Fall Arts Preview 2014 | Vegas Seven Magazine | September 11-17, 2014

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12 | THE LATEST

“The Old College Try,” by Lissa Townsend Rodgers.

With a new medical school and more 21st-century degree offerings, our institutions of higher learning are determined to be players in the economic diversification game. Because they have to be.

Plus, Three Questions with Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian on the proposed soccer stadium, how the Delano’s theme could be a New Deal, Ask a Native, and Tweets of the Week.

14 | Breaking Stuf & Making Stuf

“The Glorious Rise of the Pigskin Empire,” by Greg Blake Miller.

Talking point spreads, Putin and (of course) Vince Neil.

16 | Green Felt Journal

“The Turning Tide,” by David G. Schwartz.

Atlantic City’s casino industry has fallen on hard times. To bounce back, it needs to learn from Las Vegas.

22 | FALL FASHION

The look of the season is a meditation on Vegas’ decadent past.

28 | Feature

“Rewriting the Workshop,” by Geoff Carter.

One by one, independent bookstores are dying off. Writer’s Block aims to change that narrative.

Plus, M. Scott Krause on three novels he’s anticipating this fall.

33 | NIGHTLIFE

“She’s Tuned In,” by David Morris.

Adéllyn Polomski makes (air)waves as Clear Channel’s EDM czarina.

Plus, a Q&A with Borgeous, Seven Nights and photos from the week’s hottest parties.

65 | DINING

Al Mancini on Bazaar Meat. Plus, Dishing With Grace, what makes Pat LaFrieda’s beef so good, and Brian Massie prepares to open Hearthstone.

71 | FALL ARTS PREVIEW

“Vegas on Their Minds,” by Steve Bornfeld.

Ray Charles celebration leaps from one night at The Smith Center to six weeks at the Venetian.

Plus, Camille Cannon recalls her affinity for radio contests, and a look at what’s coming this season—Stage, Page 72; Music, Page 75; Art, Page 77; TV, Page 78; and Movies, Page 79.

94 | Seven Questions

CSI creator and former Las Vegan Anthony Zuiker on how to tell great stories, the appeal of forensics and what he watches when he’s not writing.

| Dialogue | Seven Days | Gossip | Going for Broke

KISS opens a residency at The Joint in November, one of our can’t-miss shows in the Fall Arts Preview.

ON THE COVER Photo by Robert John Kley Hervé Léger jacket (Neiman Marcus), Roberto Cavalli stole (Roberto Cavalli).

September 11–17, 2014

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Titan Insurance, superhero bobblehead and design are service marks of THI Holdings (Delaware), Inc. Nationwide Insurance is a service mark of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. Price based on March 2010 analysis of available national data for liability-only policies. Subject to underwriting guidelines, review and approval.

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DIALOGUE CONTRIBUTOR’S NOTE ➜ Photographer Robert John Kley

and his team—stylist Jimi Urquiaga, makeup artist Homa Safar and hair stylist Dennis Marshall Cooper— began with a blank slate: a stunning model and a makeshift photo studio set up in an apartment at Juhl. Their assignment was to create a beautiful fall fashion spread for this issue of Vegas Seven. The end result is six pages (starting on Page 22) of stunning coats, dresses, accessories and shoes that channel Vegas’ 1960s and ’70s era of decadence. “Our inspiration was Old Vegas glamour with a luxurious cinematic quality,” Urquiaga says. Once the photography and styling work ended, the design work began as Kley brilliantly layered the images over iconic signage from casinos both past and present, giving the folio a postcard effect. From Vegas, with love …

THIS WEEK @ VEGASSEVEN.COM UNDERWHELMING REBELS

The UNLV football team barely survived in its home opener, hanging on for a 13-12 victory over Northern Colorado, a Division I-AA opponent that brought an 11-game losing streak to Las Vegas. What did the Rebels learn from that close call? Find out as Mike Grimala breaks down the action and previews the September 13 home game against Northern Illinois at RunRebs.com/Football.

LIFE OF A B-BOY

VIVA MEXICO!

Although they make break dancing look effortless, b-boys deal with constant injuries. Watch some of our local b-boys bust a move, then tell us why—despite the nagging pain—they keep breaking at VegasSeven.com/ VegasBBoys.

Las Vegas is home to a sizeable Mexican population, which means you have plenty of opportunities to celebrate Grito de Dolores, or Mexican Independence Day. Festivities begin this weekend, so grab a margarita and get the scoop on the parades and dining specials at VegasSeven. com/MID.

EAST MEETS WEST IN DTLV

GET YOUR POPCORN READY

In 2009, real estate columnist Pj Perez passed on buying a dilapidated McNeil Estates house that had a few odd quirks. Five years later, two designers renovated the same home to resemble a quaint Cape Cod property where you can almost imagine a schooner parked in the pool. Watch the transformation at DTLV.com/ StrongDrive.

Do you like to geek out on movie commentary? If so, Inspire Theater is the place to be Wednesday nights when DTLV.com presents weekly screenings of Vegas-centric films, with live commentary by special guests. Get the schedule at DTLV.com/ 7EssentialMovies.

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“‘Gaming’ sounds too much like something you do with an Xbox in the family room, and not enough like the risky business it is.”

ASK A NATIVE {PAGE 14}

News, gossip, deals and some much-needed advice from one resort town to another

The Old College Try

With a new medical school and more 21st-century degree oferings, our institutions of higher learning are determined to be players in the economic diversifcation game. Because they have to be.

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MANY TEARS HAVE BEEN SHED and much ink has been spilled over Nevada’s continued spot at the bottom of national education rankings. The dismaying state of K-12 draws a lot of complaints and ideas (if not quite so much action), but sometimes it pulls focus from the supposed goal of those 13 years of schooling: college.

While the state of higher education in Nevada isn’t quite as dire—or discussed—as that of K-12, it’s still not in good shape. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has given Nevada an F in public higher-education access and success for the past several years.

Only about 22 percent of the state’s adult population has a bachelor’s degree (the national average is 29 percent), and four out of fve states have more colleges than we do. Much of this can be attributed to the notion that a degree isn’t all that crucial in a place where you can make a better living parking cars with a high school diploma than you can teaching seventh grade with a master’s degree.

But Nevada’s economy is diversifying, and it’ll take more than a GED to get a gig building drones or Teslas.

At a recent higher-education panel discussion hosted by the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, Dan Klaich, chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, drove home this point. “These colleges are the foot soldiers in the fght for a better Nevada,” he says. “We need to create the workforce of tomorrow.” LVGEA President and CEO Tom Skancke agreed: “Education is one of the top priorities for our organization. This is the most important issue for our community and our economy.”

During the Great Recession, UNLV, the marquee name in Southern Nevada higher ed, suffered a series of devastating budget cuts that axed classes, staff and entire departments.

UNLV is attempting to rebound by focusing on more STEM-oriented (science, technology, engineering, math) course offerings, but its priority has been opening a school of medicine.

With $26 million in startup funds budgeted, the school is working toward admitting its frst class in 2017.

“The medical school is important to the university, important to Southern Nevada, important to the whole state,” UNLV acting President Don Snyder said at the LVGEA panel.

“We connect the university to our economy.” To that end, UNLV has

added new minors in Information Technology and Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and will launch a new Urban Leadership master’s program, geared toward training principals and school administrators—whose graduates would theoretically boost the state’s K-12 system.

Skancke says UNLV’s moves are responsive to current economic demands. “From our point of view on economic development, having a medical school here in Las Vegas is critical to be globally competitive.

They bring lots of research and

research faculty [into the state]. ...

And tech corporations [looking to relocate will] ask about training, programs and if people can get certifcations.”

Like UNLV, Nevada State College— our region’s only other accredited four-year institution—is also shifting toward developing programs that will support both our students and our state. “We’re focusing on health care-related degrees, on technologyrelated degrees,” NSC President Bart Patterson says. “We need to be an economic driver of the state [and] graduate more students in key felds.”

Earlier this year, NSC broke ground on an academic building and student center to accommodate its growing enrollment, which has gone from less than 200 students in 2002 to more than 3,000 today—although the fact that the construction was supported by increased student fees has led to some controversy. (College tuition has risen across the nation, and Nevada’s is generally slightly higher than neighboring states, but slightly lower than the national average.)

As far back as 2008, the Institute for Higher Education Policy warned that Nevada “must make a signifcant investment in promoting a college-going culture,” because “unlike many jobs in the gaming and hospitality industries, the higher-wage jobs in the new knowledge-based economy require signifcantly more postsecondary education.” Six years later, Nevada’s institutions of higher learning fnally seem to be taking that directive seriously.

“Systemically, I think we can do a better job of funding education in our state,” Skancke says. “It needs to be a priority even in tough economic times. We cannot negotiate with the future of our children.”

ILLUSTRATION BY CIERRA PEDRO

September 11–17, 2014

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VegasSeven.com

By Lissa Townsend Rodgers

★

SPORTS

★

On September 3, the Las Vegas City Council delayed to October 1 its vote on a nonbinding deal with the Cordish Cos. and Findlay Sports & Entertainment for a proposed $200 million, 24,000-seat Major League Soccer stadium planned for Downtown. Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian explains why she sought the delay.

Why was delaying the vote necessary?

We had stated to the public that we would vet it in public before we made our vote, and I don’t think we did that. I had many calls against the stadium, and then 10 days before the vote I started to get calls for the stadium. If [public sentiment] had remained just against the stadium then I might have gone ahead and voted. ... If we had not delayed the vote, I would have voted “no,” going on the information I had. But I just felt that we told [residents] we were going to be transparent, and then we weren’t.

Are there any specific elements of the proposal that you’re hoping to learn more about before October 1?

I have great concern about using public money. And I have not felt that we were treated as professionally as we should have been by Cornish, in that we gave them these extended times, and it seems no action comes until just before the deadline. Because

FRANKLIN PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DEL ANO; STADIUM RENDERING COURTESY FINDL AY SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

By Camille Cannon

of that, it puts a heavy, heavy load on our staff. But as far as, “Is a team viable and would it be successful here in Las Vegas?” Absolutely it would. I believe we could have a dynamic team here, and it would support itself. The MLS is very interested, from what I hear from people I know in the league. It’s all those other [fnancial] things I’m worried about.

Since you would’ve been the swing vote at the September 3 meeting, do you feel any additional pressure regarding this issue?

You feel pressure because it’s a big decision, especially if you’re the swing vote. But [on October 1], I won’t necessarily be the swing vote, because they may not even need it. ... I’m a little torn inside, because I do think we could be very successful; however, I don’t want to use so much of the public’s money. I’ve already had a little old lady call me to say she wants a soccer team, and I’ve had some very powerful people call me who said they don’t want the soccer team. People who feel this is a battle of power against those who don’t have power, I think the power people have lined up both ways. But I don’t feel as much pressure now. – Sean DeFrank

The Franklin lounge at the Delano.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11: Mexican Independence Day isn’t until Sept.

16, but the Silverton starts the festivities early with Festival del Pueblo. Today through Sunday, bring the family for mariachis, piñatas and carnival rides in the parking lot. Admission is $5 today and Saturday, $25 Friday and free Sunday; start times vary, ElFestivalDelPueblo.com.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12: Curious about that change in your pocket? Palace Station hosts the Las Vegas Numismatics’ Society Fall Coin Show today through Sunday. This means more than 300 dealers will be on-site to answer questions, appraise items and show off some precious metals. Visit CKShows.com to print a coupon for free admission. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sun. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13: You don’t need a green thumb to grow plants in the desert. Let the experts at Springs Preserve’s Autumn Plant Sale show you which plants survive best in dry climates, and how to care for them at home. You’ll make your neighbors jealous. 333 S. Valley View Blvd., 8 a.m.-1 p.m., SpringsPreserve.org.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14: Celebrate Hispanic heritage at the Fiesta Las Vegas Latino Festival, noon to 10 p.m. at Clark County Amphitheater.

Expect traditional food, crafts, games and live music. 500 Grand Central Pkwy., $7 at door, $5 advance, FiestaLasVegas.net.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: Given

Trifecta Gallery’s forthcoming closure in January, we recommend you visit whenever possible the rest of the year. Now through Sept. 26, you can see John Stoelting’s exhibit Going Places: Fish and Supermen. It’s an examination of change and adaptability featuring toy soldiers in unexpected poses. 107 E. Charleston Blvd., TrifectaGallery.com.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16: With lights so bright, it’s easy to

overlook the paint on our city’s iconic neon signage. We suggest you pause and appreciate it during the “Unsigned Heroes: Sign Painters’ Art and Stories” panel discussion at the Neon Museum. You might get inspired to DIY. 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North, $12, 5:30 p.m., RSVP at NeonMuseum.org.

UP NEXT: THE DUBYA

In honor of the Delano’s opening coinciding with Ken Burns’ 14-hour PBS documentary The Roosevelts: An Intimate History beginning September 14, we wondered if the all-suite South Beach-inspired hotel (formerly THEhotel) might consider carrying the presidential theme further. After all, there’s already the lobby lounge, Franklin, which offers cocktails called the New Deal and Mr. Hyde (the latter perhaps an homage to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Hyde Park, New York, estate). So how about these FDR-inspired additions: the dog-friendly Fala Suites; cabanas built around firesides, you know, for chats; the Warm Springs spa, for his beloved Georgia retreat; the Yalta Conference Center; the Museum of Wheelchairs; and, of course, the haunting mural of FDR’s mistress hanging in the Lucy Mercer restaurant. Paying tribute to FDR’s relatives, each guest under 12 gets a free Teddy; Muzak only plays “Happy Days Are Here Again”; and instead of penny slots, dime slots. Of course, we can’t forget about outdoor entertainment, so why not an extreme attraction attached to the hotel’s facade? The name: Fear Itself. – Paul Szydelko

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17: By seeing the established Dirk K. Quartet perform Jazz at the Onyx, you’ll also be supporting the next generation of musicians. That’s because a portion of the proceeds benefits scholarship funds for the Gateway Arts Foundation. Not a bad way to spend hump day.

