The Program | Vegas Seven Magazine | May 8-14, 2014 by Vegas Seven

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12 | THE LATEST

“Field of Dreams,” by Matt Jacob. So when are the 51s moving to Summerlin? Your guess is as good as ours. Plus, Henderson rec centers plan to cut back—just in time for summer, Comrade Grumpy on ubiquitous campaign signs and Tweets of the Week.

14 | Next Exit

“The Restroom Dilemma,” by Stacy J. Willis. Your bladder is full. Are you a pointer or a setter?

16 | Latest Thought

“Is the Downtown Dream Losing Steam?” by Geoff Carter. After a flurry of urban change, a letdown seems forgivable. But now’s not the time.

18 | Green Felt Journal

“MGM’s Park and the Future of the Strip,” by David G. Schwartz. Look for a continuing shift from the casino to the great urban outdoors.

22 | COVER

“21st Century Rebels” One-and-dones, social media follies, South Florida, and the benefits and burdens of the Tarkanian legacy: A wide-ranging round-table conversation with UNLV basketball coach Dave Rice and his predecessor, Lon Kruger.

29 | NIGHTLIFE

A Q&A with TJR, the best ways to dine and dash to the party, Seven Nights, The Hook Up and photos from the week’s hottest parties.

53 | DINING

“Always the Bridesmaid,” by Grace Bascos and Al Mancini. Las Vegas chefs and restaurants never fare well in the annual James Beard Foundation Awards. Our Jimmy ’Stache Awards recognize five that should have won. Plus, Al Mancini on Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar, Cocktail Culture and Dishing With Grace.

62 | A&E

“Inspire Engagement,” by Steve Bornfeld. Downtown’s new performance space aims to become a hub for the odd, the interesting and the unexpected. Plus, Jane’s Addiction’s enduring shock value, CD Reviews, Tour Buzz, The Hit List and a review of the Childish Gambino concert.

66 | Movies

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and our weekly movie capsules.

78 | Seven Questions

Author Richard O. Davies on prizefighting’s cultural impact, the former champ he most admires and the incident that hastened boxing’s decline.

ON THE COVER Former UNLV coach Lon Kruger has been at Oklahoma since 2011, but still feels close to the Rebels program.

Photo illustration by Ryan Olbrysh

| | | | |

Dialogue Seven Days Ask a Native Character Study Showstopper

May 8–14, 2014

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9 VEGAS SEVEN

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DIALOGUE LETTERS The Animal Shelter Wars I want to thank Stacy J. Willis for her Next Exit column, “Cat Fights” (May 1), raising awareness of pet overpopulation. I don’t think any of us wish to see animals put down, but the no-kill proponents have not provided any viable plan to help prevent unnecessary deaths. Many no-kill shelters are not suitable environments for the animals; the conditions at these facilities often end up becoming a “fate worse than death” if animals end up living out their lives there. I appreciate that you did your research and wrote an article that was fair and nonjudgmental. It allowed readers to come to their own conclusions. – Annoula Wylderich

Horsing Around Last week’s Ask a Native column looked at whether horse-drawn carriages were a good idea for Downtown, prompting a positive response from some readers, while others said, “Neigh!” “It’s an idea, but only to work in the evenings. Cooler for the horses and allows the neon atmosphere for the tourists.” – Heather Cherry “Only if we want more traffc in congested areas.” – Karen Mierta “I can’t wait to ride the carriages! What a great way to experience a living, breathing animal.” – Michael Haberland “No way! Too hot and not necessary. Give the work to local bikers and carts.” –Julz Erdész

THIS WEEK @ VEGASSEVEN.COM BEST BRUNCHES FOR MOM

From gospel lovers to late sleepers, our Mother’s Day roundup has brunch ideas for moms of all tastes. Make your plans for the big day (hint: it’s May 11) at VegasSeven.com/ MothersDay2014.

DISRUPTING EDUCATION

TRICKED-OUT RIDES

More than 10 million people worldwide log onto the Khan Academy website each month for free video tutorials on math, science, art and more. Founder Salman Khan shares his thoughts on the future of learning— and the limits of the Web— at VegasSeven.com/Khan.

Part chopper shop, part artists’ studio, Cristian Sosa’s local business sculpts custom motorcycles and classic cars with tools that date back to the 1930s. Take a peek inside at DTLV.com/Sosa.

SPORTS-TALK SHOWDOWN

Each week on Trash Talk, hosts JT the Brick and Pauly Howard of Fox Sports Radio’s Power Hour go head-to-head on the week’s hottest topics in sports. Tune in at VegasSeven.com/TrashTalk, and tweet them your questions at #TrashTalk.

Twitter.com/7Vegas

Look for a continuing shif from the casino to the great urban outdoors

A SPIN ON THE HIGH ROLLER

May 8–14, 2014

JIM MURREN IS PLAYING the long

VEGAS SEVEN

game on the Strip. “We have a very strong feeling of what Las Vegas is going to look like fve to 10 years from now,” the MGM Resorts International chairman said recently when describing the details of the Park, an entertainment and retail complex between the company’s New York-New York and Monte Carlo properties. “It’s very different from today—and when this is done in 2016 we’ll see if we’re right.” The Park is a bet on both the great outdoors (the kind of urban walking experience we’ve seen at Caesars’ Linq) and also on the great indoors (it will be anchored by a 20,000-seat arena). Both bets have roots in Las Vegas’ heritage as an entertainment capital, but they’re notable for their openness to the street and for the degree to which gaming is marginal. More than ever, resort operators want to offer a full-spectrum experience. And with MGM’s massive footprint of hotel rooms and convention space, more Park-type developments could follow between and among the company’s holdings. An interesting way to ponder the Strip’s trajectory is to follow Murren’s lead, play the long game, and imagine what it will look like in 2019. Here’s a glimpse: • The Linq’s High Roller observation wheel will have long since made its way into the national imagination as a symbol of the city. • The MGM arena (on which the company and its partner, AEG, have already broken ground) will have already hosted three years of concerts and sporting events. Other Strip projects will be even more seasoned: The Cromwell is already (somewhat) open. SLS appears on track for opening late this summer. Likewise, the Delano, a refresh of Mandalay Bay’s THEhotel, will be offcially “open” this fall. • The City of Rock—a planned 80,000-capacity outdoor performance venue on the southwest corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard—will be 4 years old and hosting its third Rock in Rio festival. Future festivals? They’ll depend on how well the frst three are received, and whether MGM determines that the land can be better used to house a new resort, as was initially intended.

• If annual visitation heads toward the 45 million mark, we’ll see plenty of construction. Prime candidates for development include underused land at the Riviera and Circus Circus, as well as MGM’s South Strip land bank. Will Fontainebleau have fallen by this time, to make way for something more in line with the Strip’s new direction? It’s likely, assuming the demand that some in the industry are forecasting materializes. That would leave the former New Frontier site across from Wynn as the most coveted piece of undeveloped land on the Strip. Who will be coming to Las Vegas in 2019? If current trends continue, the average visitor to Las Vegas should be somewhere in his mid-40s, and will enjoy shopping, drinking, dining and live entertainment more than gambling. At least 25 percent of visitors will hail from outside the United States. A substantial portion will be here on business, attending conventions and expositions at the newly remodeled Las Vegas Convention Center and Global Business District, the expanded Mandalay Bay Convention Center, and facilities in resorts up and down the Strip, including the massive Sands Expo Center. Many of those visitors might be staying at a property that will have

been open for at least two years: Resorts World Las Vegas. Built by Malaysian casino giant Genting, this massive project—the cost is estimated as high as $7 billion—will mark the return of themes to the Strip. Its water park and Stripfront Chinese village are expected to attract both high-rollers and middle-market visitors from Asia. But bigger might not be the predominant direction. If “boutique” properties such as the Cromwell and Caesars Palace’s Nobu Hotel prove popular, it is likely that other resorts will subdivide and rebrand their spaces, leading to a proliferation of “hotels within a hotel” on the Strip. Also, wholly new properties might not have much in the way of casino space. Gaming revenues have yet to reach their pre-recession highs, and Strip gaming win as a percentage of the national economy remains below its mid-2000s levels. The international highrollers who make up an increasing segment of total gaming win don’t require acres of slot machines. As visitation rises and gaming win inches along, some may decide that nongaming properties are the best investment, and leave the increasingly competitive gaming market to the established titans. Of course, there are always surprises that can send astray the best laid plans—the recession squashed hopes that the Strip would become a condominium corridor, after all— but the projects already announced tell us a lot about what the Strip will look like in 2019.

The wheel is turning. Are you riding? My guess is you’re wondering about it more than anything else, so here are some quick answers to the common questions about the Linq’s High Roller observation wheel. • Tickets are $26.95 starting at noon and $36.95 from 6 p.m. till close. The advertised prices are $24.95 and $34.95, but there’s a $2 “service charge” that’s unavoidable. • There are almost no discounts. Locals get one small concession: a free ticket for kids 12 and under when an adult ticket is purchased. • Don’t worry about lines. I haven’t seen a long line yet, and there’s never a wait of any kind on weekdays. • There are no restrictive rules with regard to weight or height, and wheelchairs and strollers are allowed. • You can carry drinks in from the outside as long as they’re in plastic cups, or you can buy them from a bar just before you board. Prices inside are $8-$9. Save a few bucks by getting your drinks from the outside bar at the Yardhouse, located across the alley from the entrance, where prices are $5-$7.25. So much for the basic considerations. Should you ride? I hear complaints about the price and lack of discounts, but it’s the world’s tallest wheel, after all. The pods are impressive—big, wellventilated and not claustrophobic in any way. It’s not a thrill ride. That is, unless you count boarding. When you look at the wheel from a distance, it appears to tick along, stopping frequently. But in reality, it almost never stops, which means you have to embark and debark while the wheel is moving. It’s not that tricky, and there’s enough time to be comfortable. It is, however, possible to miss your target when boarding: Note the big net stretched below the loading area. The wheel moves slowly at a pace of one foot per second. To put that in perspective, it’s like crawling an hour-and-a-half mile. It’s barely perceptible that you’re moving, but when you look down it’s obvious. Or better yet, pay attention to the orientation of the buildings around you throughout the trip to get a real sense of the distance you’re covering. Amazingly, you make a full revolution in 30 minutes. As expected, the views are awesome—the Bellagio fountains are the big payoff during the nighttime ride. Up-tempo music plays in the pods, and there’s a party atmosphere, with a countdown when you reach the apex. In other words, it’s a good experience—one of those things that you probably ought to do to remain a Las Vegan in good standing. Just make sure you can go without a restroom break for 35 to 40 minutes. There are no bathrooms in the pods.

