A Las Vegas That Never Was | Vegas Seven Magazine | February 5-11, 2015 by Vegas Seven

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“If I were born in Telluride, Colorado, I’d probably still be there, likely a City Council member operating a weed dispensary/mountain bike shop.”

ASK A NATIVE {PAGE 18}

News, politics, deals and a trio of mayors state their case

Story Time

Revisiting our greatest hits—and revealing our biggest disappointments—from Vegas Seven’s frst fve years

February 5–11, 2015

VegasSeven.com

FOR A JOURNALIST, THERE’S ONLY ONE THING

more gratifying than producing a story that strikes a chord with your readers: producing a story that strikes a chord with yourself. That’s because, being the tortured, self-critical souls that we are, the latter doesn’t happen often. So on the occasion of our ffth anniversary— which is really like 60 in publishing years—longtime Vegas Seven staffers were recently asked to refect on the one piece of literary work that brought them the most pride. Of course, we wouldn’t be journalists if we didn’t also spot a regret or missed opportunity while strolling down memory lane … GREG MILLER (Former Editor)

Hit: With “The Rebel Alliance,” my story about UNLV’s 1989-90 national champion basketball team (March 18, 2010), I had an opportunity to put to

words my deep and often conficted feelings about the team I’ve followed since childhood and the city I call my own. I wound up producing a tale that was part history, part self-interrogation, and, yes, part love letter to this strange and vexing town. Miss: As editor, I was blessed to work with truly outstanding staffers and freelancers. I always hoped that their insightful work would echo beyond the boundaries of the Valley and change the tenor of national discourse about our city. Alas, the national narrative about “Sin City” is, like sin itself, deathless. To be fair, though, I suppose both our city and our magazine have benefted from that seductive tale. XANIA WOODMAN (Dining/Nightlife Editor)

Hit: That time I completely winged

an interview with Anthony Bourdain ... and somehow nailed it (Nov. 21, 2013). I was at Atomic Liquors having a beer, expecting to merely be in the audience for a viewing party/Season 2 retrospective discussion of Bourdain’s CNN show Parts Unknown when the show’s publicist said, “OK, you’ll only get a few minutes with him, cool?” Cool? That’s friggin’ awesome, lady! Only I had nothing prepared, so I opened my notebook to a blank page and pretended to read questions while I recorded the results—I fgured it’s what Bourdain would have done! Miss: I really wish I could have fnished my drive on Highway 50, a.k.a. The Loneliest Road in America, all the way to Nevada’s western border (May 12, 2011). We turned off in Austin, Nevada, and found an even lonelier road—27 miles of Route 82, between Belmont and Route 376 en route to Tonopah, to be exact—where my companion Jack Colton and I sat down and unfolded a map right in the middle of the road. Still, I would love to have been able to say I drove it from end to end. Anyone up for a road trip? JASON SCAVONE (Associate Editor)

Hit: Fine, it’s a cop-out, but I can’t pick between two pieces, so you make your Sophie’s Choice where you

can. “Ted Mikels Will Not Let It Go” (May 17, 2012) gave me the chance to connect with the Ed Wood of Las Vegas—an uncompromising eccentric and grindhouse legend who was still cranking out movies at 83 in defance of every commercial force in existence telling him he should stop. The other, “Art House Advantage” (Dec. 10, 2013), compared fctional casino earnings, which allowed me to watch a bunch of movies and shows about gambling, and obsess over them. Miss: I still haven’t worked enough immature dick jokes into the magazine (my recent treatise on Tom Brady’s defated balls notwithstanding). CINDI MOON REED (Arts & Entertainment Editor)

Hit: By the time I had an opportunity to interview Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block nearly three years ago (March 8, 2012), I had long since graduated from my childhood obsession with the former boy-bander. Right when I was about to pass on the offer, a vision of 8-year-old me appeared. And she was pissed: You have the chance to talk to the Jordan Knight, and you’re turning it down? Before she kicked me in the shins, I decided to take the interview—and it was awesome. Bonus: I asked the creepiest interview “question” of all time: “I used

to have the doll of you, and that doll went on dates with my Barbie.” He took it surprisingly well. Miss: When I volunteered to write about Siegfried & Roy (Sept. 26, 2013) on the 10th anniversary of the fateful night Roy was bitten by his tiger, I had a clear vision of how it would go: The legendary magicians would give me a grand tour of their Jungle Palace and Little Bavaria estates while pouring their hearts into my audio recorder. Except they never granted an interview. Sheer panic led to weeks of intense research, which led to an article I’m proud to have written … which led to a sparkling thank-you letter from the magical duo (but, alas, still no invite to their compound).

JAMES P. REZA (Regular Contributor/ Ask a Native Columnist)

Hit: I’m most proud of my Latest Thought, titled “Embrace This” (April 22, 2010). What began as an angry and very personal essay from the perspective of a Las Vegas native who was exhausted by relentless and very vocal “Vegas Hate” morphed into a piece that many readers (a silent majority, perhaps) could identify with. Maybe more importantly, I like to believe the essay helped enlighten many of those who came to Las Vegas to take advantage of the city without participating in its community, and then complained about a lack of the same. Miss: It should come as no surprise that my regret would be the execution of my Ask a Native column (Oct. 9, 2014) about offering a ride to a stranger and the second-guessing that came with it. I don’t regret that I addressed the question; rather the criticism lobbed at the piece made me feel that my position was misunderstood. I took that very seriously, as communicating a clear message with integrity is extremely important to any writer. GEOFF CARTER (Senior Writer/DTLV.com editor)

DAVID G. SCHWARTZ (Contributing Editor/Gaming)

Hit: “The Book That Tried to End Las Vegas” (Sept. 5, 2013), about the 50th anniversary of the muckraking Green Felt Jungle, was a case where everything came together: I got to use my research skills to tell a story that was relevant to today and a crucial (but unappreciated) part of our history. Greg Miller’s editing helped me tell the story that much better, and great art put a bow on the package. But the biggest thrill was when a few old-timers who were here when the book came out told me that I got it right. I honestly don’t think I could have told that story anywhere else. Miss: I wish I had been able to do a comprehensive interview with Jackie Gaughan, chronicling the casino legend’s decades in Las Vegas. Gaughan’s life story really was the story of how the city, and Downtown Las Vegas specifcally, evolved over the second half of the 20th century.

