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16 | THE LATEST
“Republicans, Marriage, Weed and the Breaking Loose of Hell,” by Stacy J. Willis. Plus, Instagram filters to put Helldorado in the proper light, a new handbag store to put Las Vegas in the fashion limelight and Surplus Verbiage on Donald Sterling’s dimming light.
18 | Next Exit
“Managed by None, Accountable to All,” by Stacy J. Willis. Zappos is trying to shatter the corporate structure. But what happens when peer pressure replaces the corner office?
20 | SUMMER GUIDE
Get ready for the hot season with sunshine fashion, our favorite beaches, cool Vegas adventures and Sin City ice cream treats. Plus, on the golden anniversary of Viva Las Vegas, Steve Bornfeld takes a rollicking look back at the making of the Elvis musical and its lasting impact on Vegas.
33 | NIGHTLIFE
“Everything New Under the Sun,” by Laurel May Bond. From revamps to reveals, a look at what’s fresh for this pool season. Plus, Q&As with Sean Christie and Joe Borusiewicz, Seven Nights, looking forward to Memorial Day weekend, a farewell to Pure and photos from the week’s hottest parties.
57 | DINING
Al Mancini on 800 Degrees. Plus, chef Bryan Forgione’s backyard barbecue tips, Cocktail Culture and Dishing With Grace.
63 | A&E
“One (Slightly) Smarter Summer,” by Una LaMarche. X-Men? Godzilla? Teens with cancer? You might be surprised which movie’s going to own the summer. Plus, three perfect books for the beach, Jerry Lewis’ photography on display, CD Reviews, Tour Buzz, The Hit List and a review of Jane’s Addiction in concert.
70 | Movies
Neighbors and our weekly movie capsules.
86 | Seven Questions
Elvis impersonator John Brooks on what makes a good King, handling overzealous fans and the big no-no in the fake-Elvis manual.
DEPARTMENTS
Photo by Anthony Mair Zitlaly was shot on location at The Beach Club at the Tropicana. Zimmerman swimsuit, $275, Canyon Beachwear. Steve Madden heels, $80. Stylist’s own bracelets. Freedom at Topshop necklace $28.
Dialogue Seven Days Going for Broke Showstopper May 15–21, 2014
ON THE COVER
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PHOTO BY ANTHONY MAIR
15 17 18 69
DIALOGUE CONTRIBUTORS Camille Cannon “Cool Adventures,” Page 26
cannon bought her frst smartphone less than a year ago. The UC Berkeley graduate has a sharp, sometimes winking perspective on the role of technology in our lives, but she still relies on a paper planner. The antiquated tool has proven quite useful in her role as calendar coordinator for Vegas Seven—but it’s also a hint that Cannon is willing to take an extra breath when thinking about our hurry-up culture. In the margins of her planner, she scribbles musings on technology, city life, pop culture and hip-hop—all of which served her well in this issue, with “Seven InstaPics That Prove You Went to Helldorado Days” (Page 17), “Cool Adventures” and “The Cheat Sheet: MDW” (50), in addition to her regular contributions, Seven Nights (38) and The Hit List (67). We’d tell her to take a break after all that, but she’s back at it, flling pages of that old planner. Tune in next week. ➜
LETTERS Loo Confusion
Downtown Effusion
I read Stacy Willis’ article on bewildering bathroom signs (“The Restroom Dilemma,” May 8) and couldn’t stop laughing. It’s good to see that I am not the only one who has experienced this issue after having a few drinks. Sometimes I just know that I am in the right place when I see the urinals on the wall. Thanks for the laughs. – Gary Reininger
Geoff Carter’s “Is the Downtown Dream Losing Steam” (May 8) nailed it. I am from Las Vegas, left in 1997 and came back a couple of years ago inspired about the Downtown dream. I started a company, moved to the Juhl and was psyched. But after experiencing quiet streets, lulls in what is happening next and high prices, I moved out of the Downtown corridor to refurbish a home near Lorenzi Park. As a director of a nonproft—and having relocated from New York and D.C.—I’m still excited to see Downtown grow and prosper, and on weekends I’m still there, living the dream and keeping my fngers crossed that Tony Hsieh does not get tired and move out. – Brandon Berrett
I enjoyed Stacy Willis’ “The Restroom Dilemma.” I thought I would read that she had that problem at Frankie’s Tiki Room. Partly because the signs are tough to decipher. Partly because of darkness. Good luck on future selections. – Norm Nusbaum
THIS WEEK @ VEGASSEVEN.COM
DRAI’S NEXT PARTY
With his eponymous after-hours place set to open soon in the Cromwell, nightlife impresario Victor Drai sets his sights on a new challenge: the first gay club in a Strip casino. Get the details on the new LGBT hot spot at VegasSeven.com/Liaison.
LVSSR: NOT JUST FOR WINTER
HOOP DREAMING
When the summer heats up, head to Mount Charleston for cooler climes. The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort turns the off-season into the fun season with a disc-golf tournament, a beer festival and more. Plan your escape at VegasSeven. com/LVSSRSummer
FOLLOW US! Facebook.com/VegasSeven
Who’ll start for the Rebels in the 2014-15 basketball season? Who’ll have a breakout season? And will the team boast enough firepower to make the NCAA tournament? Mike Grimala shares his roster predictions at RunRebs. com/2014Roster.
Twitter.com/7Vegas
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May 15–21, 2014
Retro Upgrade Flash back to get fashion forward this pool season with updated vintage looks and throwback accessories. Plus, beauty products you’ll want to try for that forever-young look. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY MAIR STYLING BY DEVIN HOWELL
The Details
May 15–21, 2014
Shot on location at The Beach Club at the Tropicana. Pools, daybeds and cabanas line the space, while two Olympic-size sand volleyball courts are available to help you relive your ’60s beach dreams. For more photos and details, including where to buy the featured beauty products, visit VegasSeven.com/ SummerFashion.