David G. Schwartz is the director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research.

Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor and LasVegasAdvisor.com.

ILLUSTRATION BY CIERRA PEDRO

THE LATEST

MGM’s Park and the Future of the Strip

VEGAS SEVEN

DAVID BUTLER STANDS AT

Sustaining the Art of Thought In a fast-fx world, a philosophy teacher and environmentalist takes the long view By Heidi Kyser

the front of a secondfloor Liberty High classroom in running shoes, track pants and a black T-shirt. The walls are littered with multicolored maps and posters of famous men, including Sitting Bull and Albert Einstein. He’s holding open an austere book to the first chapter, titled, “What do you mean, ‘Philosophy’?” “True or false,” Butler says. “Philosophy is something you do.” A couple of mumbles issue from the 30-odd sophomores, juniors and seniors facing him. Most peer into the heavy tomes on their desks for an answer. “True. It’s a do-ityourself enterprise. You live it, you breathe it, it becomes you.” Philosophy does, indeed, become Butler. As Southern Nevada’s only high school teacher of the subject, he bears the ember of a dying—and, some would argue, precious— art: self-reflection, minus the idle navelgazing engendered by Facebook. What better vessel to pass on the flame than a gruff, good-humored jock? Butler lives his philosophy on the move. Besides teaching philosophy and U.S. history, he coaches Liberty’s boys and girls track-and-field teams (“Our men are back-to-back regional champs; third in state last year”) and advises its environmentalawareness club. He is also a teaching consultant for the National Geographicsponsored Geographic Alliance of Nevada. The enviromentalawareness club advocates for recycling and takes part in community events such as National Trails Day, which takes place this year on June 7. Last year, the club received an official commendation from the City of Henderson for “green efforts, recycling,

student leadership and promoting the agenda of sustainability.” Butler added the commendation to a growing mountain of accolades, most of them having to do with his eco-mentoring and teaching. In October, he was recognized as one of a few dozen local teachers who had made a positive difference in UNLV freshmen’s lives. A former student nominated Butler for the award. “My students have made me a better person along the way,” he says. “Education is not a one-way street.” Nor was it a direct route for Butler, the son of a showgirl who danced at the Thunderbird and Dunes hotels and a trombonist who played with Tommy Dorsey. After graduating from Basic High School in 1988, he headed to Rockhurst College in Kansas City with the intention of going to law school. Instead, 10 years and several jobs—including captaining recreational boats in St. Thomas and the Jersey Shore—later, he wound up back in his hometown, at UNLV, working on a master’s degree in education and waiting tables at Landry’s Seafood House. The time to roam had brought clarity, and Butler was on the path that would ultimately bring him to Liberty. Butler’s experience out in the world translates to the classroom, where he is in command and at ease, moving seamlessly from a CNN news video on anti-homosexuality laws in Russia to a discussion of the Bill of Rights. He keeps students’ interest, controlling the conversation with a light grip. Kids argue with each other across the room, but they’re on topic. “No one can take that away from you boys and girls,” he says, underlining a point at the end of the chapter by slamming the book closed. “They can take away your freedom, but they can’t take away your personal philosophy.”

PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA

May 8–14, 2014

THE LATEST

CHARACTER STUDY

VEGAS SEVEN

May 8–14, 2014

21st Century Rebels One-and-dones, social media follies, South Florida, and the benefts and burdens of the Tarkanian legacy: A wide-ranging, round-table conversation with UNLV basketball coach Dave Rice and his predecessor Lon Kruger

KRUGER/RICE PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA; BACKGROUND COLL AGE BY ELEK MILLER

Still, you start to appreciate a player, and then he’s gone. It’s almost like the NBA now—as if guys are being traded back and forth. What effect do you think that has?

KRUGER: Well, Kentucky is probably the extreme, because it is perceived to be a one-and-done type situation. Yet those Kentucky fans, they have stayed right there. Last year, when they didn’t get to the [NCAA] tournament, there was grumbling about this not being the way to do it. A year later, though, they’re back in the national championship game, so fans are happy again. Everything is based on results.

When you watch ESPN, the pundits are so coach-centric—there’s almost a cult of the coach. But how important is it to have that unique player—former Rebel Anthony Marshall comes to mind—with whom the community bonds?

happy for you. If it’s two, three, four, we’re happy for you. But realize that everyone that you play against has got that same goal.” It can be a healthy motivating thing if they perceive it the right way. Just wanting to be there is not enough.

When you recruit, do you try to strike a balance between guys you know will be gone pretty quickly and players you think you can nurture for four years to develop continuity in the program?

KRUGER: Everything is related to expectations. Our 17-14 year was perceived to be pretty good, while a few years later that would have been seen as a big failure. Controlling the message, whatever you want it to be, is so critical relative to what your kids are doing academically, what they’re doing in the community, what they’re doing as a group for the city. You have to be consistent in that

RICE: That’s the goal. But sometimes expectations have a role in recruiting as well. Social media is a big factor in expectations, in transferring, in a lot of things. The goal is to have continuity in

How much do you have to talk your players off the NBA ledge at times?

KRUGER: We tell them, “It’s healthy to have that as a goal, but our function with you is to create an atmosphere each day that you want to be around: You want to come in early, you want to stay late, you want to work hard to be as good as you can be in the context of the team. If that goal is realized after one year, then we’re

What do you think about the one-anddone? Some believe it should be like college baseball: If someone wants to go pro out of high school, go for it, but if you commit to college, you should have to stay for at least three years.

RICE: I agree 100 percent. I’ve always thought that there were the exceptions with Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett—those are special exceptions. Once you go to college, you have to go for two or three years. I would strongly advocate for that. KRUGER: It’s a fne line there between individual rights. The baseball rule kind of accomplishes both: You have the right to make a choice coming out of high school, so we’re not damaging that. But if you do go to college, you’re choosing to do this. I think everyone would agree the longer you’re in college, the better you are.

How did each of you deal with expectations at UNLV? You came in at different levels of development of the program. There was a time when a 20-13 season would seem like a step in the right direction. Coach Kruger, in your first season the team was 17-14, but at the end of the year fans felt relatively positive about the team’s progress.

May 8–14, 2014

College basketball in general has changed: We’re already up to more than 350 transfers nationwide since the season ended. But this program is still extremely important to the community. Runnin’ Rebel basketball has the ability to galvanize the community. I remember the so-called glory years: winning the national championship, coming back from Denver in April 1990, the parade that we had and all the fans who lined the streets. Not everyone was a Runnin’ Rebel diehard, but it was something that everyone could take great community pride in. That’s still something that has the potential to be very special. RICE:

RICE: I think it’s poa program, stability and Interview by tentially special, espesupport from adminSEAN DEFRANK , cially when you have a istration and support MATT JACOB and local player who can be from the fan base as you GREG BLAKE MILLER the face of the program. build. Sometimes that Certainly Anthony Marbecomes diffcult beshall was that for us. He cause of expectations. played for Coach Kruger for two years, So you take a transfer, take a ffth-year and then he had a good junior year, guy, take a one-and-done, just because and I thought he had a breakout senior you feel the pressure to win right away, year for us. He helped us get to the when maybe the best thing would be NCAA tournament. It’s just something to build a foundation and have a little unique to get to play for your homemore continuity. Times have changed. town. It takes a special person to be A lot of young people come to college able to handle that pressure, especially trying to help the team win championin Las Vegas. That’s one of the issues ships, but also with the goal to play at again with guys coming and going. You the next level. I just read a statistic that think about those national championeither 16 percent or 26 percent of Diviship teams and the Final Fours. I mean, sion III players polled thought they still those guys were old. In 1991, we had had a chance to play in the NBA. That two ffth-year seniors, Greg Anthony starts early on in high school, through and George Ackles. Anderson Hunt was the AAU process. [Former Rebel] Ana fourth-year junior; Larry Johnson thony Bennett, as great as he was, only and Stacey Augmon were fourth-year makes it through his freshman year. seniors. There’s 22 years of college exIt’d be interesting to see what our team perience if you include redshirt years. would look like if Anthony Bennett had It just doesn’t happen these days. played as a junior or senior. But we’re KRUGER: The culture just continues trying to build a championship proto change. There’s summer basketball, gram, not an all-star team. Championthere are so many great programs, ship teams do have all-stars on them, but there are also kids not getting to but you don’t necessarily have eight or play the role they want to in a certain nine all-stars on a championship team. program, and it’s very easy for them to KRUGER: Kids are different today change. They change high schools so in terms of what they’re talking and much today, they change summertime dreaming about. Playing in the NBA is teams, they get to college and it’s kind in every one of their conversations, it’s of their culture. It’s accepted, it really is. what they’re about. Yet, it’s not realistic.

23 VEGAS SEVEN

UNLV basketball has always been important to this town’s identity, and a big part of that has been the fans’ ability to get to know the players. But in today’s college basketball scene, players are rarely with the same program for four years, or even three. Has it become more difficult for the community to get a feel for the program?

May 8–14, 2014

So, how do you get the right kind of message out to the community?

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KRUGER: You just talk about making progress each day. Our goal is to be playing our best basketball come March, but we also have to encourage fans to enjoy the process. Help us win games by impacting the outcome. People worry so much about March. If we just dwelled on March all the time it would be worthless. What’s really satisfying is watching kids come in at one stage in development and leave two, three, four years later a different person. Fans everywhere lose perspective about what’s happening there. They’re quick to say, “Well, what happened in March?” RICE: We are trying to compete as hard as we can in practice and to win our next game. We feel that if we do that enough over the course of the season, over the course of a number of seasons, we’re going to have a successful program. I know it’s a simple little goal, but it really is true. Focusing too far into the future becomes almost debilitating. Just try to play as hard as you can, stay together and win the next game. If you get ahead of yourself, it can really limit your ability to build a program. There’s nothing like March Madness; we all understand that. It’s certainly the goal of every program to get to the NCAA tour-

Dave Rice at the center of the celebration after UNLV’s 90-80 win over top-ranked North Carolina on November 26, 2011.

nament, but I think it’s devalued the importance of regular-season success. I think a regular-season conference title is harder to achieve than getting into the NCAA tournament; there has been one regular-season conference title at UNLV since 1992. Las Vegas, perhaps, got a little spoiled by the aesthetics of Jerry Tarkanian’s teams— the flow of the game on the court during those years. How do you deal with the fan expectations about style of play, and are those expectations unique to UNLV?