Hit: I’m a terrible judge of my own work, and it pains me to look over my old stuff—all I can see are the mistakes and missed opportunities. That said, I think my state-of-DTLV cover story (“Downtown’s Year of Reckoning,” Dec. 12, 2013) is a decently written essay, one that gives voice to two diametrically opposed factions—those who love the Downtown Project and those who don’t—while maintaining a cool, detached perspective. (Those two factions still exist, by the by, and they’re on my ass daily.) I’m also proud of my old “Sites to See” column—a Seven fxture from the frst issue, sharp, funny and so enjoyable to write. Maybe I’ll bring it back someday. Miss: Cindi Reed will likely disagree with this, but my stint as A&E’s Tour Buzz columnist was God-awful, as are most of the music reviews I’ve fled in these pages. I used to have a real passion for music journalism, but now it’s gone. At least I still love music, even if I can’t tell you why to save my life. STEVE BORNFELD (Senior Writer/ Showstopper Columnist)

Hit: In “A Tale of Two Dreamers” (Nov. 6, 2014), I compared the life/career paths of lounge singer Michael Monge at the Wynn and my late father—the former a latein-life success as a professional

singer, the latter a man who longed to get a break that never came—and the process frightened me. The last thing I wanted to do was write anything that would inadvertently disrespect the memory of a man I loved so deeply. That would have forever haunted me. I wasn’t even sure I had succeeded when I turned in the story. Yet the feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive, with people telling me they were touched by it. I think my dad would have approved. (Love you, Pop.) Miss: Last summer, I saw Bill Cosby perform at Treasure Island and wrote a Showstopper column praising his ongoing comedy genius (July 24, 2014). Those professional qualities remain admirable. Yet once the sexual assault allegations piled up, my fandom made me queasy. Likely that’s true of many fans when they watch The Cosby Show reruns or remember I Spy or Fat Albert or any of Cosby’s brilliant routines, given the ugliness that now surrounds him and stains his legacy. For the record, he has never been charged with any crime. Still, in hindsight, that column calls to mind that old conundrum: Can you hate the artist and still love the art? MATT JACOB (Editor)

Hit: As someone whose grandfather had Alzheimer’s disease, I was always curious about the work being done at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Yet when I sat down to write the “The Rise of the Ruvo” (April 24, 2014), I was paralyzed with fear, unsure if I could weave together the complex narrative about how the center came to be both an architectural masterpiece (in a city full of them) and a worldrenowned brain research facility (in a city that desperately needed one). Within hours of the piece being published, I knew I’d hit the mark when several positive responses started flling my inbox (including a note from Larry Ruvo, who called it “the very best piece of journalism that’s ever been written about the center”). Miss: As this magazine’s sportsbetting columnist since Day One, there have been more “misses” than I could possibly count (cut to bettors who have followed my advice violently nodding in agreement). To this day, though, the one bet I regret most is the frst one: laying points with Peyton Manning and the Colts against the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV (Feb. 4, 2010). The only thing more certain than Manning choking in a big game was that the sun would rise the next day.

By Bob Whitby THURSDAY, FEB. 5: Time once again

for Boulder City’s Dam Short Film Festival, which kicked off Feb. 4 and runs through Saturday. Hosted (as usual) at the historic Boulder Theatre, the 11th edition of this gem features mixers, meet-andgreets, an awards show and 141 short films in 21 themed programs. DamShortFilm.org.

FRIDAY, FEB. 6: Every February, Las Vegas becomes the center of the global archery world. And you didn’t even know there was a global archery world. There is, and it centers on the Vegas Shoot, today through Sunday at South Point Arena. Archers from around the world will compete for the largest purse in the indoor-shooting world. NFAAUSA.com.

SATURDAY, FEB. 7: Garage sales are fun and all, but getting from one to another is a chore. So Henderson had the splendid idea of collecting everything in one place. It’s called the Giant Garage Sale, and it starts at 7 a.m. at the Silver Springs Recreation Center, 195 Silver Springs Pkwy. CityofHenderson.com. SUNDAY, FEB. 8: Tonight is your last chance to experience artist Lia Chavez’s mind-altering The Octave of Visible Light: A Meditation Nightclub, 6 p.m. to midnight at P3Studio in the Cosmopolitan. Chavez combines performance art, neuroscience and technology in a weird mashup of brain waves, music and light. It’s hard to describe, so just go. ArtProductionFund.org.

MONDAY, FEB. 9: Another Monday in your dead-end job. Wouldn’t it be cool to have an exciting job, like maybe archaeology? Let your inner Indiana Jones run wild on your lunch hour at “A Career in Ruins,” a talk by Alan Simmons of UNLV’s Department of Anthropology, 11:30 a.m. at UNLV’s Beam Hall. UNLV.edu.

TUESDAY, FEB. 10: Speaking of UNLV, the Runnin’ Rebels take on Fresno State at 7 p.m. They won’t be back at the Thomas & Mack until Feb. 18, when only three more home games will remain. UNLVTickets.com.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 11: There’s a whole wonderful history in that box of chocolates you’ll be buying for someone on Valentine’s Day. The concoction, which wasn’t always sweet, has meant many things to many cultures. Springs Preserve’s new Chocolate: The Exhibition tells the fascinating story, from cacao seeds to mass production. Through May 3. SpringsPreserve.org.

Have an event you want considered for Seven Days? Email VegasSevenDays@Gmail.com.

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ABOUT TOW TOWN

J A M E S P. R E Z A

WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THE NATIVE HAD BEEN BORN IN, SAY, TELLURIDE, COLORADO, OR CHAPEL HILL, N.C.?

A Tale of Three Cities The Valley’s trio of municipalities sing the same tune during State of the City addresses By Lissa Townsend Rodgers

February 5–11, 2015

VegasSeven.com

THE NEW YEAR IS A TIME TO CONTEMPLATE

the past and draw up plans for the future. If you’re in politics, this means delivering speeches that maximize achievements, minimize problems and make the future seem neon bright— without overpromising. Last month, the mayors of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson stayed true to this script during their annual State of the City addresses—addresses that at times seemed to have been prepared by the same speechwriter. Despite representing three very different municipalities, each mayor stressed the importance of diversifying the economy, improving public education and developing an infrastructure that supports both. Beyond that, of course, everyone wants a piece of UNLV’s new medical school. At City Hall on January 8, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman laid out her focus for 2015 thusly: “Diversify the economy … build or repair our citywide infrastructure and, where allowed, help with education.” Yes, Goodman devoted time to cheerleading for “major league sports” and celebrating the 800 jobs created by tech-device insurers Asurion, as well as the successes of the Mob Museum, The Smith Center and various Downtown-related efforts. But she also discussed charter schools and before/afterschool programs, and expressed hope that UNLV’s proposed medical school will be planted in the city’s Medical District. Meanwhile, North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee acknowledged on January 27 that his fnancially troubled city has had to not only

“do the doable” but also “take on the seemingly impossible.” That included cutting the city’s $150 million defcit to $76 million in 2014. What about wiping it out entirely? “Creating solutions through growth takes time,” Lee said, so it will be another seven years before the books are balanced—hence the need for economic diversifcation. Lee discussed the Apex Industrial Park, which he says is drawing interest from potential tenants, but still needs water and power infrastructure. Lee is still trying to get the College of Southern Nevada’s Cheyenne Campus to change its name to CSN North Las Vegas, and, of course, he believes North Las Vegas would be the best place for UNLV’s medical school. Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen painted a rosier picture than his colleague to the northeast. Speaking at Green Valley Ranch Resort on January 29, Hafen noted his city’s budget is “in the black for the second year in a row,” but he was most excited about the 2014 groundbreaking of Union Village. He called it “the most innovative, largest healthcare village project ever in this state”—so why not put that UNLV medical school in the neighborhood? Hafen also celebrated new road construction, as well as the arrival of such businesses as Barrick Gold mining and Living Ecology organic food, plus expansions by Unilever and K2 Energy. He noted what attracts such businesses: “When parents move here, they want their children to have the best education possible.” Not to be outdone, local leaders in education and the economy

also chimed in. Speaking at Green Valley High School on January 27, Clark County School District Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky acknowledged that Nevada is at or near the bottom of a number of national education rankings. The good news: Graduation rates and test scores have improved some, and CCSD students earned a record $255 million in scholarships last year. However, as overcrowding gets worse, adding new facilities is a top priority. “Right now,” Skorkowsky said, “I could build 26 elementary schools, fll every seat and still be overcrowded.” The Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, whose job is to lure businesses to Nevada, also stressed education and infrastructure during its gathering at the Mandarin Oriental. Speakers lauded the 14,000 jobs created in the state in 2014, but acknowledged there’s a long way to go. “The high-value companies tell us the single-most important factor in setting up a new business is availability of a highly skilled workforce,” said Jonas Peterson, COO for the LVGEA. Another issue is the lack of large-scale industrial space. “We need more infrastructure,” Peterson said, adding that North Las Vegas’ Apex Park could be “a big part of the solution.” Indeed, attracting new business to Nevada is constantly on the lips of community leaders. Nevadans have been asking for better jobs, better schools and better infrastructure for years. Maybe the key is not to frame it as helping residents, but pleasing out-of-state corporations. Whatever it takes to get us into a better state—both educationally and fnancially.