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2014 Summer Guide
THIS PAGE
American Apparel bikini top, $29, and high-waist swim brief, $30. OPPOSITE PAGE
Her: Tommy Bahama one-piece swimdress, $138, Everything But Water. Steve Madden heels, $80. Freedom at Topshop bracelet, $18. Bangle, $18, Kitson. Him: Marc by Marc Jacobs shirt, $188, and swim shorts, $138. TOMS shoes, $78, and Ray-Ban sunglasses, $145, Kitson. Ukulele, $200, Guitar Center.
ABOVE Maverick hero hot-dog steamer, $40, MaverickHousewares.com. NARS bronzer, $38, Nars
Cosmetics. L’Occitane Immortelle brightening shield, $60, and moisturizing certified organic shea lip balm, $12. Epicuren refresh aloe cucumber mist, $35. Hourglass immaculate liquid powder foundation, $55, Sephora. Marc by Marc Jacobs scarf, $138, and Waikiki by Henry Wessel book, $85, Marc by Marc Jacobs. L’Oreal TXT IT Tousle Waves Spray, $5. BELOW American Apparel swimsuit, $70. Jimmy Choo heels, $695. Tote, $45, Bikini.com. Room Essentials fast-dry towel, $5, Target.
ABOVE Her: Wildfox swimsuit, $118, WildfoxCouture.com. Valentino Garavani sandals, $895. Stylist’s own necklace. Him: Sundek swim shorts, $98. Ray-Ban sunglasses, $170. Geneva watch, $24, Kitson. Accessories: Valentino Garavani tote, $1,475. Echo Design scarf, $58, EchoDesign.com. Mara Hoffman towel (in tote), $78, Everything But Water. SunnyLife radio, $48, Kitson. BELOW Miu Miu sunglasses, $285, Sunglass Hut. L’Oreal invisible protect sheer spray 30, $10, Walgreens. L’Occitane Jenipapo oil roll on, $22. Clarins broad spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen care oil spray, $35, Macy’s. UVA+B SunFriend activity monitor, $50, SunFriend.myshopify.com. Epicuren antiaging lip balm SPF 15, $14, and X-treme Cream Propolis Sunscreen SPF 45+, $50, Qua Baths & Spa. Samsung NX300 camera, $750, Samsung.com.
Cool Adventures
Wet ‘n’ Wild’s new Tornado and (clockwise from below right) a scene from The Book of Mormon, the Paiute golf course and Flyboarding.
An activity guide for the hot season BY CAMILLE CANNON
FLY LIKE IT’S 2062
GET HIGH IN THE MORNING
Can’t wait for The Jetsons technology to finally emerge in real life? Thanks to Invert Sports, now you can feel what it’s like to use a jet pack. Its Flyboard lets you hover up to 45 feet above Lake Mead as you travel nearly 20 mph. Make reservations at least two weeks in advance. $4,500 for four hours or $6,995 for eight hours (for up to 20 people), 888-205-7119, InvertSports.com.
What’s breezy, beautiful and 1,000 feet tall? A hot-air balloon in flight! Vegas Balloon Rides conducts 45-to90-minute sunrise voyages for eight to 12 passengers at once. Flash a Nevada ID to ride for $175 Mon-Thu and $195 Fri-Sat. 702-553-3039, VegasBalloonRides.com.
GO HARD FOR NEVADA’S BIRTHDAY
You only turn 150 once! The Silver State’s birthday celebration includes scavenger hunts, horse shows and vintage restaurant tours this summer. Find a list of Southern Nevada’s events at Nevada150.org, and visit our special sesquicentennial historic sites guide at VegasSeven.com/NV150.
SEE THE REAL VEGAS STARS
National parks lock their gates around sunset, but that’s when prime stargazing begins. Our advice: Park your car on Kyle Canyon Road (near Mount Charleston Lodge) or, better yet, join one of the monthly Astronomy in the Park sessions (the next one will be in June). LVAstronomy.com.
Las Vegas Paiute Resort, a half-hour north of town, is home to three striking courses designed by architect Pete Dye, and now’s the time to finally try one as a) there are summer discounts for locals and juniors, and b) it’s about 10 degrees cooler there. You can play Wolf, the longest course in Nevada, for as little as $47 a round. 702-711-1400, LVPaiuteGolf.com.
The Book of Mormon, the satirical musical about missionaries in Africa from the creators of South Park that won nine Tony Awards, comes through The Smith Center from June 10 to July 6. And it’s not yet sold out! We suggest an afternoon or weekday show toward the end of the run for the best-available seating. $39-$150, 702-749-2000, TheSmithCenter.com. PAY HOMAGE TO THE KING
72 SECONDS OF THRILLS
El Loco, the new shriek-inducing coaster at Adventuredome, doesn’t last long, but considering the 1.5 vertical-G force, 90-degree drop and gut-wrenching rolls at 45 mph, it’s all you’ll need. In Circus Circus, $30 for all-day pass, Adventuredome.com.
May 15–21, 2014
GET WET, TWO WAYS
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In just one year, the number of Valley water parks has gone from zero to two. Cowabunga Bay, the newcomer, is slated to open in early June. In addition to seven rides, it brings us the cult-classic dessert: Dole Pineapple Whip! Even the “old” water park, Wet ’n’ Wild, has something brand new come Memorial Day weekend: the Tornado, a slide boasting zerogravity spins and a 36-foot drop through a 110-foot tunnel. Wet ’n’ Wild: $40, 7055 S. Fort Apache Rd., WetNWildLasVegas.com, Cowabunga: $36, 900 Galleria Dr., Henderson, CowabungaBay.com/LasVegas.