953 E. Sahara Ave., 7 p.m., $21, OnyxTheatre.com.

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J A M E S P. R E Z A

SO, IS IT “GAMBLING” OR “GAMING”?

September 11–17, 2014

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VegasSeven.com

Talking point spreads, Putin and (of course) Vince Neil

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IT IS SEPTEMBER, and all of world culture—the painters and poets, sinners, saints and stock traders—have turned their eyes to the gridiron. Since my childhood, the word has summoned up images of a heavy black metal device used for cooking chicken, sort of a proto-George Foreman Grill. Alas, the word actually means “beer.”

In Europe’s smallest nationstate, the red-capped cardinals of the Vatican sit down to watch Arizona play New Orleans, wondering how to aim their prayers, because as any NFL player can tell you, God answers all football prayers, and because it is diffcult for a cardinal to choose between a Cardinal and a Saint. If only Notre Dame were in the NFL, all would be clear.

In the gilded hallways of Moscow’s Kremlin, Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev can be spotted, huddled close in a shadowed corner, heads tilted downward, voices low, discussing the Tampa BayJacksonville spread before getting Barack Obama to bite on the Jaguars minus-4½, with all of Ukraine hanging in the balance. We should undertake to resolve all of our conficts at the betting window.

In Germany, Angela Merkel declares that the immense global power of American

Breaking Stuff & Making Stuff

Mad musings on the creative life GREG BLAKE MILLER

football resides in its counterintuitive use of “foot” to describe a game played chiefy with the hands. In an attempt to restore the fagging popularity of soccer from Bonn to Berlin, she issues an edict that the beautiful game will henceforth be known as handball.

This angers two greasy guys playing old-school handball against a graffti-covered wall in 1970s New York City. No one else, however, seems to mind. Except for one little kid who likes to run around telling his friends, “I’ll cut you so low you’ll play handball against the curb.” He has 37 years to come up with a new put-down.

Back in the present, Obama is trying to figure out how he got hoodwinked into laying 4½ on the Jags. Ukraine is now fully under Russian control.

Putin’s first move is to legalize sports wagering in Odessa, where football odds quickly become more popular than handball odds. The Donetsk Destroyers of the new UFL will soon travel to Las Vegas to challenge Vince Neil’s new indoor/outdoor coed lingerie team, the Outlaw Ace Silver Gamblers. It is a marvelous attempt at pigskin diplomacy, but it falls short when Valeria Mazza intercepts Colonel Igor Strelkov’s Hail Mary pass to secure a last-second victory for Neil’s team. Putin immediately declares sanctions against all Las Vegas-produced fuzzy dice—an ineffective measure since fuzzy dice, as everyone knows, are made in China.

The U.S., however, responds by banning pigskin exports to the former Soviet Union.

“This does not concern us,” Putin grins, cool blue irises sagging low in the eye socket.

“Pigs, we have.”

“Nothing,” he says, “will deny our people their football. And by that I do not mean handball.”

Of course not. He means beer.

Greg Blake Miller is the director of Olympian Creative Coaching & Consulting—personal training for the creative mind. Visit OlympianCreative.com.

ISN’T THE REAL REASON THERE ARE NO SORORITY HOUSES AT UNLV BECAUSE THEY VIOLATE PROSTITUTION LAWS? My recent column on the lack of a Greek Row at UNLV spurred a few tweets, emails and barstool debates about this theory. It’s an old, tantalizing and somewhat sexist myth that too many shacked-up sorority sisters constitute a brothel. It’s also surprisingly not limited to Nevada, where legal ladies of the evening lie in wait just an easy hour’s drive from the Moyer Student Union. Reports of this urban legend stretch to Chicago and Pennsylvania, dating back to at least the mid-20th century.

The story is scandalous (and believable) enough to have a lived a good life on the whisper circuit, and will likely continue to do so—despite the fact that it isn’t the least bit true. Sure, zoning laws can limit the number of people living in a home, and yes, prostitution is illegal almost everywhere. But one has nothing to do with the other.

Questions? AskaNative@VegasSeven.com.

ILLUSTRATION BY CIERRA PEDRO

The Glorious Rise of the Pigskin Empire

If you ask the Powers That Be, they have officially called it “gaming” since the mid-20th century. There may have been some use of “gaming” as early as 1945, when collection and regulation of gambling taxes was moved from the city and county jurisdictions to the state level. But the first official assignment of the term “gaming” came in 1955, when the Nevada Legislature formed the Gaming Control Board.

Shifting the language from “gambling” to “gaming” was an obvious public relations move on the part of state officials to burnish a sheen on what was then generally considered a dirty business. Still, that business had emerged as the state’s top industry by 1952, so cleaning up its image became a critical mission. More than 60 years later, the Gaming Control Board (along with the Nevada Gaming Commission) still works to protect the industry. Much of that work is intended to uphold the industry’s legitimacy in the eyes of the gambling—er, gaming—public by carefully vetting those who obtain licenses, and by holding them accountable to broad “moral turpitude” language found in our gaming laws.

Putting aside the PR-friendly semantics, I prefer the visceral honesty of the term gambling. “Gaming” sounds too much like something you do with an Xbox in the family room, and not enough like the risky business it is.

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The recently shuttered $2.4 billion Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.

ANOTHER WHEEL DEAL, FREE COFFEE AND MORE BROASTED CHICKEN

The Turning Tide Atlantic City’s casino industry has fallen on hard times.

To bounce back, it needs to learn from Las Vegas.

September 11–17, 2014

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THE CLOSING THIS MONTH OF THREE

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Atlantic City casinos (Revel, Showboat and Trump Plaza) is yet another reminder that nothing should be taken for granted in the gaming business.

New Jersey voted in 1976 to permit casino gaming in Atlantic City on the assumption that it would become like Las Vegas, only better.

Given a chance to create an industry from scratch, New Jersey opted for extremely strict rules, to prevent even a hint of organized crime infuence. This meant not only an unprecedented role for state inspectors in daily operations, but statutory and regulatory mandates that constricted the city’s casinos.

Guidelines on how casinos handle cash are reasonable. Telling them what percentages of foor space can be allocated to slot machines versus table games, less so. Specifying that casinos must avoid large “Las Vegasstyle” neon signage is, most would argue, going a bit overboard. And yet in the early years, Atlantic City casinos were able to outshine even Las Vegas. In 1982, four years after its frst casino opened, Atlantic City defeated the Las Vegas Strip when it came to gaming revenue. It would continue to do so until 1999.

Atlantic City casinos prospered in those years because they were the only game not just in town, but in the entire eastern half of the country. Within fve years of New Jersey voters approving gaming, nine hotel-casinos were in operation, drawing 19 million visitors to the

formerly moribund seaside resort, employing 30,000 people and pulling in more than $1 billion a year.

But even as the happy days returned, Atlantic City’s monopoly had an expiration date. By 1990 Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota and Colorado had approved casino gaming, and tribal governments across the country were signing compacts governing the operation of casinos.

The start of tribal gaming in Connecticut in the early 1990s was the frst harbinger of eventual ruin.

It triggered modest regulatory reform for New Jersey: Casinos were permitted to remain open 24 hours a day, and allowed to offer poker, keno, race simulcasting and other “new” games. But efforts to legalize sports betting prior to the passage of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act’s 1992 failed, and Atlantic City lost what could have been a monopoly to this day: the right to offer straight-up legal sports wagering outside of Nevada.

Meanwhile, it was clear that states nearby weren’t going to let New Jersey keep its casino bounty to itself. Predictably, the proliferation python circled tighter: Delaware, 1995; New York, 2004; and, the kill-

ing blow, Pennsylvania, 2006.

From the start, civic and business leaders had emphasized the importance of expanding “beyond just gambling” to keep Atlantic City viable as a tourist destination. But when billions of dollars were fowing through the city’s slot machines each year, there was usually a more pressing need than costly reinvestments that might not pay off. Thus, Atlantic City’s Boardwalk never got the total overhaul it needed.

How has Las Vegas avoided a similar fate? Two reasons: It has aggressively marketed itself, never letting the media or anyone else defne its image; and its operators have consistently reinvested. This explains why the explosion of tribal gaming in California has not hurt the Strip: While you can gamble in Riverside County, there are still plenty of things to do in Las Vegas that you can’t do there. Tourists and gamblers aren’t sentimental, and they won’t keep coming if there’s nothing new to interest them.

Las Vegas isn’t successful because it hit on that one hidden trick to popular appeal; it’s popular because it’s never stopped reinventing itself, hence the current festivalization, foodie-ization and boutiquing of the Strip. Atlantic City, in its long history, has had many highs and lows. The city can reverse the current ebb tide by trying to renew itself again … and again.

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

Prices for the High Roller observation wheel at the Linq have changed again, with day-ride prices going up by $5 to $24.95 (still $34.95 at night), while kids ages 13-17 ride for $14.95 both day and night—a $10 reduction on the nighttime price. For adult locals, the best play is to go on Tuesdays when tickets are $17.50 (day) and $24.50 (night), and come with a drink. And from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturdays only, there’s a special $49.95 package for families that includes two adult tickets, three child tickets (12 and under), three sets of High Roller binoculars to keep and three juice drinks. Since adult day-ride tickets are regularly $24.95, it’s like getting the rest thrown in for free. ➜ Speaking of free, gratis morning coffee is back at the Downtown Grand. It’s available in the lobby from 6 to 9 a.m. and isn’t restricted to hotel guests (though that could change at any moment). The property is also running Dollar Daze, with $1 (hot dog), $2 (domestic beer) and $3 (cheeseburger) specials in the restaurants and bars. ➜ Oyster alert! Emeril’s at MGM Grand has a daily happy hour from 9:30 p.m. to closing, with $1.50 oysters (which is a great deal at a seafood joint of this stature). Other happy hour offerings include $5 gumbo and chowder, and a $12 crawfish boil. ➜ Another broasted chicken option has surfaced. The Streets of New York restaurants, at 5135 S. Fort Apache Road and 7570 Norman Rockwell Lane, both sell it. This chain out of Phoenix calls it “broaster chicken,” but it’s the same item, and a 12-piece mix with potato wedges and two sides is $28.95. ➜ For the high-rollers out there, the Westgate (formerly LVH, and prior to that, Las Vegas Hilton) is advertising an automatic complimentary suite for two nights and $500 in promo chips when you get an approved $10,000 line of credit. There’s an application at TheLVH.com. Hey, why not? ➜ For the low-rollers out there, Win Cards are now being sold at New York-New York (at the cage or players club). For $20 you get the howto cards, and $30 in play-till-you-lose casino chips (plus a $1 tip chip). It’s a good deal that you can take advantage of only once per year. ➜ Finally, for slider lovers, an outlet of the famous White Castle hamburger chain is confirmed to be coming to Las Vegas. White Castle’s first West Coast restaurant is slated for the Casino Royale at center Strip. No details yet on an opening date, but it looks like sometime in 2015.

Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor and LasVegasAdvisor.com, a monthly newsletter and website dedicated to finding the best deals in town.

THE LATEST

@GregVegas Considering what Left Eye did to him, I never realized what a gentleman Andre Rison was.

@g_knapp Reno gets Tesla gigafactory w 6500 jobs.

Las Vegas gets Tesla, the rock band, touring this month. Sweet deal..

@Puddinstrip RIP Joan Rivers and after her makeup is completely removed, RIP Abe Vigoda. #JoanTributeRoast

September 11–17, 2014

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VegasSeven.com

For Floyd Mayweather’s ex, the Colosseum and the NBA’s commissioner, it’s all about the Benjamins

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FOR WHATEVER REASON, it took All the President’s Men to make “follow the money” a quote. This was in 1976.

No idea what everyone was doing for the previous 200 years, or why it took a decent Robert Redford fick to really gel that concept into a pithy three words.

(Also, how did it not occur to Woodward and Bernstein to follow the money before Deep Throat dropped that bomb on them? He had to mean that sarcastically. Is there a frst draft that reads “follow the money, jackasses”?)

Anyway, the flthy lucre was a prime player this week (as opposed to all those other weeks), leading with a lawsuit Floyd Mayweather’s ex-fancee Shantel Jackson levied against the champ. Jackson, enlisting the aid of star lawyer Gloria Allred, fled the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on September 4 that accuses Mayweather of beating her during their relationship and publicly humiliating her afterward.

She may have a valid point on at least that latter part—Mayweather famously posted, and quickly deleted, a sonogram picture on Instagram, accusing Jackson of aborting their twins. Which isn’t as gauche as it sounds. It’s not like he put those pics on MySpace.

Jackson is seeking unspecifed damages from the undefeated and well-compensated Mayweather,

who’s set to rake in another $32 million guaranteed when he fghts Marcos Maidana on September 13.