Ah, a subtle way to bait me into the nature versus nurture debate! This proud (some would say cheerleading) Las Vegas native is most definitely a product of his city’s unique environment, rather than a reaction to it. Combining that with my nature—which is to not stray too far from home—if I were born in Telluride, I’d probably still be there, likely a City Council member operating a weed dispensary/mountain bike shop. And what if my parents had set up shop in Chapel Hill? Well, after a stint at the University of North Carolina that left me with large debt and a larger addiction to Tar Heel basketball (screw Duke!), I’m sure I’d be embarking on a new phase of life farther south in, say, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, giving sailing lessons by day and drinking lessons by night—all in pursuit of the perfect novel.

RONZONE REVISITED Historical questions directed to the Native often coax other old-school Las Vegans to send an email to help complete the story. Such was the case with the January 21 query about the Ronzone family, its department store, the elementary school and the family matriarch, Bertha Bishop Ronzone. A few helpful readers wanted to point out that Ronzone’s first opened in Las Vegas in 1929 on Carson Avenue, and then moved to Fremont Street in 1935. Like many retailers along Fremont Street (including Sears and JC Penney), Ronzone’s was lured from Downtown by Irwin Molasky’s fabulous new Boulevard mall, which opened in 1968 adjacent to Molasky’s equally fab Paradise Palms subdivision. Other readers wanted to be sure I gave Bertha Ronzone her due as an important figure in Nevada and Las Vegas history. That’s difficult to do in such a small space, but I urge interested readers to dig deeper into this Nevada pioneer by using our university system. Both UNR and UNLV’s Women’s Research Institute include biographical information available online, plus UNLV’s impressive Special Collections has a box of Ronzone family material on campus. For a city with no history, we sure seem to have a lot of it.

Questions? AskaNative@VegasSeven.com.

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STYLE

Jasmin Rodriguez Executive buyer and fashion blogger

Your blog, VintageVandalizm. com, has about 30,000 followers. Why does it resonate with so many people? Realness. I like

to tap into all styles and mix them. In fashion today, people are afraid to take risks because they don’t want to be labeled, but I don’t care. People admire that. Why did you start blogging?

I started in 2000, and began taking it seriously in 2008. I wanted to showcase how creative I can be with fashion. Also, I never had good infuences outside of my mother. I wanted to offer a place for people who felt like the underdog. What inspired you?

I grew up in Queens, and spent a lot of time between Queens and Brooklyn. There’s so much culture and fashion in New York. I was in fashion school; I was an artist. I wanted to draw and do comics at the time.

I lived in the Bronx for a year and was working like fve different jobs. I felt very overwhelmed in New York. … I was ready to take a risk, and Las Vegas was a wild card. I got an opportunity to work for a retro company, and it felt like the right thing to do. – Jessi C. Acuña

Mink-trimmed wrap dress from Glam Factory, Las Vegas. Vinatge hat, earrings, gloves and purse. Christian Louboutin shoes.

PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA

February 5–11, 2015

VegasSeven.com

You relocated to Las Vegas a little more than a year ago. Why make the move?

would allege that Kennedy’s death was a mob plot; while not believed by most of the public, the rumors would give Las Vegas an unsavory aura that it never would overcome. Lacking signifcant investment, the gaming industry may have never grown, instead remaining nothing more than a local curiosity. (And imagine a 21st century in which the words Zapruder and grassy knoll aren’t part of the American lexicon.) Sinatra might have thought differently at the time, but Kennedy spending the weekend with Bing wasn’t such a bad idea after all. – DGS What if Steve Wynn had remained in Atlantic City?

We all know what a big impact The Mirage had on Las Vegas, kick-starting the megaresort era and launching the 1990s building boom that made the city what it is today. But as much as (in retrospect) it’s clear that Las Vegas needed Steve Wynn, the builder had other options. His Golden Nugget Atlantic City casino was the seaside resort’s most proftable, and as diffcult as it is to fathom today, the truth is that in the early 1980s, Las Vegas lost ground to that East Coast upand-comer. Wynn had bought land and was planning to build a second, larger, more luxurious resort in Atlantic City when, in 1986, he decided to sell his interests in New Jersey and focus on developing a Las Vegas Strip resort. But what if Wynn had found New Jersey more to his liking? What if The Mirage had been built on Brigantine (not Las Vegas) Boulevard? The Strip still would’ve received a makeover at some point, but it would’ve been more along the lines of Excalibur than The Mirage. No white tigers and no dolphins, as Siegfried & Roy might have ditched the Frontier for Atlantic City. With a successful Mirage, Atlantic City would have cartwheeled ahead of Las Vegas in terms of bringing in both tourists and new developments. Add to that an easing of gaming regulations, and Atlantic City could have cemented itself as the world’s gambling center—and forever kept Las Vegas in second place. – DGS What if Hank Greenspun had bought land in North Las

The Green Valley master-planned community was predicated on Hank Greenspun’s 1971 purchase of 4,720 acres of Henderson land that had been released from the federal government. With Green Valley under way, Henderson’s population grew by 166.6 percent in the 1980s—a stark contrast to North Las Vegas, which grew by 11.6 percent during that decade. Had Greenspun planted a Green Valley in North Las Vegas, it could’ve accelerated that city’s growth in the ’80s and ’90s, increased its tax revenues sooner and perhaps averted the city’s current fnancial crisis. On the fip side, without Green Valley, Henderson’s growth undoubtedly would have been slowed and perhaps even stalled after the 1988 Pepcon solid-rocket-fuel plant explosion. – Paul Szydelko

What if Elvis hadn’t died so young?