Our city’s love for Elvis is obvious, but only once a year do we go allout for Elvis Fest. On July 10-13, LVH hosts an Elvis Tribute Artists contest, themed tours, memorabilia sales and more. And given that this is the 50th anniversary of Viva Las Vegas, it’s bound to be a special festival. Priced per event, 800-2225361, LasVegasElvisFestival.com. INDULGE IN LATE-NIGHT ODDITIES ON THE STRIP
With so many fresh openings on the Strip, it’s gonna be a good summer to play tourist. Check out Monte Carlo’s sidewalk plaza, which has great snacking places that are open way late, such as Yusho (we love the sweet-potato doughnuts and nori-flavored soft serve). At the Linq, you can eat a cupcake at any hour thanks to the Sprinkles ATM. Starting May 23, you can also swing by FAME for treats from the Fukuburger food truck.
PHOTOS: THE BOOK OF MORMON (JOAN MARCUS); WET ‘N’ WILD, INVERT SPORTS, L AS VEGAS PAIUTE RESORT (COURTESY)
READ A BOOK (JUST KIDDING) TEE UP IT ON THE EDGE OF TOWN
NIGHTLIFE Your city after dark, photos from the week’s hottest parties and Wynn Resorts goes Hollywood
From revamps to reveals, a look at what’s fresh for pool season By Laurel May Bond
May 15–21, 2014
Everything New Under the Sun!
MOST HAVE A PREFERRED WAY to “do” a Las Vegas pool party. Some may choose to relax with close friends inside shady, misted VIP cabanas, keeping an eye on the DJ (and the writhing half-naked masses) from a safe distance. Others just aren’t happy unless they’re surrounded by fellow partygoers, splash-dab in the middle of the action. Luckily for all, during the offseason, the masterminds behind our city’s legendary party puddles were hard at work coming up with new surprises to please every stripe of sun worshipper.
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PHOTO BY JOSH METZ
Wet Republic’s new LED screens are probably visible from the moon.
NIGHTLIFE
A rendering of Drai’s rooftop beach club at the Cromwell, and Marquee Dayclub.
DRAI’S BEACH CLUB
Drai’s, the long-standing fnal party stop for the last ones standing, ushers in a new era of decadence with the unveiling of Drai’s Beach Club. With more than 60,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor space perched on the roof of the Cromwell—the Strip’s latest boutique hotel addition—the venue’s 40 daybeds, luxury bungalows and cabanas (each with private plunge pool) promise to be some of this summer’s most sought-after real estate. TheCromwell.com.
May 15–21, 2014
XPOSED!
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Hashtag SaturGAY! The newly remodeled Tropicana Beach Club resort is the home to Las Vegas’ LGBTQ-friendliest Saturday pool party, Xposed! Minglers repping every hue of the rainbow are free to lounge on daybeds, relax by a cascading waterfall, dig into sand volleyball courts, take a dip in one of the property’s heated pools or just feast their eyes on fellow partygoers. XposedLV.com. PALMS POOL & DAYCLUB
No self-respecting local would ever think to roll up poolside sporting last season’s swimwear—it’s just not done. So for those with a beachwear fashion emergency, lost luggage or whose
evening has blurred into day (hey, it happens), the Palms Pool this summer introduces a Bikini.com pop-up shop providing guests with the services of a “Bikini Concierge” on both Friday and Saturday afternoons. Palms.com. WET REPUBLIC
Because every single second of pool season is precious, Wet Republic’s new and improved (read: shaded and misted) queuing area promises to get revelers poolside, ASAP; while the addition of accessible storage lockers at the revamped entry may technically exist to keep everybody’s valuables safe and dry, the handy cellphone chargers located within are the ultimate draw. New bungalows boast pool and DJ views, a personal Jacuzzi and HDTV for the high-rollers, but the expanded 95-foot bar and revved-up LED display are upgrades that everyone can enjoy. At MGM Grand, WetRepublic.com. REHAB
The godfather of Las Vegas pool parties, Rehab Sundays is brandspankin’ new this season—adding an extra day of fun (Saturday) along with a fresh musical focus, veering away from the ubiquitous EDM to a pop-driven format. In more practical matters, the cabanas and banquettes of the Nirvana and Breathe Pools and
Paradise Beach have been refreshed and have added a few key touches, such as safes and handy storage bins. At Hard Rock Hotel, RehabLV.com.
foot pool for those enjoying the cabanas to the southwest—to the property’s existing 4,400-square-foot pool. DaylightVegas.com.
ARTISAN BOUTIQUE HOTEL
THE COSMOPOLITAN POOL DISTRICT
Jump into the Naked at the Artisan (well, topless anyway) pool action with a mostly local crowd every Sunday at La Playa Latin Beach Club. Partygoers enjoy cabana and daybed options and can relax with a hookah while taking in the view of our city’s natural and not-so-natural wonders as resident DJs Veetam and Cubano keep the beat. ArtisanHotel.com. DAYLIGHT BEACH CLUB
After last year’s successful debut, Daylight at Mandalay Bay doubled down on the fun this summer with the addition of two exclusive VIP pools— one 448 square feet for the northside cabana-dwellers and a 245-square-
Why settle for popcorn and soda with your double feature when the Jaleo team has sophisticated Spanish cuisine on offer? Created especially for the Dive-In Movies screened on the 65-foot digital marquee at the Boulevard Pool, the new Paella Picnic features tapas, such as sliced apple and fennel salad with manchego cheese, walnuts and sherry; beet and tomato gazpacho with goat cheese; and a daily paella creation, cooked on an open-fame, wood-burning grill. The $30-per-person cover charge includes movie entry, a dining table on the yard and a daybed for lolling off the resulting food coma. CosmopolitanLasVegas.com.
NIGHTLIFE
The Right Frequency Joe Borusiewicz brings bass and beer to the underground By Deanna Rilling
What is the monthly Bleach event all about? We do the event Downtown at Beauty Bar and at the Learning Village—it’s kind of a combination music event and an
May 15–21, 2014
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Where do you come up with some of the crazy ideas for Nickle F---n Beer Night? It’s really a product of what can happen when you throw regulations and rules out the window and just think, “What would make a really fun party?” Like, “Oh, it’d be really weird if we did a party with a snow machine in the middle of July,” or, “It’d be cool if we did a contest for the Rachet Olympics and tell all these people to do stupid things onstage for a trophy.” We just come up with the most random stuff. We did a bath-salt event one time during the bath-salt craze, and Metro actually came and tried to shut us down. We were joking; we were giving away stuff from Bath & Body Works. If you go to the Nickel Beer Night Facebook page, you can fnd three years of goofy-ass events that we’ve done.
