper
Proud to be American doom By Jarret Keene My editors gave me a ribbing for an earlier column in which I urged readers to get their “doom metal” on with the exhausting Doom in June festival at Cheyenne Saloon a few weeks ago. Well, they’re going love this edition of Soundscraper, because nothing less than the pioneers of American doom, Saint Vitus, arrive in Vegas on July 1 to crush the eardrums of anyone inside Wasted Space in the Hard Rock. Old (and rare) punk labels like SST were so necessary to ’80s kids like me, and diversity was their strength. SST released all kinds of different acts—from the noisy guitar heroics of Dinosaur Jr., to the power-pop of Hüsker Dü, to the sludge-rock of Saint Vitus. Now there are plenty of indie labels around— even entire labels devoted to the doom genre. Vitus was among the first to embrace the latter tag. “We didn’t even know the term when we started out,” says Vitus founder/guitarist Dave Chandler. “We were just trying to sound like Black Sabbath. A German booking agency slapped ‘doom metal’ on a poster once, and we thought it was cool.” Chandler admits it’s a good feeling now to know his band, which formed way back in 1979, is considered to be among the originators (along with Trouble and Pentagram) of American Doom. Especially after years of slugging it out in bars with little to no attention from critics and tastemakers. Chandler wrote and still writes songs about the doom that nuclear war will inevitably bring. He says he was ex-
posed to a lot of Cold War movies in the pop culture in which he grew up. Fear of atomic destruction was everywhere he looked. “Then I moved to New Orleans in May of 2005, right before Hurricane Katrina hit. I’ve got a few things to say about that. It’s become a crazier, darker place to live. Now, with this bullshit oil spill, I don’t what’s going to happen.” Despite more than 30 years of writing and performing Doom Metal, Chandler still basically listens to the same music he’s always listened—fellow doomers such as Witchfinder General and Candlemass. Vitus has never played Vegas before, and Chandler hopes to be bringing copies of a new seven-inch vinyl recording of a live version of signature song, yes, “Saint Vitus.” It will have to tide over fans until next year, when Vitus hopes to finally release a new album, the first since 1995’s Die Healing. Visit hartswastedspace.com for more info on this awesome show. Other places to spot your friendly neighborhood Soundscraper this week: Northern California’s thrashy crust-punk band Early Graves levels Lucky Lady Bar & Grill (4360 S. Decatur Blvd.) June 26, 8 p.m., $8. R&B/neo-soul songstress Erykah Badu dazzles The Pearl in The Palms June 24, 8 p.m., $45-$65. Eighties post-punkers The Psychedelic Furs get frisky at House of Blues June 26, 7:30 p.m., $25.50. Do you play in a Vegas doom-metal band? Contact jarret_keene@yahoo.com.
Saint Vitus will herald the Apocalypse at Wasted Space on July 1. 80 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
CD Reviews
By Jarret Keene
DREAM-POP
Mystery Jets Serotonin (Rough Trade) Mystery Jets are a very young band hailing from London that has already nailed down the whole international-rock-fame vibe with a lovely gem of an album produced by no less than Chris Thomas (Roxy Music, Sex Pistols). Consisting of 11 dashing tracks that veer from synth-driven power-pop (“Lorna Doone”) to Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd psychedelic jingles (“Too Late to Talk”) to greasy garage rave-ups (“Lady Grey”), Serotonin will convert the most jaded critic by virtue of its pure, uncompromising enthusiasm for Bowie-grade post-punk glam. That frontman Blaine Harrison suffers from spina bifida and needs crutches to get anywhere somehow accounts for the huge imagination on display: If there’s a disc that enables listeners to escape challenging environs in exchange for inventive sonic landscapes, where every song unfurls like a new frontier, this is it. ★★★★✩
ELECTRO-DANCE
The Chemical Brothers Further (Virgin/Freestyle Dust) Before hearing this disc, I’d have greeted the release of a Chemical Brothers album with a shrug. The British electronic duo was hyped years ago as musical revolutionaries, but the Next Big Thing prophecy failed—as did efforts like 2007’s subpar We Are the Night. Perhaps inspired by the recent avalanche of new, buttkicking keyboard jockeys (Crystal Castles, Four Tet, etc.), Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons have fashioned their best work in a decade, settling on an ideal mix of Krautrock and house. Further pushes the band in a spookier, more psychedelic direction. If you don’t believe me, then snort the opening track, “Snow,” and witness its white blanket of static gradually giving way to a female vocalist confessing: “Love keeps lifting me higher.” More highlights: “Wonders of the Deep” is a New Age ocean adventure worthy of a Cousteau doc, while “Horse Power” hits like a dirty old Cybotron single from Motor City. A return to form, indeed. ★★★✩✩
JAM BAND
Moksha Mammal or Machine (Self-released) Local quartet Moksha sent me a review copy of their debut disc without knowing a crucial bit of info: I absolutely despise jam band pop, groove rock and prog-jazz wankery with a fury that defies reason. The whole scene makes me think of burned grilled cheese, bad acid and women who don’t wash. Still, Mammal or Machine is the only jam band album I find myself popping into the pool patio stereo this summer. I suspect it’s because of the quality of the tunes and the massive guest stardom, particularly the bluesy funk jam “Blind to the Time,” which features Santana’s horn section, and the Caribbean-flavored “Island Thyme,” which spotlights the killer licks of Neville Brothers guitarist Brian Stoltz. There are touches of electronica throughout, confirming Moksha isn’t content to simply follow in Phish’s fin-prints; instead this Vegas-based act aims to please hippies and push musical boundaries. More power to them. ★★★✩✩
June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 81
Arts & Entertainment
Art
In better days: A Dennis Oppenheim exhibit earlier this year.