KRUGER: You need to play a pace in Vegas probably a little more so than other places. They want to see that competitiveness, the togetherness, they want to see guys competing hard and battling. But I think all fans would rather win a 65-64 game than lose a 91-90 game. RICE: Style of play is pretty important in Las Vegas. There is no substitute for winning, but because of the legacy, style of play matters. For all the glitz and glamour that is allegedly associated with UNLV, I still think it’s a blue-collar town. Fans want to see a team that is together, that dives on the foor, takes charges, huddles at free throws and does all the things good quality championship-type programs do.

Speaking of the legacy, how much does Tark’s shadow still loom over the program? You both obviously embrace his legacy, but would it help if the community were to turn

the page and live less in the past?

KRUGER: When we came here in 2004, it was important to choose your words carefully relative to Tark’s involvement in the legacy. One, because his success commanded that respect; and, two, because we were at a point where we really wanted to embrace and energize those folks who had played here. It wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Tark, Larry Johnson, Greg Anthony, Stacey Augmon and those guys coming back. And they probably wouldn’t have come back if it weren’t for Tark saying, “Hey, let’s do this.” I think Tark saying, in effect, “OK, let’s get this stuff behind us, let’s move forward and reunite” was really key to our having a chance to take some steps forward. And I don’t know if we want to put that behind us. RICE: I can speak from experience. I graduated from UNLV in 1991 and had the opportunity to stay on as a graduate assistant. Coach Tarkanian came to me—I had planned to go on to medical school or law school—and said, “I have a spot as a graduate assistant; I see something in you and think you can be a great coach.” I still didn’t know if that was what I wanted to do, so I started my master’s in business, but I was on Coach Tark’s last staff. Then almost 20 years after Coach Tark and I had that frst discussion, he was sitting in the press conference at the Thomas & Mack Center when I was named head coach of UNLV. So that’s obviously

THE KRUGERRICE FILES Lon Kruger HEAD COACH

Texas-Pan American, 1982-86 Kansas State, 1986-90 Florida, 1990-96 Illinois, 1996-2000 Atlanta Hawks (NBA), 2000-03 UNLV, 2004-11 Oklahoma, 2011-present COLLEGE HEAD COACHING RECORD

537-342 overall 161-72 UNLV

Dave Rice ASSISTANT COACH

UNLV, 1991-92 Chaffey College, 1993-94 UNLV, 1994-2004 Utah State, 2004-05 BYU, 2005-11 HEAD COACH

UNLV, 2011-present HEAD COACHING RECORD

71-32

PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNLV ATHLETICS

message day after day after day. People know what you’re about, know what you expect, know what they’re getting. RICE: We know that we’re hired to compete for championships and try to win as many games as we can, but at the same time we try to raise awareness in the community. And we can’t be the ones always putting the message out. For instance, every senior who has come through our program since I’ve been here—and Coach Kruger deserves a lot of credit, because he recruited the majority of those players—has gone through graduation. We’ve won 71 games, beaten seven ranked teams, been to two NCAA tournaments. We try to get that message out that, yes, it’s about winning games, but it’s also about building a program that’s built to last. We’re going to have our share of adversity. We recruit so well that a kid like Anthony Bennett comes in and goes from not being on the draft board to being the No. 1 pick of the draft. So you lose a guy who certainly would have been a foundation of a special program this year. But it’s an honor to be at a program where a 20-win season is not automatically embraced as a success. KRUGER: People across the country don’t have any idea how tough it is to get in the NCAA tournament, let alone the Final Four. You look at how many good teams are left out of the tournament each year—quality, traditional programs. You get to the end of February and there is a very small group of people who are guaranteed to be in the tournament. You have to do really well those last two weeks to cover your tail to get there. The pressure to fnish years is really diffcult.

I added it up one day when I was on a plane: The coaches that I’ve worked for have won more than 2,000 Division I games over the course of their careers. The one thing I give myself credit for is that I’ve learned and I’ve watched and I’ve seen what has been successful. And I took over a RICE:

What were your feelings when Coach Kruger arrived in 2004 and built his staff, and you had to move on from UNLV after so many years?

RICE: It was a great opportunity for me. My family was here, this was my school, but I can remember having a conversation with Coach Kruger. I don’t know if Coach remembers this or not, but he said, “I think this is a great opportunity for you to go coach somewhere else besides UNLV, then come back someday and become head coach at UNLV.” He actually said that. I don’t know if he was trying to

be prophetic that day or not. I didn’t know if that would really ever happen or not. I went to Utah State for a year, then six years at BYU but continued to cheer for the UNLV program. Coach Kruger always was very friendly and shared advice, and UNLV competed against BYU and we had a great rivalry that developed. I just had great respect for what he was doing with our program—and I still considered UNLV to be our program, because I had played here and coached here. You’ve both spoken about wanting players who play for one another and sacrifice for the team. Is there one particular player who represents that approach?

KRUGER: Steve Henson, who played for me at Kansas State and was my assistant at UNLV and now at Oklahoma, represented all of that. He competed hard. We’d have to hold him out of

“People don’t realize how Coach Rice is perceived in other parts of the country. South Florida reaching out is an indication that he’s done a good job.” – L ON K RUGE R Lon Kruger with UNLV players Justin Hawkins and Chace Stanback in March 2011.

practices late in the year just to conserve and protect some of the other guys at times, because he was going to dive into them. Mitch Richmond was also like that in terms of setting the tone for his team. People at Kansas State loved both of those players, because they represented that work ethic, togetherness and team-frst attitude. RICE: For me, the guy who epitomizes what I want our program to be about is a guy on our staff, Stacey Augmon. You can talk about the things he did as a player: He was a three-time national—not just conference—Defensive Player of the Year, he was an All-American, a four-year starter, a 2,000-point scorer, 15 years in the NBA and so forth. But the thing that will resonate for me is that when we were on the Rebels in 1989, Larry Johnson came in as the No. 1 player in the country, and Stacey Augmon—who had been the conference player of the year in the Big West his sophomore year— deferred to Larry. A lot of guys at that level wouldn’t have done that. When I was putting a staff together here, I wanted to bring in someone who represented the legacy of Runnin’ Rebel basketball. Stacey was the perfect person, not so much because he had been such a great player, but because of the type of teammate he had been and his commitment to winning. Coach Kruger, you’re still engaged with the city—at the moment, you’re in town to prepare for the Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic. But your interest in this place, and in the Rebel program, has been ongoing since you left to coach Oklahoma. Why?

KRUGER: My wife, Barb, and I loved living in Vegas. We loved our time here, we still have tons of friends here. Knowing how good a guy Dave is and the job he’s doing makes it easy for us to stay involved—he’s invited us to stay involved, and we appreciate that. There’s nothing more gratifying than turning on the TV and catching a packed Thomas & Mack and a Rebel team playing hard, playing well.

Coach Rice, did you seek Coach Kruger’s advice when you were considering the South Florida job earlier this spring?

RICE: We shared some texts. There was some communication there, sure. KRUGER: People don’t realize how Coach Rice is perceived in other parts of the country. South Florida reaching out is an indication that he’s done a good job—people don’t reach out for people that they don’t want. My main message to him was that it’s great to have choices: You don’t have choices unless you’ve done a really good job.

So what kept you in Las Vegas?

RICE: I learned a long time ago not to talk about other opportunities, but to concentrate on the fact that I’m very excited to be the coach at UNLV. Our staff has done a good job, we’ve recruited well and we just wanted to see this thing through. Some great

May 8–14, 2014

You have a unique position, Coach Rice, because you were here as both a player and assistant with Coach Tarkanian, and then you were on the staffs of both Bill Bayno and Charlie Spoonhour. What did you learn from those years?

program from a fantastic coach who ran his program with integrity and did things the right way. Coach Spoonhour and Coach Kruger did a fantastic job of that. They left us in a situation where we could build something very special on that foundation.

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something very special to me. Coach Tark and the success of those programs still resonate with parents of recruits, high school coaches and AAU coaches. The players we recruit don’t remember those times, but the people around them who infuence their decision of where to go do, and that’s important.

things have happened—you don’t win 71 games otherwise—but there’s also been some adversity, and there’s been a learning curve. There are things that I would do different, but I think that’s true of life. I’m just grateful that the administration sees the progress that we’ve made; they know how hard we are working to get better and fx the things that need to be fxed. I think they see the future of the program as bright. And [the contract extension through 2019] sends a strong message to the community, to the returning players and to our recruits that there’s a lot of confdence in what our staff is doing moving forward. You’ve had your share of critics here the last three years, particularly on social media, but when the South Florida opportunity came up, the noise on social media seemed to turn on a dime: “We have to extend him! We’ve got to keep him!” What was going through your head as you caught wind of that support?

RICE: There are no harsher critics than we are on ourselves in terms of the expectations we have. At the same time, if you spend much time worrying about the things that are being said, then you lose focus on what’s important. And what’s important is spending time with your players every day, trying to make your players better academically, socially and certainly on the basketball court. Trying to articulate your vision to your program and community is what’s most important. That’s just the nature of where we are—not just in Las Vegas, but society as a whole. Social media has changed things.

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KRUGER: There are so many different things that you have to think about today in coaching, in relation to social media, that you didn’t have on the radar 10 years ago. One of the unfortunate things about social media is that the folks who are negative are the ones people give attention to. Everything is kind of blown out of perspective, and the perception is that it must be that way because those people who are negative on social media say so. And of course that’s not the way it is. As coaches, I don’t think we can worry too much about it because, like Dave said, we are going to prepare every day exactly the same regardless of what is said on social media. But you do have to address the players, because they are on social media. And they are going on there to see what is said about them. Depending on the players’ confdence level, security, self-esteem, you spend considerable time thinking about it now. If someone is coming off a tough game, or missed a last-second free throw, you get with them right away and kind of reinforce that confdence. RICE: One of the things I learned after the frst two years was the importance of limiting social media to some degree. I know a lot of coaches across

Dave Rice as a Rebel player in 1990 and presiding over practice in 2013. Opposite: Lon Kruger in 2010.

“I was hired to compete for championships. But if that’s the only thing we do, life is pretty shallow.” – DAV E RIC E the country don’t let their players get involved with it at all. I’ve decided that as part of the education process, I want our guys to use social media to build up teammates. Maybe that doesn’t always happen, but it’s the ideal. Having said that, I put a rule in this year where guys are not permitted to tweet until 8 the next morning. The trouble really happens the day of the game, and if we wait until the next morning, maybe there’s a

little bit of a cooling-off period. Because it is venomous, and that’s the most diffcult thing I think for me in terms of dealing with players and social media. But as much as you try to tune out that venom, it must sometimes get to you.