With Celine Dion going on an extended hiatus from her residency at the Colosseum to help take care of ailing husband, René Angélil, Caesars and AEG Live are still scrambling to fll Dion’s dates. It seemed like there could have been a logical solution here: Throw a boatload of money at the problem.

Specifcally, a rumored million clams to Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton for one weekend.

But AEG issued a blanket denial, saying in the nicest way possible that $1 million was way too steep.

Really, they could get Deadmau5 much cheaper and fnally attract a crowd under 60 to the Colosseum.

Shelton and Lambert, meanwhile, are still available for a night’s entertainment, or for hanging out for a few hours, or for doing some light chores if you happen to have a mil just lying around.

Give Adam Silver credit for this: He’s way better at reading any

writing on various walls than, say, NFL czar Roger Goodell. The NBA commissioner—who moved swiftly to boot Donald Sterling from the ranks of Guys Who Clearly Bought Into the Wrong Business Based on Their Worldview—told the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit on September 4 that, in the wake of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie giving the green light to permit sports betting in his state, the writing is on the wall for legalized sports gambling nationwide.

Forget the proposed MLS team, or even the rumored NHL one—the NBA has to be the leader in the clubhouse to put a team in Las Vegas, considering it’s the only sport with a commissioner who loosened his grip on his pearls. “If you have a gentleman’s bet or a small wager on any kind of sports contest, it makes you that much more engaged in it,” Silver told Bloomberg. com. “That’s where we’re going to see it pay dividends. If people are watching a game and clicking to bet on their smartphones, which is what people are doing in the United Kingdom right now, then it’s much more likely you’re going to stay tuned for a long time.”

Goodell, NHL commish Gary Bettman and the new goon that baseball’s owners recently hired to succeed Bud Selig are going to have this guy shot, aren’t they?

Ray Rice suspended indefinitely! See, people?

There’s nothing we can’t do, if a powerful organization fears bad P.R. enough!

@GuyClifton Dear Gov. Perry. Since you didn’t get #Tesla, we will be happy to give you Yucca Mountain.

@VegasTripping Am I the only one hoping the flash floods knock the High Roller over?

@TexDolly Even though Joan Rivers made a lot of terrible comments about poker players, I always wanted to meet her and perhaps change her mind. #RIP

@MurrayRGJ Little-known fact: Tesla founder Elon Musk’s first son was named Nevada, so I’m pretty sure we were getting Tesla all along.

@ToddFuhrman In order to preserve competitive balance this season, the #Cowboys will be allowed to play defense with 15 men.

Share your Tweet! Add #V7.

ILLUSTRATION BY JON ESTRADA

On the Money

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What’s on trend for fall? A tapestry of rich fabrics, furs and metallics recalling Las Vegas’ age of decadence

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PRADA coat (Prada in the Shops at Crystals).

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO coat (Salvatore Ferragamo in the Forum Shops at Caesars).

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN belt (Alexander McQueen in Wynn Las Vegas Esplanade).

GUCCI coat and MANOLO BLAHNIK pumps (Neiman Marcus).

ROBERTO CAVALLI dress (Roberto Cavalli in the Shops at Crystals).

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN dress (Alexander McQueen).

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CÉLINE coat (Céline in the Shops at Crystals).

WHERE TO BUY

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Wynn Las Vegas Esplanade, 702-369-0510; alexandermcqueen.com CÉLINE the Shops at Crystals, 702-795-2232, celine.com

NEIMAN MARCUS Fashion Show, 702-731-3636; neimanmarcus.com PRADA the Shops at Crystals, 702-740-3000; prada.com ROBERTO CAVALLI the Shops at Crystals, 702-736-7300; robertocavalli.com SALVATORE FERRAGAMO the Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-933-9333; ferragamo.com

VegasSeven.com

| September 11–17, 2014

28

Scott Seeley and Drew Cohen are putting the finishing touches on Writer’s Block, set to open next month on Fremont East.

PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA

waiting in line for a ride at Disney World, where there are articles of use all over the place that tell a story,” Cohen says. But where you’re not allowed to touch the books and other items sitting on tables in the lobby of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Book Shop encourages a hands-on approach. You become part of the story the second you walk in the door. “Here, you are the lobby,” Cohen adds, grinning.

And those folks behind the counter aren’t robotic pirates; they’re feshand-blood readers, like you.

“The independent bookstore people we’ve talked to, the ones who have had successful shops … it comes from a curatorial aspect,” Seeley says. “You don’t walk into a Barnes & Noble to hang out with the staff. That would be kinda weird. I worked for this record store in Connecticut for a while that exclusively sold jazz, and most of the customers came in just to talk to the staff, hang out and browse the new records. You want that kind of community aspect to it.”

Now my head is blowing up—and it’s not just because Seeley and Cohen know about, and share, my unabashed love of Disney’s theme parks.

What they’re talking about is rewriting the old bookshop model to give you an active role in the world of literature: to put the ink on your fngers and your name on the “about” page.

In an era when the act of fnding new books to read is becoming an increasingly cold and detached endeavor— one that’s relegated either to digital tablets or to shopping though the sterile window of Amazon—Writer’s Block Book Shop aims to reconnect us with the stuff that made us fall in love with books in the frst place.

By the way: Cohen is in the process of ordering Writer’s Block’s books right now, and he hints that they’ll predominantly start with four different varieties: nonfction, business, art and design, and children’s books. But even that can change before opening day: “If we see a great demand for horror Westerns, then we’ll bulk up,” Seeley says.

“I want people to tell me, ‘You don’t

have this and you need to have this,’ and I’ll order it,” Cohen says. “I want this store to be like St. Mark’s Bookshop in New York. … Those were the places where I would go and fnd out about authors or genres I didn’t know existed, and it really helped inform my taste.”

The big difference: It’ll be St. Mark’s Bookshop with a letterpress. Maybe that’s the only way an independent bookstore can survive these days: by cultivating something akin to a themed environment, and by offering a bunch of merchandise that isn’t books at all.

But we haven’t yet talked about the back half of Writer’s Block, which is accessed through a “transitional space” that Seeley is “not even gonna attempt to describe” at this time. It’s the classroom/studio area, which he’s currently calling “The Codex.”

The Codex will be a large, open space where Writer’s Block will hold its workshops, most of which will presumably be aimed at young writers in the 6- to 18-year-old range. They might do some book-making courses for adults, too, but again, Seeley is reluctant to skip to the back of the book.

He wants the living characters of Writer’s Block to determine how this story unfolds.

“There will be some writing element” to the classes, Seeley says, “but beyond that—sky’s the limit.” He imagines an area where they can make not just books, but flms, recordings, plays and anything else that the kids are excited to try.

“There will be a lot of theater, a lot of silliness … but at the end of the workshop, each student will leave with a book that they’ve made themselves,” Seeley says.

But all of this—and the other amazing stuff that Seeley doesn’t want to put on the record just yet—is all happening after Writer’s Block opens its doors in October. Right now, with the contractor’s words fresh in their ears, that’s the only chapter Scott Seeley and Drew Cohen are interested in fnishing.

“We’ll crawl before we walk, and walk before we run,” Cohen says. And everything will be all write in the end.

Remember the twin triumphs of Housekeeping (1980) and the Pulitzer Prizewinning Gilead (2004)? Book groups do. Now, Marilynne Robinson completes her Iowa trilogy with Lila (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $26), a novel focusing on a woman who overcomes an abusive childhood and years of hard labor to find love and salvation as the wife of minister John Ames. (October) I’m curious about Denis Johnson’s forthcoming spy thriller, The Laughing Monsters (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $25). He scored a cult following with Jesus’ Son (1992), tackled Vietnam with Tree of Smoke (2007), and now he’s channeling Graham Greene (and possibly Joseph Conrad) with the story of a Scandinavian operative in Africa. I expect international intrigue at the highest literary level. (November) – M. Scott Krause From music and movies to stage and screen, check out the rest of our Fall Arts Preview, starting on Page 71.

VegasSeven.com

scott seeley is hesitant to talk about Writer’s Block. I’m interviewing him and his partner, Drew Cohen, literally minutes after they’ve spoken to the contractor about the projected early October opening of their Fremont East bookshop and classroom space. As a result, Seeley is choosing his words carefully.

“I’m gonna talk broadly because the space, No. 1, needs to speak for itself,” Seeley says. “A lot of it is gonna be tied into how it looks, the atmosphere—and it’s hard to put that in words. The other thing is that we still have a month and a half, and who knows? By then, we might decide we want to build cars in there.”

It seems unlikely that Seeley, cofounder and former executive director of 826NYC—a nonproft that teaches creative writing to kids, and creative writing instruction to teachers—would come all the way to Las Vegas simply to build a car showroom at 1020 Fremont Street, just across the street from Atomic Liquors. The thing is, though, I believe Seeley could do it. The former New Yorker is a maker, with a highly discerning eye for design; he’s creating the interior of Writer’s Block himself, working from both schematics and scale models he made with his own hands. If he decides to chuck the original concept and create a space for DeLoreans, I’d say yeah, he could.

Luckily for us, though, Seeley and Cohen are sticking to their plans to build a bookshop in the 2,500-squarefoot space. Well, kinda. The front of the house will be called “Book Shop,” which Seeley has deliberately split into two words to evoke a cross between Geppetto’s workshop and a mad scientist’s lair.

“We will literally have a book-making area,” Seeley says. “I’ve got a workbench, tools and, hopefully, we have a full letterpress coming. We’ll have book presses, screen-printing equipment … all kinds of machinery that we can hand-make books with. That will be a huge component of the store, mixed in with new books and whatever we think is fun and cool.”

“We often talk about it as being like

The Dog: A Novel by Joseph O’Neill (Pantheon, $26) is a hilarious look at success, social class and ethical challenges. Upset over a failed relationship, our nameless protagonist—a lawyer from Manhattan—takes a job in Dubai managing the wealth of a rich Lebanese family and is quickly surrounded by corruption. This book is smart, worldly and deeply philosophical. (September)

|

One by one, independent bookstores are dying off.

Writer’s Block aims to change that narrative. B Y G E O F F C A R T E R

As summer gives way to fall, here’s a trio of intriguing novels to get you through the season

September 11–17, 2014

Rewriting the Bookshop

NOW READ THIS

29

NIGHTLIFE Your city after dark, photos from the week’s hottest parties and a few words from Drai’s resident Borgeous

She’s Tuned In Adéllyn Polomski makes (air)waves as Clear Channel’s EDM czarina

By David Morris

AFTER COLLEGE ADÉLLYN POLOMSKI

| September 11–17, 2014

How would you describe your job?

I wear a couple of different hats: I am largely responsible for our electronic initiatives and Evolution brand, which is syndicated to more than 85 stations, including Z100 in New York and KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, as well as working with iHeart to select programming and coordinate initiatives across our platforms.

My newest hat is to serve as the director of artist relations and act as a conduit between the EDM community and Clear Channel. The goal is to connect our listeners with the artists and brands they love, and create cohesive partnerships through a variety of national activations, one of which is the iHeartRadio Music Festival.

This will be our fourth iHeartRadio Music Festival, and while it is still our marquee event, the space has really grown, and

VegasSeven.com

“needed to take a job and was passionate about radio,” but never imagined that what started as an assistant gig for Premiere Networks (a subsidiary of Clear Channel) would catapult her to the head of all things dance for its parent company. Given that Polomski plays a large role in supporting many of Clear Channel’s initiatives, we thought it time to catch up with her before this year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival goes down September 19-20.

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September 11–17, 2014

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we now produce the iHeartRadio Awards on NBC, and launched a country festival as well as a pool party in Miami. We have also opened two iHeartRadio theaters—one in Los Angeles and one in New York—to produce intimate shows. But make no mistake: Las Vegas is the holy grail of what we do.

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“MAKE NO MISTAKE: LAS VEGAS IS THE HOLY GRAIL.”

How intense is the road to Las Vegas for you?

It literally takes a village of people within our company to pull this off.

There is an entire group that just arranges the trips for the winners.

Another team books the artists and serves as talent liaisons, while yet another coordinates the live stream.

It truly is a labor of love, but it’s so much fun and very rewarding to bring this production to our listeners across 850 terrestrial stations. We also engage all of our stations, from the biggest to the smallest.

We always have a ton of surprises lined up and part of what is fun about this festival is that there are always never-before-seen collaborations. For me, Usher performing with Swedish House Mafia in 2012 was one of those ‘Ohmy-God’ moments. All I can say is that we definitely have some pretty cool stuff in the works.

What do you have in store for this year’s fest?

Beyond the Las Vegas festival, what else do you have in the works?

We are continuing to explore livemusic space on a national level from our country music festival to our Miami pool party to marquee events to launch in 2015. We also have our Jingle Ball tour coming up later this year, and will look to leverage our markets together to really bring in some amazing talent.

One of the biggest initiatives I’m involved with is working with artists to evaluate their goals so we can partner with brands and create

something special for our listeners.

[As such,] we will be relaunching our syndicated Pete Tong show on Evolution, and extending it from one hour to two. The show will use exclusive content from the Beatport charts, and is something I am very excited about.

Which EDM acts are you most excited about?

ZHU has grown quite a bit over the past year; we were one of the frst to play him across our network. Dillon Francis has an album coming out, and his new music is very solid. I am also a big follower of MAKJ. Do you think EDM will continue to mainstream?

The electronic dance music community has seen tremendous growth and is defnitely being taken seriously. Just look at the airplay on Z100 and KIIS L.A.—the two biggest terrestrial radio stations. There is certainly no sign that this movement is slowing down.

