July 22-28, 2010
Beyond Pop The man and message behind the paint:. an appreciation of artist John Bell. By Jarret Keene.
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Contents
This Week in Your CiTY 13
37
seven days
Celebrating 50 years of To Kill a Mockingbird, lessons on how to shoot an atom bomb and a gathering of the roller derby faithful. By Bob Whitby
lOcal neWsrOOm
The meaning behind the R-J’s lawsuits, and how sharron Angle’s campaign strategy is backfiring. Plus: David G. Schwartz’s Green Felt Journal and Michael Green on Politics.
69
natiOnal neWsrOOm
77
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.
14
arts & entertainment
John Bell’s vivid exploration of Andy Warhol graces a downtown gallery, and Rex Reed sprinkles Salt with criticism.
93 dininG
our food critic says you can depend on raku for authentic Japanese food. By Max Jacobson Plus: Max Jacobson’s Diner’s notebook and a recipe from chef Akira Back.
the latest
Former unLV star shawn Marion’s charity is in the cards, and rumor overtakes st. Tropez. Plus: trends, Tweets, tech and gossip. Edited by Melissa Arseniuk
100
20
travel
Miles away but a world apart, Catalina island invests in new reasons to visit. By James P. Reza
sOciety
Partying and raising money for two good causes: the Vegas Valley Book Festival and the Juvenile Diabetes research Foundation.
102
25
sPOrts & leisUre
This week’s Look, a few choice enviables and the successful retail formula behind the Forum shops at Caesars.
When instructor James springer steps on a court, tennis is only a part of the ambitious lesson plan. By Matt Jacob Plus: Quote the ravens to win at least 10 games this season in Going for Broke. By Matt Jacob
45
110
style
niGhtlife
seven nights ahead, fabulous parties past and a profile of Down & Derby founder richard Alexander.
Above: “DnA,” 2010, by artist John Bell (see page 77). On the cover: Bell’s “Would you like to become a fan? #1” 2009.
Features 30
Oil and Water
The Gulf tragedy, from a seafood chef’s perspective. By Melissa Arseniuk
seven QUestiOns
Jubilee!’s Ffolliott “Fluff” LeCoque on the timeless appeal of showgirls and why Vegas’ most glorious era was the ’60s. By Elizabeth Sewell
32
UP fOr Grabs
hunting for treasure at storage-unit auctions By David Davis July 22-28, 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 senior editor, Greg Blake Miller 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, Molly Ball, Eric Benderoff, Geoff Carter, Laura Coronado, David Davis, Andreas Hale, Damon Hodge, M. Scott Krause, Pj Perez, Rex Reed, James Reza, Jason Scavone, Elizabeth Sewell, Kate Silver, Cole Smithey interns
Mark Adams, Charlotte Bates, Kelly Corcoran, Renata Follman, Jazmin Gelista, Sharon Kehoe, Jena Morak, Patrick Moulin, Kathleen Wilson
art Art director, Lauren Stewart senior grAPhic designer, Marvin Lucas grAPhic designer, Thomas Speak stAff PhotogrAPher, Anthony Mair contributing PhotogrAPhers
Jessica Blair, Hew Burney, Sullivan Charles, Francis + Francis, Peter Harasty, Tomas Muscionico, Beverly Oanes, Mike Stotts contributing illustrAtor, Hernan Valencia
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 July 22-28, 2010
CoNTribuTors
LeTTers
We can’t afford the Preserve Springs Preserve is out of place in this region [“Saving the Preserve,” July 8]. Our economy depends on tourism, and tourists don’t care about it. They do come from all over the world, but to visit the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, the beautiful state parks in Utah and even Death Valley. The rest come because of the Strip, plain and simple, and you don’t see too many kids there. If a local family of four wants to go, there is still a steep admission. So, an outing for local folks costs a fortune. Clark County has more urgent places to put the money, and so does the Las Vegas Valley Water District. We are in a crisis. No jobs, no money for schools and hospitals, and so on. The Springs Preserve is a luxury we can’t afford. – Paulina Roth, Henderson
Mike Stotts Photos, “Up for Grabs,” page 32 Renaissance man. That’s the term that defines Las Vegas-based photographer Mike Stotts. After trading in a long and satisfying boardroom career for darkroom creativity, Stotts has spent the last two decades showing his penchant for right-brained flair. He’s a photographer, writer, lecturer, educator and entrepreneur, and has traveled throughout the country to capture moments that define photojournalism.
less is More Peter Harasty Photos, Dining, page 93 Harasty grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., where he was introduced to photography by his father, an acclaimed photojournalist. He left Buffalo to attend the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, Calif. After graduating, he assisted photographers such as Anne Leibovitz and Jana Taylor. He has been working out of his Las Vegas studio for the last 14 years, specializing the categories of beauty, lifestyle and food. His goal is to capture people and food in the most simple, intimate way possible.
After reading “Bigger Isn’t Always Better” by James P. Reza [ July 8], for the first time ever I was inclined to write in about an article. I’m a third-generation Nevada resident, and I was born in Las Vegas 25 years ago. My original birth certificate listed “Sahara” as my first name. My mom (a longtime bartender in Vegas) fought long and hard to explain that I was born at a hospital located on Sahara Avenue, and that my name was supposed to be Sarah. Your article about Vegas really caught me. I absolutely agree. Everyone wanted a piece of Vegas and they took it, only to leave little to share when less tourists showed up. Now the casinos and hotels are too big, and they can’t even afford enough staff to run them well. I suppose we are all going to have to tough it out, and only the strong will survive. So, in the midst of all the talk of Vegas “dying,” I’m sticking to my roots. I’ll always treasure the stories from my family of the good old days in Vegas. Maybe one day I’ll get to tell a few stories myself. – Sarah Alize
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Seven DayS The highlights of this week in your city. By Bob Whitby
Sun. 25 Thur. 22 Since its publication in 1960, Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prizewinning novel To Kill a Mockingbird has never been out of print. Its themes of racism and injustice have made it a modern classic, so much so that British librarians ranked it above the Bible as a book everyone should read before they die. The Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, is celebrating the book’s 50th anniversary, beginning today at 3 p.m. with a screening of the 1962 movie adaptation, a panel discussion and a sneak preview of the new documentary Scout, Atticus and Boo: A Celebration of 50 Years of To Kill a Mockingbird. Check lvccld.org, or call 507-3400 for information.
Fri. 23 A long time ago it was common to practice yoga in the nude. Students could more easily study form, they enjoyed the physical freedom of being sans clothing, and they were able to shed barriers and boundaries. And it’s cooler. Revisit the old ways today at the Erotic Heritage Museum, 3275 Industrial Road. There are classes for men (12:15 p.m.), women (6 p.m.) and couples (7:30 p.m.). Check the museum’s website, eroticheritage. org, or call 369-6422 for information.
Roller girl photo by Jim Cottingham
Sat. 24 How do you photograph an atomic bomb? The obvious technique is from a distance. The less obvious techniques will be on display at the Atomic Testing Museum’s How to Photograph an Atomic Bomb exhibit, based on the work of documentary filmmaker Peter Kuran. Admission to the gallery is free, but admission to the museum is $12, with discounts for seniors and kids; 755 E. Flamingo Road, 794-5161.
You know that History Channel show that pits combatants against one another who never really met on a battlefield? The Las Vegas Natural History Museum’s Prehistoric Beast Wars series is kind of like that, except with animals. This weekend, the imaginary matchup is between a whorl-tooth shark and a hammerhead shark, which is more likely to happen than a knight taking on a ninja, come to think of it. The museum is at 900 Las Vegas Blvd. North, and is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults with discounts for seniors and kids.
Mon. 26 Steven F. Dansky is a Las Vegas- and New York-based photographer, thinker and activist. In his exhibit, In Public: Studies From the Street, he draws on the work of great 20th-century photographers, including Henri CartierBresson, Diane Arbus and Garry Winogrand to make portraits that speak to the life of a city by reflecting on its lesser-seen residents. The exhibit is on display though Aug. 8 at the Enterprise Library, 25 E. Shelbourne Ave. Call 507-3760 for information.
Tues. 27 Las Vegas’ Redevelopment Agency wants to extend its efforts to the historic West Side, and it would love to hear from you, residents, about how best to proceed. The agency uses tax-increment financing—essentially property taxes from new development—to pay for new projects. But what should those projects be? What do you want to see in the neighborhood? What’s the best way to create jobs? Speak your piece at Kaplan College, 3535 W. Sahara Ave. 6:30 p.m. Room 157.
Wed. 28 Although the Sin City Roller Girls don’t start their season until September, you can get your fix of aggro-ladies bashing into one another at RollerCon, a five-day confab of all things roller derby that begins today. The get-together features seminars, parties, exhibitions and camaraderie with skaters from across the country. Some events are free, others are for registered attendees only. Most are held at the Sport Center of Las Vegas, 121 E. Sunset Road, and the Tropicana. Check rollercon.net, for information. July 22-28, 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
he’s Got Game, and heart
Former UNLV Rebel and NBA All-Star Shawn Marion comes back to give back Four-time NBA All-Star Shawn Marion returns to the city that launched him to fame July 23-24 to raise scholarship money for single parents pursuing post-secondary education at UNLV. Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child joins the former Rebel and current Dallas Maverick at Tao on July 23 as they host a kickoff party. The Shawn Marion Foundation Celebrity Poker Tournament gets under way at noon the following day at the Palms, after onsite registration. “We’ve got a lot of celebrities coming in for it, and it’s going to be a great event,” Marion says, speaking to Vegas Seven by phone while stuck in afternoon traffic in Dallas. He and Williams will play in the five-hour, $250 buy-in poker tournament, as will Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and actors Mekhi Phifer, Natasha Alam (True Blood), Jill Marie Jones (Girlfriends), Claudia Jordan (The Celebrity Apprentice) and Bob Guiney (The Bachelor). The Palms donated the prize “money”—$25,000 in promotional chips. Raising money for single-parent families is close to Marion’s heart:
He and his three sisters were raised by a single mother. And while the 32-year-old, 6-foot, 7-inch forward has no children (“I’m a kid myself,” he says), he is driven to help kids who are growing up in similar situations. Marion launched the foundation (shawnmarionfoundation.org) three years ago with a personal check for $100,000, and the charity has since funded two partial scholarships for UNLV students, who were selected by essay submissions. “I want to send someone to school, to take care of them for four years, but we can only do so much,” he says. Marion graduated from UNLV in 1998 with a communications degree, and was an NBA first-round draft pick the following year. Ten years after that, he signed a five-year, $39 million contract. Despite achieving fame and fortune, he hasn’t forgotten Southern Nevada, and his mother and sister still live here. “I love Vegas. That’s sort of where it all began for me,” he says. “I was only there for one year, but I feel like I’ve been there for 11 years.” – Melissa Arseniuk
Inspired by his mom, who raised him by herself, Marion helps children of single parents.
Opening
Forever 21 Debuts Store No. 4 Forever 21 introduced big-box concepts to its mall-based stores in February, and on July 24, the L.A.-based retailer brings its standout, stand-alone format to Fashion Show. The new 126,000-square-foot location—the biggest in Nevada—features 132 fitting rooms, 36 cash registers and nearly 650 full- and part-time employees. The store has a range of merchandise spread across 20 concept sections, from sophisticated career attire to workout wear. New brands are on the racks, too—a men’s line, 21 14
Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Men, an upscale, Los Angeles-inspired line called Twelveby-Twelve and a plus-size collection, Faith 21. The store also sells Love and Beauty brand cosmetics. The first 700 guests at the grand opening will be given gift cards worth up to $210. Before that, shoppers can register to win a $521 gift card at the Forever 21 stores at Meadows and Boulevard malls. The third area location, at Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, is not participating in the promotion. – Charlotte Bates
A Forever 21 big-box store in Cerritos, Calif., much like the one opening at Fashion Show on July 24.
This week in your ciTy Tech
Look, Mom, no hands! … Mom? hello? Worldwide: Hip-hop crews compete at Red Rock Casino.
Event
Rumor photo by Anthony Mair
Just Dance The creators behind Randy Jackson’s America’s Best Dance Crew return to Las Vegas on July 26 for the ninth annual World Hip-Hop Dance Championship at Red Rock Casino. B-boys, b-girls, freestylers, poppers and lockers, and crews from 35 nations will compete for $20,000, starting with preliminary battles and freestyle competitions at Red Rock Casino and finishing with finals Aug. 1 at the Orleans Arena (hiphipinternational.com, 800-669-5867). This is the third consecutive year the event has been held in Las Vegas. Contestants come from as far away as Australia, Singapore, Finland and Nigeria, and organizers are expecting about 5,000 spectators. U.S. champions and America’s Best Dance Crew season-five winners, Poreotix, are returning this year to defend their title. They’ll have a lot of competition. “One of the great things about this event is you never know where the next world champion will come from,” organizer Howard Schwartz says. Hip-hop dance is incredibly popular at the moment, but when Schwartz first tried to bring the competition to town, he received a cool response. “We met with a major Strip hotel that said the hip-hop dance culture was not their customer [base], and was not the type of entertainment that would find an audience here,” he says. Today America’s Best Dance Crew champions the Jabawockeez perform for sell-out crowds at MGM Grand. Meanwhile, Las Vegas has birthed its own hip-hop ensemble—Super Cr3w—which won the TV show’s third season of and has embarked upon a world tour. Schwartz is happy that his event has helped inspire a cultural phenomenon, saying, “We are proud to blaze a trail for hip-hop dance in Las Vegas and to see its positive impact on the entertainment culture here.” – Caitlin Kennedy Bradley and Chaz Holmes
Revamp
Truth Behind the Rumor It’s true: The St. Tropez Hotel is no more. But the property recently reopened, re-refreshed and re-branded as Rumor, courtesy of a $4 million Siegel Group makeover. What was an outdated off-Strip property is now Las Vegas’ newest boutique hotel, designed to deliver a retro Palm Springs vibe with sleek décor and a swank, 30,000-square foot backyard featuring a new pool flanked by mature palm trees, hammocks, cabanas and daybeds. Located at 455 E. Harmon Ave, across from the Hard Rock Hotel, Rumor’s rooms are priced from $89 and feature playful lavender accents and Warhol-inspired chandeliers. Siegel Group founder and chief executive officer Stephen Siegel describes the property as “sexy yet unpretentious, glamorous and accessible, [and] eclectic, with a relaxing and inviting ambience.” The 150-room hotel officially reopened July 15, and now sports an interior design by local firm Tandem. Later this summer, the property plans to unveil its Fantastic Four Suites, which are being styled by designer Mark Tracy of Chemical Spaces. Rumor’s onsite restaurant, Addiction, features a menu by chef Vic Vegas, which includes creative fare such as crème brûlée oatmeal for breakfast, Cuban Reuben sandwiches for lunch and a kurobuta karmal pork dinner entrée. Small pets are permitted at the hotel, but children are not: Rumor is an ages 18-plus property. – Melissa Arseniuk
Rumor: You can bring your dog, but leave the kids at home.
If you talk on the phone while driving, you should consider a hands-free Bluetooth device. I’ve tested dozens of models over the years and am particularly fond of offerings from Plantronics, Sound ID and Aliph’s Jawbone line. But if you don’t like putting things in your ears, speakerphone attachments such as the Jabra Bluetooth SP200 provide an affordable alternative. These units sell for about $40 and clip onto your vehicle’s sun visor. Other models use a FM transmitter to broadcast phone calls over your car stereo. A far-more-adorable option is the new Moshi Bluetooth Handsfree Car Kit, which is smaller than a flip phone, has just a few buttons and uses a magnetic clip to attach to the sun visor. The coolest feature of the Moshi is that you activate the device by talking to it. Say, “Hello, Moshi,” to turn it on, then speak your commands, such as “call favorite number one.” As a speakerphone, the Moshi is great. Moshi Bluetooth I was able to Handsfree Car Kit. hear the person on the other end of the line, loud and clear. But as a receiver, it leaves much to be desired. When I talked, I heard nothing but complaints. My mother-in-law had the nicest thing to say (“It sounds like you’re talking in an old phone booth”), but my wife and brother-in-law were not so kind. My wife asked me to call her back without “that Bluetooth thing” if I had something important to say, and my brother-in-law said, “This is the worst one you’ve ever called me on.” (I tend to call him a lot while testing Bluetooth devices, apparently.) Instead of purchasing Moshi’s $79 Bluetooth unit, I suggest using my rule of three: Buy three Bluetooth units, use all three to call your brother-in-law, then keep the best one and return the other two. – Eric Benderoff, bendablemedia.com July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 15
THE LaTEsT THougHT
The Breakup
Urban life lessons with LeBron By T.R. Witcher
It still means something to be from a place. Loyalty matters. Roots are still important in these days of highly mobile communications and capital. Betrayal, even if it’s only the perception of betrayal, still stings like a son of a bitch. That’s one lesson to take from LeBron James, the erstwhile Cleveland Cavaliers basketball star who earlier this month announced, on a self-aggrandizing hourlong ESPN broadcast, that he was departing for the Miami Heat to join friends and fellow free agents Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in forming a virtual all-star squad for the next half-decade. I’m not about to tell you that James owed it to his city to stay there forever. But his departure still stings for those of us who haven’t given up on the quaint notion of the hometown really being home. LeBron was an Ohio kid. He’d kept his friends. He was loyal. And if he hadn’t quite brought home the championship bacon, we can’t really say his early years have been anything other than a success. He’s been a dominating force in the NBA, he’s given Cleveland something to cheer about for years, he’s kept his nose clean, and he’s increased the value of the franchise by perhaps as much as $100 million. Cleveland has been getting punched in the gut since long before the Great Recession. When the American industrial economy went up in flames in the 1970s and ’80s, it took Cleveland with it. The last 15 years have seen a slow, partial reawakening, fueled in part by new sports franchises (the reboot of the legendary Cleveland Browns), new urban stadiums such as the Indians’ Jacobs (uh, Progressive) Field—and most of all, new dreams in the form of James, the most gifted talent in sports today. It’s no wonder cities in search of civic identity and renewed morale dream of professional sports (take a bow now, Las Vegas). But it can be a fragile business. Greedy owners, ugly stadiums and washout players come with the landscape—and so, too, does the wandering eye of a single, wealthy young man who has yet to win a title. Sports take as readily as they give, and when they take, they often do it with stunning swiftness and finality. I am oddly heartened by the anger of Cleveland fans, by the burning of James jerseys from one end of town to another. The LeBron backlash isn’t about our national need for heroes to stay home, but about our more modest desire for those heroes to master the art of a breakup. There is only one place where it’s socially smiled upon to rev up the affections of your erstwhile beloved and then to stage a very public dumping: reality television. And maybe that’s the problem. The ethic of reality TV revolves around quick sensation and making a name for yourself at all costs. While modern sports share these same traits, the special relationship between city and sport depends on more traditional virtues, often embodied in the character of a single iconic
they give, and when they take, they often do it with stunning swiftness and finality.”
16 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
figure. Jackie Robinson spoke volumes with his refusal to be traded out of Brooklyn. Cal Ripken Jr. was, for many Americans, the stalwart face of Baltimore, and he presided over the opening of Camden Yards and the renovation of the blighted waterfront. Jerry Tarkanian spent two decades handcrafting the Las Vegas identity, and by the time he was done we didn’t need to explain that we don’t live in hotels around here. These are rare instances, but we are talking about rare talents, the kind who build more than a stat sheet and a bank account. If big-time professional sports ever come to Las Vegas, it’ll only really matter if we’re fortunate enough to build a relationship around, say, a Walter Payton, rather than an Alex Rodriguez. Showmanship is what America does best. But showmanship at the expense of others is simply crass. LeBron no longer belongs to Cleveland; he belongs to America now (you can welcome him when he comes to Vegas to “host” parties at Lavo on July 23 and Tao on July 24). But for us to elevate him to our pantheon of cultural heroes, he’ll have to develop that certain quality of character that separates mere winners from legends: It’s hard to define, but it has to do with empathy, with bearing the dreams of others on one’s own shoulders. Those who lack it can still build extraordinary careers. But those who have it help forge cities.
Photo montage by Thomas Speak
take “asSports readily as
THE LaTEsT Gossip Star-studded parties, celebrity sightings, juicy rumors and other glitter.
Got a juicy tip? gossip@weeklyseven.com
Welcome to Splitsville, a.k.a. Reboundtown
Compiled by @marseniuk
on between the two, or he’s stalking her, or he has really, really bad timing. ( Judging by his comedy, we can’t rule out that last one.) Still, of everyone who just joined the ranks of the involuntarily single, it was The Bachelor’s very own Vienna Girardi who best turned her misfortune into, well, fortune. She followed her recent split from fiancé Jake Pavelka by hosting three so-called “single and fabulous” parties: one at Tao, a second at Tao Beach and a third at Lavo. Girardi proved to be a solid investment, though, as Tao Group got an extra bang for its buck: The fabulous and fearless femme contributed to the advertising effort on July 16 and handed out promotional fliers publicising her party to patrons in Lavo’s main-floor lounge. The following day, the promo turned more personal, and she handed out “Team Vienna” T-shirts to the crowd at Tao Beach. After witnessing Girardi’s determination and skills as a saleswoman, we can’t help but wonder how long it will be before she lures some sucker down the aisle and straight into a lifetime of never being able to give her enough validation, ever, under any circumstances.