RICE: Coach Kruger and I signed up for this, and we understand the criticism that comes with the positions we are in. It is what it is. It’s uncomfortable

for our families at times sitting in the stands and hearing the things that are said. It’s uncomfortable for us who have school-age kids. When we lost a tough game at TCU my frst year my son— who was in eighth grade—called on the phone with tears in his eyes and tears in his voice and said “Dad, do I have to go to school tomorrow? I don’t think I can go to school and listen to the things the kids are saying.” That’ll tear at your

PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNLV ATHLETICS

May 8–14, 2014

What challenges does social media present as you work with your players?

is about autism awareness and education. When you’re the basketball coach at UNLV, you have a platform to spur community awareness. The town has stepped up and really helped with our foundation, just as they’ve supported Coach Kruger with Coaches vs. Cancer. You two genuinely like each other. How are you most alike, and how are you different?

KRUGER: Well, we’re different in age! I think we share the passion for our jobs, the perspective beyond the basketball court as it relates to helping the community. And family is always at the center of anything we do, regardless of anything else. RICE: I agree that it’s about family, community involvement and valuing the tradition of the program. Just trying to build the best program we can in all aspects—academically, socially and athletically. We’re both relatively even keel—and I think sometimes people mistake that demeanor for not caring enough. But trust me, I know from our teams competing at BYU with Coach Kruger’s UNLV teams how much he hates to lose and how passionate he is. We have that in common, too. I had one of our boosters—a very strong supporter of me—say, “Sometimes you ought to just throw a chair across the foor to show people how much you care.” Trust me: We both absolutely hate to lose, and we’re passionate about what we’re doing.

Rebel fans are going to want to know when UNLV will face Oklahoma. Is it going to have to be an NCAA tournament game? KRUGER: We’d love to do that in the Elite Eight. That’s probably the frst time that would happen.

RICE AND KRUGER IN THE COMMUNITY AN EVENING WITH DAVE RICE

RICE: In my three years at UNLV,

we’ve won 71 games, and only Coach Tarkanian won more games in his frst three years at UNLV. So that’s not to talk about myself, but since you asked the question, I think we’ve done a relatively good job when you think about the history of the program, the great coaches who have come through here. So while the pervading thought process out there has been maybe we

Because the Las Vegas image is massmarketed around the world, there’s sometimes a sense that we’ve outsourced the city’s identity—we wind up defining ourselves from the tourist perspective. But Rebel basketball has always been the one thing that is ours. Can you talk about the pressures and opportunities that creates? KRUGER: The basketball program

here is as signifcant as in any college town in the country. Vegas is so unique, and the basketball program is special. And players want to go to a program where a lot is expected,

where fan interest is high. Players are generally self-confdent: They think they can do it—they want to do it—and that’s one of the reasons Dave has continued to be successful with recruiting. Good players want to be a part of the program he has going here. RICE: It’s critically important that we understand that I was hired to come in here, win as many games as we can and compete for championships. But I’ve always said that if that’s the only thing we do, life is pretty shallow. My wife, Mindy, and I have two sons—Travis, a sophomore at Bishop Gorman High School, and ffth-grader, Dylan, who is on the autism spectrum. Autism is something that is very important and near and dear to our heart. [Former UNLV senior associate athletic director] D.J. Allen has a family that is affected by autism as well, and we were able to start the Dave Rice Foundation, which

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY COACHES VS. CANCER LAS VEGAS GOLF CLASSIC

Hosted by the MGM Grand and chaired by Lon Kruger, May 18-20; golf at Southern Highlands and Shadow Creek; Facebook.com/ CoachesVsCancerLasVegas. DAVE RICE BASKETBALL CAMP

Ages 8-18; June 9-11 and June 16-18; $120; DaveRiceBasketballCamp.com. MGM GRAND SHOWCASE TO BENEFIT COACHES VS. CANCER

December 20, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Oklahoma vs. TBA; UNLV vs. TBA. (Single-day doubleheader, not a tournament.)

May 8–14, 2014

In retrospect, Coach Rice, do you wish you had the chance to kind of cut your teeth as a head coach running another college program, going through those growing pains somewhere else as opposed to here, and then come to UNLV?

didn’t live up to what people’s expectations are, people across the country recognize what’s been done. And it hasn’t been because of me; it’s been because Coach Kruger left us very good players, I’ve hired good staffs, and we’ve won. And I think the best is certainly yet to come.

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heartstrings. I signed up for this, I can take it. I know there are times when I’d call myself an idiot. I get it. I understand that. When it affects your kids, though, that’s something that’s real.

A benefit for the Dave Rice Foundation, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel; 6 p.m. May 17, MGM Grand; DaveRiceFoundation.org.

NIGHTLIFE Your city after dark, photos from the week’s hottest parties and where to eat when you really want to party

It’s the new sound that TJR hopes will make you move By Deanna Rilling

May 8–14, 2014

Bounce!

GET OUT YOUR NIGHTLIFE PRIMERS, STUDENTS: There’s another genre to add to your EDM vocabulary. TJR (a.k.a. TJ Rozdilsky) may have pursued a professional golf management degree, but now he’s garnered producing credits with Pitbull (on “Don’t Stop the Party”) and more recently with Flo Rida (on “Freaking Out” for the Neighbors soundtrack). But when it comes to his own tracks, it’s all about bounce. Before his May 14 gig at Surrender for his Bounce Nation residency, we learn more about the man who turned in his 9-iron for a set of turntables.

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PHOTO BY DREW RESSLER/RUKES

TJR (center) at Coachella with Dillon Francis.

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Tell us about your new single with Benji Madden (from Good Charlotte), “Come Back Down.” That was really cool, because I was just trying to merge a couple of different styles together. Benji’s a sick vocalist, obviously, from a great band, so I’m trying to take a rock element and mixing it in with a heavy, bouncy electro groove when it drops. Then coming out this month is a pretty big song with these guys from Italy called Vinai, called “Bounce Generation.” And, again, it all comes back to that big bouncy, groovy vibe. That’s getting a lot of hype right now, and it’s coming out on Spinnin’. You’re something of a metal head.

“I HAVE NO FORMAL MUSICAL TRAINING. I’M JUST A SELF-TAUGHT GUY.” Would you consider an all-metal remix album? Maybe “Metal Goes Bounce” or something? [Laughs.] I really learned about this whole bounce thing when I went to Australia a few years ago. Right now I play a mashup [of my track] “Ode to Oi” with AC/DC’s “TNT,” because that’s their famous song that they use “Oi” in. Do you wear little schoolboy shorts like AC/DC guitarist Angus Young when you play it? The schoolboy outft! That would actually be a great Halloween outft to wear. But no. I still want to try to incorporate more metal sounds into my stuff. I don’t think I’d ever try to redo [Metallica’s] Master of Puppets, but I just love the riffs in metal; that’s the infuence I draw from heavy metal is

the riffs. That’s what I try to do with my music: one big memorable riff. Can you shred on a guitar? I have no formal musical training. I’m just a self-taught guy with music theory. Speaking of music theory, you use Rekordbox and organize folders by genres and the key that the tracks are in. Do you prefer harmonic mixing in your sets? Yeah, I’ve been DJing for 19 years— way before Rekordbox. I remember guys would actually key their songs and the tempo on their records, and I was like, “Huh?” Then honestly, I think two years ago I went to Mixed in Key. Up until then I was using my ear—I don’t have the best ear—but sometimes when mixes didn’t work,

I’d always be like, “Oh, those two records don’t go together,” but I didn’t really understand why. Now with harmonic mixing—it’s kind of a curse in a way, too—I’ll be playing a certain key, and I want to play another song that’s completely in the wrong key and it’ll be a shit mix, so it stops me. But in years past, I’d just go to that next song that I liked. It does help when you play the next song in the same key, or maybe go up or down, it sounds like more of a natural progression. But sometimes another song is going to work for the crowd, so sometimes you just do it. Do you ever golf when you’re out here in Las Vegas? I’ve been once, because I had friends who came into town, and I told them about how I can play at the Wynn. The only thing is, in the music business, nobody plays golf. So I’m either by myself or I have to fnd people. But I’ve played Wynn so far, and it’s amazing! It’s the weirdest thing, too: You’re playing this plush golf course, and all around you see Wynn and Encore. It’s so bizarre.

PHOTO BY DREW RESSLER

May 8–14, 2014

How would you describe the bounce genre? The only way I could describe it is it’s got an oompah-oompah beat—kinda like a head-bob/shoulder-bob. It’s the easiest groove for any new person in dance music to think about. It’s not a complicated groove at all; it’s just funky, fun and bouncy. As soon as I say “bounce” and they hear my music, they say, “Oh yeah! It makes sense!”

NIGHTLIFE

Camille Cannon

beauties in swimsuits abound, they’ll be joined by hosts Marta and Joanna Krupa of Real Housewives of Miami fame. And wait…that’s not all! DJ Crystal Hefner (a.k.a. Mrs. Hugh Hefner) will supply the beats. (At Hard Rock HotelCasino, 10 a.m., HardRockHotel. com.) A new pool party, the Sunday Times, pops off at Picnic on the roof of Downtown Grand. Dip your toes in the water as local DJ ZO sets the soundtrack. (206 N. 3rd St., noon, DowntownGrand.com.)

Deorro.

MON 12 Can’t get enough poolside fun? We can’t blame you! Thus, we offer you another option for outdoor entertainment: Dive-In Movies at the Boulevard Pool. The screenings made their second-season return on Cinco de Mayo and this week it’s viewer’s choice. You can vote for your favorite of the potential flms at Facebook.com/TheCosmopolitan. Once you’re there, don’t forget to pick up a boozy frozen novelty from the Neapolitan, which recently opened for the summer season. (At the Cosmopolitan, 7 p.m., CosmopolitanLasVegas.com.)

Joanna and Marta Krupa.

TUE 13

May 8–14, 2014

THU 8

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Did someone say “bottomless drinks”? Bartenders at Chateau will pour till you can’t drink no mo’ during The Deck, a new rooftop patio party. Opt for $30 unlimited draft beer or $50 open bar as DJ Casanova spins through the decades. (In Paris Las Vegas, 9 p.m., ChateauNights. com.) After last week’s debut, Encore Beach Club continues its nighttime sessions, this time bringing Dim Mak artist Deorro to the decks. Confession: We once played his track “Five Hours” on repeat for roughly that amount of time. (At Encore, 10:30 p.m., EncoreBeachClub.com.)