ONE DIRECTION BY ANDREA RAFFIN; USHER BY DEBBIE WONG; TAYLOR SWIFT COURTESY OF EVERETTE COLLECTION

NIGHTLIFE

Clockwise from far left: One Direction, Taylor Swift and Usher will all perform at the I Heart Music Festival this month.

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Life. (In SLS Las Vegas, 10 p.m., LifeNightclub.com.) The Swedish star will also appear as his techno-leaning alter ego Cirez D tomorrow for the debut of Life’s industry night, Underground Sundays (In SLS Las Vegas, 10 p.m.) Snoop Dogg returns to Tao for a post-fght-night edition of his “speakeasy experience,” Snoopadelic Cabaret. No word on whether he’s burned through the prize he won on Mayweather’s fght last September. Let’s just say it wasn’t cash. (In the Venetian, 10 p.m., TaoLasVegas.com.)

SUN 14 A year after teasing the track at EDC 2013, Hardwell released “The Dance Floor Is Yours” with W&W for free on Soundcloud. Now you can listen to it on repeat before seeing him with Mark Eteson at Hakkasan. (In MGM Grand, 10:30 p.m., HakkasanLV.com.)

For more hip-hop favor, swing by The Bank for a set

by Sirius/XM Radio’s DJ Whoo Kid. (In Bellagio, 10:30 p.m., TheBankLasVegas.com.)

MON 15

Snoopadelic Cabaret.

September 11–17, 2014

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THU 11

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Need a reason to check out THEhotel’s transformation into the Delano? Franklin, the new resort’s lounge, is the place to be for libations, small bites and a rotating roster of DJs. Tonight, Audiomoe and Elvis Suarez bring the tunes into the wee hours. (In the Delano, 5 p.m., DelanoLasVegas.com.)

and Grace Jones. There’s also a $50 bar tab on the line for the best Bowie-inspired ensemble. (517 Fremont St., 10 p.m., TheBeautyBar.com.) A-Trak’s been busy dropping mixtapes on his Fool’s Gold label and working on his Federal Reserve collaborative EP with rapper Cam’ron. Now he returns to Light with his genre-bending beats. (In Mandalay Bay, 10 p.m., TheLightVegas.com.)

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SAT 13

Beauty Bar hosts a David Bowie tribute night, Dynamite. DJ Allen will spin a soundtrack that expands beyond Bowie tunes to include glam-punk contemporaries such as the Talking Heads

Hyde hosts a Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana viewing party. (In Bellagio, 5 p.m., HydeBellagio.com.) As usual, Mayweather seems pretty confdent about winning. He’ll appear post-fght at Vanity with

“Don’t Tell ‘Em” singer Jeremih (in Hard Rock Hotel, 10:30 p.m., HardRockHotel.com) and at Rehab on Sunday (at Hard Rock, 10 a.m.). Something tells us those parties won’t be so fun if the undefeated champ loses. For a sure reason to raise your glass, stop by Hofbräuhaus for the Oktoberfest kickoff. Siegfried and Roy will be on hand to strike the frst mallet. (4510 Paradise Rd., 7 p.m., HofbrauhausLasVegas. com.) Macklemore and Ryan Lewis deliver a full concert performance at Surrender for Mexican Independence Day weekend. (In Encore, 10:30 p.m., SurrenderNightclub.com.)

Eric Prydz, our 2014 Best Bet for Legit Electronic Music, is here for the frst date of his exclusive residency with

Savor unlimited margarita tastings at the Margarita Festival at Boulevard Pool.

Some of the city’s most celebrated mixologists—from venues such as Velveteen Rabbit and Herbs & Rye—will compete for prestige and a trip to Tequila, Mexico; you just have to put down $40 to drink and vote. (At the Cosmopolitan, 7 p.m., Cosmo-

A-Trak.

politanLasVegas.com.) Feel like clubbin’ after all that sippin’?

Head upstairs to Marquee for sounds by Vice. (In the Cosmopolitan, 10:30 p.m., MarqueeLasVegas.com.)

TUE 16 In a rare move, Wet Republic opens its doors at night for a festa in honor of Mexican Independence Day. Dutch titan Tiësto is on deck to keep you moving. (At MGM Grand, 10:30 p.m., WetRepublic.com.) For more Mexican Independence-related festivities, see our roundup at VegasSeven.com/MID.

WED 17 Ladies, don’t forget you can indulge in a rosè Champagne open bar from 10 p.m. to midnight during #LadiesBeLike at Ghostbar. Additionally, enjoy sounds by DJ Presto One and half off all cocktails. (In the Palms, 8 p.m., Palms.com.)

Floyd Mayweather.

SNOOPADELIC BY AL POWERS; A-TRAK BY TERRY RICHARDSON

NIGHTLIFE

Camille Cannon

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NIGHTLIFE

AMERICAN DJ AND PRODUCER BORGEOUS has had a hand in a few very important club anthems that you’ll hear up and down the Strip. “Tsunami,” the collaborative track with fellow Drai’s resident DVBBS, skyrocketed him to fame and was recently used in Drai’s commercials on screens in local taxis and at McCarran International Airport. We spoke with the young EDM star (a.k.a. John Borger) as he waited for a car following a show in Tallahassee, Florida, just days after returning from an international tour. Next stops included New York’s Electric Zoo festival and the Tramps Like Us festival in San Diego. Catch Borgeous next at Drai’s Beach Club & Nightclub on September 19.

Where are some of your favorite places to perform?

I like playing in Canada a lot. Canada has really good energy. New York is always fun. Of course Drai’s. I played my frst night show there on a Saturday like a month ago. I also just got back from India. That was pretty amazing.

What was your favorite part about your trip to India?

It was just cool seeing a different part of the world and the different way of living there.

I hear the dance scene is blowing up there.

Yeah, it’s huge. I felt like Justin Bieber when I was over there. It was pretty crazy.

What do you have coming up?

I just put out a song called “Breathe” on Doorn Records. I have another song called “They Don’t Know Us” coming out with the vocalist from “Invincible” and “Wildfre.” And I have a kind of deep-house song I’ve been working on—that’s kind of a different angle. I have some other collabs that are in the works right now [with] Sam Smith and Kelly Rowland. I’m kinda letting everything develop [and] putting out a bunch of stuff in 2015.

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The ‘Invincible’ Man Following a string of club hits and with a prestigious residency at Drai’s, Borgeous doesn’t plan on stopping the momentum any time soon

By Kat Boehrer

Did you go? That’s one of the best!

I’m just kidding … kind of … not really. I really like to go [out] with friends that live in Vegas to a really nice restaurant and just sit and enjoy, you know. I don’t really like to go too crazy anymore. I don’t go out to get fucked up. We go out for a few drinks at a little bar and then we go to a club or something for a little bit.

Last time I went to Vegas I went and chilled with Diplo—he’s a good friend of mine. I went to his show at XS and kicked it with him onstage … and then we ended up going to Spearmint Rhino and I made [the girls] dance to “Tsunami” and “Invincible.”

PHOTO BY DAMON KIDWELL

September 11–17, 2014

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VegasSeven.com

And what do you like to do when you’re in Las Vegas?

Spearmint Rhino. No, I’m just kidding … [laughs]

NIGHTLIFE

PARTIES

HAZE Aria

[ UPCOMING ]

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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONVegas.com

PHOTOS BY TONY TRAN

September 11–17, 2014

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VegasSeven.com

Sept. 13 Fight Night Sept. 18 Prostyle spins Sept. 19 Nico and Vinz perform

NIGHTLIFE

PARTIES

XS NIGHTSWIM Encore

[ UPCOMING ]

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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONVegas.com

PHOTOS BY DANNY MAHONEY

September 11–17, 2014

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Sept. 14 David Guetta spins Sept. 21 Manufactured Superstars spin Sept. 28 Cazzette spin

FIGH T W EEKEND PRESENTS

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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONVegas.com

PHOTOS BY TONY TRAN

September 11–17, 2014

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VegasSeven.com

Sept. 12 Joe Maz spins Sept. 13 Mayweather vs. Maidana viewing party Sept. 16 Lost Angels industry night with Ross One

DINING

“Hearthstone won’t be just another spot to nosh before hitting the club.” {PAGE 69}

Restaurant reviews, news and where to get a jump-start on Oktoberfest

High Steaks Bazaar Meat in SLS Las Vegas is a carnivorous culinary sensation

Bazaar Meat just gets steak right.

VegasSeven.com

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EVEN AFTER FIVE VISITS to SLS Las Vegas during its frst 10 days of operation, I still can’t decide how I feel about the place overall. But as I reserve judgment on the resort as a whole, there’s one thing I’m certain of: I love Bazaar Meat! Leave it to José Andrés to take on the steakhouse— the most boring dining concept—and completely turn it on its head.

Andrés is one of the pioneers of Spanish avant-garde cooking. He’s also widely credited with helping to popularize tapas in the U.S. He has restaurants nationwide, including several in Las Vegas, such as China Poblano, Jaleo and the intimate É by José Andrés in the Cosmopolitan.

Given the chef’s creativity and diverse background, it’s no surprise Bazaar Meat is more than just a steakhouse. Sure, its heart and soul is the fre pit: a collection of grills and ovens where cooks fre up meats carefully sourced from boutique purveyors, complete with proffered Kobe certifcates. And the steak I’ve sampled from that station has been great. But in a town with so many great steakhouses, that’s not what excites me.

The rest of the menu is an amalgamation. There’s a raw bar—a station dedicated solely to tartares and carpaccios—and a collection of cured meats. Examples of the scientifc cooking methods that made the chef famous, and some favorites from his other restaurants, are scattered throughout the menu. Less traditional meat choices, such as lamb neck with fried oysters and blood sausage with sea urchin, abound.

And then there are the suckling pigs, cooked in the fre pit and offered whole or by the quarter.

September 11–17, 2014

PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA

By Al Mancini

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DINING

Bazaar Meat’s polished huntinglodge interior, and Jose’s Asian tacos.

Al’s

Menu Picks

September 11–17, 2014

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VegasSeven.com

Cotton candy foie gras ($8), Jose’s Asian tacos ($25), “Beefsteak” tomato tartare ($18), steaks ($38-$100), Foieffle ($12).

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In keeping with Andrés’ tapas traditions, most of the menu consists of small plates. Even the massive steaks arrive sliced, so they can easily be shared at the table.

The real beauty of Bazaar Meat is the way in which the chef and his team perfectly blend the traditional and the bizarre (yes, pun intended).

The steaks are simply seasoned and perfectly grilled. The miniature sloppy Joes are all-American classics. Even the Asian “tacos” (Ibérico ham and fying fsh roe on a sheet of nori) are a simple homage to the highest quality ingredients. But then you get to cotton-candy foie gras. Their sweet, airy wrapping is a beautiful counterbalance to the buttery meatiness of the fatty duck liver within. The same goes for the addition of a delicate, sweet lemon foam to a briny sea urchin beautifully presented in its shell. And don’t miss the tiny “Foiffe,” a light-as-air,

hollow waffe stuffed and topped with foie gras foam, peanut butter and honey. (It’s listed as a sandwich, but save this one for dessert.)

The main dining room at Bazaar Meat is massive and cavernous, with hunting-lodge décor. Most of the cooking stations are within view of the public. And there are several communal tables, including a sushi-style bar in front of the raw station. Unfortunately the view of the chefs working here is mostly obscured by large cuts of beef.

(The traditional tartare is prepared tableside, however.)

While the main dining room can feel busy and rushed, the adjoining Bazaar casino has a more laid-back lounge-like vibe, at least during off hours. There, a limited menu is served at a group of tables surrounding the small casino pit.

Much of the locally sourced wait staff still seems to be training under members of Andrés’ national team.

But I recognized several of them from other top local restaurants, and it’s clearly a quality crew in both the restaurant and casino.

The success of Bazaar Meat may ultimately depend on whether SLS’ “budget chic” vibe appeals more to big-city hipsters who can understand its cuisine and high prices.

It’s also possible that budget tourists will turn up their noses at both.

Or perhaps savvy foodies of all stripes will recognize its greatness and make Bazaar Meat a destination restaurant independent of its host resort.

BAZAAR MEAT

In SLS Las Vegas, 702-761-7610.

Open for dinner 5:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. Sun–Thu, 5:30 p.m.–midnight Sat–Sun. Dinner for two $150–$400.

Get the latest on local restaurant openings and closings, interviews with top chefs, cocktail recipes, menu previews and more in our weekly “Sips and Bites” newsletter. Subscribe at VegasSeven.com/SipsAndBites.

800 Degrees, the new Neapolitan-style pizza joint in SLS Las Vegas (702-761-7616, SLSLasVegas.com), lured the hotel’s culinary mastermind, Spanish chef José Andrés, into its kitchens to create a specialty pie for the property’s grand opening. Andrés’ $45 white pizza, Lo Spagnolo (Italian for “the Spaniard”)— mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic, oregano and olive oil topped with creamy burrata cheese, fresh basil and caviar—is available for a limited time, presumably till the caviar runs out.