The Art of Closing The city of Las Vegas shutters cultural center gallery By Jarret Keene In tough economic times, it’s often the little people that lose. Case in point: the art gallery inside Reed Whipple Cultural Center (821 Las Vegas Blvd. North). Earlier this year, the Las Vegas City Council set aside $25,000 to partially restore funding to the center after a proposal emerged to shutter it due to a budget shortfall. Public outcry allowed more funding to be secured, saving the center’s current programs: Rainbow Company Youth Theatre, the Neon Museum’s temporary office and the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra. However, the art gallery space was closed last week and will remain empty. The cost was $4,000 to $5,000 per year to run the gallery. While not as huge a loss as last year’s closing of the Las Vegas Art Museum, the Reed Whipple gallery, which opened in 1979, hosted a number of noteworthy and well-received shows, including Altered States: Artists Re-imagine the Book, curated by L.A. artist Joseph Shuldiner. Moreover, countless local and regional artists had their works featured in solo and group exhibits over the course of the gallery’s 30-year history. Some of the city’s top artists—Wendy Kveck, Catherine
Borg, Aaron Sheppard, Danielle Kelly— have curated and/or exhibited work there. Indeed, Vegas artists are already feeling the impact. Erin Stellmon and Elizabeth Blau, for instance, were scheduled to have a joint show in the gallery this fall. That show is canceled with no plans revive it. Stellmon, who works for the Neon Museum, says the Reed Whipple gallery benefited from international visitors who would stroll down the Boulevard to visit after touring the Boneyard, an outdoor collection of old neon signs. “Very often people mistakenly believe they have to drive to the middle of nowhere to see the Neon Museum,” Stellmon says. “The gallery helped to show visitors that there’s actual culture happening down here.” The state of culture in the Cultural Corridor is now wavering. The Neon Museum is not yet open, and the Lied Discovery Children’s Museum has been threatening to leave for years. Culture will continue to happen at the northern edge of the city across from Cashman Center, of course, but on a more limited scale. The city’s other art spaces remain open—at least for the time being.
Art’s Alive Fortunately, not all art is lost to the Great Recession. There are still art galleries in city of Las Vegas facilities. Admission is free to these upcoming exhibits. New York-based artist John Nieman unveils his Art of Lists during a June 25 (5:30 to 7:30 p.m.) opening reception at Charleston Heights Arts Center Gallery (11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 800 S. Brush St.). The exhibit consists of a series of tongue-in-cheek pop-culture paintings that celebrate verbal/visual puns. “Jacks,” for instance, displays a child’s set of playground toys foregrounded by famous people named Jack—Nicholson, London, Benny, etc. On July 16, look for the Celebrating Life! 2010 Winners Circle exhibit in the Bridge Gallery on the second floor of City Hall (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 400 Stewart Ave.). This is the result of an annual art competition for Clark County residents age 50 and older in all genres. 82 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
Stage
iMagic
Comedy-magician Mac King and the new trend in iPhone apps By Jaq Greenspon “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” says Arthur C. Clarke, the author who gave us 2001: A Space Odyssey. And while devices such as the iPad certainly seem like magic, our trendy technology is now being used to create magic. A simple search of “magic tricks” on the iTunes store turns up hundreds of applications. For example, magician (and David Copperfield’s executive producer) Chris Kenner has Rising Card ($2.99), an effect where a named card rises out of a pack shown on the screen. Marty’s Magic Coin ($2.99) traps a coin inside your iPod Touch or iPhone only to come out into the real world with a shake of the wrist. And Tenyo, a venerable name in the magic marketplace, has created Magic Shuffle (99 cents), where a named card turns upside down in the screen deck. Any of these apps, and the hundreds like them, can generally be
performed just a few minutes after purchasing and downloading them from the app store. Comedy magician Mac King is now joining the fray with an app for the iPhone and iPod called Campfire Magic. A companion piece to his recent book of the same name, the app acts as a visual supplement to the book’s collection of 50 easy tricks for 9- to 12-year-olds. Here, King is playing the app game by his own rules. Instead of creating an application that turns your device into a show prop, King’s app is educational. It will teach you 11 tricks and tips that aren’t in his book. Although it would be cool to see what iPhone trick he would’ve invented, King’s app is what we should expect from the man who gave us Tricks You Can Do With Your Head: Hilarious Magic Tricks and Stunts
to Disgust and Delight (Three Rivers Press, 2002), which instructs readers how to stick food up their noses and utensils in their eyes. Outside of his show, he’s all about teaching and making the normally restricted realm of magic open to the general public, who can now get more out
of their iPhones than a new high score on BrickBreaker. Campfire Magic iPhone App. Full version $4.99, “Lite” version is free. iTunes app store. Mac King’s show is $25, 1 and 3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at Harrah’s.
June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 83
Arts & Entertainment
Movies Punch Drunk Love
The violence in The Killer Inside Me is horrifying to watch, and ultimately knocks this film off balance
By Rex Reed I don’t pretend to understand movie audiences under 30 with an evergrowing lust for blood, bowels, vomit and torture. But they’ll get plenty of it all in an apocalyptic view of toxic humanity called The Killer Inside Me, another sweaty, feverish adaptation of visceral pulp fiction by the nihilistic gonzo writer Jim Thompson, who was not labeled “the dime-store Dostoevsky” for nothing. This movie is so staggeringly violent and stomach-souring disgusting that when it screens, it is occasionally greeted with boos and almost always accompanied by massive audience walkouts. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Set in 1959, it is based on the 1952 novel that tells the gruesome, graphic story of a psychopathic 29-year-old small-town Texas deputy sheriff and secret serial killer named Lou Ford, played with a mask of seductive charm by Casey Affleck that curdles the marrow. Mild-mannered and baby-faced in his wide-brim Stetson and kidskin boots, courteous and polite to the neighbors and a model law enforcer, Lou is a popular local figure in a burnedout hick town where everyone thinks they know who everyone else is. But they don’t know this monster. From the minute Lou stuffs out a lighted cigar in the hand of a harmless drunk, you know he’s a creature of darkness hiding behind the smile of a choirboy. This is Thompson territory, where nothing is what it seems, and danger waits in every alley like a coiled diamondback rattlesnake. Lou is a nasty piece of work, and so is this film by British director Michael Winterbottom, a stylish filmmaker who inexplicably wanders far afield from his usual heartfelt social documents such as A Mighty Heart and The Road to Guantánamo to tell a story without a trace of redeeming social value. (To be honest, he tells it very well, but read on.) The first indication that Lou is a homicidal maniac comes early, when a rich old country mayor (Ned Beatty) sends him to pay off a whore named Joyce ( Jessica Alba) and run her out of town. Lou gets one free slice of Joyce’s pie and takes her for his lover instead, cooking up a scheme to blackmail her client, who is the mayor’s son. But when the noose begins to tighten around his own neck, Lou beats Joyce to death in one of the most hair-raising scenes ever filmed, puts a bullet through her client’s skull and keeps the money. The best-laid plans backfire. Joyce miraculously survives and is flown unconscious to Fort Worth. The innocent kid Lou arrested to pin the murder on is found mysteriously hanging in his cell after Lou pays him a clandestine visit.