FRI 9 Swedish duo Rebecca & Fiona return to Marquee with new tunes in tow. On April 29, the pastel-haired cuties released

their sophomore album, Beauty Is Pain. With tantalizing synth and bouncing beats, it’s defnitely the kind of music you can dance to—but it won’t make you move hard enough to sweat out your blowout or smear your makeup. (In the Cosmopolitan, 10 p.m., MarqueeLasVegas.com.)

SAT 10 That last time we saw New York’s The Chainsmokers was summer 2013 at Marquee Dayclub. Now the duo’s Hakkasan appearance is their frst since releasing the cultural touchstone known as “#SELFIE” in January. The viral video beast—which features a cameo from Steve Aoki, who also headlines tonight—has amassed close to 90 million views and inspired countless Instagram captions. (In MGM Grand, 10 p.m., HakkasanLV.com.)

Here’s another opportunity to snap a self-portrait: GLO nighttime LGBT pool party at Luxor. Slap on your favorite neon swimsuit and get down to the sounds of DJ Matt Lucio. (At Luxor, 7:30 p.m., Luxor.com/LGBT.) If you’d prefer to imbibe while fully clothed, Lee’s eighth annual Beer & Tequila experience takes over LVH, offering the opportunity to sample more than 300 brews and 70 tequilas. In addition to your inevitable buzz, you can feel good knowing that proceeds beneft the nonproft, Lee’s Helping Hand. (3000 Paradise Rd., 3 p.m., LeesLiqourLV.com/ GivingBack.)

SUN 11 Happy Mother’s Day! After you’ve taken mommy out for a celebratory brunch, kick back for Round 1 of Rehab’s Bikini Invitational. Not only will

You could almost put your wardrobe in retirement and do all of your businesses in a bathing suit … just throw on a scrunchie for the Totally Awesome ’80s party at M Resort’s Day Dream Pool Club. The

The Chainsmokers.

venue’s frst night swim of the season offers open bar from 8-10 p.m. (12300 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 8 p.m., DayDreamLV.com.)

WED 14 The late, great J Dilla is one of hip-hop’s most revered (and sampled) producers. For the past few decades, artists from the Roots to Chance the Rapper have paid tribute to his celebrated beats. Now, Bizarre Ride Live (featuring Slimkid3 and Fatlip of The Pharcyde) and Dilla’s fellow Detroit natives, Slum Village, honor him on the Welcome to Dillaville U.S. tour stop at Insert Coin(s). Residents Phoreyz and Silent John keep the music moving in between performances. (512 Fremont St., 9 p.m., InsertCoinsLV.com.)

NIGHTLIFE

Clockwise from top left: Hakkasan, Lavo and Tao.

Dine and Dash to the Party Go straight from the table to the dance foor By Grace Bascos

Tao’s dining room is a hot spot for celebrity sightings such as Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, will.i.am and Jamie Foxx, as well as creative sushi rolls and killer sake-tinis before everyone hits the 10,000-squarefoot club. In The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, 702-388-8588, Venetian.com.

May 8–14, 2014

LAVO RESTAURANT | LAVO LOUNGE

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Tao’s Italian sister is more intimate, with a Mediterranean vibe and feel in the ornately decorated dining room downstairs. Giant Kobe meatballs are a must-order at every table, if only to fortify you for a night of dancing in the cozy club right above you. In The Palazzo, 702-791-1800, Palazzo.com. BOTERO | XS

Pre-gaming takes on a whole new meaning at the hands of chef Marc LoRusso and in his artfully appointed dining room. Don’t miss the Australian wagyu tartare or the grilled octopus, ideal with

some of the restaurant’s signature sangria. Extend your party to XS, the swank nightclub adjacent to the restaurant that spills out onto the pool deck, with David Guetta or Avicii. In Encore, 702-770-3463, WynnLasVegas.com.

to Kumi for an eclectic sushi selection and Asianinspired cocktails. Then arrive at Light to complete the sensory overload. In Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7405, MandalayBay.com.

ANDREA’S | SURRENDER

Choose contemporary steakhouse Fix or modern Japanese Yellowtail—either of which satisfes your hunger for both a great meal and a chic atmosphere. No matter where you start, you should end up at The Bank, a quick jaunt from both restaurants, for nights hosted by celebrities such as Fergie. In Bellagio, 702693-8865, Bellagio.com.

The newest restaurant in the Wynn collection is named for Steve Wynn’s wife, and is the spot to be seen as you dine on chef Joe Elevado’s Asian menu. After being partially shrouded in one of the semiprivate booths in the dining room, create more of a scene at Surrender with superstar DJs such as Diplo. In Encore, 702-770-3463; WynnLasVegas.com. CITIZENS, KUMI AND RED SQUARE | LIGHT

The Cold War is over, but you can defnitely channel your inner Red Dawn with an all-American meal at Citizens. After, feel free to walk across the corridor to defect with post-meal caviar and cocktails in the subzero vodka locker at Red Square. Or, eschew the confict entirely by heading around the corner

YELLOWTAIL AND FIX | THE BANK

HAKKASAN

Hakkasan’s 20,000-square-foot, two-level dining room, where you can start the night with meticulously crafted Cantonese dishes, is presided over by a Michelin-starred chef. The rest of your night unfolds in the main room and mezzanine with headliners such as Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano. In MGM Grand, 702-891-3838, HakkasanLV.com.

HAKK ASAN PHOTO BY ERIK K ABIK

TAO RESTAURANT | TAO NIGHTCLUB

NIGHTLIFE

THE HOOKUP

Free for All By Laurel May Bond

KAT BOEHRER contributes club tips, style advice and celeb DJ interviews to entertainment website DJOYbeat.com. But the achievement that really piqued our interest? The fact that the 24-year-old has been in Las Vegas since May 2012, and claims she’s “not once paid for a drink at the nightclub bar.” Here, she shares her secrets to scoring the good stuff, gratis. Let’s say I’m a fairly hot chick and I just landed in Las Vegas—what do I need to know/do/wear to get myself some free drinks in a major club? Any presentable-looking female will end up being spoiled in a major Las Vegas nightclub as long as she goes in with a positive attitude and a friendly demeanor. Just make sure to get in touch with a host or promoter ahead of time to get on a guest list. General admission lines don’t pair well with 5-inch heels. And if I’m a dude? Unless you look cute in a dress, you’re probably out of luck. If you know someone who works at your nightclub of choice, you could potentially get free drink tickets. The major Strip nightclubs have this unspoken policy of prioritizing men with money and girls with good looks when it comes to entry and accommodations. Guys shouldn’t go to the club expecting free drinks.

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Speaking of dangerous, if you’re willing to partake in generously offered bottle service, but no monkey business afterward, how do you manage expectations? If you aren’t down with the after-party, then make it known. You shouldn’t be pressured into doing anything you don’t want to do with some random guy, regardless of how accommodating he has been over the course of the night. If someone is bothering you a little too much, the bouncers at the clubs are your best friends. They’re trained to look out for the good of the club patrons. Make sure someone you trust knows where you are and what you’re doing at all times. Have the bottle servers pour your drinks and keep a good eye on them to prevent any unwanted party favors from making it into your glass. You can also get handbagsize pepper spray in cute little pink containers if you feel that you want it. When out and about and hoping to hit a mother lode of free drinks, what would be the No. 1 faux pas to avoid? Do not act like an entitled bitch. There are thousands of girls on the top nightclubs’ guest lists every weekend, so you, darling, are not special just because you were put on a “VIP list.” If a

generous individual wants to share his (or—who knows?—her) bottle service with you, keep in mind that you are being treated to a rare luxury and not a common occurrence. What about tipping the server? If you have set up your own complimentary girls’ table, ask the host if you aren’t sure how much to tip. Tips should be based on the original price of the bottle and how satisfed you were with the service. Some clubs will automatically charge tips on comps to the table owner’s card, so you don’t have to fuss with it. If you’ve been invited to a table, the owner will take care of the gratuities. It never hurts to offer to tip; the table owners will most likely tell you not to worry about it. Who’s the most generous with their bottles?

Older guys, young guys, bachelor parties? Fun guys! Fun-lovers transcend standard physical descriptions, but you can always tell who will have more fun from the demeanor of the group. The guys who are already yelling and fst-pumping are usually the ones who want to continue to party with new and old friends. What are your thoughts on the term “bottle rat”? The only labels a party girl should care about are on her shoes, dresses and handbags. If heaven has a VIP area, what do you hope is in it? My ideal VIP experience entails endless Champagne, stage-side seats and confetti falling forever. For more freebie advice, follow Kat Boehrer on Twitter and Instagram @OHMYGODitsKAT.

PHOTO BY LORD MICHAEL BAUTISTA

May 8–14, 2014

What’s the ideal number of girls to part those velvet ropes? It doesn’t matter too much. If you show up with 15 girls you’re going to end up losing each other, anyway. Just don’t go to the club completely on your own, because that is totally weird and potentially dangerous.

NIGHTLIFE

PARTIES

GHOSTBAR The Palms

[ UPCOMING ]

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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONVegas.com

GHOSTBAR PHOTOS BY BOBBY JAMEIDAR

May 8–14, 2014

May 9 DJs Exodus and Benny Black spin May 10 DJs Seany Mac and Mark Stylz spin May 14 #LadiesBeLike with Presto One

DINING

They are worthy: Rick Moonen (left) and Guy Savoy.

MITSUO ENDO

When Mitsuo Endo opened Raku in 2008, the robata-style grill became an overnight favorite with chefs from top Strip restaurants getting off work late. Word soon spread throughout the local food community. And today, whenever we meet a member of the national food media or a restaurant critic from a major city and ask them where they eat when they’re in town, Raku inevitably makes their short list. Yet, while Endo has been a regional semifnalist and even a fnalist in the past (this year he made it to the semifnals), he’s never won. That’s a crime that would never happen if Raku were in a larger city.