@Lightmatrix Thanks to BP, you can only get tuna packed in oil now.
@michaelianblack Somewhere in heaven, Billy Martin just got fired. RIP George Steinbrenner. @johnnykats This contact high is giving me a case of the munchies >@thestrippodcast Is Paris Hilton there?!?! >@johnnykats She’s on my lap!
@fatcat5000 @brakeLivingJRB all of us here at gamblers anonymous are following and rooting for you. @LaceyJones Only in Vegas do I get dirty looks walking around w/my dad in the casino. My daddy is 70 ppl! Seriously? Lol.
@DavidKrausePMG Dropped and busted my iPhone trying to carry too much. Good news is that I did not drop the beer & cupcakes. These recently single ladies aren’t moping: Osbourne with Common at Haze (top), and Love Hewitt gets some support from Laneuville as the two hug it out at Lagasse’s Stadium.
Rihanna Goes Hard, Works Hard, Parties Hard Lots of little girls grow up still dreaming of driving a car just like Barbie’s bright pink Corvette, but not Rihanna. Instead, the mononymous star had her sights on a different hot rod, and incorporated a bright pink tank into her July 17 performance at Mandalay Bay Events Center. If you’ve wondered what could possibly be tackier than taking a stretched Hummer up and down the Strip, there’s your answer. The day before her concert, Ri and her L.A. Dodgers boyfriend Matt Kemp hung out at the Hard Rock Hotel Beach Club, and she was spotted at Vanity later that night. (Much later, actually, arriving at about 2 a.m.) Still, the songstress’ time in Vegas wasn’t all fun and games and bottle service: She logged some studio time, too, and laid down a few tracks at the Palms on Rihanna at Mandalay Bay. 18 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Saturday afternoon. Still, judging from her room service tab, she wasn’t the only one working: N9NE Steakhouse received a call requesting a Kobe burger, salmon, gnocchi, green beans and two baked potatoes. While RiRi was in the studio, her opening act, Ke$ha, was at Mandalay Bay, where she gave a daytime performance at Moorea Beach Club. Later that night, the protégé followed the headliner’s lead and rolled into The Bank at Bellagio with an entourage 30 people deep. Once inside, she sang along as the DJ played her track, “Tik Tok”—or, should we say, she pretended to do whatever it is that she does before the autotuners take over. Meanwhile, Rihanna’s unofficial afterparty went down at Encore, where she and a 20-person posse took over a bungalow at Encore Beach Club. Spies say the group got there at about 1:30 a.m., and stayed for about 90 minutes before finally calling it a (late) night.
@ToddWorz I’m confused. Are Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry the same person? Like a Hanna Montana thing? @DaynaRoselli Heading to @ Nordstrom anniversary sale. Wish me and my credit card lots of luck! #spendingspree. @taylormadebby Imma have to kick my dog in her ass. She keeps goin’ in my room and stealin’ my thongs. #WTF @Joshuajstrick Headed to Hooters Casino. LOL. I might gag a little.
@EmilyEllibee Ahhh I love the cross roads of Spring Mountain and Las Vegas Blvd. Always smells like poop. @Tonyhawk Can’t carry my extra skateboard on the plane, so I left it in here. Barcelona airport, EasyJet terminal. Finders keepers. @PhillyD Lindsay Lohan is now in jail and our streets are a little safer, less slutty and overall not quite as fun as they used to be.
Photography by Erik Kabik/Retna
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, or one who makes up for it with appearance fees. The famous and jilted moved in this week, salving the wounds of heartache like anyone else: By distracting themselves with shiny friends, shining lights and a weekend of capitalizing on their very public dumpings. Stars! They’re just like us. Rumors of cheating swirled around Kelly Osbourne and her former fiancé, Luke Worrall, and last week the two finally called it quits. In lieu of her justextinguished flame, the dutchess of darkness brought a friend to Las Vegas, and on July 15, the platonic pair had dinner at Union, where they toasted Osbourne’s reclaimed singledom. The following night proved to be a bigger one, as Osbourne checked out fellow Brit Matt Goss (and his show, too) at Caesars Palace before heading back to Aria, where she partied at Haze with actor-rapper extraordinaire Common. Also recovering from a breakup in Single City was Jennifer Love Hewitt, whose yearlong relationship with Jamie Kennedy apparently ended in March. The actress was at Azure pool at the Palazzo on July 17 to promote her Lifetime movie, The Client List. (In the movie, she plays a prostitute.) Later, she hung out with director Eric Laneuville at Lagasse’s Sadium at the Palazzo. Meanwhile, Kennedy was also in town, at Munchbar inside Caesars Palace on July 19. This means either there’s still something going
Tweets of the Week
Society
For more photos from society events in and around Las Vegas, visit weeklyseven.com/society.
A Refreshing Read Two great loves—books and cocktails— converged on July 15 at the Golden Nugget, as the Vegas Valley Book Festival hosted its poolside Shake and Stir party. The event raised funds for the ninth annual literary fest, which is set for Nov. 3-7 and will include panel discussions, workshops and exhibitions. Notable attendees included chef Rick Moonen (top left), artist Princess Ann and festival program coordinator Richard Hooker (below right, center).
Photography by Hew Burney
20 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Society
For more photos from society events in and around Las Vegas, visit weeklyseven.com/society.
cure and the Blues The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and B.B. King’s Blues Club paired up on July 15 to present the inaugural Rockin’ Vegas for the Cure. The night of music, food and fundraising featured nine bands, including popular casino cover band Yellow Brick Road, comedian Frank Zhaborsky and family-friendly illusions from Houdini’s Magic Shop. The event raised approximately $2,000 for diabetes research.
Photography by Sullivan Charles
22 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
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 The Look
Photographed by Tomas Muscionico
SinGular perfecTion
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CALVErt CoLLINS, 27
Reporter, 8 News Now Style icons: Grace Kelly, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Middleton. What she’s wearing now: Ralph Lauren dress, vintage jacket, BCBG slingbacks, Target earrings, vintage necklace and bracelets, and a Tag Heuer watch. Being in the public eye day in and day out is a highpressure situation, but Collins masters the balance between on-camera and off-camera dressing. “I rarely buy anything just for ‘play’ because I have to keep my work attire fresh. My personal fashion philosophy is ‘classic chic,’ so I love dresses, particularly anything in bright colors with ruffles, or any fun embellishments,” she says. “When I go to a cocktail party or an event, the hemlines are a few inches shorter than anything I’d wear to work.”
The Golden SpuTnik
In her fall collection, designer Kelly Wearstler unveils objets d’arte gilded in luxurious metals (including Galaxy Sputnik, $6,595) or carved from sleek marble. bergdorfgoodman.com.
Bejeweled
Local jewelry designer Chari Cuthbert is a self-taught artist who crafts timeless pieces that can be mixed and matched, drawing inspiration from flora and fauna and organic shapes. She works in sterling silver and gold with accents of rubies, pearls, turquoise and semi-precious beads. bychari.com. July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 25
Chariot of Fire
Nearly 20 years after the debut of the Forum Shops at Caesars, the retail powerhouse is still reinventing itself By MJ Elstein a place where you can buy key pieces for your wardrobe while also updating your teenage daughter’s wardrobe.” In keeping up with its customers and in an effort to continue its long history of success, the Forum Shops management team has taken a hard look at the way the recession has affected consumer buying habits and made adjustments to keep its tenants vibrant. “We researched how to build our customer base differently and started targeting shoppers from places like China and the U.K.,” Crampton says. “But we also didn’t neglect our domestic clientele and, of course, the influx of tourists from California. Targeted direct marketing campaigns have helped us stay savvy and competitive, and thereby our stores reap the benefits.” People are still spending, she says, but more wisely. “Everyone is looking for a great deal, and as a result we are going to show a different item and a different accessory in our marketing,” she says, noting that over the past year she has personally noticed an uptick in consumer confidence. Beyond the savvy marketing, great retailers and some wild visual stimulation, there The Forum Shops and its business development whiz, Maureen Crampton (right). is one factor that is innate when it comes to shopping in Las Vegas, a people shop differently here, and you have to shift formula that can’t be duplicated elsewhere. your business plan to accommodate or you will “It’s easy to justify spending money in Las lose market share and position,” she says. “The Vegas,” Crampton says. “When you get on that Forum Shops is a must-see.” plane and land in this city there is an unmatched Crampton, along with her team, have dedicated excitement and element of surprise, and you just themselves to selling both the steak and the sizzle. have to take something home that is a testament At its debut, the Forum Shops offered locals and to the trip.” tourists a new kind of retail experience. It led them out of the casino (a concept that was previously unheard of) and into a place that was almost as magical. Boasting a one-of-a-kind ceiling that changed from day to night and the opportunity to By thE NuMBErs spend some coin—or at least window-shop—at the world’s finest boutiques, the venue was an instant • The Forum Shops, which has undergone two success due to its bold aesthetics. Much like the expansions, consists of 636,000 square feet. resorts which populate the Strip, its architecture was as enticing as its merchandise. And with that • Its largest restaurant, Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak kind of spectacle comes foot traffic, open wallets and Stone Crab, measures 11,440 square feet. and repeat customers. “We have created a varied retail mix that appeals • Its largest retail space will soon be the threeto everyone,” Crampton says. “The customer feels story, 60,000-square-foot H&M. very comfortable here since we have a wide range of shops like Gap, Banana Republic and Victoria • It has been named one of the most successful Secret. Yet, we also have the shops you won’t find high-end shopping malls in the United States elsewhere, like La Martina and Shanghai Tang. and the highest grossing mall in America, with “H&M is a big win for us because they want higher sales per square foot than Rodeo Drive to accommodate a range of demographics. It’s in Beverly Hills, Calif.
26 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Portrait by Anthony Mair
When the Forum Shops at Caesars recently announced it was going to open the largest H&M in North America, debuting this fall, the hearts of fashionistas far and wide skipped a beat. But remarkably this is just another feat in a long line of successes for the retail trendsetter, which is the prime location choice for clothing stores, restaurants and other specialty boutiques looking at taking a bite out of the Las Vegas pie. And since it first opened its doors in 1992, Maureen Crampton, director of mall marketing and business development, has been there to see the accolades and the shoppers roll in. “Overall,
July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 27
Style
Seven Very Nice Things
Cool Clogs
2
Chic shoes to transition from spring to fall
1. Vince Camuto, $110 Christies in tan distressed leather. Dillard’s, Meadows. 2. Libby Edelman, $49 Faye in black faux leather. zappos.com.
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3. Chinese Laundry, $89 Thumper in cognac vegetable leather. Chinese Laundry, Fashion Show. 4. Harley-Davidson Footwear, $100 Coral leather studded clog. Las Vegas Harley Davidson, 2605 S. Eastern Ave.
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5. Jessica Simpson, $89 Winsy in tobacco smooth leather. Dillard’s, Fashion Show and Meadows.
3
6. Sam Edelman, $150 Faye in pecan leather. David Z. NYC, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. 7. Miu Miu, $675 Cheetah print calf hair. Neiman Marcus, Fashion Show. – Compiled by Laura Coronado
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28 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
5
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
Oil and Water
Chef Rick Moonen tours the Gulf and ponders the fate of the seafood on his menu
Fresh from a recent trip to the Gulf Coast, chef Rick Moonen is somber as he sits in the second-floor dining room of his namesake restaurant. Downstairs, the place is buzzing as his staff serves plates of Louisianasourced blue crab cakes, Gulf shrimp and other seafood to the lunch crowd at Mandalay Place. But as he reflects on his trip to the region where much of what he serves comes from, he makes no effort to mask the emotion in his voice. “You saw tons of oil,” he says, “and you saw tons of dolphins—they’re jumping through this stuff. I felt like telling them, ‘Go somewhere else.’” After years of promoting sustainable seafood, Moonen’s name is synonymous with the cause. When 30
Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
the most important source of American seafood—the Gulf of Mexico—was hit by the worst oil spill in U.S. history, he was concerned. “It kept me up late at night. I was obsessed with it,” he says. So Moonen, along with fellow Las Vegas restaurateur Tom Colicchio and chefs Susur Lee, Rick Tramonto, Charles Carroll, Dean Fearing and John Folse, embarked on a 24-hour trip to Grand Isle, La., last month. The trip was arranged by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board to bolster the state’s fishing industry and reassure consumers that Gulf seafood is still safe. After seeing news reports from the area, Moonen was expecting the worst. That’s not what he found.
“I didn’t see the thick kind of mud that’s viscous and gooey and tar-like,” he says. “I think I got the soft tour.” But he heard stories that likely made his hosts uneasy. “Onboard a boat that I was on was a very young marine biologist, and I got to talk to him, candidly,” he says. “I asked him if he would eat anything from the Gulf, from anywhere in the Gulf, or feed it to his friends or his family. And he said, without hesitation, ‘Absolutely not.’” Moonen stops his story and scans the darkened dining room. Then he continues. “He’s got no reason to make anything up, he’s just a kid, he’s in his 20s. And he said, ‘Absolutely not, no matter how nicely you cooked it up.’ That didn’t give me a sense of confidence.”
Photo by Denise Truscello
By Melissa Arseniuk
The situation weighs heavily on him, long after his return to Las Vegas. “The fisherman down there are unemployed—generations of fisherman,” he says. “People who have licenses [to fish] in certain areas that have been closed by the government are out of work.” That’s leading to a palpable tension, he says. “They’re frustrated—you can see it in their eyes, and they’re not saying anything. A lot of them have signed agreements [with BP], no question about it. Anyone thinks otherwise, it’s time to pull your head out of your butt—because that’s exactly what’s going on.” About 30 percent of the Gulf of Mexico—some 78,600 square miles—is closed to commercial fishing, and more than 30,000 fishing families have been directly affected by the oil spill. Fishing represents one out of every 70 jobs in the state. Adding to the tragedy is the toll on wildlife. A July 16 report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states 2,624 dead animals have been found: 2,095 birds, 467 sea turtles, 61 dolphins and other mammals, and one other reptile. “You’re going to hear more and more of that,” Moonen says. Estimates suggest the Deepwater Horizon spewed between 94 million and 184 million gallons of oil into the Gulf during the 85-day spill. Some of it has already made its way into Lake Pontchartrain, and fragile estuaries—home to oysters, catfish and crawfish—have been effected. “No one is eating oysters—no one,” Moonen says. “That’s the first thing that’s going to go, the oysters. That’s the canary in a coal mine.” Moonen says Louisiana’s oyster harvest has come to a stand-still. But that’s not the case for the state’s entire $2.4 billion seafood industry. “There’s still a lot of fishing going on, but it has to go through rigorous testing,” he says, noting that the combination of testing and the industry’s “chain of custody”—food being tracked from the waters where it was caught to the plate it is served on—is helping keep the industry safe and honest. “I’m more confident now that it’s safe and tested, more than ever,” he says. “Truth in sourcing and safety testing is probably the highest it’s ever been.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has
tested more than 15,000 fish and other sea creatures for toxicity since the spill. So far, only one sample didn’t pass the test, and it came from waters that had been closed to fishing. Less encouraging is research from the University of Southern MisFishermen in Grand Isle, La., waiting for work. sissippi, which discovered oil in the tiny blue crabs on which larger species feed. While the news is mixed, most agree that it will be years before the impact of the enormous spill is known. For Moonen, the situation demands diligence and a leap of faith. He’s never served fin fish such as tuna from the Gulf at his restaurant, belieiving the stocks aren’t sustainable. But for now he thinks that other Gulf seafood is safe. “One hundred percent of the shrimp that I use is white crab from the Gulf,” he says. “It’s delicious, it’s the best. … [and] it’s being tested. The shrimp is fine.” And if problems do arise, relief is on ice. “A lot of shrimp is held [and frozen], so I can use shrimp that was harvested pre-oil spill,” he says. While in Grand Isle, Moonen heard rumors of crews secretly cleaning beaches at night and clandestine teams keeping dead animals out of sight, but he saw nothing of the sort. “That’s just talk,” he says. “You can’t go on the beach—they have these three-foot barriers on the beach.” What he did see was evidence of BP’s efforts to burn hundreds of thousands barrels of oil from the surface of the Gulf. “You could see the smoke coming up, and you wondered what was going on out there,” he says. “Is that normal? I don’t know. I’ve learned to be skeptical of a lot of things, and to be safe. I’m from New York, so I don’t trust anything, but I certainly don’t trust BP.”
Above: mourning the loss of a way of life on the Gulf Coast. Right: chefs John Folse (left), Rick Moonen and Susur Lee look for evidence of oil in Barataria Bay.
July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 31
Up for Grabs You can buy a life’s worth of possessions for pennies on the dollar. There are people who make a living doing just that. By David Davis
Photography by Mike Stotts
Twelve bidders stand on the asphalt in the June sun, casually talking in groups of two and three as Steve Plummer, the manager of West Flamingo Storage, gets set to crank open the corrugated metal door to unit 27. “You might want to stand back,” Plummer says, “something might fall out.” As the door opens, conversation stops. “Wow,” someone finally says. Someone else whistles, another person laughs. Everyone stares. In front of them stands a solid wall of stuff— boxes, clothes, furniture, something metal (auto parts?)—everything jammed together so tightly it fills the 10-by-10-foot opening completely. It’s impossible to see inside, so Plummer informs bidders that the unit goes back 20 feet. He adds it was originally rented when the facility first opened three years ago, and the tenant tried to keep up his rent but eventually fell behind and had nowhere to move his belongings. Plummer confers with the auctioneer, Curt Hubbard, and agrees to give the winning bidder extra time to unload the unit, since the sheer mass appears to intimidate several bidders. “A lot of flexibility in this deal,” says Hubbard, “so don’t be afraid of the amount of merchandise. Of course, you’ve got to remember, they always put the good stuff in first, near the back wall.” Nothing of obvious value is visible, and since auction rules prohibit anyone from passing the threshold of the unit until the auction is over, bidders are essentially gambling. Maybe there’s something valuable that could be re-sold at a profit, or maybe its all worthless junk. “All right, open me up at $200,” Hubbard calls. “We’re going to get there for sure anyway. Two hundred?” Slowly, one bidder raises a single finger. “One hundred,” Hubbard says. “Now you’re going to make me work.” He dives into his auction patter with the energy of a carnival barker, “Who’ll give me $125?” When the housing bubble burst in 2007 it created a surge in storage-unit auctions. At the time, Hubbard says he often found “a matching refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, microwave, all the same color—that’s the only thing in the unit. The guy took the stuff out of a foreclosed home, and put it into one of these ‘move in for a dollar’ situations, didn’t come up with another dollar, and now his stuff goes to sale.” At the same time, he says, the stigma attached to buying things from a secondhand store went away. The stores had new customers to sell to, and the high rate of foreclosures meant they had a steady stream of people to buy from. Bad times meant it was a good time to be in the business of buying up the contents of unpaid storage units. Since then, as the economy declined, renters have become less willing to walk away from their possessions, Hubbard says, perhaps because a storage unit holds all they have left. There aren’t as many auctions going on. At the same time, more people are trying to make a buck by buying and re-selling storage units. “Right now,” says Hubbard, “because the number of units has gone down, and the cost of good merchandise has gone up, some dealers have gone out of business.” Still, storage-unit auctions aren’t rare. Peruse the pages of the Nevada Legal News, or check online at storageauctions.tripod.
com, and you’ll find dozens every week, more than a single buyer could possibly attend. When renters fall behind and don’t want to walk away, the law is on their side. Before a storage facility owner can auction a unit, the state requires the owner of the storage unit to send two certified letters to the delinquent renter and advertise the sale for two weeks. The most money an owner can ever legally make from an auction is enough to break even, ensuring that there is no financial incentive to seize and sell private property. If a storage unit sells at auction for more than the back rent, the owner is required to give the extra money back to the tenant. “Every facility I know is doing everything they can, especially in this economy, to get people to pay,” Hubbard says. “They’ll go out of their way beyond your belief. These are compassionate people, who face the renter on the other side of the desk, and don’t want to lose them.” It’s common for owners to cut a deal with delinquent renters to avoid going to auction, he says. “They don’t want to go to sale. That’s the last thing they want to do. I’m the last resort. I’m supposed to be.” Still, it happens. Times are hard. “Today, it’s totally different,” Hubbard says. “These are real people with real economic problems that are holding on by their fingertips to keep from losing their units.” Which is why Hubbard, for one, makes an effort to return personal papers and photographs—things that have no value to a buyer but mean a lot to sellers—when possible. It’s not required by law, but it’s the right thing to do. At some facilities, the bidder sign-in sheet even serves as a contract to this effect, which potential buyers must agree to before they can bid. “But it’s always on a best-effort basis,” Hubbard says. “Some of these buyers represent large stores, some are from other parts of the country. They come to town with a 27-foot truck and they load it all in, and who knows where it all came from? But some of these buyers are very compassionate people, and they try. I’ve seen them go to extraordinary efforts to try to get someone’s stuff for them.” Hubbard became an auctioneer 15 years ago because he wanted to do something with the vocal skills he’d honed doing voice-overs on radio and television. Watching him walk cheerfully through the hot sun for hours, sporting trimmed gray hair and a goatee, wire-rimmed glasses and a Hawaiian shirt, it’s obvious he still loves his job. His enthusiasm never wavers. Opening one unit to find a box of rocks, he launches into a positive spin. “But what kind of rocks are they? He must have been collecting them for a reason.” He sells that unit for $200. He calls regular auctions on Saturdays at the Clark County Public Auction in North Las Vegas, which he finds faster and more exciting. But he also likes the slower pace of storage auctions, which he handles through his own company, Grand Ole Auction. “I’ve had the good fortune to love almost everything I’ve ever done. I’ve always been a performer, I’ve always been a salesman, and auctions take the two of them together.” Even in a large group, with a lot of casual bidders and curiosity seekers, professional buyers are easy to spot. At a
Pay up or meet him: Grand Ole Auction owner Carl Hubbard goes to work at the Storage Depot on Rainbow Boulevard.