Then, for no logical reason, he slaughters his trusting, stupid girlfriend, Amy (Kate Hudson), on the day of their elopement, kicking her head wide open while a pool of blood circles across the floor. Celebrating graphic violence the way a party gets out of hand, Lou cordially greets the visiting law enforcers (Bill Pullman, Simon Baker), who arrive with what’s left of Joyce the prostitute, by setting his house on fire and burning them all to death. None of this makes sense; no character motivation is ever analyzed; and by the time the end credits roll, everyone in the film is dead already. The film is seriously lacking in a sense of redemption, and I couldn’t find a moral purpose with a spyglass. Meanwhile, as much as I thoroughly detested this monumental piece of charnel-house crap, I admit there is plenty to keep the mind from wandering. The cinematography gets the dark jail cells and dank houses right, blending perfectly with the sand and sagebrush of rural Texas (although the whole thing was filmed in New Mexico). Affleck is the center of attention, and director Winterbottom does everything to make him riveting. One minute he’s a sexy, childlike toy boy, posed at his piano in his underwear and cowboy hat, picking out the blues. The next minute he’s slapping Joyce into the wall while Spade Cooley twangs “Shame
on You.” The shock element is his vicious assault on Joyce. Smashing her face like a squash, it’s the movie’s most controversial scene and its ultimate downfall. In the book it takes up only half a page, but in the movie the misogynist sleaze drags on and on until you are forced to cover your eyes. Worse, the camera lingers on Joyce’s pulverized face and crushed eye sockets for the sake of pure titillation. The mutilation of a Hollywood sex symbol famous for her airbrushed beauty has an obscene effect that unbalances the film. After his unforgettable stint three years ago as another Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Affleck has been polishing the edge on smarmy, blank-slate sociopaths. Whiny, obsessed with cleanliness and effeminately fussy, his Lou Ford suggests a controlled, self-assured and murky cross between Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer and Norman Bates in Psycho. His delicacy is understated, but Winterbottom ruins his good intentions by showing him brooding sullenly to a Gustav Mahler symphony. I don’t see a Lone Star Texas cop as an intellectual pervert. The Marquis de Sade would never have lasted 24 hours in a Texas sandstorm. Tell Rex your thoughts about this film at rreed@observer.com
Jessica Alba’s gaze cuts deep into the heart of Texas. 84
Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
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Arts & Entertainment
Movies
Hollywood Shows the Strain Cruise and Diaz offer escapist rubbish By Cole Smithey James Mangold (Walk the Line and 3:10 to Yuma) pawns off his direction credentials to this spastic piece of celebrity eye-candy action drivel. Actorturned-first-time screenwriter Patrick O’Neill pieces together a series of shoot-’em-up computer-generated chase scenes that exist as inert bubbles of characterless plot-points in a sea of vacuous narrative foam. Cameron Diaz (the actress who contaminated Scorsese’s Gangs of New York) plays June Havens, an implausible muscle-car mechanic living in Boston. Her ex-boyfriend Rodney (Marc Blucas) still has the hots for her. To June’s dimwitted surprise, she gets wrapped up with CIA counter spy Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) when Roy slips a MacGuffin into her luggage before the two board the same flight. Once in the air, Roy dispatches everyone on the plane—pilots included—while she fixes her makeup in the restroom. One crash-landing later, Roy and June adopt each other as vaguely romantic counterparts on a mission to upset the peace of a desert island, a public bull run in Spain and elegant backstreets in Austria. Closer in tone to the recent Mr. and Mrs. Smith knock-off Killers than the suave and superbad Bourne Identity thriller that it imagines lurks within, Knight and Day is a shell of a movie. Cruise might look better than most 47-year-old movie stars, and Diaz isn’t exactly hard on the eyes, but you need more than looks to keep an audience’s attention. Big changes are afoot in Hollywood: 2010 is shaping up to be the worst year for big-budget motion pictures for as far back as you can remember. Although it was received with mixed reviews when it was released in February, Paramount’s Shutter
Island stands out as the best movie to come out of La La Land this year. Nearly all the big studios’ independent boutiques have shuttered, save for Fox Searchlight. Foreign gems such as The Secret in Their Eyes and A Prophet arrive, along with the occasional inspired documentary, as welcome buffers to H’Wood’s ever inferior stream of predictably lacking romantic comedies, sequels, remakes, comic book spectacles and lame attempts at television show prop-ups such as Sex and the City 2 and MacGruber. Everyone in the entertainment business is worried, and it shows on the big screen. With no regulations yet put in place against Wall Street after its last take-everything spree, money moguls are once again poised to pull another calculated steal that will drive the country and the global economy into an unstoppable freefall. States such as New York are set to go bankrupt, and we go to the movies to see how much better Cruise is doing than everyone else. Big-budget films such as Knight and Day represent a distracted effort at giving audiences something to momentarily capture our imaginations and allow us to forget about everyone we know losing their jobs and homes. What we get is a feigned attempt at tongue-in-cheek post-modern humor, as when Roy kidnaps June during a dinner conversation with her ex-boyfriend. Super spy Roy has a habit of drugging
Making Katie Holmes jealous: Diaz and Cruise.
June for 18 hours at a time while he spirits off to unknown places. These head-bonk segues allow for some disorienting perspective shifts that perhaps mirror all too closely America’s weakened grasp on Halliburton-bent reality. Knight and Day has the adverse effect of reminding you that you are having the wool pulled over your eyes to distract you from the film’s utter lack of objectives, much less a thematic message of any substance. As Roy advises June, “Whenever someone tells you repeatedly that you are safe, it’s the opposite, you are in fact in danger of losing your freedom indefinitely.” That’s the big idea Knight and Day carries like a virus while you watch the wild car chases with the pretty actors. You’re not safe.
Knight and Day (PG-13)
✩✩✩✩✩
By Cole Smithey and Sharon Kehoe
SHoRT ReviewS
Movie TiMeS
Jonah Hex (PG-13)
✩✩✩✩✩
“Slipshod” doesn’t begin to express the approach that its team of screenwriters and clueless director ( Jimmy Hayward) take in making a pejoratively cartoonish movie. Most upsetting is the utter waste of talents Josh Brolin, John Malkovich and Michael Shannon. Rather than a cohesive story with developed characters, Jonah Hex is an abomination of disjointed apocryphal elements set during the Civil War.
86 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
The Karate Kid (PG)
★★✩✩✩
Adhering to the 1984 original, this Will Smith-produced remake goes to China. Jackie Chan is Mr. Han, a martial arts master who mentors the young Dre ( Jaden Smith). The film feels bloated and yet unsatisfying: Director Harold Zwart (The Pink Panther 2) doesn’t dig deep enough into his characters’ motivations. For all Dre’s training (Smith studied with stunt coordinator Wu Gang), we never see the learning process take seed.
The A-Team (R)
★✩✩✩✩
Inspired by the ’80s era television series, four Special Forces vets are forced to go rogue after being imprisoned for a vague crime involving counterfeit money in Baghdad. Liam Neeson is team strategist “Hannibal” Smith, Bradley Cooper is a charmer with romantic ties to U.S. military heavyweight Charisa Sosa ( Jessica Biel) and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson fills Mr. T’s shoes as B.A. Baracus. This films offers stupefaction over satisfaction.