VEGAS SEVEN
How did Nickel F---n Beer Night on Tuesdays at Beauty Bar start? We had some kegs left over from something. We saw that the other Nickel Beer Night had ended recently and decided, “What the hell?” The frst one had about 30 people. Now it gets somewhere between 250 and 350 people a week. It gives us a chance to book a lot of the different music that we really want to see but we don’t really have anywhere else to put it, like U.K. future music acts, weird bands, underground hip-hop, things that wouldn’t really work at a bigger venue. But since the people are coming for cheap beer, maybe we can expose them to some cool music while we’re at it.
educational experience. DJs, producers, promoters and people who have had some success in the industry can sit down and give some face-to-face time with the local scene. Local DJs and people who have aspirations in the music scene can just fre questions at them. On May 16, we’re bringing out Starky and Death 79 from Philadelphia who are big in the underground bass music, footwork kind of thing and they’re gonna come out and talk about production and DJing. They’ll play a set later on in the night. We’re also working with Industry Supporting Industry—which is a big crew of artists and tattooers—on a pool party every Saturday at the Downtown Grand. What is your personal Las Vegas party-throwing background? I think I went to my frst event in 1998. I was in high school. It was at the Cande Factore. The frst time I went, I knew it was this whole crazy world I wanted to get into. I did my frst event by 2000; it was called Beautiful Diversions. And like a lot of parties back in the day, did the cops bust it up? We didn’t have a venue until the day of the show; we had no idea what the hell we were doing. We had just put out a fier with a pager number on it that we got from JJ’s Beepers. The venue was next door to this big offce building off of Charleston Boulevard and Brush Street. So we start doing this rave, paid $300 to rent the room, Chad [Craig] from AWOL Productions did the sound and Dig Dug played it. It turned out the building next door to it was the one that Metro used for all their record processing. We didn’t know this until about 100, 150 police cars were pulling in throughout the night. We got away with it until about 1 in the morning when a drunk police chief decided he didn’t like the happy hardcore and made ’em shut it down. Who are some of the DJs you brought in before the EDM domination of Las Vegas? We did the frst Vegas [bookings] for people like Skrillex, Dillon Francis, Borgore, Flosstradamus—there are a whole bunch of people who were maybe getting a little bit of Internet hype at the time or maybe were popular with DJs that we knew who thought
we should check out their tunes. Obviously they’re all huge now and playing the big-dollar residencies. But we feel like in a lot of ways we’re kind of feeding into that by giving people their frst chance to play here. I still have you in my phone as “Stasis.” What do you recall most about your days as a DJ? The very frst party that I walked into I wanted to be a DJ like every other kid probably. I started spinning drum ’n’ bass with my friend, because there really weren’t a whole lot of other people doing it, and we wanted to be able to play the music that we liked on a big-ass sound system somewhere. … I DJ’d for
probably about a decade. I used to play at the Ice House and Ice nightclub when there were drum ’n’ bass nights there. I had to choose which way I was going to go as I started to get more involved in the behind-the-scenes and the business side of things; I realized that was more of my calling than music was. I still rock out a set every now and then when somebody asks me to. I just dig out some records—I don’t know how to use CDJs. But I can still play a half-decent set if I need to. Thomas Ian Nicholas (American Pie, Rookie of the Year) performs live May 20 alongside resident DJs Biz:E and Munkey, $10, Beauty Bar, Facebook.com/VegasNickleBeers.
PHOTO BY ANTHONY MAIR
YOU KNOW THE KIND OF PARTY that’s so much fun the cops appear? Or maybe the fre department came because too many people showed up to see girls getting ratchet for a trophy adorned in Olympic rings made from gold-hoop earrings? Or perhaps because the bass was shaking so hard? Joe Borusiewicz throws those. But then there are also the times he partners with artists and musicians to support and educate the scene. No matter what, this guy knows how to keep it interesting.
NIGHTLIFE
PARTIES
THE CHEAT SHEET: MDW
Here it is: your 72-hour agenda for pure, uncut Memorial Day Weekend debauchery. (Sleep is for the weak, anyway.) FRI 23
HAKASSAN MGM Grand
[ UPCOMING ]
May 15 Nervo spins May 16 Tiësto and Dzeko & Torres spin May 17 Calvin Harris and Burns spin
If you missed the May 22 opening, get your first glimpse of Drai’s beach Club & Nightclub when Swedish star DJ/producer Eric Prydz spins a nighttime session. (At the Cromwell, 10 p.m., DraisNightLife.com.) Nicki Minaj emerges at 1 Oak to (hopefully) tease tracks from her upcoming album, The Pink Print. She also performs at Liquid Pool Lounge on Saturday. (In The Mirage, 10:30 p.m., 1OakLasVegas.com.) Wanna see three DJs for the price of one? Wet Republic offers a stacked set with Aussie twins Nervo and Steve Aoki. (At MGM Grand, 11 a.m., WetRepublic.com.) SAT 24
See Kaskade pull double-duty with Summer Lovin’ shifts at Marquee Dayclub (11 a.m.) and Nightclub. (In the Cosmopolitan, 10 p.m., CosmopolitanLasVegas. com.) Afterward, wish a happy birthday to DJ E-Man of L.A.’s Power 106 at The Bank, and catch performances by Iggy Azalea, Mike Posner and Far East Movement. (In Bellagio, 10:30 p.m., TheBankLasVegas.com.)