➜ Picture Elvis having just turned 80. Only he isn’t “Elvis” anymore. Unlike James Dean or Jim Morrison or Jimi Hendrix, he hasn’t reaped the pop culture benefts of dying young, the memory of youthful dynamism and artistic brilliance frozen in our collective idolatry for eternity, unmolested by time. Like onetime thespian god Marlon Brando, Elvis has aged into a fat, old, eccentric punch line, ridiculed by TMZ, mocked on social media. Only rock historians and AARP-aged groupies deify The King today. ¶ Yes, he still plays Vegas if his arthritis doesn’t fare up and he can stave off that third heart attack. The Westgate—once his playpen as the International and then the Hilton—books him for nostalgia’s sake. Never a sellout, though. As for the Elvis impersonator industry, it’s limited to a few guys rotated in and out of Legends in Concert with the other retreads. But if you see a guy in a spangled jumpsuit heading for the hotel buffet, that’s the real Elvis, searching for that food station with the fried peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches. – Steve Bornfeld

PHOTO BY KEYSTONE PICTURES/ZUMAPRESS.COM

February 5–11, 2015

VegasSeven.com

Vegas instead of Henderson?

of the Strip, affording spectacular views from its windows (it would have been one of this city’s biggest tourist draws). Or we could have had a monorail that follows its current route behind the Strip, but stretches from Downtown to McCarran, transporting millions of tourists and locals a year. Either option would have proved more popular and more proftable than the pleasant but markedly less scenic and functional compromise we ended up with. – GC What if Bob Stupak had built his proposed Titanic-themed hotel?

UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian, in his fourth year on the job in 1977.

enough to get in the Breeders' Cup mix in the ’80s. Then again, Las Vegas Park’s success would’ve kept Marvin Kratter from building the Las Vegas Country Club and Kirk Kerkorian from snapping up the land for the International. Elvis: Live From the Desert Inn just sounds weird, man. – JS

What if Montecore had never

With Siegfried & Roy still in the picture, Danny Gans never would have turned into the sole headliner at The Mirage. That means The Mirage wouldn’t have gone for Gansalike Terry Fator in that spot after Gans moved to Encore. And without Fator, puppetry wouldn’t have been established as a viable headlining gig— meaning no Jeff Dunham residency. So, thanks, Montecore. Thanks for that. – JS bitten Roy?

What if Lefty Rosenthal hadn’t pioneered sports betting

Someone, somewhere along the way would have brought sports betting out of the independent shops and onto the casino foor. The real tragedy is that we never would have got Casino. Seriously, in what other all-time classic would Robert De Niro have starred in ’95? Cutthroat Island? Probably Cutthroat Island. – JS

February 5–11, 2015

VegasSeven.com

in casinos?

What if Gorgeous George

edly tells Clay he needs to sprinkle a little showbiz into his public persona. Sure, the talent would have been undeniable regardless, but without the mouth, Muhammad Ali goes down as the Lennox Lewis of his era: unquestionably great, but forgettable. On the plus side, it never would’ve led us down a road that ends in Justin Bieber walking a champion into the ring. – JS

hadn’t been wrestling in Las Vegas the same week a young

What if Mike Tyson hadn’t bitten

Cassius Clay was fghting here?

off Evander Holyfeld’s ear

June 26, 1961. Cassius Clay takes on Duke Sabedong at the Convention Center, his frst fght in Vegas. To promote the card, he goes on Channel 8, but is overshadowed by Gorgeous George, who was wrestling at the Convention Center the same week. George suppos-

on November 9, 1996? We all would’ve missed out on one of life’s rare, “I’ll never forget where I was when this happened” moments. Me? I was in the press room at the MGM Grand Garden Arena watching it unfold on TV (because my media seat was

in the rafters). In the blink of an eye (make that the bite of an ear), the tone of my Las Vegas Review-Journal story—an atmosphere piece—changed dramatically. So, too, did the location the story appeared: from inside the sports section to the top of Page One. – MJ What if UNLV had never hired

In 1973, Las Vegans were hungry for something to call their own, and UNLV supporters would have kept searching for the right man. But there was no man more right for the job than Tark—a risk-taker with West Coast roots and a very-Vegas disregard for the establishment. UNLV would have had a winning program without Tark—there was an impressive Rebel prehistory under Rolland Todd and Ed Gregory—but it would not have risen so fast or so far. The city, meanwhile, would not have found the perfect, persecuted embodiment of its own chip on the shoulder. And without the pure prolifc beauty of those mid1970s teams—110.5 points per game in 1975-76 and 12 straight games scoring 100 or more in 1976-77—the world would never have known what a Runnin’ Rebel truly is. – Greg Blake Miller

Jerry Tarkanian?

What if UNLV hadn’t lost to Duke What if Las Vegas Park had

in the 1991 Final Four?

There’s a laundry list of reasons why a thoroughbred racetrack lasted here all of six weeks. Chief among them: The 13-day meet started on a 100-plus-degree day, September 4, 1953. Had they just moved that meet to early October, the track would have had a shot to stay operating through the racing-mad ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, keeping it in the game long

The 1990-91 Rebels, at 35-0, would be unequivocally regarded as one of the top 10 college basketball teams of all time—perhaps the best. But without an amicable conclusion to the feud between Tarkanian and then-UNLV President Robert Maxson—not to mention a soothing end to the NCAA’s shark hunt—we still would have seen the fall of the Rebel empire. – GBM

survived?

TARK ANIAN PHOTO COURTESY UNLV ATHLETICS

We didn’t concoct this collision with bad taste. In 1999, contrary to the expectations (and hopes) of many, the Las Vegas City Council actually gave eccentric developer Bob Stupak (who died in 2009) the thumb’s up to create a $400 million, 15-story hotel on the Strip just south of Charleston Boulevard, themed to—and shaped like—the RMS Titanic. Imagine if this had become a … thing: The Orleans? That’s now The Katrina—with its violent, wind-whipped fountain shows that put the Bellagio’s to shame, and its FEMA Poker Room, where you’re guaranteed to lose your shirt. Now in discussions: The Pearl Harbor, which is expected to become a hub for sushi restaurants, with hotel suites designed like internment camps. Oh, and that Titanic Exhibition of artifacts? The Tropicana and the Luxor both wanted it, but of course it’s at The Titanic—adjacent to the Iceberg Ballroom, where you can hear a live hiphop performance of “Nearer My God to Thee.” – SB

NIGHTLIFE

Surprise! EDM’s brightest superhero, Green Lantern, has a hip-hop past By Kat Boehrer

VegasSeven.com

Light Up the Night

DANCE MUSIC AFICIONADOS know Green Lantern (born James D’Agostino) as the producer behind such beats as his Valentino Khan collaboration, “Know About Me,” featuring Iggy Azalea. But what the dance music crowd might not know is that D’Agostino was the offcial DJ for Eminem’s Shady Records in the early 2000s, before his foray into the EDM world. D’Agostino is currently on tour with rapper Nas, and took a few moments while in New Zealand to chat about his February 15 gig at XS, and how he reconciles his hip-hop roots with his new EDM identity.

February 5–11, 2015

ILLUSTRATION BY CIERRA PEDRO

Your city after dark and photos from the week’s hottest parties

NIGHTLIFE February 5–11, 2015

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I’m based in hip-hop, but I do love all genres and types of music. So I do a mix of pretty much everything across the board of what you would fnd at a nightclub in Vegas. I am gonna hit you with some hip-hop, I’m gonna give you some dance music, and everything in between.

You’ve been all over the EDM blogs lately. Do you ever plan to go back to doing exclusively hip-hop?

The space that I’m in is just kind of open, musically. I probably won’t turn off the electronic valve anytime, if that’s what you mean. There’s always gonna be hip-hop infuences in everything that I do. When you called, I was working on something that’s technically dance music, but it feels like a hip-hop record from 1999. What is it that makes it “technically” dance music?