If your idea of fall includes beer and sausage, never fear, Oktoberfest is almost here! Traditionally, the 16-day Bavarian festival kicks off September 19 in Munich, but this is Las Vegas, and we like to get the party started early. Therefore, our very own German beer hall, Hofbräuhaus (4510 Paradise Rd., 702853-2337, HofbrauhausLasVegas.com) will tap its first keg of the season with Siegfried and Roy on September 13, with more celebrity keg tappers releasing Hofbräuhaus’ imported Oktoberfest brew on Fridays and Saturdays till Halloween. This is your time to fully appreciate true European cuisine, including great wurst, schnitzel and schweinshaxe (that’s roasted ham hock to you), and even krautwickerl, the German version of stuffed cabbage rolls. It’s home-style comfort food, under the guise of drinking beer. Prost!

Trade in your beer stein for chopsticks with a special omakase dinner September 17 at Nobu ($120, Hard Rock Hotel and Caesars Palace, NobuRestaurants.com). That night, each of the Japanese pioneer’s modern restaurants in the U.S. will serve identical menus to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the very first Nobu in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood. The “20 Years in 20 Bites” menu features five courses with four bites each—two existing dishes and two new ones.

Signature items, such as black miso cod in butter lettuce and hamachi jalapeño, are joined by 20th anniversary cocktails created especially for this menu.

Also turning 20, the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas has its own celebration September 18 with the inaugural Taste of Hospitality around The Mirage pool ($125 VIP, $75, TheCulinaryAcademy.org). The Culinary Academy has trained more than 40,000 workers, many of whom have gone on to successful hospitality gigs on the Strip (and beyond). And even though the academy isn’t old enough to drink, there will be an open craft-cocktail and beer bar to pair with bites from restaurants that likely employ some academy alums, such as Gilley’s Saloon, Giada, Heritage Steak, all three Gordon Ramsay restaurants and Portofino.

Grace Bascos eats, sleeps, raves and repeats.

Read more from Grace at VegasSeven.com/ DishingWithGrace, as well as on her dining-andmusic blog, FoodPlusTechno.com.

PHOTOS BY JON ESTRADA

SPANISH PIZZA, GERMAN COMFORT FOOD AND LOOK WHO’S TURNING 20

By Al Mancini

September 11–17, 2014

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LET’S FACE IT: There’s nothing really novel or interesting about the idea of a celebrity chef anymore. You can’t walk 50 yards on the Strip without passing a property with a restaurant owned by some chef you’ve seen on TV. But a celebrity butcher—well, that’s pretty damn unique. In fact, there’s really only one: Pat LaFrieda. The back cover of his new book, Meat: Everything You Need to Know (Atria, $30) features praise from such cooking royalty as Mario Batali, Rachael Ray, Marc Forgione, Martha Stewart, Danny Meyer, Alex Guarnaschelli and Michael White, among others. And his family business, Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors (named for his grandfather, Pat), supplies more than 1,200 restaurants in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Miami and Chicago.

PHOTO BY EVAN SUNG

DINING

Talking beef with Pat LaFrieda, America’s celebrity butcher

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VegasSeven.com

The Name of the Game

Here in Las Vegas, you can sample his products at just two of our fnest steakhouses: Old Homestead and Gordon Ramsay Steak. (LaFrieda also supplied the beef to Batali’s Carnevino for its frst six months of operation while the restaurant developed its in-house aging program.) When Ramsay opened his restaurant he sang LaFrieda’s praises to the media. And chef Michael Gill of Old Homestead says the restaurant began using LaFrieda’s beef because he supplied their sister restaurant in New York. But, he insists, “Since I have been here, we have done multiple tastings of meat to go up against Pat LaFrieda, and Pat LaFrieda wins hands-down in every single tasting.”

It’s gotten to the point where even restaurant customers know the name.

“I was eating in Gordon Ramsay two weeks ago,” LaFrieda says. “And it was really a treat to hear people asking for the steaks by name. I was sitting next to a couple [who were] talking about Pat LaFrieda [meat]. And it was kind of embarrassing, because I’m really a behind-the-scenes person. But here were two people talking about the steaks and how great the caliber of the beef was.”

So what is it about LaFrieda’s beef that has earned such an unparalleled level of respect? “First,” he tells me, “we have to start with breed.” All of his beef is Black Angus. But the way you harvest (or slaughter) the animal is also important. He uses a “harvesting facility” that was built by Temple Grandin, the autistic author, professor and doctor of animal science featured in an eponymous 2010 HBO flm about her life.

“Being the most humane harvesting facility makes the beef less anxious at time of harvest,” he explains. “And that translates into tenderness.”

In his selection process, LaFrieda only uses cuts graded Prime by the USDA—a grade that’s only awarded to 4 percent of the beef in America. It signifes the highest level of fat marbling recognized by the government, which makes for more favor. Finally, the meat is dryaged in a state-of-the-art facility, an expensive process that actually reduces the size of the beef as it tenderizes it and intensifes its favor. The amount of time spent in the aging room is determined by LaFrieda’s customers.

Given the intricacy of the process, LaFrieda’s beef doesn’t come cheap.

Here in town, his steaks range from $55 to upward of $100. LaFrieda admits they aren’t what most people would splurge on regularly. But he believes the restaurants he partners with are the perfect venues for such a luxury product.

“Old Homestead or Gordon Ramsay Steak are not where you’re going when you’re on vacation and want an inexpensive meal,” he says. “It’s someplace where you’re going to celebrate. And you really want it to be something memorable.” As anyone who’s dined at those steakhouses will attest, this celebrity butcher definitely delivers on memories.

MUCH LIKE A MAD SCIENTIST, chef Brian Massie has been planted in his lab (a.k.a. the kitchen at Fix in Bellagio), testing dishes that will anchor the menu at Hearthstone, his latest venture with the Light Group.

But Hearthstone won’t be just another spot to nosh before hitting the club—it’s located in Red Rock Resort, exposing the Summerlin crowd to an innovative seafood-forward, wine-centric menu completely different from what Massie and the Light Group do at their Strip restaurants, such as Fix and Stack.

PHOTOS BY ANTHONY MAIR

Hearthstone’s ode to “Crabby Snacks,” and chef Brian Massie.

VegasSeven.com

By Melinda Sheckells

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The Light Group swaps steak for fresh seafood and the Strip for Summerlin

but the veggies will change based on the season. He pairs it with Green Goddess dressing, which is light and refreshing. Currently in season: sugar snap peas, a variety of radishes, white asparagus, haricots verts, cucumber and fennel. “It’s wine-friendly and a super health-conscious dish. Plus it’s really great for sharing.”

One of Massie’s favorite dishes is the “Crabby Snacks,” Hearthstone’s take on East Coast favorite crab toast, with an updated name derived from the Oscar-nominated flm Silver Linings Playbook. With only a handful of ingredients— including Peekytoe crab, Sir Kensington’s gourmet mayonnaise, chopped fennel and a Meyer lemon vinaigrette—this is a crisp and delicate dish, showing the favor of the crab.

Massie also takes a minimalist approach to carpaccio. “We take tuna, which we fy in from Hawaii. We lightly pound it out into a thin sheet and spread it over the plate like dough. Then we accent it with vinaigrette: yuzu, cucumbers, jalapeños, a little bit of shallot, honey and salt. Simple.”

Next he demonstrates a steak tartare made from short rib fank, a cut that gives the dish a rich, beefy favor. The minced protein is combined with a dash of Sir Kensington’s mayo and then garnished with shallots, capers, parsley, chive and a little lemon. It is served with brioche coated in truffe butter and truffe salt. This dish, he says, is a wild card: It sells well on the Strip, but only time will tell how it will fare with Summerlin-ites.

From the raw-food-prep station, Massie moves over to the stove where he establishes the process for an experimental dessert that is in the works. Experimental because the dish—which involves the continuous rotating, by hand, of doughy balls flled with sweet ricotta in a Danish aebleskiver pan with individual circular molds for 5-plus minutes—is both labor intensive and complicated, and he is unsure if it will be offered it on a regular basis.

The yet-to-be-named “puffs,” similar in consistency to doughnut holes, are served with huckleberry jam and lemon curd.

Perhaps this calls for a dessert special, Chef?

September 11–17, 2014

Hearthstone Heats Up

“We are moving away from the showy stuff, such as giant steaks and stuffed lobster, to more real food that’s down to earth, with a refned-yetrustic approach,” Massie says. With less than a month till Hearthstone’s October opening, he is clearly preparing for a home run.

“This is our home base,” he says, referring to a white board with the preliminary menu. “Everything we do when we’re working on a tasting is up here. We reference all the ingredients. We take pictures to show plating, garnishes and meat, so we don’t forget anything.”

At the center of Hearthstone will be two massive ovens within an open kitchen.

In front of those is an oyster and charcuterie bar.

“When you walk in, right next to the counter where everyone’s eating, we built an elevated semicircle bar.

There’s a big glass wall, and it’s open, and you will see staff shucking oysters, a big slicer, jars of good stuff, hanging salamis and cheese.

These are just the snacks, and we hope everybody sits down and has one of these things to start.”

Massie says only 20 percent of the menu will come “from the back,” with 80 percent being prepared in front of the customer. Hearthstone embraces the small-plates trend, and Massie keeps it simple—most dishes have no more than fve ingredients. The hearth will touch most dishes, both hot and cold. “All the seafood is done in there; the fsh for the chowder, the roasted squash for the salad, the pizzas, the short ribs, a whole salt-crusted roasted branzino, the cast-iron, hearth-roasted New York sirloin.

And rotisserie potatoes—we have this rotisserie oven that’s coming from Belgium, and we are the only restaurant in the U.S. that has it.”

Kicking things off, Massie says the restaurant will serve crudité in a custom-carved log. The concept of the dish will remain the same,

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A&E

“The soundtrack of my adolescence had transformed overnight into a syndicated dispenser of old-people rock.” MUSIC {PAGE 74}

Ray Charles celebration leaps from one night at The Smith Center to six weeks at the Venetian

By Steve Bornfeld

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this singular American icon in February at Reynolds Hall, and will return to do likewise for six weeks at the Venetian, beginning September 18.

“With my background, being both black and white, my mom being an opera singer and my dad being a jazz singer, I was always searching for who I was musically. He was one of those people who did everything and made someone like me think I could be whoever CO N TIN U ED O N PAGE 72

September 11–17, 2014

Vegas on Their Minds

HIT THE STRIP, JACK. Won’t ya come back some more, some more, some more, some more?

Such a soulful plea should not go unheeded, ergo … Georgia on My Mind: Celebrating the Music of Ray Charles. Once at The Smith Center.

Thirty times at the Venetian.

“This wasn’t part of the plan that was laid out, but I’m thrilled,” says Clint Holmes, who hosted the multi-performer musical voyage through the life and career of

VegasSeven.com

A cornucopia of autumn's best movies, music, art and radio contests

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A&E VegasSeven.com

| September 11–17, 2014

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CO N TIN U ED FRO M PAGE 71 I wanted “It wasn’t like I sang my song to be.” and then walked offstage and sat Declared “the only true genius down,” Holmes recalls. “I wanted in show business” by Frank Sinatra to hang around and see what Take and “more important than Elvis 6 was going to do, and they wanted Presley” by Billy Joel, Ray Charles to see what I was going to do and (who died in 2004) lived one of the Nnenna was doing the same. We most storied lives in pop culture hisfound this family feeling almost tory. Blindness, drug addiction and immediately. It became kind of sad racism did not get in the way of his when we thought we were only golegacy as a soul music pioneer, fusing to do two performances.” ing genres and creating forever clasSad became glad when Rosen sics including “Hit the Road, Jack,” received a post-show call from Ve“I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “I Got a netian President Robert Goldstein, Woman,” “What’d I Say” and “Georsuggesting the show migrate to the gia on My Mind”—plus a unique Strip. “He said, ‘I think there’s a space take on “America the Beautiful” that for this,’” Rosen remembers. “It’s many consider defnitive. almost like what's old is new again, “The way he did ‘America the with real artists interacting with a Beautiful,’ it makes everybody either big band onstage. He said he thought stand up and cheer, or stand up and it was a missing element on the Strip cry,” says Larry Rosen, co-founder of right now, so this is kind of a test case GRP Records and producer/director to see how it actually works.” of the Charles tribute.

Georgia on My Mind marks two Strip “If you went from Louis Armreturns. Fifty years ago, in 1964, a strong to Frank Sinatra to Michael 24-year-old Rosen played drums Jackson, you would think of Ray behind the late Andy Williams at Charles in that same group. There the Desert Inn. Eight years ago, in is a lot of respect we have to pay 2006, Holmes ended his lengthy stay to him. He took the at Harrah’s. Since Southern soulful the opening of The gospel roots and R&B Smith Center in GEORGIA ON MY MIND: and put it together 2012, he has been a CELEBRATING with country and regular at Cabaret THE MUSIC OF even the American Jazz, one among RAY CHARLES, songbook, and made many projects he Tue-Sat, it into a Ray type of juggles.

Sept. 18-Oct. 29, thing. This [show] “I love my gig at Venetian Theatre, goes beyond a bunch Cabaret Jazz, I think $82.50 and up, of songs by Ray I’ve grown a lot, and 702-414-9000, Charles. It’s an emoI don’t want to lose Venetian.com. tional mission.” that,” Holmes says.

Crowded mission, “But Myron was too. While intergreat about saying, preting Charles’ signature tunes, ‘Hey, take a leave of absence, come Holmes will also direct the musical back in December.’” But frst, Georgia traffc created by fellow headliners— on My Mind is scheduled to tour in vocal group Take 6, singer Nnenna Miami and Orlando in November.