May 15–21, 2014
Pop tags by day, then spot Macklemore and Ryan Lewis getting wild at Surrender. Lewis also spins solo on Friday. (In Encore, 10:30 p.m., SurrenderLasVegas.com.) Snoop Dogg revives the speakeasy-era during the second coming of his Snoopadelic Cabaret at Tao. (In the Venetian, 10 p.m., TaoLasVegas.com.) Now grab an energy drink and pound it because you’re headed to two after-hours sets: Jamie Jones’ return to Marquee (2 a.m.) and Carl Cox’s much-anticipated debut at Light. (In Mandalay Bay, 3 a.m., TheLightVegas.com.) MON 26
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50 See more photos from this gallery at SPYONVegas.com
You deserve a little bit of rest. Hit the snooze button, but be sure to wake up in time to catch Dutch teen Martin Garrix’s first official gig as featured artist at Hakkasan. (In MGM Grand, 10 p.m., HakkasanLV.com.) - Camille Cannon
PHOTOS BY TOBY ACUNA AND JOE TORRANCE
SUN 25
PARTIES
REHAB
Hard Rock Hotel [ UPCOMING ]
May 15–21, 2014
May 23 Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas spins May 24 J. Cole performs May 25 Puff Daddy performs
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54 See more photos from this gallery at SPYONVegas.com
The venerable old warhorse of Las Vegas nightlife, Pure, is delivering on the long-speculated remodel that was all-butconfrmed by the conspicuous lack of new events posted to the club’s website after May 25. That will be the last evening of operation for the nine-year fxture, as Hakkasan Group leads the design makeover and expansion. The new club will be taking over space formerly occupied by the Caesars Palace poker room to tack on to its already sizeable 36,000 square feet, and is set to return early in 2015. When it opened in 2004, Pure quickly became a top draw in town with its aggressive agenda of celebrity hosts—Paris Hilton was always there to the point we’re pretty sure she had a bed in the back--and an investment group that included Andre Agassi and Steff Graf, Celine Dion and Shaquille O’Neal. In February 2008, the IRS cracked down on the club for unreported tips—largely from patrons trying to grease the door to get in—leading Pure to close for several days. Former executive Steve Davidovici was sentenced in 2012 to eight months of house arrest and three years of probation. But before that, Pure Management Group opened LAX at Luxor in 2007, giving it a powerful one-two punch in a still-nascent club scene. While the parade of celebs garnered their share of attention—Kim Kardashian was a regular in her heyday; the Killers did a rare-for-a-rockband surprise show there; Holly Madison hung out in her Criss Angel-dating days; Lindsay Lohan did whatever Lindsay Lohan does—it also was a home for top-tier DJ talent before the DJ explosion. Steve Aoiki and DJ AM were regulars. LMFAO turned up pre-Party Rock. Now the club moves on with the remodel, but part of Pure will live on in an unlikely location: Hakkasan Group is donating all of Pure’s old furnishings to Opportunity Village. The offer to also throw in Lohan was politely declined. - Jason Scavone
PHOTOS BY TEDDY FUJIMOTO AND JOSH METZ
PURE HISTORY: VEGAS’ NIGHTLIFE MOTHERSHIP CLOSES ITS DOORS
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 A Y, J U N E 2 N D STKLasVegas
VAMPIRE-FREE YA JUGGERNAUTS!
A&E
Since the movie industry’s largestgrowing audience demographic is made up of agile teenagers not yet too jaded or lazy to skip a trip to the multiplex in favor of on-demand home viewing, it won’t be a shock if the runaway hit of the summer turns out to be The Fault in Our Stars (June 6), the film adaptation of John Green’s critically acclaimed, bestselling novel about two young cancer patients in love, starring Divergent heroine Shailene Woodley. Lois Lowry’s 1993 Newbery Medalwinning The Giver (Aug. 15) will also get the big-screen treatment this year, with Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep as denizens of a future “utopia” in which all emotional depth has been eradicated from humanity—presumably as a result of Facebook and Snapchat.
Early Oscar bait: Phoenix and Cotillard star in Cannes favorite, The Immigrant.
that action movies don’t have to be inane, thin-plotted spectacles of computer animation and sweaty beefcakes staring off into the middle distance. Did I mention Michael Bay is doing a fourth Transformers movie, by the way? BUDDY COMEDIES THAT ARE ACTUALLY FUNNY !
I know, I know. 22 Jump Street (June 13) sounds a lot like 21 Jump Street, except that this time, the undercover cops go to college, not high school (and also, presumably, the address of the precinct has moved next door). But the frst installment of this Channing TatumJonah Hill caper was so unexpectedly hilarious that I’ll take my chances on the statistically unlikely phenomenon of a superior sequel. Another trust exercise: Let’s Be Cops (Aug. 13), from The Girl Next Door director Luke Greenfeld, about two guys who dress up as policemen for a costume party and then get mistaken for real cops by mobsters. And if you like your buddy comedies with more estrogen, Melissa McCarthy and Susan Sarandon team up as a granddaughter-grandmother pair who road trip to Niagara Falls in Tammy (July
2), which McCarthy co-wrote with her husband (and director), Ben Falcone. WONDERFULLY WEIRD SCI-FI!
I don’t really understand the plot of Jupiter Ascending (July 18) based on its Wikipedia page, but the Wachowski siblings had me at “sci-f space opera,” “Channing Tatum” and “Mila Kunis … stars as a janitor.” In Edge of Tomorrow (June 6), Bourne Identity director Doug Liman casts Tom Cruise as a soldier living out the same suicide mission over and over again, like a really violent remake of Groundhog Day—which, if you ask me, has frankly been long overdue. And Snow Piercer (Aug. 1) is another head-scratcher that has something to do with the terrifying future effects of global warming and people spending eternity riding a train (in other words, my worst nightmares), but Chris Evans, a.k.a. Captain America, is on board, so it can’t be all bad. POTENTIAL PRESTIGE PICS NOT HOARDED FOR FALL!