Dance music is a wide umbrella that

falls over all of these subgenres. Everything from Mr. Carmack to Hardwell is dance music, technically. The common denominator of all that, I think, is non-reliance on vocals.

ing to your beats, but they never do anything with them. There were years of that. As much as I love hip-hop and rap music, I’m just experimenting with music that’s mine.

Do you still produce mainstream hip-hop and rap songs?

And you’re not with a record label right now, right?

Yeah, here and there. I’ve been really concentrating on my own stuff, though, I can’t front. I’m out on tour with Nas [right now], and he’s working on his album and he’s like, “Dude, where’s the beats?” I’m in my room 18 hours a day working on music, but it’s not for anyone other than myself. So have you produced anything for Nas specifically?

I have not. I mean to; when someone asks, that’s cool. But the regular grind of a hip-hop producer, as far as shopping your beats, is not really inspiring. There’s a whole lot of sending your beats to different people and them just never getting back to you. Or even more frustrating: When you’re in the studio with people and they’re listen-

Nah. I have a deal with Ultra to release a couple of songs [but nothing exclusive]. Is that why you don’t want to sign with a label? So other people aren’t dabbling in your music?

I just choose to just be independent. It’s kind of a new phase to me. I’m kinda still fguring out what I wanna do. I’ve been releasing some stuff on the trap side, but that could change. There might be some house stuff in [the future]. There might be some more glitch stuff. And if you’re with a certain label, most of the time they have a certain sound. What are the most notable differences between playing hip-hop clubs and dance clubs?

In the urban clubs, it’s like you’re playing the hits or the songs that everyone knows in an exciting fashion. But in this space—in electronic music—people wanna hear what your taste is, as a curator of content. They want you to bring them into your world. What have been your most memorable moments?

It’s really been the DJ stuff as of late, because it’s more shows that are centered on me. I’ve DJ’d for some of the biggest artists on the planet at their height and I’ve been in front of 100,000 people, [but] a show where it’s just me and 500 or 1,000 kids, it really overshadows those other shows where there are 100,000 people, because it’s about what I’m doing and how they are responding to music that I have made. What’s the best part about touring?

Food. All the way. 1,000 percent. I’m a fan of this one chain, it’s a chicken spot called Nando’s. They’re here [in New Zealand] as well as Australia. I’ve eaten it twice already, and we just got here.

PHOTO BY DOUG VAN SANT

Las Vegas clubs are best known for their EDM DJs. When you play here, what do you spin?

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BODYENGLISH.COM | RESERVATIONS 702.693.5555 | HARDROCKHOTEL.COM /BODYENGLISHLV

@BODYENGLISHLV

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NIGHTLIFE

PARTIES

SAVE THE DATE: FOR THE LOVE OF COCKTAILS & MORE LIFE SLS

[ UPCOMING ]

Feb. 6 EC Twins spin Feb. 7 Stafford Brothers spin Feb. 8 #IndustryLife with Jayceeoh

The second annual For the Love of Cocktails gala tasting will once again take over the 64th floor of the Delano for an evening of incomparable mixology and breathtaking cityscapes. However, this time, the charitable affair (Feb. 12-14) spans three days and nights of cocktailing in the name of love, camaraderie and charity. Tickets to all events are available now at ForTheLoveOfCocktails.com. CÕmon, do it for the love of ... WINE Kick things off February 12 with the Meet the Masters Wine Dinner at Aureole ($150, 6-9 p.m., in Mandalay Bay). Enjoy five wine-paired courses with welcome wine cocktails by author and world-renowned mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, Dale ÒKing CocktailÓ DeGroff and Southern Wine & Spirits educator Francesco Lafranconi. SOCIALIZING The party moves at 9 p.m.

to Franklin bar for Cocktails & Conversation, a lively mingle with your hosts and a cash bar. The possibilities are endless! BARTENDERS Curious how the other side of the bar lives? Party with industry members on their time and turf at The Life of a Bartender, an after-hours soiree at beloved bartender Òclubhouse,Ó Herbs & Rye (3713 W. Sahara Ave, HerbsAndRye.com), midnight to 4 a.m. Gird your liver, friends. LEARNING Start drinkingÑer, learning

bright and early (11:30 a.m., Feb. 13) with a day of spirited seminars, including ÒIÕll Take ManhattansÓ with DeGroff and ÒMaking Great Cocktails At Home,Ó Abou-GanimÕs hands-on, ladies-only mixology experience. COCKTAILS This is it! The For the Love

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of Cocktails Gala at Mix pairs more than 30 bartenders with sponsored spirits for an evening of inspired, original cocktail creations, gourmet food and live entertainment, plus rare spirit tastings and cigar sampling. Not to be missed!

See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com

Ganim in concert with Back Bar USA and the United States BartendersÕ Guild, For the Love of CocktailsÕ proceeds benefit the Helen David Relief Fund for Bartenders Affected by Breast Cancer. And should you need relief the morning after the gala, SaturdayÕs Bloody Mary Brunch at DellaÕs Kitchen should get you back on track. – Xania Woodman

PHOTOS BY TONY TRAN

February 5–11, 2015

RELIEF Produced by founder Abou-

NIGHTLIFE

PARTIES [ THE CHEAT SHEET ]

NO SWEETHEART? NO PROBLEM. HERE’S OUR VALENTINE’S DAY ITINERARY FOR SINGLES

Encore [ UPCOMING ]

February 5–11, 2015

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Feb. 6 Will Sparks spins Feb. 7 Miss Nine spins Feb. 8 Salva spins

See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com

PHOTOS BY DANNY MAHONEY

Don’t rely on someone else to buy you chocolate; get a free sample at Ethel M on the factory tour. Then check out the first-ever Valentine-themed light display in the cactus garden. (2 Cactus Garden Dr., EthelM.com.) Feeling bitter? Wash it down with $150 bottles of Grey Goose and $50 of Magnifico Champagne at Blue Martini. “Couples” receive 50 percent off from 8-11 p.m., but we challenge you to just bring a friend and see what happens. (In Town Square, 8 p.m., BlueMartiniLounge.com.) Don’t have a friend? Meet one (or 100) during Date-A-Thon at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. The 5,000-personcapacity venue will attempt to break the world record for “largest speed-dating event,” so the more the merrier! Giveaways include dinner packages, show tickets and a stay at The D. (200 3rd St., 6 p.m., VegasSpeedDate.com.) If that sounds overwhelming, try speed dating on a smallerscale at Atomic Liquors and sip liquid courage from Joseph James brewery. (917 Fremont St., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., AtomicLasVegas.com.) Did your ex do you wrong? Get sweet revenge at Due & Proper’s Voodoo Valentine’s party. Bring a photo of your former flame to spin for prizes on the “Wheel of Death” and receive a complimentary voodoo doll. Because if you can’t be with ’em, you might as well poke ’em. (At the District at Green Valley Ranch, 3 p.m., Facebook. com/DueAndProperBar.) – Camille Cannon

NIGHTLIFE

PARTIES

HAKKASAN MGM Grand

[ UPCOMING ]

See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com

PHOTOS BY JOE FURY

February 5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;11, 2015

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Feb. 5 DVBBS spins Feb. 6 Afrojack spins Feb. 7 Nervo and Mark Eteson spin

DINING

Pole to Table A duo of dining options for strip-club customers By Al Mancini

means, among other things, that you don’t have a view of any half-naked ladies while you eat. (And on the bright side, you don’t have to worry about the guy next to you getting a lap dance while you’re trying to concentrate on your food.) But the difference goes further than that. Because while a large percentage of the dancers in the club on any night have probably been artifcially enhanced, El Dorado is an all-natural establishment.