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Arts & Entertainment
Movies
Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) return in Toy Story 3.
Cole’s Story
How my review of Toy Story 3 blew up in my face By Cole Smithey Last Friday I did what I usually do on Friday mornings, I walked to my local cineplex to pay to see a movie (in this case Toy Story 3). After lunch I wrote my capsule review and gave it two out of five stars. By Saturday morning I had a message from a website asking for a phone interview and the kind of hate-mail you’d reserve for murderers. The problem was that I had dared tarnish TS3’s “100 percent” Rottentomatoes rating, which would have given the trilogy three perfect scores. New York Press’ Armond White redoubled the insult by posting his even less favorable review 15-miniutes later. In a flash, the Web had turned into a tsunami of negative attention directed at myself and White, the 146th and 147th critics to weigh in on TS3. Sites such as Time.com, The Wall Street Journal’s Speakeasy blog and AOL’s PopEater lumped White’s and my reviews together as critics who “hated Toy Story 3.” How my two stars equaled “hate” mattered not. As with everything in American media, there’s no room for nuance in today’s court of public opinion. Meanwhile, my review was being sniffed at like a box of Cracker Jack with no prize. Although I’d made 15 specific points, some readers seemed unable to grasp a single criticism. Did they even bother to read it? The answer was painfully clear. All they needed to know was that I didn’t like a movie that most of them hadn’t even seen. There isn’t a film I can think of that doesn’t have detractors, so why should TS3 be different? Yet the media’s framing of me as an attention-hungry film critic, gaming the system at the expense of a movie franchise’s place in history, is a stretch editors were happy to make. You could surmise that hate-mongers Rush 88 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have opened the floodgates for a conscience-free mob mentality to breed like gangrene. I am the staff film editor for Kidsville News!, where I deal exclusively with G and PG-rated movies. I also have young nieces and nephews whose parents who are sensitive to what their kids see. I could not in good conscience endorse TS3 as a G-rated film that meets their criteria. Hollywood is also changing the game on 3-D movies so it can charge higher prices for an inferior product. TS3 is a poster child of this unsavory practice. By definition, being a critic means it is my job to critique. I wrote my TS3 review just as I write any piece of criticism—with honesty, sincerity and clarity. For the media and members of the public to grow indignant over such a trivial issue as an aggregate website’s critical rating of a movie, as an excuse to unify groupthink at the cost of all independent thought, is a bellwether of where America is at these days. It’s not a safe place for kids, but don’t say it out loud. An Excerpt from Smithey’s Toy Story 3 Capsule Review Once you get past the inflated price for an animated 3-D movie where nothing floats in front of your eyes, the story that unfolds is more sad than joyful. Additionally, the inappropriately cruel and drawn-out climax is too intense for young children. TS3 is about neglect, betrayal and the planned obsolescence of plastic toys. ... Wrongheaded and overly mature for young audiences, TS3 sends some pretty dark messages for little ones to digest. A PG-rating would have been more appropriate.
Rated G. 103 mins. ★★✩✩✩
Gadgets & Tech
Selective content drives new era of digital curation By Eric Benderoff
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90 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
When you hear the term “curator,” you may picture a condescending, meticulously dressed, librarian-type person in thick-rimmed glasses. Yet there’s a new breed of curator out there—content curators—and they range from being as welldressed as a college dean, to as casual as a sweatpants-clad college student. Instead of their attire, this new breed of archivist and collector is most concerned with the appearance of a website. They select content—news stories, blog posts, videos, even apps—for placement on individual sites, with the goal of making pages appeal to readers whom their publishers (and advertisers) want to attract. This is different than “content aggregation,” which has long-vexed traditional magazine and newspaper publishers, and is separate from Google News’ content aggregator, which randomly scans the Web for headlines that pertain to what’s happening in the world. Curated digital content is more selective, and it’s a term that is gaining traction. Frankly, when I first heard about “content curation” on the Web, I was taken aback. Digital content is so fleeting, and many stories have a shelf life of mere hours before they get lost among the constantly growing flow of information. Indeed, we miss far more interesting or curious items on the Web than we see. Curating this content is the art of selectively archiving that fast-moving flow of content by finding the best stuff and making sure it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. Earlier this year, Appolicious.com launched a feature called “curated apps.” The site (which I occasionally write for) encourages its users to become curators, and create lists of apps that they found useful. Results include “Android Apps for the ultimate road trip,” (curated by a user who refers to himself as an amateur fighter and nomad), and the “Top 5 toddler apps” (curated by a mother of three). “We have over 500 lists for the iPhone alone,” says Appolicious CEO Alan Warms. “It’s a really important part of what we are doing, about getting to the niches that people are interested in. That’s what we are trying to get at.” Appolicious uses the phrase “app lists” on its main page, but when one clicks on the “lists” tab, the term “curated app lists” appears and users are encouraged to create their own lists.
Besides the self-proclaimed nomads and stay-at-home moms who curate content for social media websites, a more professional approach to—and criticism of—curation is growing. In a recent column comparing Android apps to those of the iPhone, New York Times tech columnist David Pogue wrote that “for all the controversy about Apple’s app-store gatekeeping, the iPhone store is clearly better curated than the Android store.” Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps recently noted in an Ars Technica blog post that the iPad would bring a “new era of personal computing that we call ‘Curated Computing’—a mode of computing where choice is constrained to deliver less complex, more relevant experiences.” She compares the iPad to a jukebox, able to run the apps we choose, making each of us a curator of sorts. “Each of these applications is in itself also curated,” Epps says, “since the publisher selects content and functionality that’s appropriate to the form factor—just as a museum curator selects artwork from a larger collection to exhibit in a particular gallery space.” For publishers, curation is about engaging readers—keeping them on a website by filling the site with relevant content. With this in mind, digital content curation needs to be more than a collection of links; effective curation is a smart, organized way of archiving and sharing related information. The use of digital curation is nothing new: We have entire buildings scattered across the country that are filled with computer servers to make sure all the pages we put out there (including all those salacious e-mails that lawyers like to use in court) never go away. Still, the real trick to content curation is picking through all the data and making sense of it. This process might not need years of post-graduate study to perform correctly, but certainly requires an educated look and the savvy to know what should stay, and what can be allowed float off into the abyss of cyberspace. Chicago-based technolog y columnist Eric Benderoff writes about consumer electronics and runs BendableMedia.com, an editorial services firm. He frequently discusses tech trends and new gadgets on various national radio and TV programs. Follow him on Twitter @ericbendy.