Come September, you won’t be able to swing a $10 bag of popcorn without hitting a three-hour piece of
Oscar bait, but those of us who like to call movies “flms” (or, even worse, “pictures”) don’t have to wait until bikini season is over to get our fx for more elevated entertainment. In The Immigrant (May 16), a Cannes favorite last year, Marion Cotillard plays a Polish Catholic who arrives at Ellis Island in 1921 only to fall into prostitution at the hands of Joaquin Phoenix. Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age drama Boyhood (July 11), starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as a divorced couple trying to raise their son, was shot over a 12-year period in order to use the same child actor aging in real time. Another very patient director, Zach Braff, shows off his frst feature flm in 10 years with Wish I Was Here (July 25), a comedic drama in the vein of 2004’s Garden State, in which a thirtysomething father of two struggles to fnd purpose in his life. Depending on your position visà-vis his personal life, Magic in the Moonlight (July 25), Woody Allen’s latest homage to 1920s Europe, starring Emma Stone and Colin Firth, will either be a must-see or a must-boycott.
PEDIGREED MUSICALS FEATURING ZERO DISNEY ICE QUEENS!
After gritty directorial dramas Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino, it was only a matter of time before Clint Eastwood tackled the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, right? Eastwood’s Jersey Boys (June 20)—based on the hit Broadway musical, which you can see at Paris Las Vegas—charts the rise and fall of the falsetto-happy ’60s pop group. While no big-name actors play the band members, Christopher Walken has a supporting role as a mob boss with an appreciation for tenor vocals. James Brown also gets the biopic treatment in Get On Up (Aug. 1), directed by The Help’s Tate Taylor and starring up-and-comer Chadwick Boseman as the Godfather of Soul. And on the less fashy side of the music industry, John Carney, the man behind 2007’s sleeper folk-musical hit Once, returns to bring us another love story set to acoustic guitar with Begin Again (July 4), starring Keira Knightley as the chanteuse who catches the eye of a record exec played by Mark Ruffalo. And, hey, if any of these can get “Let It Go” out of my head, they should win the Oscar right now, as far as I’m concerned.
May 15–21, 2014
GODZILLA EATS VEGAS
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According to the trailer for the new Bryan Cranston-filled Godzilla, director Gareth Edwards takes a page out of Roland Emmerich’s “Let’s blow up as many landmarks as possible!” playbook and includes a scene where the King of the Monsters rips through the Strip. We start by zooming past the smoldering ruins of TI. Apparently Godzilla didn’t want to see that mall take over the lagoon. Godzilla’s old-school like that. He probably likes the old pirate show better than Sirens, too. Dude’s been around since the ’50s. It’s just how he rolls. Now we pan past TI to the Strip proper, where the Flamingo didn’t fare well and the Eiffel Tower got knocked over. That’s going to be bad times for the Bellagio fountains. In the foreground, it looks like that could be Serendipity 3 that’s cut in half in front of Caesars. Put it this way: Tony Hsieh will have a whole new world of redevelopment opportunities. – Jason Scavone
MUSIC
OF TENTS AND TICKETS AS THE WEATHER WARMS UP, so does the human appetite for live music. Indeed, the biggest and best festivals are about to get underway. So here’s a convenient list of sonic bashes that are sure to stoke your hunger for indie rock, folk rock and everything else under the sun—all within relatively easy driving or fying distance. Taking place along the Columbia River, three hours from Seattle, Sasquatch! (May 23-25) just keeps getting hairier and heavier. The headliners—The National, Queens of the Stone Age, M.I.A., Outkast—are cool, but so are the second-tier acts such as Deafheaven (the avant-black metal band that recently leveled LVCS), Haim (who rocked the Cosmopolitan’s Boulevard pool last month), Major Lazer and Tune-Yards. Is there a better locale to bask in great sounds than under the blue skies of the gorgeous Cascade Range? Doubtful. Southwest offers so many fights to Nashville that it would be a shame to miss Bonnaroo (June 12-15). Not only will Kanye West attempt to compensate for his previous 4 a.m. (!) performance, but the metal lineup—Mastodon and Messhuggah— should be impressive, too. Not to mention the alt and indie offerings such as the Flaming Lips and Phoenix! The EDM acts are nothing to sneeze at, either. But for me, the chance to see African bands Master Musicians of Jajouka and Seun Kuti is the real temptation. You don’t even need to leave town to catch killer punk-rock bands. Van’s Warped Tour touches down at the
UNLV intramural felds June 19, and if you’re my age and haven’t heard of these groups—Anberlin, Born of Osiris, Chelsea Grin, Falling in Reverse—ask your kids. I’ll be attending just to see Canadian female-fronted three-piece Courage My Love and emo vets Saves the Day. If you’re under 18, you get to bring your parents for free?! Thank God my 8-year-old boasts a purple Mohawk. The traveling, loud guitars-centric Rockstar Mayhem Festival (July 5-Aug. 10) peppers the West pretty mightily with stops in Denver, Phoenix and San Bernardino and Mountain View, California. The bands are nearly all frst-rate—Avenged Sevenfold, Trivium, Cannibal Corpse, Body Count (can you believe it?), Suicide Silence—just to name a handful. Earplugs are a necessity at a metal-focused fest like this one. But whatever you do, don’t forget the golden rule of porta-potties: Never hold it! Otherwise, the mosh pit will get a tad too, well, mushy. Outside Lands (Aug. 8-10) in San Francisco looks promising, with everyone from Tom Petty to Arctic Monkeys set to rock the stage in historic Golden Gate Park. Hometown heroes the Killers will be there, too. But I’d kill your sister to see Death Cab for Cutie and Jenny Lewis in the same vicinity, simply for the slim hope of a Postal Service reunion. A music writer can always dream, right? What’s your must-see summer concert? Email Jarret_Keene@Yahoo.com.
ILLUSTRATION BY CIERRA PEDRO
Will travel for summertime awesomeness
STAGE
Forever Doo Wop reinterprets American classics.