32 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
“I’m the last resort.. I’m supposed to be.”. – Auctioneer Carl Hubbard
July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 33
Treasure or trash? Bidders such as Rufus Martin are allowed to look, but not touch, before they decide how much they’ll spend on the contents of a storage unit.
recent auction that drew 30 bidders, 11 brought flashlights, which they used to peer into dark units. Some of the pros had padlocks clipped to their belt, which they used to re-lock each unit they won. Right now there are 50 to 60 professional storage-unit buyers in Las Vegas, Hubbard says. “And by God, if they don’t deserve respect for being out there in the 115-degree heat, nobody does. These are the hardest-working people I’ve ever seen.” There’s quite a bit of gamesmanship among those professionals; a storage-unit auction is a bit like a poker game in that sizing up your competition is vital to coming out ahead. “All of them work to get an edge, based on their own understandings of what they perceive at the door,” Hubbard says. “Today, several of them were conferring about the gauge of the wire in a box they saw, and they appeared knowledgeable about it. ‘This is still used.’ … ‘Yeah, yeah, I understand that.’ Of course, a lot of that is one-upmanship, and some of them are trying to learn something about the knowledge of their opponents. This is not lightweight combat that goes on in those halls. Of course, occasionally, what you do is you spread out misinformation, and see if you’re trumped.” And like poker, casual bidders often don’t recognize how complex the game is, or how much of it depends on your competition. That’s why Hubbard considers himself something of a referee. “One of the reasons it’s so important that my buyers understand the game is on the square,” he says, “is that sometimes they’re just going to get zonked. They’re going to go into a unit and the boxes are empty, or there’s trash in them, or it’s just junk. Because the renters knew there was time to get their stuff out, they went in and rifled it and took everything. Now, whenever a buyer who is inexperienced comes up against that situation, he tends to think the deck was stacked against him. But all my good buyers, all the professionals, those people 34
Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
know this is part of it.” The pros come prepared, with trucks and enough help to unload units. Most importantly, they know how they are going to sell what they buy, and they don’t get in over their heads. Recently, at 365 Storage on Rancho Drive, buyers declined to bid even $25 on either of two fifth-wheel travel trailers, presumably because they didn’t have the equipment to haul them off–though an eBay search showed similar trailers recently sold for thousands of dollars. Rosemarie Ricks, a veteran buyer of seven years, owns the Building 160 Supply Co. store in Pahrump. A description on the website Yelp says Ricks’ store is as a thrift shop “like none other. ... A series of cobbledtogether buildings and lean-tos filled with everything the proprietors could get their hands on ... It’s impressive, to say the least.” Behind Ricks’ quiet, polite, motherly demeanor is a shrewd business sensibility and a discerning eye for value. Before attending each auction, she or a member of her staff checks the legal notices to find the names of the unit’s previous renters. Then she does a little more digging to find out how likely the renter is to have squirreled away good stuff. Ricks says she has recently seen a lot of units formerly owned by lawyers and title companies. Such auctions may sound promising, but many renters pay at the last minute so it’s not uncommon to show up only to find the sale canceled.
Big items, such as boats, frequently come up for sale, but they don’t always attract bids because buyers have to be able to haul them away.
Rosemarie Ricks, owner of a retail store in Pahrump, is one of the 50 or so professional buyers in the area: “A lot of times I’ll go for the beautiful stuff,” she says.
Six years ago, her research led her to a storage unit rented by a member of the Spilotro family. Ricks remembers that when the door rolled up, she couldn’t see inside because the view was blocked by stacks of beveled-glass doors. The doors alone were valuable. She bought the unit for $3,000 and wasn’t disappointed. “He must have had a crew dismantling the whole house,” Ricks says. “It was a big unit. Beautiful beveled-glass doors, gold towel holders, cement mixers. It had everything you would think of that a big luxury house would have.”
Ricks employs 10 people who collect items from the storage units during the week and sells those items at her store on weekends. She will buy anything she can resell at a profit, but especially likes high-end items. “A lot of times I’ll go for the beautiful stuff,” she says. “Heidi Fleiss is in Pahrump; she shops at my place and buys a lot of stuff.” With the sour economy, Ricks has had more competition for storage units from buyers such as husband-andwife team Dave and Elizabeth (they asked that their last
First-time buyer Mark Grace finds himself pitted against seasoned bidders at Sure Save Self Storage on Apache Road.
name not be used). They focuse on buying smaller units that contain no more than they can load in their pickup and haul away themselves. That’s how they’ve made a living since Dave got laid off from his construction job in March 2008. They sell their finds on eBay, Craigslist, yard sales, swap meets—however they can. They’re getting by, Dave says, but it’s a hard way to make a living. “This is at least an 18-hour day, every day, for us.” While it takes skill and work to be a consistently successful auction buyer, part of the allure is knowing that every once in a while someone hits the jackpot. “I sold a unit at All Storage about a year and a half ago,” Hubbard says. “In the unit you saw a few scattered bags, a small mini-bike and you didn’t know what was there. A day later, the buyer comes into the office of the manager with a big smile on her face and says, ‘That’s it! We’re all moving back to Utah!’ There was a bag of money in there. A bag of money! And it was enough to take her out of the business, with a big smile. “It’s a great treasure hunt,” he adds. “That’s what it’s all about. The people who participate with me are some of the greatest gamblers in Las Vegas.” Back at West Flamingo Storage, Hubbard solicits the last bids on unit 27. “Final call,” he says, and a regulation two beats later, “Sold! For $200.” As the group moves on, the new owner of unit 27 looks skeptically at his purchase. He might have just bought a treasure. He might have just wasted his money. Either way, he’s signed himself up for a lot of work over the next few days. Plummer rolls the door down and the buyer puts on his new lock, concluding the sale of someone’s life at 10 cents a cubic foot. July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 35
S E X Y
I N T I M A T E
B O U T I Q U E
702.823.2210 • 8665 W. Flamingo, Suite129 • Las Vegas, NV 89147
THe LocaL Newsroom Fighting the copyright war Review-Journal using flood of lawsuits to help protect intellectual property By Kate Silver
Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle, speaking during the Nevada Republican Party State Convention at Green Valley Ranch Resort on July 9.
Why Talking to the ‘Friendly’ Media Is Hurting Sharron Angle Republican Senate candidate risks alienating moderate voters
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
By Molly Ball Politicians have to watch out for those nasty “gotcha” journalists in the mainstream media. They will badger candidates and berate them until they say something they don’t mean, and then the press will take it out of context and beat them over the head with it. Count Sharron Angle, the Republican aiming to defeat Democratic Sen. Harry Reid in November, among the partisans on both sides who hold this view. So Angle has decided not to play that game. Besieged with interview requests since her upset primary victory, she has granted them mostly to ideologically sympathetic outlets such as conservative talk radio and Fox News. Why, then, does her mouth keep getting Angle into trouble? In those supposed softball interviews, Angle lets her guard down. She sympathizes with BP; she advises pregnant rape victims to look on the bright side. It appears that her avoidance of the mainstream
media, far from protecting her, is actually backfiring. Angle clearly believes she’s using the media to her advantage. On July 13, she told the Christian Broadcasting Network, “I’m not going to earn anything from people who are there to badger me and use my words to batter me with. What I need is to reach out into that public who will go to sharronangle. com and send that $25.” Shows such as NBC’s Meet the Press, she says, won’t let her get that message out. Most politicians don’t admit it so bluntly, but what Angle describes is standard strategy. Candidates don’t talk to the press because it’s good for their health. They’re hoping to reach people who might decide to vote for them or give them money. There were times during the 2008 presidential race when the Obama campaign limited his interviews in Las Vegas to, for example, Spanishlanguage radio. Such decisions left many
reporters fuming, but they were probably smart moves by a campaign that was trying to mobilize Hispanic voters. Angle has come under criticism for supposedly dodging tough questioning. The state Democratic Party has even set up a website, sharronsundergroundbunker.com, topped with an illustration of journalists standing in front of an empty podium with Angle’s name on it. Beneath the soil, Angle is shown in a bomb shelter stocked with survival supplies. But do voters care? According to polls, the American public doesn’t like or trust the media. The real problem with Angle’s strategy isn’t that she’ll lose votes over it. Rather, it’s that those supposedly friendly interviews do her more damage than the ones she’s refusing, by tempting her to say the kinds of things you only say among friends. After all, Angle may be picking and choosing her spots, but she hasn’t Continued on page 39
What do a cat blog, a gaming website, a real estate agent, marijuana reformers and the Nevada Democratic party all have in common? They’ve all been sued by a Las Vegas company called Righthaven for publishing all or parts of articles that originally appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Since March, Righthaven has filed 75 lawsuits (as of press time) in federal court accusing bloggers, political parties, online casinos and others of violating copyright law. Review-Journal publisher Sherman Frederick wrote about the lawsuits in a May 28 column, in which he compared the posting of the R-J’s copyrighted content on a website to stealing his 1967 Corvette. “I’m absolutely, 100 percent not OK with that,” he wrote. Although Frederick did not respond to interview requests, Mark Hinueber, vice president and general counsel of Stephens Media, which owns the R-J, explained it like this: “Our reporters would come down the hall every day and say, ‘Look at this, my stories are on these websites,’” Hinueber says. “Well, Righthaven came along at a time when we were looking for solutions to this problem.” While neither Righthaven nor Stephens will elaborate on their business agreement, Hinueber explained that Stephens assigns certain intellectual property rights to Righthaven, which chooses whether it wants to pursue infringements. From there, recent history has shown that Righthaven then files a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the website operator considered in violation, and the defendant finds out about the case when he or she is contacted by Las Vegas Sun reporter Steve Green, who has followed the ever-growing story for the competing daily newspaper, seeking comment about the case. There’s no letter, no warning, no request to take down the article, just a lawsuit—a federal one, because that’s how copyright law works. Hinueber says that despite accusations in the blogosphere and elsewhere, the R-J is doing fine financially and Righthaven’s recent pursuits have Continued on page 40 July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 37
The Local Newsroom
Green Felt Journal
Trek to the Rescue By David G. Schwartz
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38 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Things haven’t looked good for business travel to Las Vegas for a few years. Since 2006, the city has suffered a 29 percent reduction in convention attendance. But amid the gloom, one sector of group travel has weathered the storm surprisingly well: hobby-related trade shows. Creation Entertainment, which puts on conventions across the country for fans of genre television and movies, has seen attendance at its annual Star Trek convention in Las Vegas climb steadily in recent years. In fact, thanks to the company’s efforts, the city holds the world’s largest Star Trek convention each year—and is shooting for the record books again during this year’s event, set for Aug. 5-8 at the Las Vegas Hilton. “We’ve been running Star Trek conventions for 30 years,” says Gary Berman, co-CEO of Creation Entertainment. “Once the Hilton opened Star Trek: The Experience, it made perfect sense to bring one to the Hilton. And even though that attraction has closed, the Hilton has been a great home for the convention, and we’re continuing there.” Initially, some in Las Vegas thought twice about catering to Star Trek fans. Worried that the devoted fan base didn’t know blackjack from fizzbin, Berman says executives were afraid that Trekkies (or Trekkers, depending on who you ask) “wouldn’t bring good money into town.” But they soon discovered they were wrong. Those who grew up watching the original Star Trek are now well into middle age, an ideal demographic for the gaming tables and restaurants here. The runaway success of WMS Industries’ Star Trek slot-machine series is just further confirmation that the franchise is a valuable commodity for casinos, if they approach it correctly. Even in the face of the city’s worst slowdown in history, Star Trek fans continue to come each August, spending money and having fun, while sedate business travelers are cutting back. Why is that? “We’re finding, both in Las Vegas and across the country, that the last thing our fans want to give up is their hobby,” Berman says. “This becomes their vacation, and they’re going no matter what.” Yet there’s more to the convention than fans getting out their Starfleet uniforms. Berman says it’s about “ joining together with thousands of people
who get together for a week in Vegas to celebrate a positive vision of the future [and] to have fun.” Certainly, there’s a great deal to see and do at the convention, even for casual fans. General admission tickets for all four days run $119—less than many shows on the Strip. Single-day admission is as low as $30, less than many bargain afternoon shows. For the cost of admission, fans can shop for rare collectibles and attend panels featuring stars drawn from Star Trek’s five television series and 11 movies—everyone from William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy of the original series to Sir Patrick Stewart of Star Trek: The Next Generation to stars from later spin-offs Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise. You can even “punch it” with Bruce Greenwood, who played Capt. Christopher Pike in the 2009 Star Trek movie, which introduced the franchise to a new generation of fans. Autographs and photo opportunities with the stars cost extra, as do evening parties and other special events, such as the Saturday night concert, in which the Nevada Pops, conducted by Richard McGhee, performs some of the franchise’s most beloved orchestral scores. Then there is Creation’s play for the record books. In typical Vegas fashion, conference organizers are planning to shatter the world record for “Largest Group of People Dressed as Star Trek Characters” (it’s currently 508). With an expert on hand to certify that each costume is up to par (no throwing on a pair of Vulcan ears while wearing jeans and a T-shirt), they mean business. In the end, the convention is offering Star Trek fans the chance to do what fans of the Rat Pack once came to the Sands to do: spend a few days with people who share their interests, while meeting and mingling with their idols. So the Star Trek convention is proving that the success stories of today’s Las Vegas follow the lesson of old Vegas—give people what they want, and they’ll be back for more. For more information about the Official Star Trek Convention 2010, go to creationent.com. The author will be there, but not in costume—unless you’ve got a Gorn outfit you’d like to lend him. David G. Schwartz is the director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research.
Hardscrabble Days Adversity and perseverance in the Arts District By Greg Blake Miller
Photo by Anthony Mair
I was not aware that Wash-a-Rama was the home of the $1.25 fluff and fold. But here I am, on Casino Center Boulevard, a block east of Main Street, a place that sounds like it ought to be the home of at least something. So why not fluff? Why not fold? Wash-a-Rama shares space with the Turning Point Café. The sign above the café door reminds me that Jesus Saves. There is no one in the café, no one in Wash-a-Rama, no one else on the sidewalk. It is 112 degrees. The sky seems bored with being blue. Something is burning. I scribble in my notebook. When I look up, a silver Honda Ridgeline has pulled alongside me. The car is new and fresh, the man behind the wheel is gray-haired and clean-cut, and looks the way you’d imagine success looked if success still looked like anything in particular. The man is staring at me. At least I think he is staring at me. I returned to this city less than a week ago. Air in Oregon was cool. Life in Oregon was slow. Las Vegas, this hometown of mine, this memory-stained T-shirt I’ve never had a problem slipping into, suddenly feels laced with thorns. I walk past the Ridgeline. I do not make eye contact. And then I turn back. Nevada plates. They read “PERILS.” Something is burning in the Arts District. Two days ago, on July 11, a transformer exploded. It blew out windows. On these blocks they’ve tried for years to roll back visions of boarded shop fronts. Now there are boards on shop fronts. They will make the boards go away, I know, these hardscrabble culture farmers who put down stakes here when everyone else was pulling them up. Effort is what happens after setbacks. These people are all about the inspired management of chaos. They know how to use discarded material, blind alleys, forgotten time. Just after the explosion, the Opportunity Village Donation Center burned down. It was full of discarded material. It is two days later. Something is burning once more. There are Stardust stars on the Casino Center sidewalk between Colorado and California avenues. Sidewalk art always smacks of good intentions. Where does it all lead? Main Street
is burning. The air tastes acrid. The burning building had once housed art. Now it houses something that tastes terrible when incinerated and released into the air. Twelve-twelve Casino Center is home to the Law Offices of Osvaldo E. Fumo. Nobody is there. Smoke rises over Main. I talk to a man outside a flower shop. He has been here three years from Chicago. He takes explosions and fires in stride. This is an urban space, but the act of creation here requires a different sort of spiritual effort than the transformation of gritty Midwestern warehouses into artist lofts. Grit is a mere click away from art. This neighborhood, though once a commercial district for a rail town, never quite made it to grit. It went straight from life to death without picturesque decay. Creating the Arts District has demanded not merely repurposing, but re-seeding upon the salted fields of Hannibal. Urban renewals elsewhere speak of hope and labor. Here, the word faith takes on its true weight. In this one-story world, beneath an empty sky, artists built themselves a Factory, a District, a community. The smoke is in my clothes. The moon-rover vans from Channels 3 and 13 are parked just beyond the yellow tape. Reporters dab their brows, talk to bystanders, lean against walls waiting for word from the fire department PIO. I look at the Brett Wesley Gallery in its pristine new building, and the Trifecta Gallery in the old Arts Factory, a building gleefully haunted by the possible former uses of its man-size kiln. Brian Porray’s work puts me in mind of unexpected gateways, dynamited passages to impossible places. The fire outside has been doused. The rust-brown facade of Alex Rivas Upholstery has been blackened. The Arts District lives to fight another day. I pass the Wash-a-Rama once more. The back wall is decorated with Alex Huerta’s 2007 mural. The word “ART” turns a corner and lends its “T” to “Truth.” Across the street, presiding over the district like a dark angel, is a Flood District billboard featuring the license plate “NO1WINS.” Maybe so. But around here, they play on.
Alex Rivas Upholstery on South Main Street sits boarded up after being damaged by the third fire in a week in downtown Las Vegas.
Angle Continued from page 37
avoided tough interviews altogether. Most notably, she went on Jon Ralston’s Face to Face on KVBC Channel 3, where she got an old-fashioned grilling. The biggest news out of that interview? Angle backed down from her exhortation to “take out” Reid, clarifying that she isn’t actually a would-be assassin, no doubt to the relief of Reid’s security detail. Confronted with statements she’s made in the past about abortion, unemployment and Social Security, she more or less said she still holds those views. Stop the presses. Contrast that with the Christian Broadcasting Network interview where she discussed her media-as-fundraising strategy. On the same show, she suggested that God told her to run against Reid, an idea that might give even the devout pause. Or take Angle’s July 7 appearance on Alan Stock’s Las Vegas talk-radio show, when she agreed with a caller who described BP’s $20 billion oil-spill claims account as a “slush fund.” “No, government shouldn’t be doing that to a private company, and I think you named it clearly,” Angle said. “It’s a slush fund.” That may be the popular position among listeners to Stock and Rush Limbaugh, but it certainly isn’t the majority view. Republicans in Congress ran screaming in the other direction when one of their own voiced a similar opinion. Within hours of her comment, Angle reversed herself. Her campaign issued a statement saying she didn’t really think it was a “slush fund.” PolitiFact.com called it a “full [flip-]flop.” It was also on Stock’s show that Angle, reaffirming her view that abortion should not be available to victims of rape or incest, said that a teenage girl raped by her father who kept the baby would have “made a lemon situation into lemonade.” On another conservative talk show, she said of such pregnancies, “God has a plan.” As Angle, a far-right candidate, attempts to position herself before general-election voters, she’s trying to spin her ultraconservative positions so that they sound centrist. Hence, privatizing Social Security becomes “personalizing” the program. Now that she’s the nominee, she’s got expensive political handlers working to help her stay on message. But if Angle stays cocooned in the right-wing echo chamber, she may forget what message she’s supposed to be on. Avoiding the mainstream media, far from keeping her safe, could be the way Angle alienates the moderate voters she needs in November.