“Everything in my house is organic,” Feinstein says of his personal lifestyle, which he has brought to the restaurant. So his menu specifcally lists the organic suppliers for the restaurant’s produce, dairy products, seafood, beef, chicken and pork. It’s an effort to reach out to a health-conscious clientele, and he admits it was a risky endeavor in light of his location. “I wasn’t sure how we would be welcomed into the healthy food scene

in Las Vegas,” Feinstein says. But his fears have proven to be unfounded. After just a few months of operation, the restaurant has already found a strong local following. And, of course, it’s a great dining option for Sapphire customers who want to take a break from the lap dances for a quick bite. More than a decade after I switched from reviewing strip clubs to restaurants, it’s nice to see the two worlds again converging.

CRAZY HORSE III SUSHI BY ANTHONY MAIR

February 5–11, 2015

VegasSeven.com

AT 10:30 ON A FRIDAY NIGHT, THE MAIN ROOM

of Crazy Horse III is about threequarters full. My wife and I are seated at a table in the elevated VIP section, watching a pair of dancers cavort with each other onstage between firtations with the crowd. My wife, who once helped me review strip clubs for a local paper, says they remind her of kittens at play. It’s a comment that might sound sexist coming from me, but I have to admit she’s hit the nail on the head. On a typical night we’d move to the stage to tip the ladies. But that probably would have made the real focus of our evening a little awkward. As we chatted about the dancers, our waitress arrived at our table with a large order of sushi, including nigiri and some custom rolls. There was a time when dining at a strip club was limited to wings and pizza. Crazy Horse has those, although they’re not made on premises. The sushi, however, is all created in house by a chef who goes by the simple moniker of Sushi Dan. And it’s as good as—or even better than—what I get at my neighborhood sushi bar. And it’s available at the bar, the tables or the stage. The menu is fairly simple, dominated by rolls and with only six types of nigiri. Dan says that’s partially a result of the dancers he feeds; they are young and tend to be picky eaters. But he makes everything to order, and as the late-night crowd rolls in, he frequently has friends who work in Strip kitchens lend him a hand. Finding higher-end food in a Strip club isn’t all that rare these days. Treasures offers a steakhouse. When Sapphire opened its pool club, they brought in Kerry Simon to design the menu. And while it’s not offcially part of the club, El Dorado Cantina offers Mexican cuisine in a formal atmosphere in the Sapphire building. El Dorado, however, is a bit different than this town’s other strip-club dining options. Local entrepreneurs Brett Talla and Darin Feinstein rent the space from Feinstein's father, who coowns the club. But his target market isn’t the Sapphire customers. “It’s kind of a sneaky anti-stripclub restaurant,” Feinstein says. That

A&E 64

I’d beat him on all the turns with my $4,000 Porsche because I never backed down. Ever. I’d whup him every time. He hated me for that.” Nelson particularly loved working with ensemble casts, which made his Gilligan’s Island experience enjoyable and educational. Despite never smoking reefer with Bob Denver, he has funny anecdotes involving the actresses in that show. “I happened to be on set one day, scouting out things for my own upcoming episode, when the girls asked the director about his hobby during a break in shooting. He talked about fying his own plane or whatever. So then he turned to Tina Louise [Ginger]: ‘Well, what’s your hobby?’ ‘Fucking,’ she said.” After establishing himself in postwar television narratives and entertaining millions of baby boomers, Nelson earned the attention of Walt Disney Productions. The company hired him to direct episodes of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, which led to bigger projects. Such as the movie Freaky Friday, which had a lot to do with turning Jodie Foster into a star. “She was a darling teenager who loved coming to work,” says Nelson of Foster. “For a long time, she would purposely omit Freaky Friday from her

career. But I can understand wanting to put it behind her and be grown-up and serious.” Speaking of getting serious … “OK, Mr. Nelson, let’s get right down to it: The Black Hole.” “What about it?” he says. “Tell me about it.” “I hated the original script. It was at that point called Space Probe-One, and it was so stupid. It was about a colony onboard a spacecraft somewhere near a black hole. Something had gone wrong, and they were being dragged into the thing. But I agreed to do the movie based on the concept renderings, which were magnifcent. We started in with a massive rewrite. Writers came in, fell by the wayside, and then more writers came in.” The fnal script evolved into a sinister blend of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Star Wars. (Nelson was never really happy with the script, but knew it was a million times better than the initial draft.) Credit for the flm’s ominous tone goes to Academy Awardwinning actor Maximilian Schell (Judgment at Nuremberg), who plays the deranged, black hole-hungry scientist. “I had to fy to Austria get Schell to be in my movie. We sent him the script and he liked it but insisted on meet-

ing the director face to face. He was in Vienna, and I was in Burbank. I said, ‘Let’s meet halfway.’ He said, ‘Halfway is the middle of the Atlantic.’ So I got on a plane to Austria.” Upon meeting Nelson, Schell said, “You should instead use Jason Robards. You need to see him in this amazing TV mini-series called Washington: Behind Closed Doors.” “I said, ‘Come on, Maximilian, I directed it,” Nelson laughs. “He couldn’t believe it. He gave me a big kiss and signed on.” Ultimately The Black Hole, which cost $20 million to make, opened to mixed reviews. It earned $36 million and was nominated for two Oscars in cinematography and special effects. Last year astrophysicist and Cosmos host Neil deGrasse Tyson deemed it the most scientifcally inaccurate movie of all time. But black holes are now prominent in the popular imagination thanks to Interstellar, and there’s still online chatter about a gritty remake of Nelson’s movie. Translation: The Black Hole was ahead of its time. “We were looking for a PG rating,” Nelson says. “We deliberately sought an adult audience, in addition to the kids. And we weren’t afraid to address philosophical ideas by splattering a lot of good stuff in the dialogue. We even contacted Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan to help give us a ring of reality.” In 2002, while driving west, his wife asked him where they should retire. “Wherever the car breaks down,” he replied. California had gotten overcrowded and changed too much since his childhood. Instead, why not live in a city where they could enjoy great meals, go to shows and still be within easy driving distance of their L.A. friends? “Best decision I ever made,” Nelson says of settling here. “I love Vegas and

the people who call this place home.” He began teaching production classes for the UNLV flm department. Nelson’s academic colleagues are uniformly fans of his work, having grown up watching his narratives. “He moves the camera with deliberation and grace,” says UNLV professor Sean Clark, who wrote several episodes of Early Edition (a quirky fantasy-drama TV series about a Chicago resident who gets the newspaper a day early) that Nelson directed 1997-2000. “He did this out of necessity due to tight television schedules at frst. But it became a trademark of how to visually push narrative.” Nelson’s personal narrative has taken a melancholy turn. With the 2014 deaths of his wife Judi and brother Jim (who produced the frst Star Wars and helped form Industrial Light & Magic), he had a brutal year. He’s 80 years old and not in the best physical health, greeting me at the door in a walker because of his multiple sclerosis. But Nelson is excited about his pending Hall of Fame induction, and he’s open to doing a new project. “You never know when you’ll get a call to do something interesting,” he says. He doesn’t watch much TV these days, save for Blue Bloods and House of Cards, which are shows that he admires for the great acting. He also doesn’t cop to worrying much about his cinematic legacy. “Nothing I’ve done ever goes away,” Nelson says. “The good and bad, they’re forever lurking on a screen somewhere. There was a code I lived by, which is that I promised I’d never do something that would one day embarrass my two boys.” If he gets behind the camera again, it likely won’t be anything in the sci-f genre. “I worked two full years on The Black Hole,” Nelson says. “That’s a lot of time to spend on one flm.”