May 8–14, 2014

KAMEL GUECHIDA

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Joël Robuchon in the MGM Grand is one of the fnest restaurants in the country, with three Michelin stars under its belt. And to its credit, the Beard Foundation honored local executive chef Claude Le Tohic as Best Chef: Southwest in 2010. But there have been inexplicable oversights: For eight years, the savory cuisine was capped off with the mind-blowing desserts of Kamel Guechida. And while he was nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2009 and 2010, he was beaten out by chefs from New York and California. Wolfgang Puck stole Guechida from Robuchon last year

to oversee the bread and dessert programs at Puck restaurants around the world, including his Las Vegas kitchens. Hopefully, having a broader audience will soon earn Guechida the acclaim he’s long deserved. RICK MOONEN

Rick Moonen made the short list in 2010 not only for his culinary vision, but also for a PBS show he hosted, Chefs A’Field: King of Alaska. When he made the fnals for Best Chef: Southwest, he was still best known for his work as a champion of sustainable seafood. That was also the year the semis were stacked with other Las Vegas talent: Claude Le Tohic (who won the award) and Saipin Chutima. At Mandalay Bay, Moonen has continually evolved his image and menu beyond seafood, last year closing his fne dining RM upstairs to make way for the mixology and gastropunk monster, Rx Boiler Room. Maybe this departure from a classic restaurant concept is enough to make Beard members sit up and take notice of Moonen again. PICASSO WINE PROGRAM

Executive chef Julian Serrano took home the title of Best Chef: Southwest in 2002, and was a semifnalist last year for Outstanding Chef,

but Bellagio’s Picasso itself seems to have a case of “always the bridesmaid, never the bride,” having been nominated several times for both Outstanding Wine Program (2012, 2013) and Outstanding Wine Service (2008, 2009, 2011) under master sommelier Robert Smith. And if anyone in this city knows wine, it’s Smith, so his pure joy and vast knowledge for his craft deserves some sort of recognition. RESTAURANT GUY SAVOY

Fine, we know Caesars Palace’s Restaurant Guy Savoy can’t be nominated for Best New Restaurant again, but we’re surprised we haven’t seen it pop up on any list since it opened in 2006. Chef Savoy himself is in town way more than many of his counterparts, and both his kitchen and front-ofhouse teams are stellar, providing innovative French cuisine and excellent service. Executive chef Mathieu Chartron is still relatively young, but has grown since arriving to his post in 2010, and continues to execute Savoy’s style and cuisine on point. Hopefully, his is a name we’ll see make the James Beard list before long.

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It’s a lovely day for a picnic—for now anyway. And Downtown Grand has the perfect urban oasis for you to lay a blanket and enjoy the view: its rooftop pool. The 35,000-squarefoot Picnic (702-719-5100, DowntownGrand. com) might be the one element that makes the rooftop truly feel like a social, community space where you want to hang out. There’s live entertainment and movie screenings at the ’50s-like setting, along with communal picnic tables, lawn seating, and an infinity pool for hotel guests and locals to enjoy. Executive chef Charles Wilson has a spread ideal for your wicker picnic basket, including well-seasoned and well-spiced hummus and edamame dips for snacking with fresh pita chips, cute mini turkey sandwiches or the OMG Picnic Burger topped with bacon, grilled tomato, shallot aioli, fried onions, house-made pickles and cheese. Speaking of OMG, what makes foie gras even better? When you batter and deep-fry that bad boy! One of the new menu items for spring at Comme Ça (in the Cosmopolitan, 702-698-7910) was the brainchild of corporate executive chef Brian Howard, who told chef de cuisine Daniel Ontiveros that he wanted to do “something dirty” with foie. Ontiveros had recently eaten a chicken-fried steak, and this is the result. Available during Social Hour from 5-8:30 p.m. in the bar and lounge, the chicken-fried foie gras is served slider-style with black-truffle gravy that is similar enough to the sausage gravy that normally accompanies a chicken-fried steak, and caramelized onions on a soft, sweet brioche bun. It doesn’t get much dirtier than that. Also new for spring, there’s a mushroom tart and pan-roasted sweetbreads, as well as some badass carrots—yes, carrots—glazed with spicy harrissa and tossed with goat cheese. On the subject of things you shouldn’t miss, a couple of events that have piqued my interest: BrewBQ (SinCityBeerFestival.com) on May 17 pairs barbecue and craft beer for a drink-around at Ellis Island that also benefits Three Square. Tickets are $55 for all-you-candrink, while the $85 VIP price also includes a half rib slab, half chicken and corn. If a progressive dinner is more your speed, Dishcrawl has landed in Las Vegas with an event May 20. The Sin City Spring Thaw Crawl ($45, Dishcrawl.com) takes on Summerlin this time around, and to keep everyone on their toes, organizers won’t announce the restaurants to be visited until 48 hours before the gathering. Last year, diners hit up Cantina Laredo, Kabuki and Pizza Lounge, so expect a variety of cuisines. Grace Bascos eats, sleeps, raves and repeats. Read more from Grace at VegasSeven.com/ DishingWithGrace, as well as on her diningand-music blog, FoodPlusTechno.com

RICK MOONEN BY RONI FIELDS,

WHO DOESN’T LOVE A PICNIC, CHICKEN-FRIED WHAT?! AND A COUPLE OF CRAWLS

3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY T H E B E S T I S Y E T T O C O M E … M O N D AY, J U N E 2 N D STKLasVegas

REVIEW

Finding Flavortown Prodigal TV chef Guy Fieri returns to Las Vegas with his theme joint in the Quad

May 8–14, 2014

By Al Mancini

VEGAS SEVEN

IT’S EASY TO ROOT for Guy Fieri to fail with the new Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar in the Quad. He is, after all, a cartoon character mascot for the fst-bumping crowd. His multitude of frat-friendly catchphrases will make any adult guest cringe. Yet despite all of that, in 2012, Forbes estimated his annual income at $8 million, just a million less than the considerably more talented Bobby Flay. And let’s face it, every food writer in America is jealous of Pete Wells’ hysterically bitter takedown of Fieri’s Times Square restaurant in The New York Times. If you’re a foodie and a hater, Guy is the guy to hate. Personally, I don’t have an ax to grind with the UNLV grad, despite being turned off by his persona. Being larger than life on TV is no easy task, as witnessed by the countless imitators who have fallen by the wayside over the years. (As someone who’s thrown his own hat in the food TV ring, I can attest

that it’s a hell of a lot harder than Fieri makes it look.) And Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives has put a spotlight on at least two of my favorite local restaurants, Forte and Naked City Pizza. So I’m happy to report that the TV star’s new local joint is a lot better than you might expect. The menu here is the kind of fare you’d expect to see on Fieri’s show. There are four types of wings, four styles of street tacos, fve burgers and four other sandwiches. Among the desserts, you’ll fnd a fried ice cream sundae and a massive half cheesecake topped with potato chips, pretzels and hot fudge. I got my frst taste of the food during a grand-opening media event, where the owner was treating the public to slider-size versions of his awardwinning mac-and-cheese bacon burger. Sure, it sounds ridiculous to top a burger with macaroni and cheese, but it was actually pretty good.

Over the course of my next two visits, the best dish I’ve had has been the Southern Smothered Chili Bowl. The slightly sweet chili is delicious in itself, but made even better by sour cream, scallions and a layer of sweet cornbread. It doesn’t pack much of a kick, however, so you may want to ask for hot sauce. The chicken tacos are also very good, as are the Vegas Fries, topped with blue cheese and just a touch of Buffalo sauce, accompanied by a blue cheese/wasabi sauce. While the sandwiches come with a combination of four different cuts of fries, the Vegas Fries are exclusively a cut called Sidewinder that I’ve never seen before. Finally, I really enjoyed a S’mores Monte Cristo sandwich for dessert. I’ve also had a few dishes that somewhat disappointed. While my General Tso’s-style chicken wings were nicely lollipopped and perfectly cooked, the sauce was too sweet and fruity. A Greek salad was pretty boring, and an otherwise tasty Cajun sandwich—made with blackened chicken, andouille, cheddar and hot sauce—was a little dry. More troubling, however, was the Mayor of Flavortown Burger, topped with pastrami, Swiss caraway slaw, pickles and onion straws that one of my guests ordered medium-rare, but which arrived medium-well. I was later told that all of the smashed burgers

Al’s

Menu Picks Southern Smothered Chili Bowl ($11), Mac & Cheese Bacon Burger ($17), Vegas Fries ($12), Victor’s Street Tacos ($16).

are prepared that way—which is fne, but something that guests should be informed of when they order. Another disappointment was a cheese-andsausage fondue that coagulated so quickly my pepperoni-wrapped breadsticks snapped in half every time I tried to dip them. Hopefully those are kinks that will be worked out in time. While service was generally good on both visits, I could live without all of the Fieri catchphrases the servers are encouraged to use. Of course, I’m sure die-hard Fieri fans will fnd that—and everything else about the joint—to be “money.”

GUY FIERI’S VEGAS KITCHEN & BAR

In the Quad, 702-731-3311. Open for lunch and dinner daily 10 a.m.–2 a.m. Dinner for two $35-$75.

PHOTOS BY ANTHONY MAIR

DINING

Pepperoni breadstick fondue (left) and the Mac & Cheese Bacon Burger.

A&E VEGAS SEVEN

wisely, staged in its music-free form in April by local actresses. “With the casinos, they’re fckle and they’re not marketing to locals, so they don’t do the kind of variety that locals would see over and over,” says entertainment director Laura Herbert. “There are only certain people who will ft the programming ethos we have.” Inspire Theatre dwells within Inspire, the umbrella moniker for the multilevel, multiroom, multifeatured complex at Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street—the $5.5 million one that sprang from the shell of a shuttered 7-Eleven. Opening piecemeal since December, it’s a partnership between Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project and the Future Restaurant Group, decked out with four bars, a coffee shop and newsstand, seemingly endless little hideaways (for laptop-tappin’, readin’, chillin’ and just noodlin’ around) and a rooftop lounge revealing panoramic Downtown vistas for afcionados of the urban experience. Yet for all the hangin’-out potential, it’s the theater that could form a strong brand as a happenin’ hot spot for alternative entertainment—and forge a strong bond with Strip entertainers seeking off-Strip opportunities. “A lot of performers have walked through here who are interested in doing their own shows and collaborating with other artists. We want to do things that are contributing to the cultural makeup of the city and make it a more well-rounded place to live,” says Michael Cornthwaite, co-owner of Future Restaurant Group with his wife, Jennifer. “There are people who are superclamoring to get in here, but we’re editing and wanting the best of the edgy, interesting stuff,” Jennifer says. “We want to make this a place where in a year or two you will trust us. You’ll know you can come to Inspire and see something that maybe you’ve never heard of before, but you know you’re going to like it

“I HAVE A LATE-NIGHT, LET-YOUR-HAIR-DOWN ATMOSPHERE AND THEY HAD A WILLINGNESS TO INSTALL AN AERIAL RIG.”