July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 39
The Local Newsroom
Lawsuits Continued from page 37
become a precedent, Bates says it could really shift the nothing to do with bringing in an alternative income online landscape. stream. Instead, this is one way of protecting the news“If this ends up representing a trend, it’s a bad depaper’s intellectual property in a world of constantly velopment,” Bates says. “Bloggers especially may have evolving technological platforms. to spend thousands of dollars on But isn’t it going a little far to file lawyers and settlements when, if the a lawsuit without just asking the copyright owners just asked, they’d individuals to either post it properly be glad to remove the material.” (and properly, according to HinueBut Righthaven’s business model ber, is to post a link to the story and is based around them not asking. no more than the first paragraph) or Steve Gibson, CEO of Righttake it down? haven, says that if his company Stephen Bates, assistant professor sent out takedown letters he would at UNLV’s Hank Greenspun School have to hire hundreds of people to of Journalism & Media Studies, respond to the seemingly limitless says that some kind of communicacopyright infringements out there. tion with the defendant is usually “It would be an extraordinarily a given. “The lawsuits are legal expensive operation to do that,” but sleazy,” he says. “Nearly all he says, “and certainly my comcopyright owners ask that infringing pany would not be in a position to material be taken down before filing provide the services to its client that suit. Righthaven, on behalf of the it provides and get compensated in Review-Journal, is heading straight to R-J publisher Sherman Frederick an appropriate way and keep people court instead.” employed if all we did was send out takedown letters Bates says that copyright laws have been broken— like a charitable organization.” but tolerated—for some time. Litigation has always As it stands, Gibson says that most of the cases his been an option, but it’s something that, until now, company is working on are being settled out of court simply hasn’t been done. Should the Righthaven way
40
Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
and most of those settlements are confidential. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws has been vocal about its settlement with Righthaven. First Amendment attorney Marc Randazza represented the organization, which settled its case for $2,100. “I think the R-J ought to be ashamed of itself for allowing this to happen,” Randazza says. He says that NORML’s website never ran entire ReviewJournal stories. Rather, it provided the links to another organization’s website that published the stories. “Copyright law is not supposed to act as a complete lockdown on the exchange of ideas and thoughts,” says Randazza, who has worked on numerous copyrightinfringement cases. “The purpose of copyright law is to encourage the creation of new works—not to act as a ‘gotcha’ payday if some kid cuts and pastes a news article in an online forum.” Randazza described the defendants being sued by Righthaven as “mom and pop, kids and elderly people—people who didn’t know any better.” “Is filing 60 lawsuits over utter and complete bullshit really the right way to use the courts?” he asked. Gibson is steadfast that, yes, it is. He says that the cases they’ve filed so far are just the beginning. “We believe that there are millions if not billions of infringements out there,” he says. “So you can do the math.”
The Local Newsroom
Politics
Voting on the robes By Michael Green
Many years ago, a governor filled a vacant judgeship with an attorney who didn’t live up to expectations. When the judge died, a friend called the governor to ask if he would attend the funeral. “Why should I?” the governor said. His friend replied, “Because not every governor gets to bury his mistakes.” That’s an argument for electing judges: Let the public make the mistakes, not politicians presumably beholden to someone or some group. Besides, advocates of electing judges say, subjecting them to the voters keeps their heads on straight. This fall, though, Ballot Question 1 will ask, “Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended to provide for the appointment of Supreme Court justices and District Court judges by the Governor for their initial terms from lists of candidates nominated by the Commission on Judicial Selection, with subsequent retention of those justices and judges after independent performance evaluations and voter approval?” Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor said “yes” in a New York Times commentary, arguing that campaign spending and fundraising taint the judicial process. Nevadans know about that. A 2006 Los Angeles Times series raised ethical questions about several past and present local judges. Although the reports shed more heat than light, they demonstrated that when judges need to raise campaign funds, contributors have been known to benefit. As O’Connor said, “In our system, the judiciary, unlike the legislative and the executive branches, is supposed to answer only to the law and to the Constitution. Courts are supposed to be the one safe place where every citizen can receive a fair hearing.” Thus a problem with judges in general. Consider the U.S. Supreme Court. Whatever your politics, you probably consider justices you agree with fair-minded, and the other side corrupt and shaping results to suit their prejudices. If that problem does exist, increasing the number of appointed judges seems unlikely to solve it. Nevadans for Qualified Judges quotes O’Connor on its website (morequalifiedjudges.com) and cites its reasons for wanting judicial reform: The public lacks information about judicial candidates, campaign money raises issues of fairness and half of Nevada’s judges run unopposed, giving voters little choice anyway.
42 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
It’s hard to learn about judicial performance, but shouldn’t voters be able to read enough news accounts and campaign literature and talk with informed friends to form an opinion? While that may not be easy, they usually aren’t willing to make the effort. Also, judges still would have to make it through the appointment process and then run later on a merit system. O’Connor praises states that make the selection committee interviews public, which is helpful but still no guarantee of a better choice. And what’s to stop money from affecting the subsequent merit election—especially when the Supreme Court just gave a corporation the same First Amendment rights as a person? Nor does that necessarily reduce the chances of partisanship as supporters contend it would. Nevada changed its judicial elections from partisan to nonpartisan in 1915. In recent years, though, both major parties or groups tied to them have been issuing lists of preferred candidates, who in turn campaign harder with their party. And our worst judicial scandals have involved judges from both sides of the aisle. Oddly, the point about judges running unopposed may be the best argument for a judicial selection system—and not because it means voters have no choice. The 2010 ballot includes several perennial judicial candidates. Perhaps all want to serve and would be fine judges. Many lawyers with judicial ambitions don’t run for judge, mainly for the reason that critics of the system cite: the sense of pain and prostitution that fundraising can create. And the number of courtrooms has mushroomed in recent years in response to population growth and our general litigiousness, requiring more and better judges. Instead, we have ended up with some judicial embarrassments. We are loath to limit democracy. But Nevada long ago quit electing the state superintendent of education, Supreme Court clerk, state printer and surveyor general. Some legislators have tried to introduce an appointment process to those governing our educational system. Should we ask less of the judiciary—and of ourselves? 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 Melissa Arseniuk
Thur. 22 The pre-weekend party starts at Aria, as Liquid combines Tequila and Turntables, then adds a gaggle of bikini-clad hotties and a splash of fun in the sun to serve up your reason to call in sick and party by the pool. (11 a.m., $10 for ladies, $40 for men, believable alibi not included.) Later that night, you’ll want to be on Bob Shindelar’s guest list, since Tao’s top VIP host is celebrating his birthday at (where else?) Tao. Come dressed like a tourist to receive touristy souvenirs, and take advantage of an open bar from 11 p.m. to midnight. What does “like a tourist” mean? We’re thinking Ed Hardy shirts for guys, and girls wearing dresses that are two sizes too small that would never pass in Ohio. At the Venetian, doors at 10 p.m., free for locals, but real tourists have to pay: $20 for guys, $10 for girls.
Fri. 23 Friday afternoons sizzle at Wet Republic, and the mercury climbs higher this week as the third annual Spy On Vegas Hot 100 contest comes to a close. The 20 hottest of the hotties will seek prizes totaling $100,000, with the hottest of them all getting $35K. (At MGM Grand, doors at 11 a.m., $40 for guys, $20 for girls, see the finalists and vote for your favorites at spyonvegas.com/ hot100.) Meanwhile, three members of the Twilight wolf pack—Alex Meraz, Tinsel Korey and Julia Jones—stake out their spot high atop the Venetian, at Tao Beach. (Doors at 10 a.m., free.) Destiny’s Child songstress Michelle Williams joins former UNLV Rebel and NBA All-Star Shawn Marion at Tao later that night, as the two host a kickoff party for a celebrity-stuffed poker tournament benefiting Marion’s namesake nonprofit organization. Doors at 10 p.m., $20 cover, local ladies free.
Sat. 24 July 24 is National Tequila Day, which gives us all the more reason—multiple reasons!—to drink blue agavebased booze. Start with Stereo Love Saturdays at the Palazzo, featuring DJ Tina T (11 a.m.-6 p.m., $20 cover), or try the Tropicana, where casino bars serve $5 Ambhar shots. Across the street, Luxor casino bartenders offer $9 shots of Ambhar Platinum ($2 more for Reposado) all day, and there is no shortage of Patron (or other imbibers) at Haze, where Sean Kingston hosts. (At Aria, doors at 10:30 p.m., $40 for men, $20 for women.) Meanwhile, LeBron James follows his Friday night hosting gig at Lavo with a Saturday night stopover at Tao. At the Venetian, doors at 10 p.m., $30 for guys, $20 for girls, local ladies free.
SeveN NIghtS Sun. 25 Vegas Magazine named names in its most recent issue, and detailed the hottest singles this city has to offer in a special “Black Book” section. The glossy quarterly now celebrates the shiny folks at The Bank, and giving the rest of us a chance to mix and mingle with the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, all to the sounds of DJs Karma and David Christian. At Bellagio, doors at 10:30 p.m., $40 cover, locals free with supporting ID.
Mon. 26 Prohibition Mondays return to Sage, as the CityCenter restaurant’s lounge pays tribute to the cocktails that helped get us through the dry times. Relive “Repeal Day” at Aria with two-for-one Hemingway daiquiris, Clover Club cocktails and glasses of Prohibition punch from 9 p.m. to midnight. Not a fan of unmodern times? No problem: You can still get two-for-one glasses of draft beer. Also that night, the king of Web-based nightlife polls, Jack Colton, brings his annual Las Vegas Nightlife Employee of the Month Awards back to Jet—because partying in this city is a full-time job. At The Mirage, doors at 10:30 p.m., free for locals, $30 for non-locals, and everyone after midnight. Vote for your favorites at jackcolton.com/9to5.
Tues. 27 They say July 27 is National Scotch Day, and we’re not going to fight it. Observe the gentlemanly holiday by sipping a single malt at your favorite dimly lit establishment, or indulge in a snifter of Oban at a classy spot on the Strip. Our off-Strip suggestions include Freakin’ Frog (4700 S. Maryland Parkway), The Griffin (511 E. Fremont St.), Herbs & Rye (3713 W. Sahara Ave.) and the Artisan (1501 W. Sahara Ave). On the Great Boulevard, stick to the steak houses—Craftsteak at MGM Grand and Stripsteak at Mandalay Bay are both excellent options—or try Napoleon’s Bar at Paris.
Wed. 28 Beauty Bar pays homage to 20 colorful years with a new weekly party that celebrates the best of the ’80s and ’90s club scene. Le Métro: Discothèque 1980-2000 gets under way at 10 p.m., starting with two hours of $3 vodka specials. Meanwhile, DJs Allen and Grenadier have pledged to dust off the Depeche Mode, David Bowie, Bjork, Madonna and more. 517 E. Fremont St., no cover. July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 45
Nightlife
The Bank | Bellagio
Photography by Jessica Blair
Upcoming July 23-24 | San Diego Takeover July 25 | vegaS Magazine HoSTS iTS Black Book ParTy During inDuSTry nigHT
46 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Nightlife
daydream | m resort
Upcoming July 25 | SinnerS’ paradiSe July 26 | Funday Monday Featuring an hour-long hoSted bar FroM 11 a.M.noon, $30 bottoMleSS MoJitoS For the ladieS and bottle Service FroM $100
48 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Photography by Beverly Oanes
Nightlife
Wasted space | the hard rock hotel
Photography by Hew Burney
Upcoming July 22 | 100 Monkeys and Joey Resly with special Guests the kissinG club July 23-25 | l.a. coMedy club with bRet eRnst at 8 p.M. July 25 | new politics with Guests FuneRal paRty and leavinG spRinGField July 28 | wasted talent 2 July 29 | pato banton celebRates 30 yeaRs oF ReGGae
54 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Nightlife
Club Scene tk caption All aboard the party train: Down & Derby takes over Rain for one night of retro fun on wheels every month.
the money to be like, “Oh, I’ll buy 50 percent of it.” … So I saved up a load of money in my sock drawer. … Three months in, we started getting offers from other cities— St. Louis, L.A., Pomona. We started doing L.A. in May 2009. Today I do Down & Derby in San Francisco, L.A., Pomona, Las Vegas. Vince does St. Louis, Pittsburgh, New York. How do the D&Ds vary, city to city? Each city is different. In L.A., we bring in a little more progressive talent that wouldn’t necessarily work in Las Vegas, like Wes Miles, the lead singer of Ra Ra Riot. San Fran is a lot of hardcore jam skaters—it’s still a party, but it’s almost a skills competition. And Pittsburgh is grimy. It’s in a grimy bar, grimy downtown style—just sweaty dance party with roller skates and PBR spilled everywhere.
He Wears Short Shorts Down & Derby’s Richard Alexander reflects upon how he brought sexy—er, roller disco—back, and to the masses By Melissa Arseniuk
The retro party on wheels otherwise known as Down & Derby was born in Pittsburgh, but it lives in Las Vegas. Described by West Coast founder Richard Alexander as “a throw-back to your fourth-grade birthday party with drinks, roller skates and good music,” the monthly Thursday night party now reaches seven cities, coast to coast, and will soon expand to three more. Imitators (such as the cowboyed-up Boot, Scoot N Boogie at Revolver and, more directly, Roller Boogie at Crown) have come—and, judging from weak attendance, may soon go—but the city’s undisputed favorite night of booze-infused retro roller fun is still going strong. The party encourages “short shorts, spandex, gold chains and tube socks” for the guys, while ladies are encouraged to “seal the deal” with striped shorts and “thighs of steel.” The result? A carefree night of “skating, drinking, dancing and making out on eight wheels.” Alexander (full disclosure: He used to work for Vegas Seven sister company Spy On Vegas) says home is where Down & Derby’s heart is. “The people of Las Vegas, as crazy as it sounds, they made Down & Derby what it is,” he says. The 26-year-old former Abercrombie & Fitch model tells Vegas Seven about the evolution of Down & Derby, and life in the round. Where did the first D&D go down? The first one ever was on May 20, 2006, at Belvederes in Pittsburgh. The first one in Las Vegas was at Beauty Bar in February 2009. It was a couples’ skate kickoff [on] the 13th of February—it was the ultimate date night.
Alexander (left) takes a break from the roller rink to grab a sippy cup cocktail and talk to performers Grand Marnier (center) and Yelle.
How did D&D make its way to the West Coast? I met Vince [Masi, the founder], and he was like, “You know I’m doing this roller skating party,” and I was like, “I would love to help out,”—but I didn’t have
Why did a retro hipster party move to a major casino? Mike Fuller and Jon Gray from the Palms all been to the party. ... They were obviously doing some kind of recon work; I don’t think these guys were there to hang out. … [Then] I got a phone call from Mike Fuller and Jimmy Aston—this is back when Fuller was still at N9NE Group [which runs nightlife at the Palms]; he’s at Angel Management Group now. He was like, “We would love to do it here.” I actually avoided him for a while, and then I finally was, like, screw it, let’s do it. Why did you hold off? The party wasn’t ready. … I wanted the party to actually be legitimately good before I was going to [move it into] a nightclub, so I let it grow to the point where … we were hitting 600 people and there was no room to even skate. When people were coming up to me and asking me, “Where do we skate at?” that’s when I knew it was time to move to a bigger venue. Did you get any push-back from the downtown crowd when it moved to the Palms? A lot of the people who came to the one downtown come to the one at Rain. There might be some people who just refuse nightclubs altogether … but I can’t help that. Is it more expensive now that it’s in a casino? Vegas is just known for raping people when it comes to pricing. … but it’s always cheap to get in, no matter where we’ve been. … We’ve kept the really cheap door, and there’s $5 beers and $5 shots, which is very comparable to downtown, … and there’s no dress code, ever. I guess those concepts are very fresh for people in Las Vegas, because that’s all this city is about—dress code, drink prices and cover. The combination of booze, roller skates and stairs doesn’t sound all that safe. Aren’t you afraid of being sued? We have a very strict insurance policy. That’s our biggest cost, the insurance—$500-plus, per city, and we do seven cities a month, so it gets expensive. … You cannot Continued on page 60
58 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Nightlife
Down & Derby Continued from page 58
Some take the “down” in Down & Derby more literally than others.
come into the club without signing the waiver, even if you’re not skating … because if somebody was to run into you, you could sue. [The insurance] covers all aspects, from drinking to skating: From skating, to getting hit by skates, to a wheel falling off, to your shoelace breaking and you falling over. Has anyone been seriously hurt? No, knock on wood. The worst so far has been a sprained wrist. Any close calls? The most dangerous place we ever had it was Coachella. We built this enormous, 5,000-square-foot wooden rink. It was the afterparty, so everybody was already effed-up on drugs and booze, and then they had this skating party from 1 to 4 a.m. The center of the skate floor was a dance party—the whole center was these kids sweating and probably on Ecstasy, dancing, and the whole outside was these kids flying, going as fast as they can on these skates, and they were just having a good time. At what point did you realize D&D had arrived? We did Girls Next Door in October—it was a private party for Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion. I know it’s a stupid show—Girls Next Door, whoop-de-doo—but it’s a pretty good stage for a party that just started at Beauty Bar in Las Vegas, you know? I thought so anyway. … Back in the day [Hefner] did a roller disco, and they wanted to try it again. They brought back some of the old Playboy Bunnies, like Barbi [Benton]— whatever her name is, the famous one. That was pretty cool. Boot, Scoot N Boogie and Roller Boogie are suspiciously similar parties. Is imitation the highest form of flattery, or frustration? I wasn’t really worried too much about Boot, Scoot N Boogie because … it’s way out in Santa Fe Station, and they have their own crowd built-in out there. It was cool that people were trying to do another skating party … but then the Crown room, they popped up right across the street [at the Rio], and they were saying they were the originals, and they had more experience doing these, and I just thought that was kind of, you know, very weird and not cool. It’s not like you have a bar, and you’re just playing Top 40 music; it’s a rollerskating event. They took a very unique idea across the street, and they copycatted a little bit, and I don’t think that’s cool of anybody—I don’t care if it’s roller skating, my party, or any party. Roller Boogie organizer Frankie Anobile has said he and DJ R.O.B. have been doing Roller Boogie, or roller boogies of some sort, 10 p.m.- 3 a.m. July 29 since the ’80s, and that they threw Rain at the Palms similar weekly events for about two $5 cover, $5 skate rentals years in the ’90s that combined the RSVP at downandderby.org love of booze and roller skating. What do you say to that? Well, if they were doing it years and years ago, I never heard of it—maybe I’m too young. But when I [started doing Down & Derby], nobody was like, “Oh, that’s the idea that so-and-so had!” … The only thing I heard was, “Oh, it’s like Crystal Palace but with alcohol.” So I would say Crystal Palace probably has more respect on a lower disco front than what [Anobile and R.O.B.] are claiming.
Down & DerBy
60 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Alexander is now the proud owner of thousands of old-school roller skates. He rents from 300 to 500 pairs during a typical Down & Derby night at the Palms.
So are you saying you were the first? I would never say that, even if I was the first. … Neither did I invent the roller skate, nor did I invent the roller-disco revival party. Regardless of who created the concept, D&D is the biggest one in town, and has the most dedicated following. Of all your regulars, who do you consider the guy to watch? LeVar Maxwell—he’s the one who always wears the Afro. He does backflips and front-flips and 360s and crazy stuff like that. … He actually did this move where he put a rope around his neck, and a rope around another person’s neck, and he spins in a circle with this girl on skates spinning around his neck. It was scary, I’m not going to lie. I was, like, Oh, shiiiiiit. His real job is in construction … but he moonlights as a jam skater. He wears the Afro, and a half-buttoned shirt and his skate pants … [but] if you saw him on the street, you’d never know it was him.
Nightlife
Cocktail Culture
By Xania Woodman
Celebrating National Tequila Day
Great things come in small, skull-shaped packages Crystal Head Vodka Most know Dan Aykroyd as an actor/comedian/renaissance man, but the Canadian-born talent is a wine and spirits magnate, too. His eponymous wines promote the Niagara Peninsula of his homeland, while his Crystal Head brand of vodka taps into a more intriguing side of the man. As the great-grandson of a mystic and a self-described spiritualist, Aykroyd firmly believes in the mysteries of the universe—including UFOs, ghosts and the radiant psychic energies of 13 crystal skulls that have been found, scattered across Mexico and South America. Unlike the mysterious and much-fabled crystal skulls, the origin of Aykroyd’s Crystal Head vodka bottle is wellknown: It was created by artist John Alexander. But don’t let the packaging fool you—Crystal Head vodka is not a gimmick. It is made using water from Newfoundland, and “peaches and cream” Canadian grain that provides a somewhat creamy sweetness to the spirit, which is then quadruple-distilled and triple-filtered through inert Herkimer Diamonds (translation: polished quartz crystals) to impart the vodka—and therefore you—with positive energy.
Libertad O Muerte As created by Myke Ramos and served at Hussong’s Cantina inside Mandalay Place, $19
Kah Tequila The name is Mayan for “life,” and Kah Tequila’s cultural roots extend to the Aztec and Meso-American observances of Dia de los Muertos, a.k.a. the Day of the Dead, Nov. 2. Kah would have been released in time for another important Latin American holiday— Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo—but its skull packaging prompted Crystal Head vodka’s parent company, Globefill, to wage a brief court battle. (Globefill’s motion to prevent Kah from coming to market was dismissed.) Kah’s unique hand-painted ceramic bottles take their inspiration from Calaveras de Azucar—highly decorated sugar skulls used in Dia de los Muertos celebrations of rebirth and new beginnings. The colorful, four-bottle line arrives in stores next month. Kah Blanco: Certified organic and characterized by its aromatic agave rush, followed by spicy white pepper and a pumpkin-floral finish. Kah 110 proof Reposado: Universally pleasing, with a balance of sweet notes, oak and agave. A great foundation for organic margaritas. Kah Añejo: Subtle woody notes with a smooth body, hints of vanilla spice and a sweet melon finish. Kah Extra Añejo: Limited edition, aged four and a half years and presented in a bottle adorned with Swarovski crystals. The blingy bottle pays homage to elaborately decorated, precious gem-encrusted ancestral Mayan skulls that have been found.