NELSON PORTRAIT BY JON ESTRADA; THE BL ACK HOLE COURTESY OF GARY NELSON

February 5–11, 2015

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Nelson at home today and on set of 1979’s The Black Hole.

We Are Woman: Hear the Stars of 'RuPaul’s Drag Race' Roar House of Blues, February 1

A&E

Vice Presidential Hellspawn Mary Cheney recently made headlines for asking why drag is socially acceptable and blackface isn’t. If we are to (generously) suppose that Ms. Cheney is not being deliberately obtuse, she might find her

ALBUMS WE'RE BUYING 1 Twiztid, The Darkness

answer at RuPaul’s Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons. ¶ First, people in blackface play pretty much one stereotype. But these gentlemen in drag had more varied takes on being a woman than Meryl Streep. Raja oozed supermodel sophistication and charisma, while Alaska Thunderfuck 5000’s comically unhinged

2 Marilyn Manson, The Pale Emperor (Explicit)

rendition of “I Have Nothing” parodied divas from Whitney Houston to Joey Heatherton. Adore Delano was the trashy Valley Girl who surprises you at karaoke with a jaw-dropping rendition of “Purple Rain,” while Phi Phi O’Hara played the

3 Joey Bada$$, B4.Da.$$

shimmying, wailing R&B diva with some impressive live vocals of her own. Ivy Winters juggled, did magic tricks and had more costume changes than Katy Perry; Sharon Needles was both goth dancefloor queen and cheerful ditz. Manila Luzon

4 Periphery, Juggernaut: Alpha

and Raja did a routine to Japanese thrash act Babymetal that involved fog machines, strobe lights, anime cartoons, Harajuku outfits, kung fu and air guitar. ¶ Second, people in blackface are not depicting empowerment. But no one in that room had

5 Napalm Death, Apex Predator - Easy Meat

more power than hostess Bianca Del Rio, whose comic timing and speedy skill with an improvised insult make her a sort of Don Rickles in false eyelashes and sequins. She may insult everything from your ethnic heritage to your cellphone plan, but she’ll do Fireball shots with you afterward: a Rolodex of hate

CONCERTS

with a heart of gold. Perhaps Ms. Del Rio could give Ms. Cheney

6 Fall Out Boy, American Beauty / American Psycho

lessons in that past part. ★★★✩✩ – Lissa Townsend Rodgers 7 J. Cole, 2014 Forest Hills Drive

Wale had something to say on his Simply Nothing tour

8 Taylor Swift, 1989

Promoting his upcoming fourth LP, The Album About Nothing,

9 Mark Ronson, Uptown Special

Washington D.C. rap vet Wale breezed into a packed house on his Simply Nothing tour. Supported by a “full course” band as well as a DJ and backup singer, Wale grooved along before rhyming a rearranged

10 Lupe Fiasco, Tetsuo & Youth

snippet of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” Wale then dove into the catchy call-and-repeat goodness of “The Deep End” before stumbling through the audience while performing “88.” As he wandered, Wale took selfies and pulled multiple drags off blunts that he borrowed

According to sales at Zia Record Exchange at 4225 S. Eastern Ave., Jan. 25-Feb. 1.

from random fans. “Lotus Flower Bomb” and “Ambition” were obvious highlights. And aside from a few sloppy song transitions and a tad too much singing from the emcee, Wale stoked anticipation for his

February 5–11, 2015

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upcoming banger while also reminding fans about why they loved him

in the first place. ★★★✩✩ – Brjden Crewe

Hozier.

WHAT THE FUNK? Call it jazz, call it “nu-funk.” Whatever the hell it is, the New Mastersounds play the hell out of it and a ticket to their show is a guaranteed good time. Their Wild West Winter Tour brings them to Hard Rock Live on Feb. 9 ($16).

ON SALE NOW Hozier scored a hit last year with “Take Me to Church,” which earned a Grammy nom for Song of the Year and the Viral Track of the Year title from Spotify. See what all the fuss is about when Hozier plays the Chelsea on April 9 ($30-$65).

RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE BY LINDA EVANS; WALE BY GLENN BROGAN; HOZIER BY ANTON OPARIN

House of Blues, January 27

The

The Las Vegas band crashed their own listening party.

HIT LIST TARGETING THIS WEEK'S MOST-WANTED EVENTS

By Camille Cannon

IMAGINE DRAGONS’ SOPHOMORE ALBUM IS MORE THAN JUST SMOKE + MIRRORS

Hollywood most often portrays Las Vegas as a sexist, neon-lit den of broken dreams. The most recent such portrayal, Wild Card, shows the Strip as a place where women are only important when they’re serving men, or being saved by them. Not the stuff of great cinema, but true to form. Wild Card’s specific sin is that it makes Las Vegas culpable in these story notes. Let’s do a quick roundup of the female “characters” in the film: There’s a maid; a blackjack dealer; a waitress; the woman our main character is paid to con; and our main character’s former lover (Dominik García-Lorido), whose rape propels the story into motion. Every woman here exists to help the plot, or to reveal more of the character of Nick Wild (a sad Jason Statham, pictured). These women are more than submissive female

WHERE THE SIDEWALK BEGINS February’s First Friday is carnivalthemed, a nod to debaucherous preLenten celebrations in Venice, Brazil and New Orleans. In addition to the usual abundance of art, music and food, you’ll find a profusion of poetry this month. Performers from the Human Experience, Provoke Infusion, Battle Born Slam and more will all sling verses on Colorado Avenue, between Third Street and Casino Center Boulevard. FFLV.net. PAINT TRIP You’ve heard that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but what about a painting? On Feb. 8 during Painted Stories at Bootlegger Bistro, five local writers will take turns reading their work aloud while artist Michael Davies uses their inspiration to transform a canvas. Afterward, all of the paintings and published works will be for sale. NevadaWriters.org.

clichés, they’re pulling double duty as barely sketched Vegas stereotypes, all blithely happy to console any ex-military wing chun expert who happens to stumble by. The female lead’s storyline as a rape victim seeking revenge is rushed, both emotionally and literally. As García-Lorido’s character exits the plot and the film pivots toward its final

act, our hero blames Las Vegas for the pain he and his former lover have endured, calling the city “an infection.” What do the actors think about Wild Card’s outlook on Vegas? According to García-Lorido, they “only filmed in Vegas for a week,” only using the city for its exteriors. There’s a metaphor in there somewhere. – Shaun Leonard

IMPORTED BARD The College of Southern Nevada hosts the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s presentation of Macbeth Feb. 6-7 at the Nicholas J. Horn Theatre. These public performances are among a series of shows and workshops that the touring ensemble is conducting at schools across the Valley this month. So, if you see a lot of teens tweeting, “Out, damned spot!” now you know why. CSN.edu.