– Amos Glick, host of OK, OK, The Amos Glick Variety Show

because we’ve done that work for you.” Equipped with a private, enclosed mini-balcony, sound and lighting systems and a modest stage topping out at 24 feet wide and 12 feet deep, the theater features stadium seating in perhaps the most un-stadium-esque place in town. Beyond the back row is the Wayfarer Bar, a dark-paneled, leather-and-wood-accented watering hole overlooking the theater. Depending on the show and the robustness of the crowd on a given night, those walls can slide open so additional seating and standing room can materialize. Originally conceived strictly as a speaker’s forum, the theater will still serve that purpose largely in daytime programming with educational events. “But we added this second life to it,” Herbert says. A lively life, too. Theatergoers in February experienced Selene Luna’s Dog & Pony Show, a mash-up of stand-up comedy, singing, burlesque and a touch of drag. March brought Krissis Reeves’ one-woman show, Spinning the Bottle, “an existential comedy for the cynical romantic,” and the Apple Sisters, a 1940sstyle stew of song, dance and slapstick, with guest performers from the Paris

Las Vegas production of Jersey Boys. Other acts that Inspire inspired a visit from were Three Wise Guys + 1, a spokenword event with local personalities Dayvid Figler, Gregory Crosby, Dena Rash Guzman and Vegas Seven/DTLV’s Geoff Carter; tap dancer Andrew Nemr; the Improv Aces; and the premieres of two movies: locally produced documentary Midnight Muse, and The Girls in the Band (about female jazz instrumentalists from the 1930s to today). Booked to return in mid-May are both Molodi and Glick, plus SHE-nanigans, an all-female variety revue. “In most cities, every new space that goes up is geared to make money,” says Davis of Molodi. “With Inspire, it’s people-based. They want unique and talented local talent in there. It’s the city that decides what goes into Inspire, not a guy in a suit in an offce.” While some shows are imported from beyond our borders, “local” is largely the rule. Nearly every production has a Vegas ID, whether it’s under the radar (Reeves, who doubles as social media manager for Vegas-based Vox Solid Communications) or smack-dab on it, such as Apple Sisters members who were in the casts of Jersey Boys and

Mamma Mia!, and Molodi performers who’ve worked with Cirque du Soleil and in Stomp. “I’d really like to see Inspire become a hub for [Strip] entertainers when they get off work to come Downtown,” Herbert says. “They have these amazing jobs, fulflling creative dreams in production shows. They’re well-paid, but they’re doing the same thing every day and twice on weekends, which isn’t exactly conducive to minding the muse. We want to present more opportunities to connect to what their thing is, as opposed to what they do on a regular basis.” Apparently, Inspire has put its monetary philosophy where its mouth is. “I don’t have to put any money up front,” says Glick, whose main gig is as a clown in a Strip extravaganza produced by a company he’d prefer not to identify without permission (but we did, two paragraphs up). “Other venues make you pay up front a certain percentage, and there are all these rules about how the money is going to be split with fees. I’m sure down the line Inspire will be more strict with that, but right now they’re being very open.” One requirement insisted upon, however, is the post-show schmooze. “The contracts say that the performers have to stay afterward,” Herbert says. “If people see something they’re curious about or moves them, we want them to have an analog experience in our digital age.” So, as Inspire attempts to match the promise so boldly proclaimed in its name, just sip a Moscow Mule, swill a Blood & Sand or even guzzle a mug of domestic suds—and watch what happens. “There’s a leap of faith that has to happen on both ends to get people to come out,” Herbert says. “But things are going to happen really fast.” Here’s wishing them truckloads of luck … and bottoms up.

PHOTO BY ANTHONY MAIR

May 8–14, 2014

After years of Downtown cheerleading, Jennifer and Michael Cornthwaite enjoy Fremont Street’s new gem, Inspire Theatre.

A&E May 8–14, 2014

EARTH, WIND & FUNK: Don’t throw cold water on the idea of seeing Earth, Wind & Fire at Star of the Desert Arena on May 10 ($22-$57.50), because once these Rock and Roll Hall of Famers start playing, funk happens. Their touring band consists of three key members (bassist Verdine White, percussionist Ralph Johnson and longtime vocalist Philip Bailey) as well as an array of musical and vocal support. So despite the absence of founder Maurice White, the hits (“Fantasy,” “Shining Star,” “Let’s Groove” and “Boogie Wonderland,”) should sound like they’re supposed to.

VEGAS SEVEN

ON SALE NOW: The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir plays The Pearl on July 5 ($40-$90) with his band, RatDog. I know it’s not cool to confuse real bands such as RatDog with fictional bands like Mouse Rat, but it happens. This is RatDog’s first tour since 2009, and founding bassist Rob Wasserman is back in the fold, playing alongside his replacement, Robin Sylvester. That means all your favorite songs with twice the bass, at no additional cost.

Idiots Still Rule

Jane’s Addiction's shock value on display in Las Vegas By Todd Peterson TWENTY-FIVE YEARS really does a number on you: One minute you’re young and you’ve got the world by the balls; next thing you know you’ve slid into middle age with kids, a mortgage and your frst or second spouse, asking yourself, “How the hell did I end up here?” Then an era-defning band rolls into town and puts on a seminal show that reminds you of the time when the world was your oyster and getting older was for, well, old people. At least that’s how I see the upcoming trio of shows by Jane’s Addiction, who’ll be performing their debut studio album, Nothing’s Shocking, in its entirety on May 8-10. These three Jane’s shows are the endcap of the group’s 25th anniversary celebration, which began last fall (the album was originally released in 1988) with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and continued with a Las Vegas performance in conjunction with the Consumer Electronics Show in January—a show that reportedly inspired the group to book the upcoming three-night event. What’s shocking about the album today? Appropriately enough, nothing really. On the surface, Shocking sounds like an ode to sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll. When Perry Farrell, not the most-gifted vocalist of his generation, screams a chorus such as Sex is violent from “Ted, Just Admit It…” or the line I’m gonna kick tomorrow, a wistful elegy from “Jane Says” about getting off heroin, these words are

likely to elicit a shoulder shrug from the under-30 crowd. And that’s perfectly OK. Rock ’n’ roll is a young person’s game, and their time is now. But if you were of an age when Nothing’s Shocking debuted—sandwiched in some undefned nether region between hair metal’s fading days and the nascent post-punk scene— you’ll remember a world without the Internet; a world of “This is your brain on drugs” fried-egg commercials; and a political landscape that was positively repressive. In 1988, when Warner Bros. released Nothing’s Shocking, the Berlin Wall stood, the U.S.–Soviet Cold War raged, AIDS was only beginning to be taken seriously, and progressive issues such as gay marriage and medical marijuana were light years away. At that time, Jane’s debut was shocking, precisely because it gave the middle fnger to the world as it was then. Farrell’s lyrics were only the half of it. The band co-opted a variety of styles into its music, from hardcore to jazz, all of it mightily punctured by Dave Navarro’s ferocious guitar, and pinned together by drummer Stephen Perkins and original bassist Eric Avery’s thunderous undertones. At the same time, the album was comforting, giving voice to our fears and disappointments, and offering lighter moments in our drug-gobbling aimlessness. From the opening “Up the Beach” to the sanguine “Summertime Rolls,” Nothing’s Shocking offered mo-

ments of hope, but for the most part the album was a primal scream, raging at the world. Jane’s confuence of styles may not seem like much in today’s musical landscape, but in the late 1980s it was groundbreaking. Their sound helped ignite the “alternative rock” revolution—as utterly banal and meaningless as that phrase came to be. Music fans can no more compare Nothing’s Shocking to today’s world than flm buffs can claim the original Star Wars trilogy sucked because it lacked CGI effects. Not applicable. In 2014, we’re not shocked by drug addiction or violence or divorce or promiscuity—or much else it seems. I’ll leave it up to history to decide whether that’s good or bad, but we can all safely agree that the bar of our collective shock has been lowered. So where does that leave us with these Nothing’s Shocking shows? Let’s call them a mirror of our former selves, for those of us old enough to remember; a celebration of an album that helped change the course of music.

JANE’S ADDICTION

Brooklyn Bowl at the Linq, 9 p.m. May 8-10, $65, $195 for three-night pass, 702-862-2695, Vegas.BrooklynBowl.com.

PHOTO BY ELIOT LEE HAZEL

CHASING INGRID: Advertisers and television producers love Ingrid Michaelson. Her plucky voice and can-do ukulele pair with just about everything, from apple juice and Old Navy to hourlong dramas. But with Lights Out, her sixth studio album, Michaelson is branching out ... a bit. She hasn’t completely renounced cute, but she’s working with multiple songwriters and producers for the first time, resulting in a fuller, more mature sound. Standout tracks include “Home,” “You Got Me” and the infectious, radio-friendly “Girls Chase Boys.” Michaelson is at House of Blues on May 10 ($27.50), and if you haven’t formed a serious emotional attachment by the end of the show, you probably have ice water in your veins.