“Liberty or Death” is an age-old battle cry, the Uruguayan national credo and, most recently, the name of a killer margarita served at Hussong’s Cantina. Similar freedom-or-death mantras have fueled revolutions from the Americas to Bulgaria, but on National Tequila Day (July 24), let us make cocktails, not war, and what Hussong’s calls the Cadillac of Cadillac margaritas. The cantina serves them big and cold—and yes, you get to keep the skull cup. 1½ ounces Milagro Reposado tequila ½ ounce Cointreau 1½ ounces fresh sour mix ½ ounce agave nectar
Squeeze of lime Splash of orange juice 1/3-½ ounce Grand Marnier Lime wedge for garnish Coarse salt for rim
Combine the first six ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Cover, shake and strain into a large glass rimmed with coarse salt. Finish by floating a thin layer of Grand Marnier on top of the mixed cocktail. Garnish with a fresh lime wedge, and liberty is served.
Clockwise from top: Libertad O Muerte, Crystal Head Vodka and Kah Tequila.
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Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
The NaTioNal Newsroom help? Not soon Some think the U.S. can export its way to economic health. But a radical restructuring of trade agreements and manufacturing infrastructure would have to come first
Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images
By Ted Rall TORONTO — Twenty years ago, the American economy was in the third year of a deep recession. It was impossible to find a job. The 1980s housing bubble had popped; high-end housing prices in New York City dropped by 80 percent. Then, as now, the president seemed oblivious, aloof and clueless. Two years later, with no recovery in sight, angry voters turned him out of office. But help was on the way. Something called the World Wide Web appeared in 1991. Two years later, Mosaic—the first graphic Web browser, which would evolve into Netscape—was introduced. The Internet boom began. It flamed out seven years later, but in the meantime tens of millions of Americans collected new, higher paychecks. They spent their windfall. Consumer spending exploded. So did government tax revenues. When President Clinton left office in 2001, the Office of Management and Budget was projecting a $5 trillion surplus over the next 10 years—enough to pay off the national debt and fund Social Security for decades. Unemployment had fallen to 4 percent. United States GDP accounted for a quarter of the global economy. It’s different this time. We are in a deep depression: Calculated the same way as it was in the 1930s, the unemployment rate is the same as it was in 1934. Global credit markets have stalled. Investment has ceased. And help isn’t coming. Despair oozes between the lines of media interviews of economists. Asked where the recovery will come from, they run down the list of theoretical possibilities, dismissing them one by one. The question remains unanswered. Which is, of course, the answer. No one knows where the recovery will come from for a simple reason: It isn’t coming. Not any time soon. “A robust rebound in retail sales earlier in the spring had fueled hopes that consumer spending—which makes up about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity— would give a strong lift to the recovery. But now that is looking increasingly unlikely,” reported the Los Angeles Times. “Households are not going to be the engine of growth for some time,” Paul Dales of Capital Economics told the newspaper. “In past recoveries, booming construction activity led the way, fueling spending and other economic activity. That’s not happening this time,” said the Times. If there’s some new technological innovation—like the Internet in the early 1990s—waiting in the wings, no one has heard or seen it. Forget about Congress. The feds wasted hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out banks, insurance companies and big automakers that used our taxpayer money to
Protesters face off with police officers on June 27 at the G20 Summit meeting in Toronto. Some people believe the United States could solve its economic problems through exports, but a radical restructuring of trade agreements would have to come first.
give raises to its top executives and remodel its offices. Meanwhile, the stimulus that needed to happen—bailing out distressed homeowners, small businesses and individuals who lost their jobs—never happened. Now Congress is worried about the deficit. So read my lips: no new bailouts, not even one that might actually work. Some think the U.S. could export its way out of the depression. But a radical restructuring of trade agreements and manufacturing infrastructure would have to come first, followed by years of expansion. U.S. policymakers haven’t even begun to think about the first move. Moreover, the rest of the world isn’t in a position to buy our stuff. The rate of expansion of the economies of China and Japan is slowing down. Germany and other EU nations are imposing austerity measures. Globalization is key. Writing in The Wall Street Journal, John H. Makin argued that the actions of individual G20 nations threaten to bring the whole system crashing down in a Keynesian “paradox of thrift.” Said Makin: “Because all governments are simultaneously tightening fiscal policy, growth is cut so much that revenues collapse and budget deficits actually rise. The underlying hope or expectation that easier money, a weaker currency, and higher exports can somehow compensate for the negative impact on growth from rapid, global fiscal consolidation cannot be realized everywhere at once. The combination of tighter fiscal policy, easy money and a weaker currency, which can work for a small open economy, cannot work for the global economy.”
Added Mike Whitney of Eurasia Review: “Obama intends to double exports within the next decade. Every other nation has the exact same plan. They’d rather weaken their own currencies and starve workers than raise salaries and fund government work programs. Class warfare takes precedent over productivity, a healthy economy or even national solvency. Contempt for workers is the religion of elites.” One can hardly blame workers for fighting back. Two weeks after hundreds of protesters rioted at the G20 Summit meeting, Toronto police are pouring through thousands of photos and are using facial recognition software to track down offenders. They have even released a top 10 “most wanted” list and related pictures of activists. Whether or not the anti-globalization protesters are motivated by the struggle for liberation and economic equality, they symbolize the industrialized world’s best chance to prevent the economy from continuing its current process of slow-motion collapse. If the system cannot be saved by consumers, business or government, the system itself must be revamped and replaced. Late-period global capitalism’s constant cycle of booms and busts is unsustainable and intolerable. States must regulate and equalize incomes, and control production. If the cops were smart, they would track down and arrest those people who really are ruining the economy. They could start by listing and releasing the photos of the attendees of the G20.
July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 69
The National Newsroom
Stop! Restricted Site With no Facebook or G-chat at work, it’s all hands on deck for New York’s young ruling class By Leon Neyfakh One morning not long ago, a team of analysts at a major New York bank walked into work and found their lives turned upside down. The IT department had set up Web-browsing restrictions on all of their computers. Suddenly the young financiers could not access their personal e-mail accounts. Suddenly they could not G-chat. It didn’t take long for one of the guys—a math-minded “quant,” who had 20 years experience writing code—to work out a small program to override the restriction. “We ran it on our computers, it saved some files in the right places and then changed our Internet configuration so that it circumvented the security,” said one of the analysts who benefited from the heroic hack. Ever since, he has been happily chatting and sending e-mails to friends using a hard-to-read, black-and-green Gmail scheme called “Matrix,” which makes it so that supervisors walking by his desk think he’s running some highly technical DOS-based financial model. This is what freedom looks like in 2010 for young people working at large corporate firms around the city that have been cracking down on employees’ Internet use. According to a spokesman for the Web-filtering-software firm Websense, most of their New York clients are motivated by security. The issue isn’t necessarily productivity, he said—it’s that websites that accept user-generated content are particularly vulnerable to “malicious injections.” And so, as social media and the Web in general become increasingly crucial tools for New York’s ruling class, analysts at banks, paralegals at law firms, even employees of some news organizations and publishing houses endure Web restrictions that are shaping their lives, isolating them from friends and generally disconnecting them from the outside world. “It’s tough dealing with that when you’re fresh out of college and you’re still interested in the world,” said Alec Liu, a 24-year-old who worked as an analyst at the New York office of a European bank before quitting finance for an internship at Motherboard.TV. Liu said his two years in finance—where his Internet use was severely limited—left him feeling separated from friends and the culture at large. “To lose a pretty big chunk of your life—it was frustrating,” he said. In some offices, filters are in place to prevent people from visiting sites such as eBay, Craigslist and Amazon, and
70 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
from reading Gawker, Dealbreaker and ESPN. In others, every computer comes with a timer that clicks on whenever an employee calls up a self-publishing platform such as Tumblr and Blogspot. That system sets a limit on how much time can be spent at those sites, forcing some particularly motivated bloggers to draft posts offline in Microsoft Word before logging on very briefly—so as to use as little time as possible—to put them up. Aarti Kapoor, a Harvard ’07 graduate, has been dealing with Web restrictions since she went to work for Citigroup out of school. Not only was her Gmail account off limits—so were YouTube and the celebrity news blogs she liked to check. Because Kapoor didn’t yet have an iPhone, her only time for personal e-mail was at home, late at night. When she started looking for a new job, the typically endless hours she was spending in the office meant that she had to respond to time-sensitive e-mails from headhunters at 3 o’clock in the morning. Eventually Kapoor left Citi for a boutique investment bank where Internet use was regulated much less vigorously. It was great for a while. But recently, as the
firm has grown, the same old restrictions have started popping up even there. “Investment banking is notorious for its challenging hours and lack of work-life balance,” Kapoor said. “On an average day, you have maybe two hours to yourself, so it would be nice to not waste that precious time on perfunctory tasks, like responding to e-mails, which you could have otherwise handled during downtime at work.” The luckiest, or perhaps most industrious, of the afflicted find ways around the various blocks imposed upon them from the top. On some systems, typing in “https” in your browser’s location bar instead of just “http” lets you see a stripped-down version of Facebook. If you add Gmail as a “gadget” on your “iGoogle” account, you can take advantage of some basic e-mail functions. Some have figured out how to rig Google Reader as a communications device, sharing articles with friends and leaving “notes” they wouldn’t want to be caught transmitting over their work addresses. For all the tricks that have been discovered and passed around, blocks do work. A 25-year-old named Alexander who
works for a news organization described the psychological maneuvering that governs his Web surfing as a process of selfdenial. Until very recently, the computers at Alexander’s office were equipped with a timer allowing him to spend a total of 60 minutes per day looking at blogs hosted by Tumblr and Blogspot. He could use the time in six 10-minute intervals, forcing him to constantly make judgment calls as to whether a link or a post was worth the entrance fee. “It was use it or lose it,” Alexander said. “A lot of consideration would go into deciding, ‘OK, is there going to be a substantive amount of information for me to read on this Tumblr? Are there going to be archives that I’m going to want to spend 10 minutes on, or is this literally just one LOLcat?’” Although the timer system seemed to give Alexander more freedom to surf, it served as a very effective deterrent. “The quota system shames you into feeling like this is a waste of time,” he said. “It’s almost like when a parent says, ‘Well, go ahead, I’m not going to stop you from staying out late and not doing your homework—see what happens.’” Not everyone who is subject to restrictions perceives it as a form of mind control, however. Rahul Kamath, who works on the trading floor for the Japanese bank Nomura, said the other day that while most of his friends who work outside of the financial sector are accustomed to the idea that daytime social networking is a right rather than a privilege, he doesn’t have time for such dilly-dallying in his work day. “I’m never on G-chat,” Kamath said. “That part of my persona does not exist. I don’t have a blog. I don’t have a Twitter account. I’m not in touch with people in that high-frequency way, and a big part of that is because of the very specific nature of what I do. … Me, personally, I don’t really give a shit about that too much. I don’t need to be doing personal stuff all day at work. “All my Brooklyn friends are on Gmail all day, G-chat all day. It’s understood,” Kamath said. “Because of the intensity of my job, because it’s so oriented to market hours, it just doesn’t make sense for me to spread myself that thin, attention-span-wise.” “It is a sacrifice,” he said, “but here’s the thing: I’m getting paid to be there.” Leon Neyfakh writes for The New York Observer.
Life Is Mel Gibson’s gall lurks inside us all
Photo by Pablo Cuadra / Ipa Press/ Retna Ltd.
By Lee Siegel and understand, if not pardon, the source I have two reactions to the latest of his disdain for a president so easily Mel-gate. The first is that I couldn’t intimidated by a general? give a hoot about Mr. Gibson, a megaAs for Gibson, that snarling voice on celebrity who has clearly lost control of the tapes is the voice of a man who has his life. The second is: There but for the been delivered a blow to, as D.H. Lawgrace of God go we. rence once put it, his “sexual root.” After I don’t mean that we all harbor barely suppressed racism, anti-Semitism, all, Gibson doesn’t have the typical profile of a Hollywood celeb. He was married homophobia and misogyny. I’m not saying that we are all one step away from for 30 years to a woman with whom he had seven children. Apparently, he likes exploding into an obscene, drunken tanchildren so much that he and his now trum. I mean that we are all—those of ex-wife have donated millions of dollars us who are not saints, anyway—fallible to organizations devoted to helping sick beings capable of irrational behavior, ones. After 30 years, something in him ugly sentiments and rhetorical rage. snaps and he runs off with a woman who I agree with the notion that the ugly private acts of public figures such as Gib- allows him to donate millions of dollars to her mediocre career son are fair game. as a performer. Filled If the public giveth with self-loathing at fame and unimagibeing made a fool, he nable wealth, and turns his self-hatred it is accepted, then against her. His childthe public should ish, inadequate view have the right to of the world breaks take it away in the under the strain of his light of an extraorcontradictions and he dinary meltdown of erupts. The kikes and character. But like the niggers and the our legal system, our fags and the wetbacks structure of customs are the patchwork and conventions monster of his very also proceeds by own self, formerly precedent. There hidden by a puerile is general exultaCatholicism, and by tion that Gibson’s an adolescent notion former lover, Oksana of himself as a hero— Grigorieva, taped Braveheart—and by his her telephone converGibson own occasional charisation with him, tableness. Maybe he is so fond of children thus catching him in the act of viciously because, like so many Hollywood actors attacking her and hurling racial and who grew rich and famous before they ethnic slurs. But there is no awareness could grow a character, he never had that the same tactics could one day soon be used against all sorts of public figures, a reckoning with his responsibilities to people outside his familiar world. virtuous or not, and even against people You can buy my psychologizing or who have no public presence whatsoever. not, but I think that if we don’t practice And when you or I are caught with our understanding in the public realm, we pants down or our tongues embarrassingwill start to lose it in the private realm. ly flapping, our expectation that people Alas, there are plenty of people willing will see the complicated shadings of our to hasten the prosecutorial atmosphere misconduct might be disappointed. The to advance their own interests. Consider most sophisticated people have turned a blind eye to the possibility that Grigorieva The New York Times’ David Brooks and Frank Rich. Like some old vaudeville might well be the ruthless gold digger duo, both of them instantly seized Gibson has accused her of being. Can’t on Gibson’s latest meltdown to preen he be the indecent man he has proven themselves on their own moral virtue, himself to be, and also be right about and to draw the most foolish conclusions his perception of his former paramour? from it about American life. Just as you can applaud the downfall According to Brooks, Gibson’s private of the equally tongue-tripping Stanley rant means that “we’ve entered an era McChrystal, despise him as a homicidal frat boy, yet believe him when he says that where self-branding is on the ascent and the culture of self-effacement is on the he found President Obama “unprepared” Continued on page 74 July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven
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The National Newsroom
This Is My Song 1
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ACROSS 1 Letters on the telly 4 Wound on a bobbin 11 Peace conference result 15 Current choice 19 Boston Garden great 20 Get rid (of) 21 Asian nursemaid 22 Sophisticated Coward 23 The lamp song? (1977) 26 1950s heartthrob 27 TV forensic drama 28 Scottish highlander 29 Ashley and Mary-Kate 31 Spout for stout 32 What Aleve relieves 34 Square dance verb 37 Art supporters 39 Did a bird thing 42 The tack song? (1966) 45 “Blue” affliction 46 Neruda specialties 48 “Maybe” 49 Backtalk 50 The politician song? (1963) 53 Storage acronym 55 Carnival-game verb 58 It borders Santa Monica, briefly 59 Semi 62 Rizzo the Muppet, e.g. 63 Trumpet accessory 66 The proud papa song? (1967)
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By Merl Reagle
129 No sweat 130 Proofreader’s mark 131 Bombing raids 132 Subcmte. member DOWN 1 Kin of “gee whiz” 2 Bane of George H. W. Bush 3 Extinguish, as a cigarette 4 Military proj. known as “Star Wars” 5 Musse ___ (Mickey Mouse, in Swedish ... go figure) 6 Division of Labor, briefly 7 Chose 8 1980 Gerard Depardieu film 9 Uncommon sense? 10 “___ Bones” 11 Ashen appearances 12 Porthos and Athos, e.g. 13 Bookstore section 14 Surfing site 15 “SNL” alum Gasteyer 16 Modern 17 One of Atlanta’s two counties 18 Gives a hand 24 Cry from one being railroaded 25 Sing for Heidi 30 Current-events comic 32 Retriever’s reply 33 Suffix meaning “mouth”
35 Vexed state 36 Without thinking 38 Business outfit 40 Haagen-Dazs rival 41 What fathoms measure 43 Come together 44 A long time 47 Store sign 51 Take an oath 52 Least observed 54 The silent type? 56 Vaccine pioneer 57 Fashion sense 59 Ninny 60 Alice’s rabbit’s plaint 61 Court building? 63 Baseball gear 64 Spared, in a way 65 Neighboring states 67 Household humorist’s first name 68 Have a good one? 69 Swiss city, to the Swiss 71 Etats-Unis preceder 72 Prima donna problems 76 Lunch time, for many 77 6 a.m., for many 78 Cutting remark 79 Arizona Indians 84 “Light My Fire” word 85 “Rumor has it ...” 87 Skull and Bones site 89 None of the above, in Spain 90 Juice unit? 91 Majestic horses 92 One with an ex 94 Cruise stop 96 “Totally rad” 97 Los Angeles mayor during the 1960s, Sam ___ 100 Hamster, e.g. 101 Cigar type 102 Lodged 103 More chancy 105 “Mop” prop 106 Star in old westerns? 108 Hornswoggle 112 Sparky who pitched 113 Explorer Tasman 115 Opposed to 116 Laura Nyro classic, “And When ___” 119 Pen full of oink? 121 Garrisons: abbr. 122 Carioca city 123 French possessive 124 Boy toy
!!! VOLUME 16 IS HERE !!! To order Merl’s crossword books, visit www.sunday crosswords.com.
7/22/2010 © M. Reagle Answers found on page 74 72 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
The $ongs of $ummer By Simon Doonan As I careen toward 60, I’m making increasingly desperate attempts to appear young-atheart and switched-on. You should hear me screeching and hooting along with “Alejandro” on the car radio. I’m totally tuned in! So what, when I am not pretending to be 14 years old, are my real musical tastes? This brings us to my iPod and the geriatric nostalgia concealed therein. My playlist, by me: 1. “Substitute,” by the Who. This 1966 hit is literally the most perfect pop song every written. Gaga, take note of the scalpel-cut lyrics: 2. “Peter Gunn,” by Cherry Wainer. 1966 again! Nothing beats the sound of Cherry pounding the crap out of her Hammond. You Tube Cherry in action. 3. “Claire de Lune,” by Tomita. This trippy electronic version of Debussy’s classic was used extensively on The Robin Byrd Show back in the ’80s. 4. “Sound and Vision,” by David Bowie. Memory Lane: me and my demented pals, Biddie, Hattie, Sweep and Broom (nicknames were big in mid-’70s London) standing at the bar in the Blitz Club and all screaming in unison “Blue! Blue ’lectric blue! That’s the color of my room!” and feeling the exhilaration that comes from knowing your entire life is unfurling in front of you. 5. “People Are Strange,” by the Doors. Doors keyboard genius Ray Manzarek was a big fashion customer at the store (Maxfield) where I worked in L.A. in the late ’70s-early ’80s, and he was a real gent. So there! 6. “Animal Farm,” by the Kinks. Ray Davies was a visionary. This song foreshadows the whole back-tothe-farm-and-make-you-own-goat’s-cheese rustic fetish, which is now raging hilariously through our culture. 7. “Let It Whip,” by the Dazz Band. I have worshipped at the church of Don Cornelius since the ’70s. Soul Train remains the most important style show ever to assault the U.S. airwaves. 8. “Arnold Layne,” by Pink Floyd. It’s hard to imagine a contemporary artist—Justin Bieber for example— making a hit song about a dirty old geezer who gets his kicks stealing ladies’ knickers off washing lines. 9. “Sorrow,” by the Mersey Beats. 1966. Again! 10. “Les Sucettes,” by France Gall and Serge Gainsbourg. This was the song that scandalized Paree in 1966. The young and innocent Mademoiselle Gall was famously and shockingly duped, by Serge and others, into singing this double-entendre–riddled song about sucking lollipops. When she realized the full horror of her sordid and unwitting collusion, she barricaded herself at home and did not go out for weeks. It’s hard to imagine a contemporary chanteuse like Ke$ha experiencing this kind of embarrassment. Re Ke$ha: I will be adding a little jejune sizzle to my remaining years by Ke$ha-izing the spelling of my name: et voilà! $imon! Simon Doonan is a columnist for The New York Observer.
The National Newsroom
Personal Finance Siegel Continued from page 71
decline.” Never mind that with his global celebrity and his hundreds of millions of dollars, Gibson is as much unlike “us” as Brooks is unlike Homer, to whom he repeatedly and inaccurately refers in his columns. And never mind that three weeks ago, Brooks himself deplored the culture of exposure, using the McChrystal meltdown to mount his social-science pulpit and lament that “the exposure ethos, with its relentless emphasis on destroying privacy and exposing impurities.” And here is the ever-sanctimonious Rich reaching his big-picture conclusion: “The death throes of Mel Gibson’s career feel less like another Hollywood scandal than the last gasps of an American era.” Never mind that Gibson, who abruptly shifted from action hero to playing Hamlet, does not stand for an era. And never mind that the era Rich is referring to—the era of the culture wars—is one that he keeps pronouncing dead in column after column, for the simple reason that all he knows how to write about is the culture wars. Rich goes on to call Gibson a “bigoted blowhard.” Well, that’s obvious. Gibson also opposed the Iraq war and spoke of President Bush’s “fearmongering.” I still think he’s a creep. I can’t forgive him for using the N-word, even though the Lethal Weapon movies that he made with Danny Glover probably did as much as Oprah to break down taboos between whites and blacks. Yet in their affectation of starry-eyed naïveté about human nature, Brooks and Rich seem to be enacting their own Braveheart fantasy. Rich even boasts that Gibson once threatened to kill him. Ecce homo! With his racial, religious and sexual slurs, Gibson has disgraced himself with an un-American outburst. Our fair land of teeming differences is too much for him. He has forfeited his right to loom on our mythical and mythologizing silver screen: He will disappear into ignominious oblivion, and he should. Still, I wonder if in this little story we are now telling ourselves about the absolute badness of Gibson and the absolute goodness of those who condemn him, we are not acting a lot like the puerile Patriot himself. Lee Siegel is a columnist for The New York Observer.