DEAR YESTERYEAR
PHOTO BY BARRY SWEET
Forever Doo Wop and Forever Motor City are little love letters to beloved genres INTIMACY HAS ITS REWARDS (not that kind, though that has its rewards, too). Memories can be magic on a large scale—say, Motown memories by Human Nature in their slick Strip production—but they radiate a different charm when ft to scale, as they are at the Riviera’s Le Bistro lounge in Forever Doo Wop and Forever Motor City. Think of it this way: Watching Human Nature is like remembering seeing the great groups of the past on TV, an experience shared with the rest of the world. Watching the Forever shows is like remembering how you sang along to their hits on the car radio, an experience specifc to you. Some of the Strip’s hardestworking performers toil in these twin 70-minute shows, amounting to seven singers splitting around 50 songs every night of the week. (And they don’t lip-synch a note.) Show up at 7 p.m. for a doo-wop crop including “Under the Boardwalk,” “He’s So Fine,” “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” “Get a Job,” “Love Potion No. 9” and “I Only Have Eyes for You.” Stick around for the 9 p.m. show if your taste runs toward “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” “My Guy,” “I’ll Be There,” “My Girl” and “Just My Imagination.” Performing against background tracks, the four-man, three-woman cast includes several with ties to the groups of the eras—or their endless permutations—including Early Clover, formerly of the Cornell Gunter Coasters; Jerome Jackson, once a member of the Drifters and The Main Ingredient; and Terrence Forsythe of the Buck Ram Platters.
Willie Green contributes his rich bass vocals, and the women—Serena Henry, Tonja Foster and Gwendolyn Moore Forsythe—trade off the hits of female icons including Mary Wells, Darlene Love and the Supremes. Don’t fret about the repertoires— they’re exhaustive. Nary a doo-wop or Motown tune exists that doesn’t make it onstage, either fully or within medleys. What separates the shows beyond the music is the modest imagination applied to segments of Doo Wop—an onstage DJ, a doo-wop hits countdown, even offbeat moments such as harmonizing an ancient Ajax commercial—that elevates it beyond the straightforward Motor City, which lapses into a rote, if still entertaining hit parade. Several segues are awkward as performers fle on and offstage through the curtains as if rotating through a checkout line, the musical bridges that accompany the segment changeovers not always in sync. Yet these singers have a welcome talent for not merely re-creating these classics, but interpreting them with individual style. Under their care, the songs don’t so much recall the recorded hits themselves as they do how you might sing them to yourself, had you been gifted with their pipes. So comfy-cozy do these performers make you feel that you could even imagine crooning these timeless tunes with them in the shower … in which case, maybe we actually are talking about that other type of intimacy. That could inspire yet another edition: Forever Barry White. Got an entertainment tip? Email Steve.Bornfeld@VegasSeven.com.
MOVIES A young dad (Rogen, second from left) can’t decide whether to beat or join the boys.
A&E
FRAT SPAT Neighbors Seth Rogen and Zac Efron get in a man-boy war By Michael Phillips Tribune Media Services
ONE PART SMART, ONE PART STUPID and three parts jokes about body parts, the extremely raunchy Neighbors is a strange success story. It’s nobody’s idea of a well-structured and logically detailed screenplay, even though its premise— new parents battling frat-house neighbors—springs from a high-concept idea that could’ve come from scriptwriting software or a research facility. Which brings us to one of the movie’s better early jokes: Sizing up the perpetually shirtless kegmeister played by Zac Efron, Seth Rogen wonders if his adversary was “designed in a laboratory.” Efron’s multidirectional appeal, his boy-toy-ness, takes on a darker hue in Neighbors. This is familiar titfor-tat material, predating even the days when Laurel & Hardy went to war against James Finlayson. Parental newbies Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) are besotted with their infant daughter, and getting used to home ownership, sleep deprivation and the frustrations of a curtailed sex life. Then the new neighbors move in: a fraternity known for its “legendary ragers.” Efron plays the alpha male fraternity president, Teddy, with the determined glare of a sociopathic boy-
man, nervous about life after college. Directed by Nicholas Stoller, Neighbors sets up a series of conficts and vows of revenge as the suburban couple goes head-to-head with the bong-addled, beer-sloshing pledges next door. Dave “The Other Franco” Franco portrays Teddy’s loyal best friend; Christopher Mintz-Plasse is Scoonie, the party boy with something extra. The script by Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O’Brien is extremely spotty, going for one too many gags built on the gag refex rather than the gag. Used condoms, curious infants, lactating mothers in pain and plastercast genitalia lead the list, and it’s a looooong list. But Stoller, whose work I like— Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek were both funny and a little bit insightful—has a knack
for delivering commercial comedy with some interesting detours and semi-improvised fourishes. Early on, when Mac and Kelly rehearse the way they plan to tell their neighbors to keep the noise down, a simple exchange builds and expands in ridiculous and clever ways. Efron has one major disadvantage. He’s not a witty performer. When Teddy becomes more and more destructive in his attempts to get Mac and company to back down, the character transforms into a creep, and Efron’s strategy is to play the meanness for real. Mistake. There’s a touch of Pineapple Express, another Rogen project, to this flm’s violent action climax. And yet the good jokes, some dirty, some cleaner, keep sneaking in there. Whether getting drunk and/or high with their neighbors, or embarking
SHORT REVIEWS
May 15–21, 2014
Devil’s Knot (Unrated) ★★✩✩✩
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The scope of the West Memphis Three/ Robin Hood Hills murders should’ve given director Atom Egoyan pause. The 1993 tragedy was compounded by an incompetent police investigation, ham-fisted prosecutors and a biased judge. This decadeslong case accused three heavy-metal-loving young men of a Satanic/witchcraft ritual murder. Reese Witherspoon stars as Pam, whose 8-year-old son was a victim. There’s too much tragedy, grief and outrage here for a single movie. Summing it up in under two hours does nobody justice.
Moms’ Night Out (PG) ★★✩✩✩
Faith-based films are commonplace this year. But faith-based comedies that work? Moms’ Night Out doesn’t join their ranks. A PG-rated romp that never romps, it lacks the jokes, sight gags, pacing and performances that laughs are made of. But when you’re sending three mothers out for an “epic” night and you’re abstaining from alcohol, profanity and jokes about sex, you’d better make sure the gags are killer and that you’ve got a cast that can land those laughs. For 45 minutes, the film can’t manage so much as a smile, mainly due to bland leading lady Sarah Drew.