STAGE

X MARKS THE HOT

PHOTO BY EDISON GRAFF

Revamped X Burlesque still does wriggle-jiggle right “SHOWSTOPPER” IS THE NAME on the column logo. Lately, that’s been code for “Clothes Shedder.” (No, I don’t mean me. I write this column in a parka and fur-lined long johns.) After back-to-back reviews of shows starring revealing fronts—Men the Experience and Pin Up—indulge us one fnal time (“fnal” being a highly fexible word) for the concluding chapter in the Showstopper Flesh Fest 2014 Trilogy. That brings us to X Burlesque, the Flamingo’s refreshed fesh fing celebrating its 12th anniversary, and still capable of setting off an erotic depth-charge. After the signature opening— Maurice Chevalier’s recording of “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” both adorable and vaguely creepy in this context—the X Burlesque dancers hit the stage. Seven minutes and 13 seconds tick away before Bare Breasts One and Two (plus Three and Four, and Five and Six, and Seven and Eight, and Nine and 10) make their appearance. Both the ladies and their “ladies” are in impeccable form. (What it says about me that I actually timed that, I’d rather not know.) X Burlesque breaks no new ground in this genre, but it has honed it to a near fawless formula by practicing Sexy Salesmanship 101. While certain numbers are clichésquared for these shows, X Burlesque makes one of the most overused, “(Hey), Big Spender” (a show tune older than most of the audience), into a dynamic shout-out to primo burlesque thanks to the sheer brassiness of the delivery. Splashing around in a giant cocktail glass to “Fever,” another stripper-show staple, exudes a nearly Zumanity-like sensuality. Flapper-style choreography gives the instrumental intro to

Chicago’s “All That Jazz” a jolt of retro electricity. Behind a painted “hot box,” upside-down gals have their protruding, scissor-kicking gams caressed by right-side-up gals, generating a kind of geometric sexiness. And that old favorite from the skin-and-grin playbook, the Sapphic-themed cavorting between intertwined ladies in a tub, enjoys an extra layer of eroticism via violet mood lighting rolling over them in waves, forcing us to squint to see their shadowy fgures—and feeling naughtily voyeuristic. Deploying music from Brit band Touch and Go ramps up the sexual forthrightness, including the ahhell-let’s-just-screw philosophy of “Straight … to Number One” and a dancer strutting and lip-synching to “Would You …?” (Featuring this female voiceover: “I’ve noticed you’re around / I fnd you very attractive/ Would you go to bed with me?”) Pole dances punctuate the production, as well as a multimedia component of videos and fashing segment titles (“Now or Never,” “Cake and Eat It Too,” “Sweet and Innocent,” etc.). Comic John Bizarre is reasonably amusing—particularly riffng about conning cops at traffc stops—while the fesh fest takes a mid-show rest. After 12 years, X Burlesque is still a wet dream with a soundtrack. Or if you prefer a more tasteful rephrasing—a nocturnal emission with auditory accompaniment. Go ahead, producers: I dare you to use that as a poster blurb. Make that a double dare, since this show’s featured attractions come in twos. Got an entertainment tip? Email Steve.Bornfeld@VegasSeven.com.

A&E

MOVIES

WEB OF REPEATS This sequel to a Spider-Man remake is just sticky enough By Michael Phillips Tribune Media Services

ALREADY SPINNING LARGE WEBS OF MONEY

overseas, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a decent superhero franchise product, lent some personality by Andrew Garfeld’s skyscraper hair and the actor’s easy, push-pull rapport with co-star Emma Stone, who plays the eternally disappointed Gwen, freshly graduated from high school, frustratingly in love with Peter Parker. The love is mootual, as Teri Garr said in Young Frankenstein. But Spandexed, web-slinging crime-fghting consumes our hero, who is graduating along with Gwen. Spider-Man's primary adversary is Electro, an energy-sucking mutant, an electric eel/human hybrid played by Jamie Foxx. Speaking of energy suckers: I like Garfeld a lot in this role, but he does enjoy his ... hesitations and his ... frequent ... tic-laden ... pauses. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 runs two hours and 21 minutes, and at least 22 of those minutes can be attributed to loose faps of dead air preceding simple lines of dialogue meant to be whipped through with a little urgency, contributed by Garfeld and by Dane DeHaan, who

Andrew Garfield is this decade’s Spider-Man.

slithers around looking like a bad-seed version of young Leonardo DiCaprio. He portrays Peter’s sometime pal, the super-rich Oscorp heir Harry Osborn, who’s dying and desperate for the spider venom at the heart of all the pricey research that went awry and gave Peter his unusual abilities. Folks, I confess: I’m coping with a mild case of arachno-apatha-phobia, defned as the fear of another so-so Spider-Man sequel. It wasn’t like this a few short years ago, when director Sam Raimi’s franchise (the one with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst) got around to the second part of that trilogy. Bolstered by a formidable adversary in Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, the 2004 Spider-Man 2 really did the job; it had size and swagger, and the violence in the action sequences was stylized just enough to honor the material’s comic book roots.

This is a problem with many superhero franchises, in or out of the Marvel stable of familiar faces. Producers encourage their creative teams to go for massively destructive and apocalyptically scaled brutality in the name of “dark” “realism,” and too often the resulting action sequences go on and on forever. (The climax of Man of Steel still hasn't ended, and that movie came out last summer.) Director Marc Webb, whose moderately skillful The Amazing Spider-Man came out two years ago, returns here and again delivers a reasonably entertaining mélange, shot every whichaway, a little hand-held here, a little bob-andweave there, capturing the swoony, combative couple at the story’s center. When Garfeld and Stone aren’t working through their issues, the flm’s essentially an extended electrocution

SHORT REVIEWS

May 8–14, 2014

Locke (R) ★★★✩✩

VEGAS SEVEN

Locke is a solo act, and Tom Hardy is its superbly talented soloist. Fate has conspired against Ivan Locke. He’s a successful construction manager whose largest-ever building project is about to begin with the pouring of tons of cement into freshly dug foundations. Months earlier Locke, married with two boys, had a bantamweight sexual encounter with a woman. Now that woman is about to give birth in a London hospital. Twenty minutes in, Hardy notwithstanding, you might be tempted to bail on Locke. Don’t.

The Other Woman (PG-13) ★★★✩✩

The Other Woman offers equal parts wit and witlessness, casual smarts and jokes regarding explosive bowel movements. Carly (Cameron Diaz) is a high-flying Manhattan attorney two months into a lovely affair with Mark (Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj CosterWaldau). Visiting his home dressed as a stripper-plumber, Carly learns her beau is married. Carly and Mark’s wife Kate (Leslie Mann) form an alliance once they realize the weasel is weaseling with a third, younger, vavoomier specimen (Kate Upton). Where does it go from there? All over the place.

Brick Mansions (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩

For this remake of the French parkour thriller District 13, editor-turned-director Camille Delamarre (Taken 2, Transporter 3) drops frames and jump-cuts his way through the fights, chases and parkour stunts of this picture, giving the action a jagged, nervy edge. Paul Walker’s best moments have him doing a deadpan double take at some impossible stunt David Belle’s Lino has just pulled off. And moments like that, even in a dumb movie, add a little sting to the loss of Walker’s amiable, sincere screen presence—a nice guy who always made a convincingly righteous dude.

montage, and electrocution, that bloodlessly nasty way to injure or kill someone and still retain a PG-13 rating, rates among my least favorite means of injury or death. Movies get you thinking along those lines, especially when it's superhero time, which is all the time, i.e., too much of the time. Raimi’s second Spider-Man ranks high among our best summerseason sequels. This one’s just OK, which is probably more than adequate from a business perspective. For the record, the script is by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner. They provide the flm with three action climaxes, which is two too many, but what do I know. For the fan base it’s probably two too few. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (PG-13) ★★★✩✩

By Tribune Media Services

The Railway Man (R) ★★★✩✩

Eric Lomax’s memoir gave this half-good, half-fraudulent film adaptation its title. It’s more of a homefront war story, focusing on the strain Lomax’s marriage underwent because of everything in his wartime past. The Railway Man is about the rehabilitation of a broken man (played by Colin Firth), largely through the persistence and the efforts of his wife, intent on unlocking the anguished riddle before her. As Lomax, Firth is marvelous throughout. And in the wartime sequences, Lomax in his 20s is played well and truly by a shrewdly matched Jeremy Irvine.

A Mother’s Day Tradition

Transcendence (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩

Transcendence—a.k.a. The Computer Wore Johnny Depp’s Tennis Shoes—offers the same excitement as listening to hold music on a call to tech support. Like much speculative fiction, Transcendence is in thrall to technology even as it warns of unleashed AI. Depp, who Skypes in his performance, plays Dr. Will Caster. He and his researcher wife (Rebecca Hall) have pioneered AI experiments, bringing the human race to “transcendence,” the ability to imbue a computer with the personality of a human.

Oculus (R) ★★★✩✩

Longer on chills than entrails, this crafty horror film is about a haunted mirror. Certainly writer-director Mike Flanagan has learned the virtues of a simple idea, fruitfully elaborated. The script takes the time to make us care about a brother and a sister we meet in flashback, then 11 years later. In the prologue, young Kaylie (Annalise Basso) and Tim (Garrett Ryan) are beset in their home by ... we’re not sure, exactly. The mirror did it! Referencing The Shining and The Stepfather, Oculus lacks a big finish. It does not, however, lack for sequel possibilities.

Art Festival OF HENDERSON | 2014

May 10 • 9am - 5pm | May 11 • 9am - 4pm COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSION Fine Arts & Crafts | Live Entertainment Chalk Art Competition | Interactive Imagination Station

Henderson Events Plaza, 200 Water St.

Bike Valet V Available

HendersonLive.com | 702-267-2171 Schedule is subject to change or cancellation without prior notice. Management reserves all rights.

Rio 2 (G) ★★✩✩✩

Draft Day (PG-13) ★★★✩✩

Dom Hemingway (R) ★★ ✩✩

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (PG-13) ★★★✩✩

The 2011 hit Rio was a baby sitter. And so is Rio 2, a routine sequel following the perilous adventures of the blue macaws Blu (clever character name), Jewel and their offspring as they leave urban Rio life for a chaotic trip to Amazon rain-forest country. The movie is heavy machinery of a different kind. Directed by Carlos Saldanha, Rio 2 offers the same approach to story and to story clutter as did the first movie. Sergio Mendes returns to oversee the music, which is pretty tasty. The movie’s an acceptable, if tiring, baby sitter.

In this facile, Guy Ritchie-esque crime jape, Jude Law plays a London safecracker of insatiable appetites and Olympian selfregard. Writer-director Richard Shepard (The Matador) introduces Dom in prison, near the end of a 12-year sentence. Once out of prison—he took the fall for his underworld employer, a Russian assassin played by Demian Bichir—Dom is hellbent on settling old scores. Visually, the film is as loud as Law’s performance. The material: limited payoff; the performer at the center: never less than arresting.

Draft Day feels like a play, in the same way J.C. Chandor’s 2011 Margin Call felt that way. Set mostly in a series of offices across 13 hours in a pressure-cooked day, the film lives and dies on the low-key, take-it-easy spectacle of Kevin Costner maneuvering through an administrative obstacle course, crises intermingling with draft-pick opportunities. Costner plays the (fictional) general manager of the Cleveland Browns. Costner’s range as an actor remains an open question, but he carries the movie easily and well.

This is a better-than-average Marvel superhero bash, intriguingly plotted and clever in its speculations about 21stcentury life for Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, as he contends with contemporary geopolitics. There is no “just enough” in today’s computer-generated Marvel marvels; there is only “too much.” And there’s an element of hypocrisy in this film, which bemoans America’s bloodthirsty, weaponsmad impulses even as it offers an obscene body count for fun and profit.

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