This Is My Song by Merl Reagle
B B C S PO ORR D I S YOU L I GH C S I GA A CH E S ROOS T E D F L U OD E I T SMY P WE S T MU T E H I NH A L E T H E R EGO T I C SON S T A Y S E R A P P CO L ORM BO L E RO A R I T O L DON S MY GN A T E L E A S Y D E
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T A C H NO E A N N S T E A S E MY T HUM E E L I P R AM T O I GR I G R ME SMY B A L EME R A B Y R Y T A U P I N E RMY H E A B A R E R D S E A C A I C ROB CH A I M I I E ND S B A E A T I E N R T I E S S
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VoIP Basics: How to make free phone calls via the Internet By Kathy Kristof, Tribune Media Services
The first time my daughter went overseas with her college classmates, I called our cell-phone company to inquire about international connection plans. For just $6 a month, they told me, I could get “discounted” calls to wherever my daughter traveled. Some $200 in “discounted” calling charges later— which added up to less than two hours of phone time—I realized that what I bought was an expensive lesson on international dialing. I’ve since learned that keeping in touch with friends and relatives overseas can be cheap—sometimes even free—but you may need to learn how to talk into your computer screen. “Making calls without an overseas number is frightfully expensive,” said Mark Lowenstein, managing director of Mobile Ecosystems, a Boston telecommunications consulting firm. “The best way to call is on a laptop.” If you’re under 25, you probably know about something called VoIP. If so, stop reading and hand this column to someone older and less technologically savvy. This is a beginner’s guide to making phone calls on your computer using Voice over Internet Protocol. Voice over Internet converts the sound of your voice into a digital signal that travels over the Internet and is received just like an ordinary phone call. In some cases, you can make these calls using a pre-programmed phone that looks and feels just like the phone you’re used to. But, more often, you’ll be making calls directly from your computer or laptop. Why would you want to learn about anything that sounds as intimidating as that? If you want to keep in touch with friends or relatives in foreign lands, it can save you a fortune. That’s because calling internationally from an ordinary landline or cell phone can cost upward of $2 a minute, even after buying the discounted calling plan. Buy AT&T’s World Traveler plan for $5.99 a month and your international cell roaming rates when calling your child in Australia, for example, would drop from $1.69 a minute to $1.29 a minute. That means you’ll still pay $77.40 an hour. Got a teen who likes to text message? Each “whazup?” could cost you $1. Besides, despite the incomprehensible name, VoIP is actually simple, as long as you have the proper equipment. You’ll need a late-model computer or laptop—ideally with a built-in webcam—and a high-speed Internet connection to make it work. If either your computer or your Internet connection is slow, your phone calls can freeze up and make communication difficult, if not impossible. Let’s look at how you’d set up on Skype, the largest of the half-dozen companies offering phone service through Internet connections. Assuming you’re signing up to keep in touch with a particular person (or people) as cheaply as possible, you should encourage those individuals to also sign up and give you their Skype contact information.
Skype-to-Skype calls are free, no matter the distance. To sign up, go to Skype.com and click on “get Skype.” The company’s software will automatically detect whether you’re calling from a Windows-based computer or a Mac and will suggest the proper software. You’re going to click on “download now” and click again to accept Skype’s “terms of service.” Your next step is to add contacts. If you’ve set up the service with a friend who has already told you his or her contact name in the Skype directory, simply type in the name. Skype will then send your contact request to that person for approval—much like a “friend request” on Facebook. Once he or she has accepted, that person’s contact information appears in your contact directory. Calling that individual then becomes as simple as clicking that person’s name and then the “call” or “video call” button on the screen. If you don’t know whether someone you’d like to call has Skype, you can look up that person in the Skype directory by typing in the name. The system will then list all the like-named individuals and where they are to help you determine whether the person you’re looking for is on the list. If the friend you want to call happens to be online, your Skype call will pop up on that person’s screen. All your friend has to do is click on “answer” and the builtin microphones on your computer or laptop will allow you to hear each other. If you’ve chosen “video call,” your webcam will allow you to see each other, too. Need to call someone who isn’t online? You can click the “call phones” button with Skype and plug in the phone number. But that call will cost you. The company’s “unlimited” calling plans start at $2.99 a month, said Simon Longbottom, Skype’s director of product marketing. Calling without a plan costs about 2 cents a minute. To complete a call to a landline, you’ll need to “buy Skype credit” or sign up for a monthly service plan. Either feature works much like making any other online purchase. You enter your credit card or PayPal information and the vendor charges your account. The one funky thing: Even with a high-speed connection and a fast computer, those video calls are a little like old Godzilla movies. You can often hear the conversation before you see your friend’s lips moving. Longbottom says Skype continues to work on call quality, but acknowledges that slow Internet networks can affect performance. “That’s a real focus of attention for us,” he said. Still, my $200 European phone bill could have been cut to $2 using a VoIP service such as Skype. I’m willing to put up with a little funkiness to save $198. Kathy Kristof’s column is syndicated by Tribune Media Services. She welcomes comments and suggestions but regrets that she cannot respond to each one. E-mail her at kathykristof24@gmail.com.
Arts & Entertainment Art
Aesthetic Whore Post-Pop artist John Bell is an indiscriminate genre-blender
By Jarret Keene
John Bell works on the painting titled, “i am not afraid of you and i will beat your ass, confronting facts, fears, myths and legends.”
John Bell’s The Burden of Ambition, which runs through Aug. 3 in the elegant downtown Brett Wesley Gallery, is a visual treat that grows sweeter the longer you examine it. Superficially, the vivid colors and Andy Warholian Pop Art-influenced images are immediately pleasing. However, as you look closely, you notice layers of paint, pencils, pens, silkscreen smudges and marks. Suddenly, a picture develops in the viewer’s mind of an artist toiling on the floor, applying brushes, rollers, nails, screening, pastel sticks, rubber mallets, putty knives and anything else he can find. Evidence of the physical creative process resonates in every brushstroke. Bell is a born artist. His parents recognized his creativity and placed him in private lessons at age 5. He studied still life, landscape, figurative and portrait painting into
his teens, graduating from the Art Institute in Pittsburgh (’87). It was a traditional education that Bell has seemingly worked hard to shed, today opting for an approach that playfully subverts much of what he learned. This playfulness is evident in The Burden of Ambition. The series is Bell’s exploration of Warhol’s prophetic “15 minutes of fame” statement (a paraphrase from a 1968 interview: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”), which has gained validation in our culture of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. In one canvas, a sunglassed woman pulled straight out of a fashion ad opens her mouth wide, teeth perfect, to swallow a cruise missile. Across her face is the phrase: “This Message Was Made Possible Thanks to Social Networking, The Arts, The Future Stars of the World, and People Like You.”
Indeed, Bell simultaneously takes aim at celebrity, art and online interaction in a way that is both humorous and critical. By linking social media to Warhol’s quote, Bell seems to suggest that with a billion people spending billions of minutes a day online, there won’t be enough minutes in the next 10 lifetimes for everyone to get their fame. “Who rises to the top, and who falls through the cracks?” he seems to ask rhetorically. “What do we value as a culture, using these sites as a social barometer?” In any case, Bell’s dense layering of imagery, the explosion of colors (painted with a rubber mallet), represent the force at which all this useless information comes at us. “John is one of those rare artists who has something compelling to say about the impact of social networking, Continued on page 78 July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 77
Arts & Entertainment
Pop Culture
Son of an Ad Man
Why one man watches Mad Men and why you should, too By M. Scott Krause
Step Two in “facts, fears, myths and legends”: Bell punches the canvas with paint-dipped fists. Painted Ambition Continued from page 77
media and the constant clamoring for success in our 21st-century American culture,” says gallery co-owner Brett Sperry, who discovered Bell at the artist’s show in Art Basel in Miami. But how does Bell categorize his own work? Pop art, abstract impressionism, pop surrealism, post-agitprop—his approach borrows from so many modes and movements. Where does he place his work in the continuum? “I call it ‘anthropological expressionism,’ digging my way through the history of contemporary art,” he says. “I usually spend a year or more exploring a certain style, taking from it what I like and incorporating it into my work.” Bell adds that he has never limited himself to one particular approach—mainly because so many artists have come before him and have taken what they do to logical conclusions. He prefers to stick to poet Ezra Pound’s dictum: “Make it new.” “I don’t see much room to improve on a [William] De Kooning,” Bell says. “I want to create a new style that’s my own. It’s the biggest challenge for artists working today: finding an original voice when so much has preceded you.” Although this critic prefers to bask in the surface flash of Bell’s paintings, others have picked up on sociopolitical commentary. Take the gorgeously layered piece “DNA,” which features a red and laughing Felix the Cat, plus the phrase: “Back up your DNA and precious memories only $499.99” “Bail Out!,” 2009 78
Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Are we to read this sales pitch as humor? Or is there anger at our pop-saturated world nestled within? Unsurprisingly, Bell sees himself as playing two roles. He’s a commentator and someone tasked with creating beauty. “My paintings can be enjoyed purely as objects of beauty without knowing all the influences and motivations behind them,” he says. “But if the viewer wants to delve deeper, the layers are there. The paintings are ways for me to communicate with an audience. A way to say: ‘This is what I see going on around us; now what do you see?’ That either starts a discussion or keeps the conversation going.” Bell says a small dose of humor goes a long way, and that he’s a good-natured smart-ass. (“It’s my default mode.”) But he bristles when it’s suggested that the Felix cameo is less a Warholian gesture and more a satire of Warhol. “I love his work and don’t deny the influence and certainly don’t mind the comparisons,” Bell says. “But like any descendant, my aim is to take it further. To not just comment on the surface of things, but to use multiple references, influences and styles to not only create an original look, but to comment more broadly.” “I am an aesthetic whore, a voracious reader, listener and watcher,” he says. “But when I’m in the studio I shut all that down and trust my instincts.” Now through Aug. 3, Brett Wesley Gallery, 1112 S. Casino Center Blvd., 433-4433
On Sunday, July 25, several million people will crowd around their televisions and watch the fourth season premiere of Mad Men on AMC. Fans will sip Old Fashioneds and vodka gimlets and comment on the excellent performances and thought-provoking storylines. They’ll admire the detailed set design, coo over the ’60s-era costumes and talk about how crazy things were back then, before we confronted racism, sexism and homophobia. When I watch Mad Men, I think of my late father. Back in the early 1960s, he was an ad man just like Don Draper. He worked in Chicago, not Manhattan, but the stories my father told us as children are virtually identical to episodes I’ve seen. And Mad Men feels a lot like an old family photo that’s sprung to life. My dad had Don’s same suit, hat and briefcase, and worked with backstabbing weasels like Pete Campbell and Duck Phillips, who thought nothing of taking credit for his ideas. He often came home with new products, months before they hit the market, shvitzing over the best way to present them. When clients were happy, they celebrated by drinking; when they hated his campaigns, the office would drown their sorrows in the same manner. Clients expected fancy meals and adult entertainment, and everybody smoked too much. Eventually, my father wearied of the obligatory three-martini lunches. Fearful of becoming an alcoholic, he moved to California and took a job as marketing director for a company that specialized in office furniture. I grew up in a house littered with the latest issues of Graphis, Print and Art Directors Annuals, and I have vivid memories of my father hunched over a drawing board, drafting perfectly straight lines with his T-square. His precomputer home office was a gold mine of rubber cement, colored pencils and fat Staedtler erasers. In elementary school, I was probably the only kid who had heard of David Ogilvy, George Lois and Jerry Della Femina. I knew good ideas came from scribbling on a legal pad, and bad ideas belonged in the trash. I’m sorry I can’t talk to my father about Mad Men, but I’m thankful I can watch it with my son. We recently had a Mad Men marathon, and though my son is a restless 15, the show kept his full attention. It’s hard for him to imagine a world without smartphones and recycling, but he asked all the right questions. In Mad Men, Matthew Weiner (a former writer for The Sopranos) has “staffed” an office full of complicated and unforgettable characters, but surely his masterstroke was setting the series in the early 1960s. In many ways, the decade functions as the ultimate supporting character. Watching the show with my son, I was able to discuss American history (civil rights, women’s rights, the Kennedy assassination), not just family history. Mad Men has ratings and critical acclaim (including backto-back Emmys for Best Dramatic Series), but there are only a handful of shows you truly miss when they’re over for the season. It’s been eight long months since the third season of Mad Men ended, leaving viewers with a number of indelible images and loose story threads, and I look forward to welcoming it back. M. Scott Krause writes about film, books and television. He does not know where the beef is.
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Arts & Entertainment
Read
Conventional Approach For aspiring writers, comic book conventions offer a networking opportunity—and a sobering experience
This weekend, geeks of the world and the content producers who fuel their insatiable appetite for comic books, films and multimedia will descend upon San Diego for the 41st annual Comic-Con International. But aside from the discussion panels, film screenings, celebrity autograph signings, costumed characters and after-parties, there’s another draw to North America’s largest comic book and popular arts convention—the opportunity to network with the movers and shakers of the comic book industry. But you won’t find me there. This may surprise some people because, as they know and you’re about to learn, I’ve spent the last year or two trying to transition from journalist to comic book writer. The tricky thing is that, unlike almost every other form of professional writing, comic book editors (generally speaking) don’t accept unsolicited scripts from new writers. At a comic book convention, an artist can usually show up with a portfolio full of pretty pictures and get feedback—and potentially a gig—right on the spot, but unless a writer has an existing relationship with an editor or publisher, or has enough “pull” in the industry, he can’t just turn up with a pile of scripts and say to an editor, “Nice to meet you, please read all of this.” “When you’re a comics writer, it’s remarkably hard work getting someone’s ear,” says Jill Beaton, associate editor at Oni Press, whose creator-owned properties include the Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels (which will see a feature film adaptation this August). “I would suggest writers get involved in the community, get your voice out there, make some friends with other comics writers and work on your craft. See if you can get anthology work, and take it seriously.” Getting anthology work—as well as producing any other product that will prove to editors that a writer’s script can be turned into a readable comic—can be a lengthy, grueling and costly process: finding artistic collaborators, ideally paying those collaborators and, in some cases, potentially self-publishing the resulting creation. The latter of which is the route I’ve taken thus far. And it hasn’t quite paid off yet. Neither have conventions, for the most part. 80 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Yes, I’ve made some contacts, but none that have led to paying work, and the $1,000 I spent on travel, hospitality, food, merchandise and table rental at Seattle’s Emerald City Comicon this spring? I grossed $80 over two days and didn’t meet anyone I hadn’t already known through other shows or the Internet. Of course, not all writers have to go through a cumbersome, selfpublishing phase to score a paying gig. Some, such as Brandon Jerwa, get the right pitch to the right editor at the right time. Eight years ago, he was unemployed in Portland looking for jobs by day, but by night, the former radio jock worked on comic scripts. Jerwa submitted a cover letter with a G.I. Joe script on speculation (meaning without assignment) to Devil’s Due Publishing. That first script was published the next year, and led to Jerwa becoming the regular G.I. Joe writer. “I pursued G.I. Joe because I pretty much lived, ate, breathed and slept that world when I was a kid,” says Jerwa. “I just applied that passion and knowledge I’d carried since childhood. Plus, Hasbro made me into an action figure! How insane is that?” When he attends comic conventions now, it’s usually to meet fans and sign comics. But Jerwa notes the importance of these gatherings for career advancement purposes. “Conventions offer a million different chances to move ahead, as long as you’re judicious and professional in your interactions,” he says. “I’ve found my way into new projects via bar conversations, random introductions on the con floor, and the usual mechanical process of just running into people.” Like Jerwa, most new comic book writers get their start at independent companies such as Devil’s Due. Very rarely does an untested writer get a script published by one of the so-called “Big Two,” Marvel and DC. Though it has happened—my pal Russell Lissau, a Chicago-area journalist, sold a Batman script to DC on his first try—it’s rare and almost always a bizarre stroke of luck.
“You work your way up to Marvel and DC; you don’t break in with them,” notes C.B. Cebulski, Marvel’s talent scout. “Think smaller publishers first.” Cebulski—who regularly doles out free advice to aspiring comic creators (whether or not they take it) on Twitter—writes on his blog that Marvel hired 144 new freelancers in 2009—but only 24 of those were writers. It’s simple mathematics: Established writers can turn out multiple books per month without quality suffering much, whereas artists and colorists take much longer just to complete one issue, so there’s far more demand for visual creators and far less opportunity for wordsmiths. It doesn’t mean writers shouldn’t even try. It just means setting realistic expectations—especially when attending conventions. “Don’t ever go to a con with the intention of pitching an editor a story,” writes Cebulski. “It doesn’t happen. Go solely
to meet people and make contacts.” There’s that repeated message: Get out there, make contacts, be professional. Seems simple enough. Also seems to be common sense. Still, I’m worried that too soon into this endeavor, I’m already feeling jaded by the big-time con circuit. Smaller festivals and shows have yielded better, measurable results for my boutique comics, but the truth is, if I want to make it out of the self-publishing ghetto, I’m going to have to get back on the con horse again. This fall, I’m going to test the waters again at Long Beach Comic Con, and who knows? Maybe this time next year I’ll be prepping for San Diego once again. And remembering the advice Jerwa offered up: “Never lock the door to your wildest imaginings.” Pj Perez makes comics, plays drums and generally avoids growing up.
Illustration by Hernan Valencia
By Pj Perez
Arts & Entertainment
Music Soundscraper
Punk from the pages of Blue Vegas By Jarret Keene
Portland punkers Attack Ships on Fire have performed at Double Down Saloon in Las Vegas more than a few times in recent years. The band loves the bar so much they included a terrific tribute song called, well, “Double Down”—in honor of the world-famous watering hole—on the 2009 album Punches Are Free. (My favorite lyrical couplet: “The Ass Juice is tempting/ Insurance I’m taking.”) Actually, there’s been several Double Down songs written and recorded over the years by punk bands, but even the bar’s owner and published author P Moss recognizes that the one composed by Attack Ships on Fire is “definitely the best.” “It’s a huge jukebox favorite, especially at the Double Down in New York City,” Moss says. Now Attack Ships have taken things a step further by penning a song named after and inspired by one of Moss’ short stories, “Clam Daddy,” from his book Blue Vegas (CityLife Books, 2010). The collection has earned positive reviews, and critics have singled out the particular story—about a father who sets shameless foot inside a strip club to ask his dancing daughter for money—for praise. Drummer Allan Carter fell in love with Blue Vegas, so he bought copies for his bandmates. They flipped for it and decided they needed to write a song based on one of the stories. After much literary debate, they settled on “Clam Daddy.” “I think the song’s great, with a great hook, and it stays true to the story,” Moss says. “It was a nice ego boost for me.” The band asked for Moss’ blessing before recording the song, sending him rough mixes along the way. The final version was finished a couple weeks ago and should already be blasting from Vegas’ Double Down jukebox. 82 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Moss, who has a background in screenwriting, says the premise of “Clam Daddy” could make for a good movie, but “there would need to be more meat to the story, where the scene in the clam joint becomes the catalyst that drives the action.” (Incidentally, songwriting is also a new venture of Moss’. He has written several songs, which will be performed by Blood Cocks, a U.K. punk act, as part of the band’s Japanese tour in November.) Attack Ships on Fire is world-premiering “Clam Daddy” during their July 31 show at the Vegas Double Down. Moss will also be conducting a midnight-to-3 a.m. book signing. The band’s set starts at 2 a.m. (and there’s never a cover charge at Double Down), and books will be available for sale at the bar that night only. Otherwise, copies of Blue Vegas are available at the usual outlets: Borders, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, etc. After-hours signings are no big deal for Moss, who’s seen it all when it comes to literary meet-and-greets. “A woman approached me at Double Down [a couple weeks ago, said I’d previously signed a book for her,” he says. “She asked me, if she went home and returned with the book, would I cum on it. She was dead serious, and I have witnesses. Anyway, no, I did NOT do it.” There are some things too blue, even for the author of Blue Vegas. The heat frying your mind? Here’s a playlist to keep you cool: Hüsker Dü’s “Ice Cold Ice,” Sun Kil Moon’s “Australian Winter,” Hurricane Bells’ “Freezing Rain,” Ryan Adams & The Cardinals’ “Cold Roses,” Julie London’s “Something Cool” and The Sugarcubes’ “Cold Sweat.” Got an extra BoDeans ticket you’d like to part with? Contact jarret_keene@yahoo.com.