Freelon, saxophonist Kirk Whalum, Though the shift from Reynolds the Las Vegas Mass Choir and the Hall to the Venetian Theatre is Las Vegas All-Star Big Band, directed a modest downgrade in seating

by David Loeb, UNLV's director of capacity—from 2,050 to 1,815—it aljazz studies. Photos, video clips and lows for some technical upgrades narration will intersect with the robecause the production can settle bust Ray Charles repertoire. in longer than it did at The Smith “I wanted to have artists who in Center. “There will be more prosome way were connected to the muduction value in it because we have sic,” Rosen says. “Each one has their the ability to set up more sophistiown little story. Nnenna opened for cated situations,” Rosen says.

Ray Charles. Take 6 worked with him “When you do a one-nighter at a before and they are from the South, performing arts center, you try to and Kirk comes from that funky, get all the staging and lighting as soulful Southern music. And then good as you can and that’s about it.

[Smith Center President] Myron Here we will have the ability to use Martin said he thought Clint would more video and lighting and projecbe great in it. I knew who he was but tions. But I’m not looking to make hadn’t worked with him before. So I this Cirque du Soleil. This is about was introduced to him and saw him the artists and the musicians.” perform a couple of times. When And, at its heart, about an icon I put together the cast, I knew he the world knew as Brother Ray. would be perfect. And it turned out “It’s more of a journey than a to be a love affair with the cast. The concert,” Holmes says. “There’s a magic sauce was there.” real feeling among all of us that Originally, the production had a this is something special.” two-show life—once at Atlanta’s Cobb So hit the Strip, Jack. Who Energy Performing Arts Centre, and knows? Maybe after six weeks are once at Reynolds Hall. Rehearsals up, they’ll crave some more, some cemented a strong camaraderie. more, some more, some more.

FIVE SHOWS TO SEE KISS Rocks Vegas, new residency, 8 p.m. Nov. 5, 7-8, 12, 14-15, 19, 22-23, The Joint at The Hard Rock, $49.50, $225, 702-693-5222, HardRockHotel.com.

Jeff Dunham: Not Playing With a Full Deck, new residency, 7 p.m. Wed-Sat, 4 and 7 p.m. Sat-Sun, Nov. 28-May 30, Planet Hollywood, $72, 702-785-5395, PlanetHollywoodResort.com/shows.

Las Vegas Philharmonic, featuring debut of new music director/ conductor Donato Cabrera, with guest soprano Deborah Voigt, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 27, Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center, $26-$94, 702-749-2000, TheSmithCenter.com.

The Magic Flute on Fremont by Sin City Opera, a Las Vegas-themed variation on Mozart’s The Magic Flute (sung in English), 8 p.m. Sept. 18-20, 6 p.m.

Sept. 21, Downtown Container Park, Free, 646-321-7949, SinCityOpera.com.

Viva Veracruz! The Show, new production show, 7 p.m. Thu-Tue, Planet Hollywood, $39-$69, 702-785-5395, VivaVeracruzTheShow.com.

A&E

The author (center) and her sister enjoy a hard-won meet & greet with the band AFI in 2007.

She Hearts Radio Streaming may have killed the radio star, but not the radio contest.

Here’s one fan’s story.

By Camille Cannon

September 11–17, 2014

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VegasSeven.com

“YOU CAN GO IF YOU WIN TICKETS.”

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That was my mother’s response when I asked to attend the 2005 Download Festival in Mountain View, California. It’s why, at 14, I spent fve hours of a beautiful summer afternoon in my Sacramento suburb sunken into a couch, rifing through radio static on a Walkman headset until I heard this: “Howard 93.7’s got your tickets to see Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, the Killers and more at Download Festival happening this October at Shoreline Amphitheater!

All you have to do is be caller 14 right now. Good luck!”

In Las Vegas, several radio stations are currently announcing similar giveaways for the iHeartRadio Music Festival. That’s because the gathering of popmusic megastars such as Taylor Swift, Iggy Azalea and Coldplay—happening September 19-20 at MGM Grand Garden Arena—sold out months in advance. For music fans who don’t want—or can’t afford—to deal with scalpers, winning a contest is your only hope.

That’s why I’m reminiscing now. Throughout my teen years, I entered at least a dozen radio contests.

The Download Festival—to which I did win tickets— was just the spark to my streak.

After scoring those tickets, I was determined to win again. So I rearranged my schedule to revolve around Howard 93.7. Bathroom breaks? Only when a song started. Otherwise, I could miss the DJ announcing a contest. Showers? Only right after the contest announcements, because it would be at least 30 minutes until the next one. Dinners with family? Well, I still needed to eat.

Not more than a month after my frst win, I turned the radio on to fnd that Howard 93.7 was gone. After a series of typical commercials, a soulless, pre-recorded voice told me, “You’re listening to Jack FM on 93.7: Playing what we want!” Huh? I kept listening.

I heard Journey’s “Open Arms,” Mike & the Mechanics’ “All I Need Is a Miracle,” then Styx’s “Mr. Roboto.”

Oh, no. The soundtrack of my adolescence had trans-

“I DIDN’T WANT TO INFORM MY MOTHER THAT I’D ANNIHILATED HER THOUGHTFUL GIFT TO WIN MONEY, BUT I NEEDED A RIDE TO PICK UP THE CASH.” formed overnight into a syndicated dispenser of oldpeople rock. And the live DJs disappeared, as did the giveaways. I shut off the radio after a few songs, but I couldn’t turn off my desire to win again. “I just have to move on,” I said. “Like JT when Britney cheated.”

Enter KWOD 106.5, Sacramento’s other alternative station. Not only did it offer on-air giveaways, but the station promoted at least three times as many on its

website. And these didn’t just require luck, they necessitated knowledge. And my family’s desktop PC. I was soon spending hours online, answering multiple-choice trivia questions to earn points for ticket raffes. “When did the Beatles make their American television debut?” Duh, 1964. “Who holds the record for most home runs in a career?” Um, Barry Bonds?

Yes. “How much does a root canal cost at Arden Dental?” Huh? Hold up.

Questions like the latter required me to cozy up to the websites of local businesses for answers. I knew they were probably paying KWOD for the exposure.

But I’d be damned if I didn’t click my way to more contest entries. So I’ll say it now like I did then: A root canal cost $750.

Despite all of the effort invested and integrity lost, I only won a single ticket raffe—one I’d entered 180 times over several months. The prize was two tickets plus a meet & greet to see the band AFI. One day I glimpsed my pasty face in the mirror and knew I needed a new method. My curiosity turned toward KWOD’s essay contest, called $500 Thursdays. Oh, the concerts I could afford with that kind of cash! The prompt asked, “What’s the worst gift you’ve ever received?”

I answered honestly: It was a Christmas present from the woman who gave me life. I know it came from the toy aisle at Target and it resembled a snow globe, but its round top was composed of gelatinous plastic instead of glass. There were no tiny landmarks inside of it either, only glitter. What could I do with that? Nothing. It just sat on my shelf, jiggling by its own volition.

Probably because I watched a lot of Real Housewives of Orange County at the time, I described it in my essay as a “silicone breast implant on a base.”

The win was bittersweet.

I didn’t want to inform my mother that I’d annihilated her thoughtful gift to win money, but I needed a ride to pick up the cash. So I had no choice.

“You won, honey? That’s wonderful! How’d you do it?”

I’ve erased our exchange from memory, but I wear the shame of that essay like a face tattoo: for a lifetime.

At least the experience taught me I could write, right?

My efforts with KWOD were going swimmingly, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to expand. I decided to try my luck with 107.9, a local top-40 station. They were still running contests on-air only. I didn’t have a cellphone yet, so I was using the 10-inch Mickey Mouse house phone my parents let me keep in my room. Really, though, it was a glorifed statue. In the rare moments when my radio was off, I could hear Mickey emanating a strange wheezing noise from the phone jack, as if his whole being were rejecting the idea of serving as a functional telephone.

One day I went into a dialing frenzy, pounding Mickey’s buttons so quickly that I called 911 by mistake. The dispatcher was miffed. She informed me that calling 911 “without an emergency” was “against the law.” Perhaps because I sounded 6 and not 16, she let me off the hook.

Whew.

A rational person might have quit after that mishap. But I wasn’t rational. I was in love. My heart and my notebooks were flled with thoughts of Adam Lazzara, the shaggy-haired, tattooed frontman for the emo band Taking Back Sunday.

RITES OF FALL

For those about to rock … we’ve got your autumnal list of must-listen concerts You can’t keep a great ska band down, which explains why Viva Ska Vegas returns to the Fremont Country Club at 5 p.m. The 12-band lineup looks tight: the Untouchables, Chris Murray, Five Iron Frenzy, plus my new fave, Skapeche Mode. (Yes, the latter performs ska covers of new wave songs.) Bonus: There’s a free 9 p.m. September 19 pre-concert in Downtown Container Park featuring Debonaires, California Celts and Isolated Victims.

SEP

20

Former Phantom lead Kristen Hertzenberg returns to Cabaret Jazz in The Smith Center for two shows, 5 and 8 p.m.

This time she’s focusing on lyrically driven songs from the blues, rock, jazz, folk and country genres, while her band—which includes singer-guitarist Ben Hale (Crimson Balladeers) and singer-pianist Martin Kaye—remains top-notch.

SEP

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He’s been called a classical musician “for the iPod generation” and is known to play everything from Maurice Ravel concertos to the theme from the Super Mario Bros. video game. Indeed, Alpin Hong is a virtuosic and visceral pianist. I’m eager to witness him tear the roof off Henderson Pavilion at 8 p.m.

OCT

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The metal event of the year has got to be Judas Priest at the Pearl in the Palms, 8 p.m. The British heavy-rock pioneers are touring in support of their Redeemer of Souls album, but they also promise to perform all the classic hits from their 40-year career of sonic evil.

NOV

15

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The decade wait was worth it for the second album by Toronto noise-rock duo Death From Above 1979. The Physical World fires on all musical cylinders.

Monstrous guitar riffs and scaryas-fuck vocals are on display in “Right On, Frankenstein!” This 9 p.m. show at Brooklyn Bowl has me volume-training my eardrums.

NOV

VegasSeven.com

14

September 11–17, 2014

“I have to meet him!” I’d tell friends, using my new mobile severe downturn in the economy over the last year has affip phone. If I didn’t, our wedding—for which I’d picked a fected many people and companies. While we are a radio brown color scheme, to match his eyes—could never be. So station, we face the same circumstances as so many other when I learned that Taking Back Sunday was opening for organizations today … the challenge of running a business Linkin Park on their Projekt Revolution tour, I had a mission. proftably.”

“The frst caller to correctly answer will win tickets to ProI was crushed. It’s a rough world out there for jekt Revolution: What’s the name of the collaboration album terrestrial radio.

Linkin Park did with Jay-Z?” These days, one way stations fght to survive is through I had no clue. online streaming. iHeartRadio, which is owned by Clear I dialed the station on my cellphone and made a run for the Channel Communications, is among the largest streaming computer down the hall. I pressed the phone providers in the market. And the iHeartRafrmly to my ear, its sleek façade wicking dio Festival contests direct traffc toward its sweat from my brow. I was breathless bestations and websites. iHEARTRADIO fore I reached the keyboard and banged out Even the ways to enter contests are MUSIC FESTIVAL “JAY Z LINKIN PARK ALBUM.” The dial tone different nowadays. In February, I won Pop’s biggest names— sounded more like the bridal march with sound-check entry and tickets by “liking” a including Taylor Swift, each beep. Then the DJ picked up.

Facebook post by the band Parade of Lights. I One Direction, Coldplay “Collision Course!” I gasped. was notifed via text that I had to show up at and 15 others—will be in I’d won again. Alas, the concert came and Vinyl at the Hard Rock by 4:30 p.m. the next one place, for very short went, and I was still not Mrs. Lazzara. Enter day to claim my prize. Fun before 5 p.m.? I have set times. Ryan Seacrest Plan B for my future: college and a summer to work! I waited for hours with a small crowd hosts, Sept. 19-20, MGM job at Little Caesars Pizza. I never requestof kids and their parents. They sat anxiously Grand Garden Arena. ed a vacation from the smell of cardboard as the band set up, and I sipped Red Bull It’s sold out, but … you and Crazy Bread until my concert senses through a straw to stay awake. That’s when I can win tickets from tingled for the approach of the Vans Warped knew: “I’m getting too old for this.”

106.5, 93.1 or 95.5 FM; Tour. I begged another cashier to cover my Clearly, the 14-year-old me would’ve or opt for the scaledshift, but I still needed tickets. lost sleep trying to win tickets to anydown outdoor Village on No longer enjoying the afternoon free time thing—including the forthcoming iHeartSept. 20; or live stream of an unemployed 16-year-old, I woke up at Radio Music Festival—but now I’ve moved it on Yahoo! Screen; dawn to phone-in and win. I would’ve felt on. In fact, I didn’t even buy tickets. or watch the CW’s so silly if I messed up my work schedule and In researching the festival, I learned that abbreviated broadcasts still couldn’t see the show. Two gray hairs there are so many new ways to watch: Yahoo Sept. 29-30. and one successful phone call later, I came to will stream it live. Clear Channel-owned raFestival.iHeart.com. what Oprah Winfrey calls an “aha” moment. dio stations will broadcast it. The CW will air I have a job now! I could have select performances on SeptemBOUGHT tickets! ber 29-30. Heck, I’m sure there’ll Shortly thereafter, I moved be plenty of Instagram and away for college. When I reYouTube clips (#iHeart). Honestly, turned from my frst year in May any of those options sound pretty 2009, I learned that KWOD’s good to 23-year-old me. I’ll leave 18-years-strong alternative forthe challenge and excitement of winning to today’s teens. mat had been converted to Star 106.5, “Today’s Music Variety.”