Dining Rock Solid
Rare 120 is well-done, but not necessarily because of the steak By Max Jacobson The maxim “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” evidently didn’t apply to AJ’s, the Hard Rock Hotel’s original steak house. Management felt it was time for change, and the space is now home to a new concept called Rare 120, a name referring to the temperature when steak is cooked rare. The original venue was sedate, cast in the classic Vegas mold. This place fairly throbs with ’80s bands such as U2 and Depeche Mode blasting away over the sound system, and soundless ’80s movies such as Top Gun, screened on clever plasma TVs mounted on the wall. I have to wonder if this crowd, mostly Gen X and Yers, is old enough to remember them. The Dolce Group from Los Angeles was hired to give the room a fresh ultra lounge look. Seating in the stylish room is on white cloth chairs emblazoned with black scribbles. A well-endowed team of female servers look very resplendent in their black skirts and tights, and tighter white blouses. Chef Jonathan Snyder has lots of original ideas, so the menu is progressive. Six skewered orbs called Kobe Meatball Lollipops, for instance, are
Photography by Anthony Mair
Continued on page 94
Rare 120’s ice cream sandwiches (above) and the best chicken in the city (right). June 24-30, 2010 Vegas Seven 93
Dining
Diner’s Notebook
Atomic is the bomb, and Smashburger adds a location
Rare beauties: the Kobe Meatball Lollipops (left) and steamed clams (right). The interior (below) isn’t bad, either. Rare 120 Continued from page 93
presented with three dipping sauces—basil aioli, honey mustard and spicy ketchup. And the baked oysters are nice, too, with truffled creamed spinach topping. (I was grateful, by the way, not to taste any truffle oil in the topping. I’d like to see this horrible chemical waste product put to permanent rest. It’s artificially produced, in a lab, not made from actual truffles.) Other starters from the menu worth a try include steamed clams with ginger, Thai chili, cilantro and lime, and spicy ahi tartare. One that did not impress me was the house Caesar. The dressing was limp, and the so-called pizza croutons even more limp. Steaks here are USDA Prime, 28-day dry-aged, but my 18-ounce bonein rib-eye, while nicely flavorful and tender, didn’t have the gamy flavor of the dry-aged meat you’d get at, say, Delmonico or Carnevino. The dish that impressed me most, for that matter, wasn’t even beef. It was organic chicken, cooked two ways—one roasted, the other a confit. This is not only the best chicken 94
Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
dish in the city, it’s one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever had in my life. The bird was so crisp and flavorful I wanted to lick the plate. Confit is meat preserved in its own salt and fat, but pan-roasting rendered most of the fat out, so the meat was sheer perfection. As to the side dishes, the mushroom pot pie—crimini, shiitake, oyster and button mushrooms in a rich cream sauce with a pastry hat—leads the parade. I was envious of the Rare 120 herbed fries at an adjacent table. I got stuck with some grilled corn that didn’t taste grilled. Lastly, pastry chef Nicole Jones is a talent. Ice cream sandwiches, assorted cookies that manage to stay warm in spite of thick ice cream fillings, are terrific, and the house dessert plate, Indulgence, is almost as over the top as Tom Cruise playing Maverick on the small screen. Open 6-11 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday, until midnight Friday and Saturday. Dinner for two, $89-$145. Call 603-5000 for reservations.
Two entrepreneurs, Rachelle Fournier and Ginger Corbett, have collaborated on Atomic #7, and after sampling their wares next to the Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson (605 Mall Ring Circle, 458-4777), I am huge fan. This is unlike anything you’ve tried before, and I’m predicting that the concept will turn into a franchise. First you order an ice cream from a list of bases, such as cream, almond milk or coconut milk. The next step is to choose flavors and add-ins. Then the real fun begins. One of the two partners freezes your ingredients in a mixing bowl by means of pumping in liquid nitrogen from cylinders just below the counter. Then they scoop it into a cup of different size, depending on your order. Cream tastes best, then coconut milk, if left up to me. The smoothies are interesting, too. I ordered their signature smoothie, the Atomic Amazon, a 24-ounce drink made with 18 ingredients, including acai, goji, mangosteen and other antioxidants. It tastes like an ordinary berry smoothie, but according to Corbett, who has one every morning for breakfast, it is much healthier. The seven, incidentally, represents nitrogen’s place on the Periodic Table. We like that number. Did anyone catch Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution series when it aired on ABC in March? If not, you can see it at abc.com, and you should. He confronts school cooks and officials in Huntington, W. Va., and he takes them to task for what the children eat. In the beginning, the kids throw his baked chicken and fruit in the trash, preferring Chicken McNuggets and pizza instead. Later … well, watch the series. Over at the Venetian, David Burke has left the building, even though a gilded egg, his signature logo, still sits on the sill on restaurant row in that casino. Now the location houses a quasi-Italian restaurant called E.B.’s Timpano Tavern, and methinks other Italian restaurants in the complex, which include Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino next door, Zeffirino upstairs and the three Mario Batali restaurants in house, aren’t over the moon about it. Finally, the success of Smashburger at West Lake Mead Boulevard and North Buffalo Drive has led to the opening of a second location, at South Fort Apache Road and West Sahara Avenue. These burgers are meaty, messy and delicious, and Smashburger is the best burger chain since In-N-Out. The Sin City Smashburger—a half-pound of Angus beef, fried egg, applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, haystack onions, grilled onions and Smash sauce on an egg bun—ain’t for sissies. Hungry, yet? Follow Max Jacobson’s latest epicurean observations, reviews and tips at foodwinekitchen.com.
Photography by Anthony Mair
By Max Jacobson
Dining
Dishing Got a favorite dish? Tell us at comments@weeklyseven.com.
Prime Rib Sandwich at American Fish
The 45-ounce dry-aged Angus prime rib is salt-baked for about 45 minutes at 275 degrees, then rested and sliced thin. This delight is served on a grilled ciabatta with oven-roasted tomatoes, pickled red onions and horseradish crème fraiche. “A prime rib sandwich and Hefeweizen is one of my favorite ways to wind down after a busy service,” chef Sven Mede says. $8, $5 during happy hour, in Aria, 590-8544.
96 Vegas Seven June 24-30, 2010
Pan-Seared Salmon with Rhubarb Chutney at Vintner Grill
Chef Matt Silverman is one of the most creative talents in the Vegas food world. This dish is perfect for summer and couldn’t be simpler—just a great piece of fish on a bed of greens, perfectly complemented by this tart fruit. $27, 10100 W. Charleston Blvd., 214-5590.
Frrrozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 3 This fun restaurant will make you feel like a kid again, especially when it comes time for dessert. It was a secret recipe that even Jackie O. couldn’t get a hold of. An icy blend of rich cocoa and 20 different varieties of chocolate topped with whipped cream. It comes with two straws—for sharing. $9.75, Caesars Palace, 731-7373.
Chicken Wings with Thai Flavors at Nu Sanctuary
These wings—crunchy, flecked with Fresno chili and lemon grass, and served with cooling tzatziki—might be the best chicken wings in Las Vegas. They are certainly the most original. $10, in Town Square, 572-7851.
Dining
Cooking With …
Pineapple Fried Rice Serves 3-4
1 small pineapple 3 tablespoons cooking oil 2 tablespoons dried shrimp (Thai) 4-6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 3 tablespoons shallots, diced 4 ounces Chinese sausage, sliced thin 4-6 medium shrimp, peeled and cleaned ½ tablespoon ginger, finely chopped 4 cups day-old rice 2-3 tablespoons fish sauce 1-2 tablespoons Thai soybean sauce 1 tablespoon sugar ½ tablespoon curry powder 2 to 3 green onions, chopped 2 teaspoons white pepper 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves Method: Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and cut out the fruit section. Remove the core and cut the fruit into medium dice. Reserve about one cup of pineapple for the fried rice. In a large skillet, heat oil until a wisp of white smoke appears. Add the dried shrimp and fry until crispy, about 20 seconds. Stir in garlic and shallots and cook until light brown. Add the Chinese sausage and cook until they are slightly crisp, about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and ginger and cook until the shrimp start to turn pink, about 1 minute.
Wazuzu chef’s unique dish draws from his Chinese and Thai heritage
By Max Jacobson Jet Tila was a relative unknown when he won the job as executive chef at Wazuzu in Encore, beating out dozens of other candidates when he scored big with a chef’s tasting. Today, at the relatively tender age of 32, he’s one of the youngest and brightest major chefs on the Strip. Of Thai-Chinese descent, he was reared in Los Angeles in a restaurant family. He makes frequent trips to Asia, and is fluent in both Thai and Cantonese. Like many in his generation, he is Internet-savvy, and launched one of the first cooking websites, chefjet.com. His parents started a chain called Royal Thai Cuisine in Southern California, and he worked through all the positions in the restaurant, all the way up to head chef. Tila is comfortable with many different types of Asian cooking, so the sushi, Indian-style roti breads, and Malaysian dishes at his restaurant are as dependable as the Thai and Chinese ones. Tila chose his pineapple fried rice for its elegance and simplicity, but also for the Chinese flavors and Thai tendency to incorporate fruit in savory dishes.
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Fold in green onions and white pepper. Transfer the fried rice into the halved pineapple. Garnish with springs of fresh cilantro.
SuggeSted PairingS ’07 Produttori Barbaresco Danielle Price, executive director of wine at Wynn, recommends this wine from Piedmont in northern Italy ($18 a glass at the restaurant). “This elegant Nebbiolo has strawberry and rose notes with velvety tannins which complement the Chinese sausage in the dish,” she says. For an affordable alternative, Kenny Lee of Lee’s Liquor recommends a ’05 Terre da Vino Barbaresco ($15 a bottle).
Fried Rice photo by Anthony Mair
Jet Tila
Fold in rice; make sure not to break grains. Add the fish sauce, soybean sauce, sugar and curry powder. Continue to stir for about a minute. Stir in pineapple. Cook fried rice for 1-2 more minutes, folding constantly and mixing ingredients well.
Travel
Chill Out in vancouver
There’s an abundance of summertime beauty in B.C., and you can’t beat the eats By Max Jacobson
Must-sees: Capilano Suspension Bridge and Park (above) and Granville Market (right). And a must-eat: Go Fish (far right).
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etables with red beans in yellow mustard seed and coconut curry. On day two I like to rent a bicycle and ride around the seawall that fronts Stanley Park, the city’s version of Central Park. (Bicycle rentals are all over town. Your hotel concierge will direct you to the nearest one.) The park is huge, magnificently scenic and peaceful. Look to the north, and you’ll get an unobstructed view of Vancouver Island, ships steaming in the distance. Then I head for Granville Island Public Market, usually by water taxi ($2.50) from the Mainland. The Market is a colorful jumble of fruit and snack stands, butcher shops, bagel sellers and restaurants, not to mention dozens of street performers. Missing it would be like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. I always save some of my appetite, because out behind the market, in the neighborhood called Kitsilano (“Kits” to locals), is Go Fish, where people queue up for fresh beer-battered halibut with Kennebec potato fries, and wonderful panko-crusted tuna sandwiches. The third day I like to visit the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (6393 Marine Dr. NW,
$14 admission), where there are more than 36,000 ethnographic objects here, and a half million more archaeological ones. It puts me in the mood to eat in the city’s most celebrated Chinese restaurant, Sun Sui Wah. The restaurant is mainly patronized by Cantonese, who come for the amazing dim sum: sticky rice dumplings, ha gow, siu mai, fried rice noodles, five spice spare ribs, steamed chicken with Chinese sausage. Another great dinner choice is the C Restaurant, where chef Robert Clark prepares fresh Canadian seafood in creative fashion. Be sure to hit the North Van, as locals call it, and the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Park, a series of treetop suspension bridges in a pine forest that afford a thrilling natural view (3735 Capilano Road; admission $29.95). If you have a fear of heights, you may want to skip it. The morning before heading back, I stop for breakfast at Medina Café for a Belgian waffle, or one of Belgian owner Nico Schuermans’ skillet breakfasts. The specialty here is gaufrettes, in Canada-speak— small, buttery waffles that taste best with a drizzle of pure Canadian maple syrup. It’s a great memory to leave with.
If You Go … Getting There: Vancouver is remarkably easy to access from Las Vegas. Most flights leave in mid-afternoon and arrive in time for dinner. When you return, you clear U.S. Customs in Canada. Alaska Airlines has advance roundtrip fares for around $350. You’ll need a valid U.S. passport. Where to Stay: Opus Hotel, 322 Davie St. (604) 642-6787, is a stylish Yaletown boutique hotel with beautiful, sleek rooms and a hot bar scene. Room rates from $249. Fairmont Pacific Rim, 1038 Canada Place, 888-264-6877, is the new jewel in the crown of Fairmont Hotels and features a new pool terrace, a waterfront location, rooms with views of nearby Howe Sound, and a terrific fusion restaurant. Rooms from $229. Where to Eat: Vij’s and Rangoli, 1480 W. 11th Ave., (604) 736-5711; Go Fish, 1505 W. First Ave., (604) 730-5040; Sun Sui Wah, 3888 Main St., (604) 8728822; Medina Café, 556 Beatty St., (604) 879-3114; The C Restaurant, 2-1600 Howe St., (604) 681-1164.