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Arts & Entertainment
CD Reviews
By Jarret Keene
New-gaze
Best Coast Crazy for You (Mexican Summer) Summer pop has never sounded so gloriously cavernous as it does with Crazy for You, an inspired Jesus & Mary Chain-style raid on Buddy Holly’s pristine songbook. Singer/guitarist Bethany Consentino has a real knack for fashioning dumber-than-20-sunbronzedblondes-at-the-beach song structures and lyrics that sound like new and hallowed ground. “The End” has everything you need in bubblegum music, from the ’60s-era Merseybeat drum pattern to the soaring yet saddening melody, with Consentino declaring her love for all time. “Our Deal” adds a dash of Patsy Cline to the formula, minus the plodding country-and-western groove that usually accompanies music this high and lonesome. “I Want You,” meanwhile, is a taut piece of sexual tension, just two chords pounding their way into and across a timeless girl-group vocal line. Capturing the fleeting, shimmering beauty of teen angst isn’t as easy as it sounds, but if you like music with a dark sweetness, Crazy for You is a keeper. ★★★★✩
POst-hardcOre
Eightfourseven Lossless (Minus Head Records) Sacramento’s Eightfourseven has the most forgettable name I’ve encountered in a decade-plus of album reviews. Fortunately, the band’s sophomore (but first for Minus Head) effort is a “sticky” spin, effortlessly blending electronica with arena-ready rock in attractive, even original, ways. Sure, the paranoid android-esque melancholy of “Chibana” pays homage to alt-rock titans such as Radiohead, but there’s a deeper commitment to the hardcorepunk aesthetic happening here. Singer Lance Jackman, for instance, goes from melodic blast to throat-shredding shriek in nanoseconds flat, while programmer Anthony Sarti and drummer Ben Conger provide the mountaintop-lopping rhythmic foundation necessary to keep massively melodic and crushing tracks such as “Youth Erratic” from spinning off into either pure pop pablum or metal mockery. “Recover in Circles” is the standout, though, full of textured guitar sounds and dance-floor fury, and signifying electronic music’s return to “live” dynamics. Definitely a sleeper disc that’ll grow on you into summer’s end. ★★★✩✩
NOvelty-raP
Die Antwoord 5 (Cherrytree/Interscope) Cape Town, South Africa, trailer-trash YouTube phenomenon Die Antwoord (which I’m told translates into “The Answer” in Afrikaans) continues its publicity/ performance-art campaign with the release of a fivesong EP, available digitally now and physically on July 27. The Internet hype on these guys beggars belief, but it’s not completely undeserved. Lead rapper Ninja, who projects the aura of a wounded outsider artist simply asking for his creative place in a world of haters, is a seriously funny dude. Sadly, it’s all in the energetic delivery and not the actual raps, which are lame. Sample, from “Enter the Ninja”: “No fucking around, I’m cutting down/anyone in my path/tryin’ to fuck up my game with razor-sharp/lyrical throw stars/killin’ my flow.” Wu-Tang, they’re not, but Die Antwoord’s music video for the same song is brilliant. Some bands sound better when you’re laughing your ass off, I guess. ★✩✩✩✩ 84
Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
A Special Performance Terry Fator and MGM Resorts International™ pay tribute to The Public Education Foundation
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Arts & Entertainment
Movies i Am Not a spy Angelina Jolie redeems this airy action thriller By Rex Reed
Salt is not a cautionary tale about the dangers of high blood pressure from too much sodium. No, it’s just another entry in the flaky, forgettable farrago of predictable action thrillers in a particularly brainless summer, this time starring Angelina Jolie as a Russian-trained CIA operative named Evelyn Salt, who may or may not be a double agent working both sides of the fence. Like most of the loopy escapism I’ve suffered through this summer, it is totally preposterous. But what sets it apart from the rest of the junk is the fact that, like it or not, it has a certain entertainment value and you can at least follow the plot without the risk of insanity. Salt has two things going for it: 1) it is no more than 100 minutes long, give or take a minute, and 2) it is better than the moronic, overrated Inception. That is not a recommendation.
From smoldering brunette to blond beanie: the hot-in-any-hairdo Angelina Jolie .
86 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Directed by Australia’s Phillip Noyce, Salt opens in a fetid cell in North Korea where the heroine (referred to throughout as, simply, “Salt”) is beaten, battered and bloody as she lies on the floor of a torture chamber repeating the words “I am not a spy.” Get used to it. She says it for the next 90 minutes, as she faces more perils than Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. Rescued by fellow CIA agent Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber) in a prisoner exchange, Salt returns to Washington and her happy marriage to a German writer and world expert on spiders. One day, in the course of routine interrogation, a Russian defector tells a fantastic story—about a Russian spy who has infiltrated American society as a mole working for the CIA in order to kill the Russian president during his forthcoming state visit to be a pallbearer at the funeral of the U.S. vice president at St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral in New York City. The name of the killer spy: Evelyn Salt. From this unlikely premise, Salt’s baffled colleagues suspect her as a real mole and her secure, orderly life suddenly turns upside down. In an effort to clear herself and save her husband, whose life is in danger, Salt goes
on the run, breaking every rule known to man, woman and movies. Dismantling top security surveillance equipment, blowing up government buildings, scaling tall buildings like Spider-Man, smashing through glass doors, leaping from bridges onto the tops of speeding trucks, and speeding through the beltway traffic on a stolen motorcycle without losing a single press-on nail, the female half of Brangelina literally defies both logic and gravity as this breathless action circus coasts along on one center-ring question: Who is Salt? A loyal, innocent American patriot, a Russian “sleeper spy” left over from the Cold War after the Berlin Wall came down, or a modern-day terrorist in Jimmy Choos who looks like the cover of Vanity Fair? The faster it moves from one expensive disaster to the next, the sillier it gets. Single-handedly destroying one of New York’s most massive cathedrals while eluding an infinite gridlock of police vehicles, Salt begins to look like a master criminal even to Schreiber, her closest pal, and especially to the counter-intelligence officer (the brilliant British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor) assigned to bring her in dead or alive, with or without her accessorized boutique wardrobe. But that’s only half of her mission— Salt’s ultimate assignment is to seize control of America’s atomic weapons. The Russians think she’s Comrade Cherkov. The CIA thinks she’s Evelyn Salt. It’s hard to tell the difference, especially since she never shows the slightest hesitancy to annihilate vast numbers of people on both sides. To further complicate matters, the Russians also order her to kill the U.S. president, which means blowing up the White House! You can’t accuse Kurt Wimmer’s screenplay of lacking imagination, even if it does contain lines such as “Utilitarianism is the new sexy.” Salt is as believable as a secret training program for military pilots consisting entirely of kangaroos in flight helmets. But it must be said that the star carries her load admirably. Disguised in assorted hair colors, wigs and contact lenses, she emerges as a new persona in every scene, all looking like Jolie, but tossing around enough red herrings to keep you guessing. The script is brain-dead, but Jolie can act. Less seriously trashy than usual, she even does an astonishing number of her own bone-crunching stunts. By the time she jumps out of an airplane over the Potomic without a parachute and heads off to save the world, you cannot resist laughing out loud, but you’ll have a fun time anyway. As program staples, there are dozens of Evelyn Salts all over what’s left of network television. But none with the supple, surprising ingenuity of Jolie. She puts the pepper in Salt. Rex Reed is a New York film critic from Texas.
Each year, tens of thousands of seals, many of whom are still babies, are massacred. It’s time to demand a permanent end to Canada’s cruel seal slaughter.
END CANADA’S SEAL SLAUGHTER
Arts & Entertainment
Movies
Movie Machismo
Poignant indie film La Mission is well worth a visit By Rex Reed
Exploring masculinity: Benjamin Bratt.
La Mission Co-stars Erika Alexander and Jeremy Ray Valdez will host a Q&A after the 7 p.m. screening July 23 at Village Square, and after the 9 p.m. screening at Sam’s Town.
Benjamin Bratt has come a long way since Law and Order. Graduating from gossip column fodder as one of Julia Roberts’ many boyfriends to distinguished roles in Piñero and Traffic, he has carved a distinguished career as an actor of integrity and vision. No achievement has been more honest, passionate or remarkable than his first starring role for the new production company he formed with his brother Peter, a talented director. The movie, La Mission, is well worth seeing for a variety of reasons—all of them striking, poignant and memorable. Set in the colorful Mission District in San Francisco in which the Bratts grew up (Peter still lives there; Benjamin has moved to a duller but more upscale sign of movie-star arrival in Hollywood), La Mission focuses on a rigid Latino symbol of old-world machismo named Che Rivera, played with so much testosterone by Bratt that even his painted-on tattoos threaten to jump off his abs and kick you in the groin. Che is an ex-con and recovering alcoholic who works as a bus driver with a talent for making over low-riding Chevy convertibles equipped with hydraulic lifts, modified suspensions and V-8 engines with elaborately painted symbols of Catholic saints on their trunks. Everybody respects Che for his tough-guy street smarts and fears him for his violent temper. Amid the African drums, Brazilian sambas, Buddhist chants and Mexican tacquerias that make the Mission a mecca of immigrant culture, Che is an icon. But Che has a problem no man of muscle and steel can easily survive. Che’s only son, Jes, whom he raised from a baby and practically worships with a pride he’s too embarrassed to show, harbors a secret he’s afraid to tell his father. Jes (the excellent Jeremy Ray Valdez) is gay. Worse still, he’s in love with a white boy and is a habitual customer in the Castro’s gay bars. Never mind that Jes is smart, kind, warm and the first ethnic product of the neighborhood to win a scholarship to UCLA.
A homosexual son goes against every tradition Che believes in. Believing God is getting revenge for all the bad things he’s done by giving him a “defective,” Che beats up his son, throws him out of the house and loses the only thing he loves. His tough poker-playing pals from the ’hood tell him they couldn’t care less. Che retorts that if it was their son, they’d feel the same kind of shame and disgust. The same problems of gay sons facing the pain of coming out to macho fathers exist in Latino families just as they do in other cultures. But to Che, the shock and disappointment is symbolic of even greater change—the way nothing in his onceCatholic neighborhood is the same. The Mission has become a gumbo of graffiti, designer boutiques and singles bars. The more it evolves, the more Che denounces the word “progress.” Now gentrification has arrived at his own doorstep, and rage is reaching the point of self-destruction. There’s something touching about watching this estranged father-son relationship struggle to find newfound mutual compassion. These are the kinds of polarized blacks and Hispanics who turned out in record percentages to vote for Obama and against the legalization of gay marriage in the state of California. Now change is in their face whether they like it or not. When Jes becomes the innocent victim of homophobic aggression from one of his own people, Che is forced to examine the shadows of his own heart. The Mission, carefully directed by Peter and beautifully photographed by award-winning cinematographer Hiro Narita (Never Cry Wolf), explores the human side of a culture that is usually exploited on film for drugs and danger. This one emphasizes family and traditions instead of poverty and gang wars. Benjamin gives an intense, multilayered performance as a man who must learn there is more to masculinity than a pair of fists. Observing the phases both father and son endure while they try to forgive in order to survive makes The Mission a poignant and unusual film you won’t soon forget. By Cole Smithey and Sharon Kehoe
ShoRT RevIewS
Inception (PG-13)
★★★★✩
Christopher Nolan’s futuristic intrigue thriller is am astonishing magic act, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dom Cobb is reminiscent of his performance in Shutter Island. Cobb takes on a mission of corporate espionage with his team— Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy and Ellen Page. By the time the film gets down to the dream-within-a-dreamwithin-a-dream, the puzzle of narrative complexity loses much of its appeal. 88 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
The Kids Are All Right (R)
★★★★✩
The mid-life parenting crisis of a lesbian couple ( Julianne Moore and Annette Bening) amid the appearance of the sperm-donor father (Mark Ruffalo) is the cornerstone for a memorable comedic family drama by writer/director Lisa Cholodenko. Precise plotting, canny dialogue and spot-on production design compliment solid performances from the lively ensemble cast. A thoroughly cohesive and entertaining movie.
The Last Airbender (PG-13) ✩✩✩✩✩
Battlefield Earth has a new rival for the title “Worst Film of the Last 20 Years.” M. Night Shyamalan extracts melodramatic performances from his largely child cast in a 3-D movie that works best unseen. The gobbledygook plot follows Aang (Noah Ringer), a monk-like child who can control water with his kung fu moves. The 3-D visual effects are yawn-inducing in a film that should have been called The Last Flatus Bender.
Cyrus (R)
★★★✩✩
“Third act failure” hobbles what might have been a rewarding dark comedy by sibling co-writer/directors Jay and Mark Duplass. John C. Reilly plays John, a divorced loser who meets Molly (Marisa Tomei), whose adult home-schooled son, Cyrus ( Johah Hill), she vainly tries to keep secret. Cyrus is a movie that gets you to root for damaged-good characters who never go far enough to save their own skins.
Arts & Entertainment
SHoRT REviEwS
Predators (R)
★★✩✩✩
This small-minded reshuffling of the Predator franchise that began in 1987 is little more than a sci-fi B-movie filled with limitless plot holes. Adrien Brody is Royce, a special-ops-turned-mercenary who gets plunked down on a strange planet with six other killers from various backgrounds. The movie’s role-reversal isn’t as clever as screenwriters imagine.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
The latest film in the Twilight franchise is the best so far but still has meandering subplots, miscalculated segues and inexcusable flashbacks. Bella (Kristen Stewart) is caught between vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) and wolfboy Jacob (Taylor Lautner). Director David Slade (Hard Candy) elevates an unwieldy script, but can’t mask a bare-bones story.
Despicable Me (PG) ★★✩✩✩
A scattershot attempt at animated comedy that never clicks: Russian supervillain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) has a soft spot for playing daddy to three little girls if he can send them out on clandestine missions to bring down his rival Vector ( Jason Segel). The film’s feeble 3-D effects only add insult to the injury of its inflated ticket price.
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 Civil War elements
MoviE TiMES
Grown Ups (R)
★★★✩✩
The SNL gang share more laughs onscreen than the audience does, but when the guys are on their game, they score and entertain. In a fun summer setting, the BFFs and their families show us what being on vacation and playing in the sun is all about. Grown Ups doesn’t resonate past a week, but it’ll surely inspire more trips with good friends this summer.
90
Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
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Dining
Photo by Peter Harasty
Raku’s most popular item: agedofu, homemade tofu deep-fried in broth.
The New Raku Vegas’ only true gastropub expands to accommodate its growing foodie fan base
By Max Jacobson
There’s no doubt that Raku, despite the fact that it serves no sushi, is the most authentic Japanese restaurant in Las Vegas. Mitsuo Endo, a Tokyo native who won critical raves for his New York City restaurant, Megu, refers to it as an aburiya, basically a gastropub. As such, it’s the only bona fide gastropub in the city. Endo recently expanded his bread-box operation to an adjacent space, upping the seat count to about 50. The addition is a labyrinth of small rooms, each one paneled in wood stained the color of dark cherry. The five-seat coun-
ter in the original room remains a de facto Japanese social club and chef’s hangout. Raku is open until 3 a.m., and you’ll often find the city’s best chefs in here, after hours. The main attraction is robata-yaki, grilled foods cooked in a back kitchen. Robata means “paddle,” which is a long wooden device used to ferry foods from a grill to hungry customers. The last time I looked, there were no restaurants doing exactly that in this country. Raku’s menu has about 75 dishes, augmented by specials written in English on a small blackboard by the counter. Continued on page 94 July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 93
Dining
Diner’s Notebook
Great summer wines and a couple of Old Vegas classics
Specials are seasonal, often fish the chef has flown in from Japan. There was, for instance, a river trout called aju, $20 for a salt-grilled, twoounce fish, served with a green sauce made from Japanese shrubs, and worth every penny. There was also ice fish, around 10 smelt-like creatures, with a most delicate batter, that you eat head and all. And there were even crabs called sawagani (“sand crabs” in Japanese), each one the size of your thumbnail, colored bright orange, and eaten whole, shell and all. Save room for Endo’s extraordinary homemade tofu, totally unlike the tasteless cubes you get in an Asian market or mixed in stir-frys. This has a silky texture and a subtle flavor. You eat it with a wooden spoon from a lacquered Japanese bowl, flanked by shredded ginger, chopped green onion and katsuo-bushi, the shaved bonito flakes that are a most integral part of any Japanese dashi, or foodflavoring broth. Endo’s dashi is one of the best I’ve ever tasted, but, unfortunately, it’s not suitable for vegetarians, or those who do not do well with seafood. The problem is, even when you order grilled items on skewers, such as the terrific bacon-wrapped asparagus, or Kurobuta pork cheek, they likely have been brushed with a dashiflavored soy glaze. One of my favorite dishes here is soboro gohan, called “chicken and rice bowl” on the menu. It’s ground chicken and pickles on top of a pile of steamed white Japanese rice. It’s pure kid food. Many of the Japanese customers will be eating oden, a do-it-yourself hot pot composed from a list of ingredients such as daikon, boiled egg, minced fish, seaweed or the starchy yam cake known as konnyaku. The latter is, er, an acquired taste. To me, it tastes like the bottom of a Converse All-Star. From a long list of premium sake, Koshi no Kanbai is the ticket, at $65 for a 24-ounce bottle. I’ll take a cold one, preferably Asahi Dry. I’m not that Japanese yet.
July is a good month to cool down with summer wines, and one of the best local places to buy them is Khoury’s Fine Wine and Spirits (in two locations: 9915 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson, and 7150 S. Durango Dr.). Young entrepreneur Issa Khoury is a native of Elko who grew up in retail, and his stores have a big inventory of both New and Old World wines, plus vintage cognacs and Scotches. Here are three great summer wines available in his stores. One is a riesling from the brilliant German producer Leitz, a 2008 Dragonstone for $19. If you aren’t a fan of this grape, you will be after you taste this. Terra Andina ’07 chardonnay from Chile, $7, great with fish or fresh pasta, is a textbook example of value from the Southern Hemisphere. Finally, Fleuraison Rose de Rosee Brut from France, at $20, puts a capstone on any romantic dinner. Cool down, pilgrim. Seeing a dollar-off coupon for walleye at The Flame, the steak house at the El Cortez in downtown Vegas, put me in the mood to try Old Vegas restaurants. So I did, dining there and at Sahara’s House of Lords. The two are similar, but there are important differences. Both restaurants offer professional service from waiters who have been around for a long time. Luis, our waiter at the Sahara, knew the menu like the back of his hand, and he timed our courses perfectly. Our waiter at The Flame was a personable steak-house veteran from New York, offering no pretense and no glitches. But I preferred my dinner at House of Lords. At The Flame, we watched a fascinating non sequitur—a video of Italian tourist spots—on wall-mounted televisions. My walleye, albeit a huge hunk of fish for $16.95, didn’t have much flavor, although I couldn’t see any problems with the huge baked potato or spinach side dish, while a steak Diane my friend ordered came sliced— and tough—in a generic brown sauce. Almost everything at the House of Lords, though, lived up to our expectations. My Caesar salad, with a dressing on the creamy side, had a nice punch, and my wife’s bone-in rib-eye with scampi hit most of the right notes. I had a huge half roasted duck, with the sauce on the side, thankfully. For dessert, there was red velvet cake. You will not get too much more retro than that. Hungry, yet?
Open 6 p.m.-3 a.m. Mon.-Sat., 5030 W. Spring Mountain Road, 367-3511.
Follow Max Jacobson’s latest epicurean observations, reviews and tips at foodwinekitchen.com.
One of Raku’s new four new dining rooms. Raku Continued from page 93
Raku’s “Sashimi of the day” (bluefin tuna, amberjack and golden eye snapper) and tsukune (ground chicken ball dipped in poached egg).
94
Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Photography by Peter Harasty
By Max Jacobson
Dining
Dishing
Caprese Salad at Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana
It would difficult to find something more refreshing and simple than this dish. Settebello uses ripe tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, topping them off with fresh basil from a hydroponic farm in Pahrump and extra virgin olive oil from Umbria, Italy. $7.50, in The District at Green Valley Ranch, 140 Green Valley Parkway, 222-3556, settebello.net.
96 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Lakanilau Roll at Roy’s
Roy’s Lakanilau Roll’s unique flavors come from Kobe beef wrapped around crab, tempura asparagus and avocado with sesame miso and kabayaki. “Ultimately, our sushi weaves a more colorful tapestry as it creates a fresh, new fusion for today’s eclectic palate,” chef Brandon Konishi says. “It is an experience unlike any other.” $16.50, Roy’s Summerlin, 8701 W. Charleston Blvd., 838-3620.
Beef Chimichanga at Toto’s Mexican Restaurant
This is a simple dish consisting of a deep-fried beef burrito with cheese, guacamole and sour cream, but you definitely get your money’s worth with its huge size. It’s also one of the best we’ve had. With the building’s Spanish influences and cozy interior, locals have made Toto’s a Las Vegas favorite. $7.95, 2055 E. Tropicana Ave., Suite 1, 895-7923.
Sandwich Cubano at Cuba Café
This hole-in-the-wall restaurant will surprise you with the great tastes of authentic Cuban food. This traditional menu item is made with roasted pork that has been marinated in garlic, orange sour and rum. Then they add sliced ham, Swiss cheese, pickle and mustard and press it on Cuban bread. $6.95, 2055 E. Tropicana Ave., 795-7070.