Good luck!

On KWOD’s website was a note from the program director: “The

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Earl Klugh

YOUR GUIDE TO FALL’S MUSIC FESTIVALS

8PM OCT 4, 2014

By Camille Cannon â Who’d have thought there were

so many music festivals in Las Vegas?

Here’s the scoop on our favorites.

8PM OCT 18, 2014

norman broWn 8PM nOv 15, 2014

KirK Whalum 8PM nOv 22, 2014

LAS VEGAS JAZZ FESTIVAL What: Three days of sounds so smooth butter might get jealous.

Who: Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Anthony Hamilton and 14 others.

How: Sept. 19-21, JW Marriot Las Vegas Resort, LVJazzFestival.com.

Re-entry is permitted: So you can take breaks to roam the gorgeous landscape.

BIG BLUES BENDER What: This inaugural effort promises multiple genres and convenience: “Everything is an elevator ride away.”

How: Sept. 25-29, Riviera, BigBluesBender.com.

Who: B.B. King, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Blind Boys of Alabama and 29 others.

It feels good to be a local: Four-day passes for Clark County residents are $350, but out-of-town packages run from $599.50-$1,399.

HEMP FEST What: Musicians, comedians, specialists and enthusiasts gathering to celebrate the herb.

Who: Berner, Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, Baby Bash and 46 others.

How: Oct. 4, Clark County Government Amphitheater, LasVegasHempFest.com.

Leave with: Itchy eyes, new products and the official title of 2014 HempFest Girl, if you’re a female who so chooses to enter the beauty contest.

WINE AMPLIFIED WEEKEND What: The music and boozefest outgrows Mandalay Bay Beach in its ninth incarnation.

How: Oct. 10-11, the lot across from Luxor, WineAmplified.com.

Who: Blink 182, Train, Michael Franti and Spearhead and more TBA. Plan ahead: On-site purchases must be made using your scannable wristband, which you can pre-load with “festival bucks.”

BOULEVARD BREW FEST What: Kings of Leon’s Mechanical Bull Tour stop, plus a seven-hour, outdoor “beer-topia.”

How: Sept. 27, the lot across from Luxor, BLVDBrewFest.com.

Who: Kings of Leon, Young the Giant, Kongos and others TBA. Top Billing: Should go to the beer.

Expect 60 varieties imported from Oregon and local craft brew selections.

SAFE IN SOUND FESTIVAL What: A concert classified at 10 on the Richter scale.

Who: Flux Pavilion, Destroid, Caked Up and Terravita.

How: Oct. 23, Brooklyn Bowl, SafeinSoundFest.com.

Cheer for: Las Vegas’ own Caked Up, assuming the duo can hear you over the noise coming from PK Sound speakers.

ROUTE 91 HARVEST FESTIVAL What: A three-day convergence of country music’s heavy-hitters and up-and-comers.

Who: Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean and 15 others.

How: Oct. 3-5, the lot across from Luxor, RT91Harvest.com.

Start ’em young: Children 6 and under are admitted free. Adults beware: Only 3-day passes are available for you.

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL FESTIVAL What: The second coming of art, music, food and learning to DTLV. Who: Kanye West, Foo Fighters, Outkast and 66 others.

How: Oct. 24-26, Downtown, this year’s exact footprint is TBA, LifeIsBeautiful.com.

Don’t miss: The gourmet grub at your fingertips. Or Kanye West. No matter what, everyone at the water cooler will be taking about him.

PHOTO BY ERIK K ABIK/ERIKK ABIK.COM

pEtEr WhitE

ROCKSTAR ENERGY UPROAR FESTIVAL What: A high-energy gathering of grunge rock from the makers of liquid gold.

Who: Godsmack, Seether, Skillet, Pop Evil and nine others.

How: Sept. 17, The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel, RockstarUproar.com.

VIP, please: The upgrade includes a festival-branded bandana, towel and lighter … for the slow jams.

ART ABOUNDS This fall’s must-see shows include work by some of Vegas’ best artists … and the return of an old favorite

By Jenessa Kenway Ghost Dogs by Masami Teraoka, Patrick Nagatani and Sush Machida. â This show brings together the powerhouse roster of Japanese-American artists Masami Teraoka, Patrick Nagatani and Sush Machida under a title that references a ’90s American gangster fick (Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai). It’s a sure sign viewers are in for a densely layered Japanamerican pop-cultural ride.

After attending this show, you can get a double dip of Machida's art by checking out his exhibit Tokyo in Vegas: Vision Collision on display until Sept. 27 at the Springs Preserve. Through Sept. 27, UNLV’s Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., 702-895-3893.

Panorama: Selections From the Nevada Arts Council’s Artist Fellowship Program.

Panorama provides a tantalizing range of media— from chemigram printing to textile work—as well as an exciting roster of Nevada artists. Textiles by former Las Vegan Stephen Hendee will be a standout. Oct. 3-Nov. 26, UNLV’s Barrick Museum, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., 702-895-3381.

GET YOUR HOLIDAY ON WITH THESE SCRUMPTIOUS SHOWS Charlie’s Chocolate Factory Group Show Not only will all the artwork be themed around the classic and creepy film, the gallery itself is slated for chocolate factory redecoration, which just might lure a few Umpa Lumpas. December-January, Blackbird Studios, 1551 S. Commerce St. Group Ornament Crafting and December Holiday Show Grab your family or pals and head down to Clay Arts Vegas for Christmas cookie munching while decorating and glazing ceramic ornaments. Bring your gift list and check out the delightful array of locally crafted ceramics on display in the annual December Holiday Show.

Nov. 1-Dec. 10, Clay Arts Vegas, 1511 S. Main St. Ornament decorating $18 per person. – J.K.

VegasSeven.com

Recent Works

by David Ryan.

Well-known Las Vegas artist David Ryan has pieces hanging at The Smith Center, and his works are in the Las Vegas Art Museum collection and numerous other private collections. So it might surprise you to learn that this is Ryan’s frst ever solo show in his hometown.

Dec. 11-Jan. 30, MCQ Fine Art Advisory, 620 S. Seventh St., 702-366-9339.

Masami Teraoka's Father and Son, AIDS Series, 1990 (above) and Judith Kornett's Magpie.

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Self Aware by Judith Kornett. è Baltimore artist Judith Kornett meditates upon the weight of time. Years of gravity pull and stretch our bodies as we struggle to maintain our shape. With expressions of yearning, anxiety and despair as they face the poignant fears of aging, Kornett’s ceramic fgures succumb to melting and sagging. Kornett offers a hand building workshop Nov. 8-9 for $125. Nov. 1-30, Clay Arts Vegas, 1511 S. Main St.

September 11–17, 2014

TERAOK A PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHARINE CL ARK GALLERY, SAN FRANCISCO

Spiritual but not Religious

by Michael Delacruz.

The richly detailed steampunk work of artist Michael Delacruz is somewhere between Joseph Cornell and the Brothers Quay with a dash of Buddhism and haunted house: Repurposed barometers attempt to measure everything, including karma, current incarnation and proximity to Samsãra; ghosts from Atlantis preen their scales before the full moon; and clockwork hearts tap out memories. Oct. 2-Nov. 30, 17 Moons Art Studio, in the Arts Factory, 107 E. Charleston Blvd., Suite 240.

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A&E

Super Small Screen This fall, comic book adventures appeal to the nerd in us all

September 11–17, 2014

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VegasSeven.com

By Jason Scavone

78

There isn’t anything more cruel than what’s happening to the classic American bully: beset on all sides by anti-bullying groups, mocked mercilessly in a 2006 eponymous video game and blamed for everything from anxiety to smoking to poor academic performance and worse.

Not to mention the terminal loss of ill-gained lunch money they've suffered from this crackdown.

At the same time, the rise of nerd culture has left the endangered bully with an embarrassingly target-rich environment.

The most beloved movie of the summer, Guardians of the Galaxy, is an ode to space misfts and will make a generation of teens huge fans of a tech-savvy talking raccoon. Nerd is well past the new normal. Nerd is mandatory.

What are the jerky, unnecessarily belligerent youth of today supposed to do? By coming down so hard on the bully’s chosen method of expression, society has become, collectively, the asshole kids in every Trix commercial— eating all that delicious cereal, forever denying the rabbit a bite.

What seemed like peak nerd just a month ago—again, talking space raccoon—proves to be just the warm-up for this fall’s slate of television. Superheroes aren’t confned to the big screen anymore. Last year’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was just the start. The full-on superhero invasion begins this month, and promises to blow up into inescapable ubiquity once Netfix’s line of Marvel series bows in 2015.

With no pressure release valve, if the bullies of tomorrow go into full-on Joker mode, we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves. In the meantime, let’s see just how the groundwork is being laid for a dark future where Batman T-shirts will serve as school uniforms with the new shows of 2014.

GOTHAM

(Premieres 8 p.m. Sept. 22, Fox) You know we’re starting to lose the plot when supporting characters are getting their own origin series. In this case, Southland’s Ben McKenzie plays a young Jim Gordon in his precommissioner days. It will, of course, deal with the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, but the show also concerns the origins of Catwoman, Riddler and the Penguin.

Superhero origin story: Just the GCPD police academy, I guess. Not even any super soldier serum or anything. Maybe we’ll get to see the incredibly harrowing week that convinces Gordon to grow his mustache, to strike fear in the hearts of criminals by making them vaguely feel like they disappointed their dad.

THE FLASH

(8 p.m., Oct. 7, CW) Smallville sort of begat Arrow (it wasn’t a direct spinoff, but they shared the character) which in turn begat The Flash, the second go-round for the scarlet speedster on television. (The frst was the amazingly cheeseball 1990 series that featured Mark Hamill as a villain.) Grant Gustin (Glee) plays the titular Flash. The tragicomic part of all this is that despite the fact that DC has been planning this show forever, Marvel beat them to the punch with really cool super-speed effects in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Superhero origin story: A particleaccelerator explosion gives Flash his super speed. Which is not nearly as

cool as the comic book origin where the Flash got hit by lightning while mixing chemicals. And even that wasn’t remotely as cool as the original, Golden Age Flash origin story where he got super speed by smoking around “hard water.” (Not even heavy water.)

See kids? Smoking really is cool.

CONSTANTINE

(10 p.m., Oct. 24, NBC) John Constantine has a long, convoluted history in the DC universe, but he’s still a fairly unknown character to mainstream audiences. Or at least those mainstream audience members who didn’t see Keanu Reeves’ 2005 movie Constantine. So, all of the mainstream audience then. But the best way to sum up the character to the uninitiated would be: magic-using douchebag. Dude smokes so much one of his most famous stories involves making a deal with the devil to cure his lung cancer, yet NBC won’t let him be shown with cigarettes. Let the Internet-fueled nerd fury begin.

Superhero origin story: You’d think smoking would factor in here, too, but no. It’s unclear how the show will explain his wizardry, but in the comics he (stupidly) comes from a long line of (stupid) demon-tricking magicians, and takes up the family business.

Which is stupid.

FOREVER

(10 p.m., Sept. 22, ABC) It’s Quincy, M.E. meets South Park as Ioan Gruffudd plays a medical exam-

iner who can’t die. Well, he can die, but he keeps coming back. Just like Kenny. (“You killed Ioan Gruffudd: You bastard!” Just doesn’t have the same ring.)

Superhero origin story: That’s the central mystery of the show, but my bold prediction is that this is a backdoor pilot for Highlander: The Next Generation.

SCORPION

(9 p.m., Sept. 22, CBS) A ragtag team of geeks gets together to solve the world’s most complex problems through the power of computer hacking and a plucky, can-do attitude.

But didn’t movies about keyboard jockeys teach us that the only time they can really capture the public imagination is if they star a young Angelina Jolie or are about creating Kelly LeBrock out of thin air?

Superhero origin story: A 2400-baud modem and a Prodigy account in 1990.

SELFIE

(8 p.m., Sept. 30, ABC) It’s yet another spin on the Pygmalion legend, except that instead of turning into a Victorian class farce, this one stars Karen Gillan as Eliza Dooley trying to get Internet famous by hiring John Cho’s Henry Higenbottam to polish her up.

Superhero origin story: While the show itself doesn’t contain anything comic booky, you can’t tell us some producer’s superpower isn’t “getting obviously millennial-baiting, trendchasing horseshit on a major network’s fall schedule.”

SPACESHIPS AND WRESTLING AND SINGING ORPHANS, OH MY! By Una LaMarche â I’m so excited! I’m so excited! I’m so … scared. Of Gone Girl, anyway.

Here are my six can’t-miss movies for fall:

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU (Sept. 19).

Love The Big Chill but wish an older person had died? Prefer your August: Osage County without the Oklahoma twang? Then you’ll find dysfunctional character-driven nirvana in This Is Where I Leave You, based on the feisty, darkly comic 2009 novel by Jonathan Tropper. Jason Bateman stars as a man simultaneously mourning the demise of his marriage and the loss of his father while sitting shiva with his family, a cast of characters as nutty and flawed as the ones he anchored on Arrested Development. Tina Fey, Girls’ Adam Driver and Jane Fonda round out an intriguingly eclectic cast.