Granville photo by John Sinal; all photography courtesy of Tourism Vancouver
Now that the madness of the Winter Olympics is a memory, this may be the best time ever to visit Vancouver. I love the British Columbian city as an escape from our summer heat, for the hiking, natural scenery and its convenient light rail system, which runs from the airport to downtown for only $8.50 (I also love the fact that the Canadian dollar is at par with ours at the moment). But mostly I love Vancouver for its having the best Asian cuisine in North America. I begin most of my visits here with dinner at Vij’s, perhaps the most interesting Indian restaurant on the continent. Vikram Vij also owns the more casual restaurant next door, Rangoli, and neither takes reservations, so the lines always snake down the block. That’s what people do for dishes such as chickpeas in star anise with date curry on grilled kale and mixed veg-
SportS & LeiSure The Proper Way to Watch Soccer
A little knowledge, the right setting and some socializing can go a long way to making the game more enjoyable
By Ben Conmy “Soccer is so boring!” I must have heard a thousand derivatives of this statement since I moved to America, and by now I’ve learned to smile and simply acknowledge that sometimes it really can be exasperatingly laborious—especially for score-obsessed America. However, if I took a friend from Middle England and sat him down in front of a TV screen for a 1-0 baseball game, what are the chances he’d find that interesting? He doesn’t understand it, and therefore the likelihood is it would be extremely boring, just a bunch of dudes standing around with gloves on, swinging a stick sporadically. I think this is a major hurdle for the average American sports fan: Soccer makes no sense to them— offside, the diving, the lack of scoring. I get it. I really do, and I’m not judging. But soccer—and particularly watching soccer—is about more than the game itself. It’s a lifestyle, an experience, the story for a Monday morning. The game is sort of secondary. Follow this simple guide for just one World Cup game, and I guarantee at the very least, you’ll have a mediocre time. With the World Cup’s Round of 16 beginning June 26, here are seven key factors that are essential when watching a big soccer game—hell, any soccer game. Research: Pick the game you want to watch, do an Internet search (I recommend soccernet.com) and spend five minutes—just five minutes—learning about the history of the match, significance of the game, stars on either side and who the favorite is. You need a player to hate, a player to love and a team to cheer for. Location: A generic sports book isn’t going to cut it. You need every screen showing soccer wherever you are, you need the volume in the place on high and you need to be surrounded by people who are there for that game. In Las Vegas, you’re not looking much farther than McMullan’s Irish Pub or the Crown & Anchor British Pub.
The U.S. vs. England game was an exception because it was a firstround match involving two high-profile teams, so don’t be telling me that the atmosphere was great wherever you were. That game is not the norm. Trust me. Timing: Don’t leave too late to get to a soccer bar. Half the event is the buildup— An English soccer fan displays his loyalty watching the World Cup at the Crown & Anchor British Pub. the conversations, the best team in the first half? What needs to happen in the arguments, the drink specials, which brings us to … second half to help your team improve? Listen, learn and enjoy the passion. Imagine you getting the chance Pre-game drinking and dialogue: I’m not saying to explain to a clueless Latvian what just happened you have to get wasted, but a cheeky beer and a in the first half of a college football game. That’s how random chinwag with someone who really loves soccer excited these soccer fans will be to engage you. will really bring the game to life, especially with your prior research. The first time I really understood Aftermath: Don’t leave immediately! Stick around college football was when I got into a throwdown with for at least 10 minutes and listen to the after-match a Florida Gators fan. It brought the game and my pasconversations, which are always absolutely classic. sion to life, and now I’m invested in every game they “We should never have lost, we were cheated …” The play—for them to lose of course! travesty with soccer is, your team can truly be the best for almost the entire 90 minutes and still end up losing. First five minutes: Just watch the faces of the Both the beauty and the cruelty of the world’s most people you have just been talking to as they go from popular sport. Now go out and enjoy the game! lambs to lions—in seconds. Get invested early or the game will slip away from you. Ben Conmy, who earned his Ph.D. in sport psycholog y Halftime momentum: Halftime is key to keeping techniques from Florida State University, grew up in you invested in the game. Not that I’m advocating Cambridgeshire, England. He played semi-pro soccer before more drinking, but perhaps a trip to the bar, even for a broken arm ended his athletic career. He is now a performance a lemonade, gives you a chance to engage fellow fans. consultant based in Las Vegas working with athletes, Is the score representative of the action? Who was the executives and performers in the United States and Europe.
There are few things in this world that say Americana more than fast cars and fireworks. And for those looking to get an early jump on their Fourth of July festivities, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway is offering a big dose of both. The speedway’s Bullring, a NASCAR-sanctioned 3/8-mile asphalt oval, is hosting the annual Night of Fire on July 1. The evening’s card includes racing among 102
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SMRA Supermodifieds, MetroPCS Super Late Models, USAC Midgets, NASCAR Chargers, Bombers, Thunder Roadsters, Legend Cars and Bandoleros. There will also be a Jet Car burn, which is the complete destruction of an automobile by a jet-powered dragster. Gates open at 5 p.m., racing begins at 6 and the fireworks start at about 9:50. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens and
military personnel with ID, $5 for kids 6-12 and admission is free for kids 5 and under. Admission to the Bullring’s Stockyard, in which spectators can park their vehicles close to the safety fence near turns three and four, is $145. Beer, soda and hot dogs will all be available for $1, while parking is free. For more information, call 644-4444 or go to lvms.com. – Sean DeFrank
Soccer fan photo by Anthony Mair
Annual Night of Fire set for July 1 at LVMS Bullring
Going for Broke