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return (PG) ★✩✩✩✩
This is a harmless but almost charmless adaptation of a book by L. Frank Baum’s grandson. It’s derivative hash set in the present day, given forgettable new tunes by pop songsmiths such as Bryan Adams sung by the likes of Lea Michele, Martin Short, Hugh Dancy and Megan Hilty of TV’s Smash. The rule is that the more impressive the voice cast, the weaker the script. There’s no point in noting the cynicism in this gold mine of a genre. Not with Disney releasing a sequel to its fiasco Planes this summer.
on another stealth mission aided by their divorced pals (Ike Barinholtz and Carla Gallo), Rogen and Byrne prove to be excellent scene partners. The fedgling family unit at the heart of Neighbors is sunny insecurity incarnate. Mac and Kelly aren’t ready to let go of their adolescent excesses, but they’re not sure what it means to have this new person in the house. That’s one movie; the other movie is the frat-party bacchanal that never quits. Somehow the struggle and tension between the two movies works. Throughout Stoller’s comedy you can’t help but think: Wait, where’s their kid? Who’s watching the kid? Then again, no one in Neighbors claims these two sleep-deprived basket cases know what they’re doing. Neighbors (R) ★★★✩✩
By Tribune Media Services
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
Already spinning large webs of money overseas, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a decent superhero franchise product, lent some personality by Andrew Garfield’s skyscraper hair and the actor’s easy, pushpull rapport with co-star Emma Stone, who plays Gwen, frustratingly in love with Peter Parker. When Garfield and Stone aren’t working through their issues, the film’s essentially an extended electrocution montage. This one’s just OK, which is more than adequate from a business perspective.
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Locke (R) ★★★✩✩
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.
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Brick Mansions (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
The Railway Man (R) ★★★✩✩
Transcendence (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
Oculus (R) ★★★✩✩
For this remake of the French 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.
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.
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.
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.
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In a city overpopulated with Elvis impersonators, how do you make yourself stand out? You pretty much have to have something [authentic] to offer. Whether it be that your moves are incredible or your voice is incredible or, “Wow, your face looks just like Elvis!” Because I know guys who have a fantastic Elvis look, do fantastic moves but can hardly sing, and they’re at the top of this business. I know guys who sound great and don’t have the other two, but they’re still making it in this business. So if you have one of the qualities, it can get you gigs. With me, it’s always been my vocals. I try to do the Elvis look the best I can with the hair and the makeup, and of course all the suits I have are authentic and very expensive, so my clothing is there. But it’s my vocal that brings people back.
May 15–21, 2014
You know more than 350 Elvis songs. What’s the toughest to perform? At the top of my list would be “Rags to Riches” and “Just Pretend.” Those are very powerful [songs sung] at a real power, high range. I do these songs, but it takes 120 percent of everything I have to give.
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John Brooks The Elvis impersonator on what makes a good King, handling overzealous fans and the one big no-no in the fake-Elvis manual By Matt Jacob
In addition to performing at El Cortez, you also have a gig Tuesday nights in Mesquite. Do you sometimes see the same fans in both venues? I have I guess you could call it the John Brooks Fan Club, and these people will literally sit through four hours on Friday [at El Cortez], four hours Saturday, drive to Mesquite, four hours Tuesday. And they do this week after week, and I asked them, “How can you stand to listen to me that [often]? I would’ve gotten tired of me after the frst week!” But they love my show, and they like the way I interact with the crowd. But a lot of it is the variety. I’ve never done the same show twice.
MEMORIES OF ELVIS John Brooks performs his Elvis tribute show from 6-10 p.m. Fri-Sat at the Parlour Bar in El Cortez and from 7-11 p.m. Tue at the Casablanca Resort and Casino in Mesquite. Both shows are free.
You’ve probably encountered more than a couple of overzealous female fans? Any of them request to have you into their bedroom as Elvis? Yeah, but this was before I got remarried. [Laughs.] But I’ve [been given] room keys. Most memorably, I had these four young ladies who wanted me to meet up with them all at the same time. But, no, I didn’t. I’ve had some crazy fans who look at you like you are the Elvis Presley. It got ugly a few times. I’ve had to have some 86’d, because it got to stalking problems or them trying to break up my marriage. What’s the biggest no-no in the Elvis impersonator rule book? Letting the whole thing go to your head—thinking that you are Elvis; thinking that you’re too big for your fans. I look at it like this: If it weren’t for the people who come out and see me, I wouldn’t be performing for anybody. So I appreciate the person who gave me a $100 tip, and I appreciate those people who have no money [and] who really can’t even afford to buy a drink—they’re all the same to me. I’ve met so many [Elvis impersonators] in the past who are so full of themselves. … But I’m very humble. I always have been; I always will be. If I got a multimillion-dollar deal—which would never happen in the Elvis world—I would still have the same time for my fans that I do now. Where do you stand on fried peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches? I love ’em. I actually had never had one until about three years ago when I did a show in Louisiana, and somebody just kidding around bought us some for dinner, and I loved it. Last year, when we hit our 100th show at El Cortez, they made us a peanut butter-andbanana cake, which sounds like it wouldn’t be very good, but it actually was. Let’s say Elvis really is still alive and you run into him at a truck stop. What’s the frst thing you ask him? Where the hell you been?
PHOTO BY GREGG ANDERSON
SEVEN QUESTIONS
How and when did you get bit by the Elvis bug? My mom was a huge Elvis fan, so she had his records, and as soon as I heard them, I was hooked. When I was 9, we lived in a really small town in Utah that had this carnival thing every year, and I won a contest singing “Blue Suede Shoes.” I was 7 when he died, and I remember just crying, crying, crying. I was already so touched by his music. Even at that age, I remember what I was wearing, I remember where we were, I remember everything [when he died].