The hoopla that surrounded the $80 million statewide tax credit from the Nevada Film Offce that began in January was immediately justifed. Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2! Even if it’s an unnecessary sequel to a terrible movie and a commercial for Wynn Encore, it’s still a big-budget production that was flmed in Las Vegas, right? Right!

Nine months into the credit’s fouryear term, things were moving slowly but steadily. But now, thanks to the Reno-bound Tesla Gigafactory, the flm credit could drop to a mere $10 million.

That $70 million difference would be diverted to help pay for the roughly $1.3 billion in tax incentives for the northern Nevada battery manufacturer.

The state Legislature met September 10—after press time—to decide the fate of the flm incentive. Neither reps from the Governor’s Offce of Economic Development nor Nevada Film Offce Director Eric Priess were able to comment at press time on how the incentive would be structured under the new arrangement.

What it would do is hamstring a program just fnding its legs. Only three productions other than Blart took advantage of the credit in its frst year: the indies Lake Mead and the untitled Gerardo Naranjo project starring Dakota Fanning, both ticketed for 2015. The Nigel Lythgoe-produced In the Spotlight was ordered

by CBS to be flmed at The Mirage in the spring, but still doesn’t appear on the network’s fall schedule. In all, of the $20 million in tax breaks for the frst year, only about $5 million were claimed. Blart accounts for $4.4 million of that. The Segway budget is a killer.

But that’s to be expected, Preiss says,

because of the long lead time on flms.

Under the old arrangement, the remaining $15 million was slated to roll over and be combined with the additional $20 million that would have activated in 2015.

“Our incentive is so new. You look at states like Louisiana, who’s No. 1 in production worldwide—they’ve had an incentive for about 13 years . Their infrastructure and program are fring on all cylinders. It takes a little bit of time,” he says. “These projects are in a development cycle of 1-2 years. A lot of the projects that may take advantage of it, they’ve already been planned a year in advance.”

But, that doesn’t mean this fall is going to be bereft of projects shooting here. More than two dozen productions flmed in August—notably, for fans of wrasslin’ ladies, E!’s Total Divas— with six projects locked in to shoot in the fall. That includes indie features Hammer of the Witches, Rude Awakening and Cy’s Crawlspace.

Preiss hinted he had at least two bigbudget productions ready to sign on before the Gigafactory announcement came down. Which is really going to disappoint entertainment-starved factories huddling around the warm glow of their Tesla batteries come next year.

“We’ve talked to several production companies, and it sounds like we’re going to get some applications in September and October,” he said prior to the announcement. “The conversations we’ve had have been with a couple of producers who are talking about television series they would like to flm in Las Vegas. Television series are a great thing for the state, because over a period of one season, they’ll be here longer.”

INTERSTELLAR (Nov. 7).

OK, so full disclosure: I did not completely get Inception the first time I saw it (or the second time, but that’s another essay), and watching the trailer for Interstellar— director Christopher Nolan’s latest attempt at melting our brains—I wasn’t 100 percent sure what was going on. But I know Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway are astronauts traveling through some sort of space-time wormhole to save the world, which the editing heavily implies is about to finally bite the dust. It looks like a sort of neo-Armageddon, but is actually good and set in the future.

Also, there’s no Aerosmith, but I’ll let you decide if that’s a pro or a con.

FOXCATCHER (Nov. 14).

Would you like to watch Steve Carell slap Channing Tatum? Let me rephrase that: Who wouldn’t? Especially when Carell is playing a scary, schizophrenic wrestling sponsor and Tatum is playing an Olympic wrestler? In a stone-cold biographical drama about murder and tight singlets? The fact that this movie has real chops, helmed by Moneyball’s Bennett Miller, who won Best Director at Cannes, is almost beside the point.

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 (Nov. 21).

Forget the turkey. This Thanksgiving, I want a mockingjay. Not only do the film iterations of the smash young adult series keep getting better, but it’s one of our last chances to see the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman onscreen, as game-maker and rebel commander Plutarch Heavensbee.

ANNIE (Dec. 19).

Listen, I was born in 1980 and grew up thinking Aileen Quinn was a celebrity on a par with Tom Cruise, so I am a hardcore purist when it comes to my plucky, musically talented movie orphans. But more than 30 years have passed since that iconic adaptation of the 1977 Broadway show. And even I can admit that today’s children need something more contemporary and diverse, with fewer racist sidekicks (I love me some Punjab, but yikes). The new Annie stars Quvenzhané Wallis and Jamie Foxx, and is produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith along with Jay-Z, all of which seems to indicate that it won’t be such a hard-knock life for us.

VegasSeven.com

By Jason Scavone

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Reno won Tesla with some big-budget breaks. What does this mean for Nevada’s burgeoning flm industry?

September 11–17, 2014

TAX INCENTIVE TANGO

GONE GIRL (Oct. 3).

If you, like me, are one of the millions who have bought and read Gillian Flynn’s 2012 best-selling thriller, then you also already know the twist ending that helped to make it famous. But that shouldn’t stop you—and won’t stop me—from watching it all unfold again on the big screen. Reason No. 1: David Fincher directs. I mean, the head-in-the-box scene from Seven alone makes this obvious. Reason No. 2: Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike play the suspicious husband and missing wife at the center of Flynn’s cerebral tornado of a plot. Reason No. 3: I can’t even believe you got this far. GO!

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BETTING

SNAP JUDGMENTS Forget what the good book says: Week 1 NFL results can indeed foreshadow the season to come IF THERE WERE TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR

NFL wagering, coming in at No. 2— right behind Thou Shalt Not Bet on Roger Goodell Speaking the Truth— would be Thou Shalt Not Jump to Conclusions Following Week 1. Then again, I’ve never been the religious type. So … let’s cannonball to seven conclusions following Week 1: � The defending-champion Seahawks, who rolled to a 36-16 victory over the Packers (a Super Bowl darling of many), remain the league’s most complete team. The Jaguars, who fipped a 17-0 halftime lead at Philadelphia into a 34-17 loss, remain the league’s most inept. � If the NFC West (3-1 start) is the Gisele Bündchen of the NFL’s eight divisions, the NFC East is the Rosie O’Donnell. I’m not sure what’s more disturbing: that the Eagles spotted the Jaguars a 17-0 halftime lead, or that the Giants, Cowboys and Redskins lost their three games by the combined tally of 80-37. � The Panthers (20-14 victory at Tampa Bay without Cam Newton) aren’t headed for the kind of precipitous decline many betting experts (and I) predicted.

Conversely, the Chiefs (outgained 405-245 in a 26-10 home loss to the Titans, in which two of Kansas City’s defensive starters went down with season-ending injuries) most defnitely are headed for the kind of precipitous decline many betting experts (and I) predicted. Perk up, K.C. fans: You’ve got the Royals! � Not only should the Broncos (1-0) be a slight favorite to clinch the AFC West by Halloween, they should be an even-money bet to fnish with more victories than the Raiders, Chiefs and Chargers (all 0-1) combined. � The Saints and Falcons are who we thought they were: teams with all offense and no defense. The NFC South rivals rolled up 1,040 yards and 71 points in a Week 1 shootout. � The Titans, Bills (23-20 overtime win at Chicago), Vikings (37-6 rout at St. Louis) and Dolphins (33-20 victory over the Patriots, outscoring Bill Belichick’s bunch 23-0 in the second half) have been elevated from also-ran to mighty frisky. � You should never—and I mean ever—wager actual cash-money on my Best Bet. After going 7-13 with my Best Bets last year, I used the Cowboys (+5 vs. San Francisco) as my top play in Week 1. Of course, before Jerry Jones could hit on a cheerleader, Dallas trailed 21-3 and

MATT JACOB

LUCKY SEVEN

Broncos -13 vs. Chiefs (Best Bet) Cardinals PK at Giants Bears-49ers OVER 48½ Bengals -5 vs. Falcons Arkansas +2 at Texas Tech East Carolina +11 at Virginia Tech Ole Miss -27 vs. UL-Lafayette

never recovered.

So, with that, let’s get to this week’s Best Bet …

Broncos -13 vs. Chiefs: I know Denver let off the gas after racing out to a 24-0 lead against Indianapolis last week, barely holding on for a 31-24 victory. I know the Broncos’ second-half disappearing act cost me a proftable week (I had Denver -7½ as one of last week’s seven selections).

And I know that laying double digits in the NFL is bankroll suicide.

Don’t care. Because I’m certain the way that Colts game ended left more of a sour taste in Peyton Manning’s mouth than if he ate a razor-bladeand-vinegar sandwich. There’s no way Mr. Perfect allows his team to lose focus like that again. Not against a division rival, one whose defense got picked apart by Jake Locker (22-for-33, 266 passing yards, two TDs) and whose best offensive player (RB Jamaal Charles) managed just 34 total rushing and receiving yards. Another not-so-pretty note about the Chiefs: They’re 1-7 in their last eight regular-season, postseason and preseason games, giving up 26, 34, 30, 28, 39 and 45 in the last six.

Also, the Broncos have a four-game winning streak against Kansas City (3-1 against the spread), and since acquiring Manning prior to the start of the 2012 season, Denver has failed to cover in consecutive home games just once (and never in back-to-back weeks).

Now … ignore what you just read, sprint to the window and wager on the Chiefs!

Last week: 3-4 (1-3 NFL; 2-1 college; 0-1 Best Bet).

Matt Jacob appears at 10 a.m. Fridays on “First Preview” on ESPN Radio 1100-AM and 98.9-FM.

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What about forensics got under your skin?

It’s funny, you’d think I’d be more into forensics after my father shot himself. But I was actually into forensics before that. It’s part of my gaming mind. At the age of 13, I invented 527 different sports games with dice, cards and a game board, and I just took that philosophically into television. The interpretation of evidence is fascinating, the pathology of criminals is fascinating, and in CSI: Cyber, behavior is what’s going to be fascinating.

What’s been the CSI effect on jurisprudence?

The CSI effect is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that the jurors and laymen have a better understanding about what forensics is, so they can’t be bamboozled by swift-talking lawyers. The curse is that sometimes people think life is a TV show—it’s not.

You can’t just push a button and fnd the killer. All in all, I think CSI is a pretty darn good public service announcement that there are ways to [catch criminals], and that it’s more of a deterrent.

September 11–17, 2014

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VegasSeven.com

Anthony Zuiker

94

The CSI creator and former Las Vegan on how to tell great stories, the appeal of forensics and what he watches when he’s not writing

By Maile Chapman You’ve been celebrated as a storyteller who changes the way viewers expect stories to unfold. How do you do that?

I try to tell stories that haven’t really been told before, on top of striving to reinvent the medium as much

as possible. How do I take television and reinvent it, how do I reinvent animation, how do I mix mediums to tell stories, mixing Silicon Valley with Hollywood?

Those are the challenges that excite me about the future of storytelling, rather than just

telling the best conventional story possible.

What are the fundamentals of a compelling story, whatever the format?

It starts with really great writing. We make sure the characters have distinct

Has the way viewers engaged with CSI infuenced your interactive projects?

Of course the writing for CSI had a level of interactivity, but it’s not really very interactive at all, because you’re still on the couch and watching a television show. But having three children —14, 11 and 7, all boys—the future of storytelling will have to be interactive. We have been re-hardwired to have a level of engagement based on our behavior and the communication aspects of how we live, and therefore we have to implement that behavioral shift into the daily lives of how we tell stories. There will always be the static television show and movie, where you just sit back, but I think we will all be striving for

interactivity, where you are being transported by a great story, and you are—for lack of another word— “in it.”

Your web series Cybergeddon was groundbreaking. How did the online medium infuence how you put that story together?

The philosophy behind Cybergeddon was to do snack-size chapters of a motion picture, nine or 10 chapters to be consumed in 10-minute scenarios that can go viral and achieve as much scale as possible.

It’s ambitious, and it’s inexpensive, based on other motion pictures. Nobody is used to consuming original programming motion pictures on the Internet.

Ten years from now, we will have a conversation again to where they are making original motion pictures of that caliber for $1 million and streaming it all over the world and making hundreds of millions of dollars on a $1 million investment. That will probably be the model going forward. This was the frst attempt at doing that.

Do you ever turn off the creative part of your mind?

If you’re me, you are working all the time. I try to take a writer’s and creator’s standpoint on every single thing that I do in life. So if I’m at the grocery store, I’m watching, I’m learning, I’m listening to how people talk, to how they behave, how they react. What’s in the women’s carts? Why is that guy playing the lottery?

One thing I have found when I’ve taught or when I speak at universities is kids in writing classes don’t ask questions. It’s fun for a guy like me to talk to kids like that, because I’m 46 not 86, I’m not hoity-toity at all, I come from Vegas, you wouldn’t recognize me on the street. And then when they see me talk like this and approach writing like this, they get very inspired.

What do you watch when you aren’t working?

Downton Abbey is the only scripted thing I watch; So You Think You Can Dance; Hell’s Kitchen; and The Hunt With John Walsh. And I also watch any sort of Investigation Discovery stuff. That’s pretty much all. And the Food Channel at night.

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SEVEN QUESTIONS

personalities, specifc skill sets, that their dynamic is interesting, that the arc has somewhere to go, and once all those are accomplished and we know we’re writing for the audience, versus writing for ourselves, that’s when we feel like we have the most success.

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