Time is right to look at interleague play, future bets By Matt Jacob I don’t know what was more shocking last week—that I actually turned a bit of a profit on the NBA Finals or that the players on France’s World Cup team threw a hissy fit and refused to play for their coach. (Really? France refusing to fight in an international event? How come we couldn’t wager on that?) While we’re on the World Cup, is it any wonder why soccer will never catch on in this country? Endless ties. An average of about one goal per match. Referees who aren’t held accountable after completely butchering calls. And don’t get me started on the vuvuzelas. Not to insult the South African culture, but I’d rather be subjected to 90 minutes of Madonna’s greatest hits while being repeatedly kicked in the crotch than attend a soccer match with those damn horns buzzing in my ears. Back to the NBA Finals. It wasn’t easy, but my $600 wager on the Lakers to win the series at minus-200 odds came through ($300 win), making up for losses on the Lakers to win the series in six games ($50) and the Celtics plus the points in Game 1 ($110). Sure, the net result ($140) wouldn’t even cover John Daly’s happy-hour tab, but better to win than lose (or, yes, soccer fans, even tie). That bumped my bankroll up to $5,345. This week, we check in on the boys of summer and take an early look ahead to the 2010-11 NBA season: Out of Their League: Heading into the final week of American League vs. National League matchups, the teams with the best interleague records were the Red Sox (10-2), White Sox (10-2), Rangers (9-3), Tigers (9-3), Mets (9-3) and Braves (7-2). Those clubs having trouble with the opposite league include the Orioles (3-9), Nationals (3-9), Astros (2-10), Pirates (2-7) and Dodgers (2-7). Of those in the latter group, only Los Angeles is a quality team. Then again, the Dodgers struggle with the AL like Roger Clemens struggles with the truth. After getting swept in Boston earlier this month, the Dodgers stood at 26-55 in their last 81 interleague games and 14-47 in their past 57 interleague road games. L.A. closes out interleague play with a three-game home series against the Yankees ( June 25-27), so if you’re interested
in making a quick buck, look for New York to win at least two of three games. Another matchup to keep an eye on is Red Sox at Giants. Boston improved to 73-25 against the NL with its sweep of the Dodgers, including 20-6 against the NL West. Meanwhile, San Francisco is 40-53 against the AL since 2005. Championship Material: With the baseball season approaching the halfway mark, let’s take a look at the updated futures board and see where the major line moves are occurring. Such disappointing teams as the Cubs (from 14-to-1 to 75-to-1), White Sox (12-to-1 to 75-to-1) and Angels (17-to-2 to 30-to-1) have seen their World Series odds skyrocket, while surprises such as the Padres (200-to-1 to 65-to-1), Reds (100-to-1 to 40-to-1) and Twins (30-to-1 to 15-to-1) have been garnering support from bettors. My current favorite plays? The Braves to win the World Series (10-to-1), the Rays to win the AL (4-to-1), and the Padres to win the NL (25-to-1). Another L.A. Story?: Speaking of the futures board, the confetti was still falling inside the Staples Center after the Lakers’ victory in Game 7 when the oddsmakers were already looking ahead to next season. The early favorite? The Lakers, of course, at 7-to-2 odds, followed by Boston and Orlando (both 5-to-1), Cleveland (8-to-1) and Denver (10-to-1). Because this figures to be one of the craziest offseasons in NBA history with stars such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Bosh testing the free-agent waters, I’d never recommend tying up your money for 12 months on an NBA futures wager. That said, keep an eye on line moves for the Nuggets and Magic, two young squads that shouldn’t have a lot of personnel turnover. Another team to track through the summer is Oklahoma City (15-to-1). The Thunder made the biggest leap this year and are only going to get better. Matt Jacob is a former local sports writer who has been in the sports handicapping business for more than four years. For his weekly column, Vegas Seven has granted Matt a “$7,000” bankroll. If he blows it all, we’ll fire him and replace him with a monkey.
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seven Questions Wayne Brady
How does it feel to be cast in wax? What should Vegas’ new slogan be? The actor and improv comedian answers these and (five) other burning questions
By Elizabeth Sewell
Wayne Brady was first introduced to TV audiences on the improvisational comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? for which he won an Emmy. With stints hosting his own gig, The Wayne Brady Show, and a part in the Broadway revival of Chicago, Brady, 38, has proven himself more than just an improv comedian. He grew up in Florida, where he got his start performing in high school productions, and by 17 knew the stage was his calling. He performed in improv and sketch-comedy groups in Florida and California before finding himself opposite Drew Carey on Whose Line Is It Anyway? The show helped jumpstart Brady’s career and established the nice-guy image Brady would later poke fun at in a cameo on Chappelle’s Show. Brady’s stage show Making It Up, debuted at the Venetian in April 2007 and is back after a hiatus at the end of 2009. You recently got a wax figure at Madam Tussauds here in Las Vegas. Does it feel cool or a bit creepy? If it was creepy I wouldn’t do it. I think it’s one of the ultimate pats on the back, “Hey you’ve made it,” where folks know who you are. If you got a wax figure and no one cared who you were, it would kind of defeat the purpose of having a wax figure. Then it’s a mannequin. They sent me the picture, and I have to say it’s pretty cool to see yourself like that. Of course, you look at it and you go, “Does it look exactly like me?,” and I think it looks incredibly close. If you had to look at it, you definitely do need to take a second look and that’s pretty cool. What do you like about performing in Las Vegas? That it’s Vegas; it’s old-school. It’s definitely the mark of a true performer to be on a Vegas stage and to pack a house five nights a week just based on your name alone. I’m a big fan of the Rat Pack and of Sammy Davis Jr., so to me playing Vegas has that old-school connotation. 110
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Are there drawbacks? It’s kind of a crapshoot sometimes where the audiences are either true fans or they’re drunk people that have been comped or just stumble into your show. When your show is known to have comedy in it, there’s always the person that wants to come in and test you as opposed to a theatrical audience. I’m used to playing theaters as well when I tour, which is more of a theatrical setting and people that come to see theater come to see theater, not show up in their bathrobes and house slippers from their rooms because they just don’t know how to act. That’s also part of the fun because it’s like, OK, it’s Vegas and whatever happens happens. What draws you to improv? It isn’t like it’s something I started doing yesterday. I do it because I’ve been doing it since I was 17, and it’s not a destination. I’m an actor … occasionally it’s fun to step onstage and be like, “Let’s do it.” Just like it’s fun to do a sitcom and then to have a script and be able to sort of originate a character, or to turn around and do a movie or turn around and do a record. What I like about improv is you don’t know what’s coming next; the audience doesn’t know what’s coming next, so that’s definitely a draw.
Who are your influences? I think as an actor, as a performer, I really love people like Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal and John Leguizamo, and actors who are able to give you a little something different, who are able to step onstage and be able to kill it, and then guys like Sammy Davis Jr., the old-school influences, who do everything onstage and leave an audience just mesmerized. What’s your funniest Vegas story? A lot of them are probably unprintable because they’re just horribly dirty and not even on my end. Sometimes when people come to Vegas they lose their mind and choose to leave ethics at home. I think it has to be when I came to my dressing room and somehow someone had gotten back there, a fan, and they were waiting in the dressing room and they said, “Hey Wayne, when do we start the show?” It was my favorite/scariest moment, but I look at stuff like that and the only thing you can say to it is “only in Vegas.” Only here does a drunk man with a yard-long drink end up in your dressing room going, “Hey, Wayne, when are we going to go?” If you could give Las Vegas a slogan what would it be? “Who needs pants?”