Beef Chimichanga and Sandwich Cubano photo by Anthony Mair
Got a favorite dish? Tell us at comments@weeklyseven.com.
Dining
Cooking With …
Akira Back
The Yellowtail chef shares a recipe that’s an accumulation of his worldly experiences By Kelly Corcoran Long before Akira Back became executive chef at Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant and Lounge, his home was in Aspen, Colo., where he was a professional snowboarder as a teenager and had blue hair. After a snowboarding injury, he said he had two career choices: follow in his father’s footsteps and take over his business, or do something else. That something else turned out to be cooking at his favorite Aspen restaurant. There, Back found a mentor in chef Kenichi Kanada—although it was on the condition that Back shave off his blue hair. He in turn helped open Kenichi restaurants in Austin, Texas, and in Hawaii. Then Back, who was born in Korea and traveled for two years working and learning from different chefs, including Masaharu Morimoto, the Iron Chef legend. He returned to Aspen to work with Nobu Matsuhisa and, in 2004, took over as executive chef at the world-renowned chef’s restaurant there. In 2008, he battled Bobby Flay on Iron Chef after a producer had tasted Back’s work in Aspen. That same year celebrity hot-spot Yellowtail opened in Bellagio. He has become a rising celebrity himself, but humbly attributes his success to good fortune. Staying true to his roots, Back, now 35, still snowboards for fun. His self-titled book, written in Korean, debuted May 17, and he would like to publish an American version, too. The Bigeye Tuna Pizza is Yellowtail’s signature dish and his mother’s favorite. It was inspired by his travels. “I came here and I wanted to make my own version of what I learned from people and I wanted to twist it with my origin of taste,” he says. “I love Mexican food, so I use tortilla. You have to use some sort of raw item, and tuna, I think, is common to people no matter what.” Back chose this dish to share because it is easy to make at home (aside from pan searing the tortilla, every other ingredient is raw) and it represents America the melting pot.
Bigeye Tuna Pizza Serves 8
Crispy Tortillas 8-inch flour tortillas Fresh cracked black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Heat flat-top griddle to 250 degrees. Brush each side of tortilla with extra virgin olive oil and black pepper. Place tortillas on flat top with a sheet pan on top and a few pans on top of the sheet tray to weigh it down. Briefly cook the tortillas until brown on both sides. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature until crispy. Place a sheet tray on top of the cooked tortillas so they don’t curl while they are cooling.
Ponzu Mayo 50 grams Shiragiku (rice wine vinegar) 25 grams soy sauce
7 grams lemon juice 325 grams mayonnaise
Combine the vinegar, soy sauce and lemon juice to make the ponzu. Slowly whisk the ponzu into the mayonnaise, combining thoroughly.
Garnishes Micro shiso (Japanese mint) or basil Micro bull’s blood or red beet Sliced red onions White truffle oil Fresh cracked pepper Maldon sea salt (coarse finishing salt) 5 ounces ruby red saku blocks (tuna), or substitute smoked salmon
For sliced red onions: Remove outer layers of onion and slice onion in half from stem to stem. Using a mandolin, slice onions as thin as possible without compromising their structure. Once sliced, place onions under cool running water until there is no longer any onion smell. Drain and set aside. Slice the tuna as thin as possible and shingle it as to make the separation easier. Keep in cooler and set aside.
Take one tortilla and brush the ponzu mayo over top—just enough to coat the entire tortilla (roughly ½ ounce). Scatter the sliced red onions over the tortilla, spreading them evenly. Cover tortilla with thin-sliced tuna; removing any remaining tuna pieces. Crack fresh black pepper. Cut tortilla into eight even slices. Transfer to plate and drizzle white truffle oil over top (2 tablespoons). Sprinkle micro shiso and bull’s blood all over and finish with maldon sea salt. Serve at room temperature.
Yellowtail sommelier Yokiko Kawasaki recommends Moon Rabbit, a sparkling sake from Japan ($10 for 12-ounce bottle at Lee’s Discount Liquor). “Moon Rabbit has a nice gentle aroma of lychee and Muscat, so it matches with pizza’s truffle oil and sweetness from tuna and ponzu aioli.” If you’d prefer wine, she suggests Santa Margherita 2008, a pinot grigio from Valdadige, Italy ($18 at Lee’s). “Pinot grigio has a decent acidity, and it goes well with acidity of the vinegar in ponzu sauce. Also it’s a bit dry, so it cuts off the sweetness of the dish and balances everything up as a whole.” 98 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Bigeye Tuna Pizza photo by Peter Harasty
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TRavel Paradise Revisited
Catalina Island retains its unique character while giving visitors fresh reasons to return By James P. Reza A Jeep that hasn’t seen a canvas top in years and sporting an authentic rust patina rumbles by as bicyclists pedal up and away from the waterfront, toward the Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Gardens that lie just past Hermit’s Gulch—one of many campgrounds on the island, but the only one serving the tiny main town of Avalon. A worn sticker from the Buffalo Nickel— a locals joint outside Avalon at the helipad—hugs what’s left of Jeep’s bumper as it speeds by, its sun-weathered driver one of the 3,000 year-round residents of Avalon. Meanwhile, back in town, the upscale new M Restaurant, opened in February and overlooking the town’s small-boat harbor, serves Modern American cuisine to weekenders, focusing on farm-fresh, locally sourced organic fare—quite removed from the buffalo burgers, burritos and pizza menus of many Avalon eateries. Santa Catalina Island is, for the first time in a long time, updating itself. That’s big news in Avalon, which for more than 100 years has been a quintessential SoCal beach town. The most Mediterranean of North American islands in climate and ecology, Catalina has always been blissfully decades behind the California mainland, thanks in part to its physical isolation, but more a result of the complementary missions of the Santa Catalina Island Co. (its primary commercial developer) and the Catalina Island Conservancy, a nonprofit organization created in 1972 and promptly deeded 88 percent of the island by the Wrigley family. Balancing responsibilities to preserve the island’s character and protect its interior from development, while maintaining its ability to attract visitors, the Conservancy and the Santa Catalina Island Co. (whose unfortunate acronym is SCICo) have always erred on the conservative side, putting Catalina in a nostalgic holding pattern that remains a significant part of its appeal. But given the lingering effects of 9/11 and the recession on tourism, SCICo this year invested $11 million into reinvigorat-
A new Catalina attraction: the Avalon Grille.
100 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
The cabana view on Descanso Beach.
ing the Avalon area—not much dough for Las Vegas, but a boatload for a tiny place like Avalon. That investment has in turn prompted small businesses to do the same. The result is a Catalina Island that still looks and feels like Catalina, while offering a few fresh reasons to visit. The island’s plentiful outdoor activities (hiking, biking, camping, water sports) have been boosted by the Zip Line Eco Tour, which at nearly a mile in total length is the longest zip line in California. Zip liners descend 600 feet in elevation at up to 45 mph, ending at the newly improved Descanso Beach Club, a private beach where guests can enjoy cocktails and live music while sunning. Descanso’s amenities—kayak and paddle board rentals, seaside massages, grass volleyball and an outdoor bar and restaurant featuring service on the sand—now include fire rings on the shore, and an area of fancy cabanas and chaise lounges for rent. No worries, though; for a $2 fee, you can still score a spot on the sand for your towel, and access to all the aforementioned goodies. Back in town, SCICo’s $11 million further reveals itself with a wonderful renovation of the mid-century beachside Pavilion Hotel (which now greets guests with lanai rooms and a wine bar), and the brand-new Avalon Grille, a comfortable indooroutdoor American pub ’n’ grub overlooking the harbor at the landfall end of the Green Pleasure Pier. By now, most people taking a summer vacation already have them planned or completed. But for those of you who haven’t, or are seeking a laid-back, long weekend getaway, Catalina Island might be just the place—especially since SoCal’s notorious period of clouds and morning fog known as June Gloom has only recently started to lift. There is something magical about leaving your car behind and boarding a boat to a new destination, even if that destination is a mere 22 miles from Long Beach or Dana Point. Even better that it be Catalina, since, despite all the updates, the island thankfully remains the kind of laid-back paradise where you can wear your “nice shorts” to even the fanciest new restaurant and still feel like you belong.
If you go to catalIna ... LOCALS SECRETS The SandTrap (at the golf course, 310-510-2505) and the Casino Dock Cafe (310-510-2755) offer tasty, inexpensive grub, while the Marlin Club (310-510-0044) is a dive bar for divers. FANCY FOOD Aside from the new M (310-5101278), enjoy Villa Portofino (310-5102009) for tasty Italian and wine. CHILL TIME C.C. Gallagher Café (310-510-1278) offers espresso, wine by the glass, a deli case of fresh cheese plates and outdoor seating. Is this Italy, perhaps? BACKCOUNTRY TOUR Backcountry biking and hiking require permits (catalinaconservancy. org) so if you are without them, try the adventurous half-day Cape Canyon tour in a 12-passenger modified Mercedes Unimog (visitcatalinaisland.com). STAY THE WEEKEND The words “modern boutique hotel” never existed on Catalina until the Aurora showed up: auroracatalina.com. – J.P.R.
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SportS & LeiSure Different Strokes
Unconventional tennis coach also teaches kids life lessons
By Matt Jacob
102 Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
an intense workout, but never once did anyone complain or ask for a break. In fact, all had smiles on their faces from the moment the lesson began—with the students high-fiving each other, as all of Springer’s lessons do—until it ended. “In today’s coaching and teaching, we have all these parents who are worried about a lawsuit, worried about injuries, worried about this and that. We’re not,” says Springer, whose 100-plus clients include adults. “We’re not afraid of physical [contact], we’re not afraid to tell our kids we love them, we’re not afraid to get involved in their lives. It’s cutting-edge because nobody’s doing that anymore. They stopped. There’s red tape; there’s fear. But we immerse ourselves in our kids’ lives. “That’s the experience I didn’t get growing up, and that’s the experience they’re not getting anywhere else.” And it’s an experience Jeff Butcher appreciates. His 12-year-old daughter, Angelina, took up tennis a year ago, and although Butcher was mostly pleased with the first instructor he hired, he thought his daughter could progress more rapidly. After a short break, Angelina expressed a desire to return to tennis and her old coach. But Butcher, who had learned of Springer’s program from a friend, suggested to his daughter, “Why don’t we give James a try?” “After about three lessons,” Butcher says, “she came up to me and said, ‘Thank you, Dad!’” Angelina has been with System Works for three months, and even more than improving his daughter’s serve, Butcher says he’s most grateful to Springer for bringing her out of her shell. “She’s a quiet girl, but you don’t get to be quiet out here,” Butcher says. “One of the things James does is he’ll get on them. … But he also gives the kids a chance to argue back. The other night, he got on my daughter for something and she said, ‘Ain’t going to happen again, Coach!’ and I went ‘Holy crap, that’s awesome!’ She had never done that before.” To Springer, such stories of personal development mean as much if not more than any physical improvement on the court. “Look, [Angelina is] here for seven friends. She’s not here to see some old coach,” Springer says. “So if seven friends are saying good things to her and enhancing her life and empowering here and telling her qualities they like about her, she’s going to roll out of here with a smile on her face.”
Tennis coach James Springer stresses personal development as well as physical improvement.
America’s top high school basketball talent comes to town While Las Vegas remains home to some of the summer’s top high school basketball action, the economy has shaken things up a bit. The Reebok Summer Championships, the Main Event and the National Youth Basketball Championships are out; the first-
Last year’s Adidas Super 64 MVP Joe Jackson of Memphis Magic Elite.
year Fab 48 is in; and the Adidas Super 64, entering its seventh year, is now the biggest event in town. The Super 64, set for July 22-26, will feature 425 teams—up from 270 last year—playing at 13 venues, including host Rancho High School. Top teams include the Atlanta Celtics, Indiana Elite and Compton Magic. The Fab 48, hosted by Bishop Gorman High School on July 22-25, will have more than 170 teams at six venues, including Memphis Magic Elite and Grassroots Canada, the last two Super 64 champions. Tickets for the Fab 48 are $12 per day, with a tournament pass available for $40. Super 64 tickets are $14 per day. For complete team listings and schedule, go to lasvegasfab48.com or adidassuper64.com. – Sean DeFrank
Springer photo by Hew Burney; Jackson photo by Stan Carroll courtesy of The Commercial Appeal
The black van with the distinctive logo—a highlighter-yellow skull between two pink crossed tennis rackets—pulls into an affluent Summerlin neighborhood on a warm Monday evening. Out race eight kids ranging in age from 11 to 14, all armed with tennis rackets, and they storm onto the two nearby courts for their weekly group lesson. What unfolds over the next 75 minutes is the most unorthodox tennis lesson you’ve ever witnessed. Sure, there’s the requisite practicing of forehands, backhands and serves, but that is almost secondary to the lessons learned in respect, honesty, communication, self-confidence and sportsmanship. At the center of the controlled chaos is James Springer, whose eyes are seemingly on both courts and all eight of his students at once. “Are we hitting cupcakes or are we hitting weapons?” he blurts when he notices some of his students passively attacking the ball. “Weapons!” the kids respond in unison. “I’m 38 years old, but I feel like I’m 12 or 14,” Springer says. “Youth and exuberance are just natural instincts of mine.” Springer is a native Las Vegan who comes from a family of tennis coaches, and says he’s been teaching the game since he was 10. For the past four years, he’s been operating System Works Tennis, traveling seven days a week across the Valley in his conspicuous van, offering not only tennis instruction but life lessons to students from age 3 to young adults, both in private and group settings. Like the prototypical tennis instructor, Springer works his kids hard and demands effort at every turn. But unlike the prototypical instructor, Springer, who sports a neck-to-toe tattoo on half of his body, offers continuous praise to his students and encourages them to communicate constantly on the court, whether it’s calling out the score during a game, reciting a technique that was recently taught or complimenting a peer on their performance or attire. “First and foremost, to get anything out of any of these kids, you’ve got to acknowledge what’s going on with them,” he says. “You must acknowledge the individual, and not in an insincere way. And then after that, they’re willing to acknowledge you. And then if you do some decent exchange with them, they’re willing to do anything you ask.” Springer’s approach clearly works. During one recent group lesson, his eight students (five girls and three boys, including two of his own children) were put through
Going for Broke
Taking Ravens to fly ‘over’ is sound strategy in AFC North By Matt Jacob There have been plenty of NFL-related stories that have made me chuckle this offseason, including Albert Haynesworth, the Redskins’ $100 million defensive tackle, refusing to participate in team activities because the defense is switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 scheme. (This is the equivalent of your child throwing a tantrum because you switched out his French fries for tater tots.) And then there was Michael Vick—already on a short leash (no pun intended) in the wake of his dog-fighting scandal— throwing himself a public 30th birthday bash. Who shows up but none other than a former friend/co-defendant with whom Vick is legally prohibited from associating with. (I think at this point I’d pay good money to see Vick’s SAT results). But the topper has to be Terrell Owens—he of the rapidly declining skills and reputation for napalming NFL locker rooms from coast to coast—recently declaring that he can’t find work because the league is trying to blackball him. (I wonder what the weather is like on Planet T.O.—you know, other than blustery!) Yet the NFL remains, by far, the most popular sport in this country. Go figure! On to this week’s breakdown of NFL over/under season win totals, with the spotlight on the AFC North. Once again, note that my recommendations are rated from 1 ( just flip a coin) to 5 (hello, college fund for the kids!). NOTE: I hit both of my MLB All-Star Game picks, pulling in $210 betting on the National League and another $50 taking UNDER the total of 8½ runs, pushing my bankroll up to $5,605. BENGALS (over/under 8): If this was an over/under on the number of times egomaniacal WR Chad Ochocinco drew attention to himself every week, I’d bet the house on the OVER. But Cincinnati’s schedule is brutal. It will be favored on the road just once all year (at Cleveland), and it has five very difficult home games (Ravens, Dolphins, Steelers, Saints, Chargers). In all, the Bengals face 10 teams that went 9-7 or better last season, including seven opponents that finished with double-digit wins. Plus, the Bengals are just one Carson Palmer injury away from a J.T. O’Sullivan-led offense! Recommendation: UNDER (3).
BROWNS (over/under 5½): Poor Cleveland. It lost LeBron; its baseball team is headed for a 90-loss season; and now all it gets to look forward to is a cold, dreary winter watching Jake Delhomme quarterback its beloved Browns. The good news: The Browns could start out 2-0 (they face the Bucs and Chiefs out of the gate), which would give them six straight wins dating to last season. The bad news: The ensuing seven opponents they face went a combined 75-47 in 2009. Browns coach Eric Mangini might want to consider polishing up that résumé. Recommendation: UNDER (2). RAVENS (over/under 10): Count me among those who are bullish on Baltimore this year. After posting 10 victories last season (including a firstround playoff win at New England), the Ravens got better this offseason. That’s huge for QB Joe Flacco, who has shown rapid improvement in his first two years and now has former Rams QB Marc Bulger as a mentor. Also, the Ravens figure to finish strong, as four of their last six games are at home, with the only road games at Houston and Cleveland. Recommendation: OVER (4). STEELERS (over/under 9): Because Ben Roethlisberger allegedly has a hard time keeping his hands to himself, the Steelers will play the entire preseason and at least the first four games of the regular season without him. But Pittsburgh caught a huge break from the schedulemakers, as it starts the season with two tough home games (Falcons and Ravens) and two winnable road contests (Titans and Bucs). Assuming Roethlisberger is then reinstated, he gets a bye week followed by an easy home game (Browns) before the brutal part of the schedule kicks in (road games at Miami, New Orleans and Cincinnati). Know this: Only twice in the last 10 seasons has Pittsburgh finished with fewer than nine wins. Recommendation: OVER (1). 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. July 22-28, 2010 Vegas Seven 103
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The Only Latin Night Under the Stars
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Seven QueStionS
Fluff LeCoque You learn a few things about Las Vegas after 29 years at the helm of Jubilee!, like the fact that beautiful girls are always in vogue and things were better around here in the ‘60s.
By Elizabeth Sewell In a city that is constantly changing, there is little time for nostalgia, which makes 86-year-old Ffolliott “Fluff” LeCoque a member of an increasingly exclusive club. She is the dancer-turned-stage-manager of Bally’s Jubilee! The last revue standing on the Las Vegas Strip celebrates its 29th anniversary on July 30, and LeCoque is a Jubilee! original. Born in Butte, Mont., she studied theater at the University of Washington before landing in Las Vegas in 1947 for a short stint opening for Liberace. LeCoque traveled often while dancing, but continued to return to Las Vegas until she settled for good in the city in 1963. It was while working in Las Vegas she met producer Donn Arden, who shaped the latter part of her dance career and facilitated her movement from the stage to behind the scenes. She managed many of his productions before coming to rest at Jubilee! in 1981. Twenty-nine years later, LeCoque is still the grande dame of Jubilee!, where she runs the production as close as possible to how Arden would have wanted.
Do you think showgirl shows will have a resurgence? Look at your advertising. What do people like to look at? They like to look at beautiful girls, and a showgirl is still the epitome of glamour, and it started in the days when they started doing shows with girls. You don’t see that much of it anymore, but the showgirl will never leave. What do you miss about being onstage? The wonderful physical exertion of letting your brain and your body respond to music. I miss that. I miss performing onstage because whenever I was onstage, I always loved being out there to let the audience feel what I was feeling. The spotlight turned me on. 110
Vegas Seven July 22-28, 2010
Why hasn’t Jubilee! changed much in 29 years? Jubilee! hasn’t changed all that much because it costs a great deal of money to put this show on in the first place and they probably wouldn’t duplicate it or replicate it ever again. We’ve changed a few production numbers, but in essence Donn Arden’s staging of most of the numbers is so original. He was very good, absolutely a genius, and he was never really recognized for it. The numbers are still good. They still work. Why does being a dancer sometimes have a negative connotation? I think that’s horrible. We have been fighting that for generations because most people don’t realize that anytime they see a girl that’s in the show, they call them a showgirl, but in theatrical vernacular a showgirl is more like a statuesque girl that wears the costume and can dance. They are the epitome of glamour. And nowadays so many of the girls in gentlemen’s clubs are also called showgirls, but I do not call them showgirls. I’m not put-
ting them down at all, but in our theatrical brains we do not consider them showgirls and the public does. How do you stay motivated to come to work every day? Sometimes it’s not as easy as it seems. It’s like everyone else, “Oh I have to go to work today.” But then I think, “What if I didn’t have to go to work today—what would I do?” It’s nice to have three or four days off, but then what do you do? I enjoy it. It keeps your adrenaline going. What was your favorite era in Las Vegas? In the 1960s. It was smaller, you knew people more, the traffic wasn’t so terrible, it wasn’t overbuilt. Everything was fresh. The air was clean. There used to be so much oxygen in the air you almost got high when you got off the plane. I liked it because people dressed. Now, it’s strictly tourists and they have a lot of walking to do and they can’t walk up and down the Strip in high heels. It’s a little bit hectic with all the traffic and everything.
Photo by Francis + Francis
How did you become interested in dancing? As a child, every time the music came on I was dancing, and so when I was 7 my parents sent me to dancing school. And I studied dance all my life until I was out of college and I became a professional. I continued on until I couldn’t really dance anymore, so I bridged the gap and went on the other side, to management.