VegasSeven.com

Jason Statham hates Vegas

NEW MOON Gina Quaranto is the curator de force that makes Blackbird Studios one of the best in the Valley. She’s also a very talented artist in her own right. Beginning Feb. 5, you can see Quaranto’s Regarding the Moon exhibit, her first unveiling of allnew art in more than four years. You can also join her for a reception on Feb. 6. BlackbirdStudiosLV.com.

sions from Smoke + Mirrors is that the latter uses this now-familiar pop style to explore a range of emotions wider than just joy. Piano-driven “Polaroid” is actually somber. And radio single “I Bet My Life” hints at forgiveness and complicated family relationships. In the end, Smoke + Mirrors’ overarching similarity to its predecessor stunts the album, making it a little too safe. Flirty incorporations of opera and exotic instruments show promise, but never take the lead. They’re just complements to slamming percussion and vocals. Because of this overused style, “I Bet My Life” sounds similar to “It’s Time,” a song the band released three years ago. Smoke + Mirrors is a solid follow up to Night Visions, but after that frst listen, you can’t help but wonder if “It’s Time” for something new. – Aric Lairmore

February 5–11, 2015

IMAGINE DRAGONS BY WAYNE POSNER; STATHAM BY PAUL MCKINNON/SHUT TERSTOCK

IN THE DIMMED P3 STUDIO ART GALLERY at the Cosmopolitan, 200 Imagine Dragons fans from around the world sat, stood and danced. As they previewed Tim Cantor’s album artwork on January 24, they scored a frst-listen to the Las Vegas band’s LP Smoke + Mirrors, which will be released on February 17. So what did it sound like? Imagine a chapel choir singing ethereal harmonies over organ pipes. Now, imagine a reckless industrial band barging in and playing alongside the congregation. This effect is strongest on the tracks “I'm So Sorry” and “Friction.” But what happened to the sound that made Imagine Dragons famous? You know, smooth guitar riffs, prominent percussion and Dan Reynolds belting more hooks than a piece of kinky Peter Pan fan fction. That’s still there. But what separates Night Vi-

Photo by Virginia Trudeau

MUSIC Cali Smoov, Dirt Nasty and Logic.

Photo by Kyle Cordova

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ONE NIGHT ONLY

DANCE AMONG THE STARS Vegas Headliner FRANKIE MORENO in a WORLD PREMIERE with Nevada Ballet Theatre A Mesmerizing Performance by LIL BUCK, Celebrated Street Dancer and So You Think You Can Dance Judge Excerpts from SWAN LAKE ACT II Performed by Nevada Ballet Theatre PLUS: Performances by guest artists from AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE and PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET A Rare and Unforgettable Night of Dance, Music & Celebration in a Gala Salute to Nevada Ballet Theatre Co-Founder and Board Co-Chair NANCY HOUSSELS

Saturday, February 21 ê 7:30pm

(702) 749-2000 NevadaBallet.org The Resident Ballet Company of

[ SOUND PROOF ]

DILLA, FOREVER

Beauty Bar celebrates the infuential beatmaker in a month jam-packed with hip-hop parties By Zoneil Maharaj FEBRUARY IS HIP-HOP MONTH AT BEAUTY

Bar. It starts on February 7 with the J Dilla Changed My Life tribute and birthday celebration. The late Detroit producer and rapper is hailed as one of the most infuential of the genre. He’s your favorite artist’s favorite producer. Kanye, Pharrell and even Drake cite him as an infuence. A founder of Slum Village and a member of the Soulquarians with Questlove and D’Angelo, Dilla produced hits for A Tribe Called Quest, Erykah Badu, Common and countless others, along with instrumental classics such as Donuts, which dropped three days before he died from a rare blood disease in 2006. Hip-hop heads around the world celebrate Dilla’s life, and it’s being done right at Beauty Bar with a Dilla-inspired art auction, cutouts for photo-ops, free doughnuts and Dilla’s music being spun all night by DJs Edoc, 5’8 and Kev P. Cover is a $5 minimum donation with all proceeds benefting the J Dilla Foundation. Taking a sharp turn, the venue hosts Dirt Nasty on February 10. If you’re old enough, you might know him by his real name Simon Rex. As Rex, he was an MTV VJ in the ’90s, had roles in some of the Scary Movie ficks and was on obscure TV shows such as Jack & Jill. As Dirt Nasty,

he’s a drugged out, average-sized penis-swinging (he raps about it a lot) ridiculous rhymer known for his cocaine anthem “1980,” his guest verse on Mickey Avalon’s “My Dick” and being a member of Three Loco with Riff Raff and Andy Milonakis. Needless to say, this should be a fun show. Plus, it’s Nickel F---n Beer Night. $10 cover. Underground heads should especially take note of February 15. The Academy Beat League returns to the Fremont Street bar with the Cali Vegas Beat Battle IV. Four Golden State producers will take on some of our best for a $400 prize, with a rap battle between heavyweights Cali Smoov and Vegas’ Nov aas the main event. Wh While I’m all for supp porting local events, rising East Coast star Logic touches down, oddly enough, at Drai’s for a full concert the same night. He dropped his debut, Under Pressure, in October. Executive produced by Kanye mentor No I.D., the album takes the Kendrick approach: It’s autobiographical with sharp, vivid storytelling about the madness around him. There are absolutely no party joints on the album. I don’t know how well that’s going to sit with the rooftop club’s crowd, but it’s enough to fnally get me to step foot into the venue. Got new music or upcoming shows? Holler at Zoneil.Maharaj@wendohmedia. com or @zoneil on Twitter.

A&E

MOVIES

HOT FLUB TIME MACHINE What happens when teenagers discover time travel? More or less what you’d think. By Roger Moore Tribune Media Services

A COUPLE OF INGENIOUS WRINKLES DISTIN-

guish this Back to the Future from Looper and its other cousins. It’s not as moving as the best flms of the genre, but it boasts decent effects (unlike the far funnier and more moving Safety Not Guaranteed) and the kids-eye-view of what one does with this power makes it an entertaining ride. “You have to kill Hitler. It’s like ‘Time Travel 101.’” It all starts when science whiz high school senior David (Jonny Weston) and his younger sister (Virginia Gardner) stumble across an old camcorder with video of David’s seventh birthday party, the one “right before Dad died.” An odd Signs moment in that video— David, as he looks now, is glimpsed in a mirror in the background of a party 10 years before. That sends him poking around Dad’s old workshop, where he and his pals uncover plans for “Project Almanac,” a “temporal displacement” device.

Going where Michael J. Fox has gone before: Lerner, Weston, Evangelista and Gardner.

That’s a blueprint for time traveling, liberal arts majors. Dean Israelite’s flm bogs down a bit in the trial-and-error experiments David, Quinn (Sam Lerner) and Adam (Allen Evangelista) conduct to make this gadget work. A Playstation and a Prius are required at various junctures. But it’s what happens after they get it running that sets Project Almanac apart—just a smidgen. Quinn wants better grades, so he goes Groundhog Day on his chemistry exam. They want money, so they game the Lotto. The science nerds want

fame, and they fnd ways to get it. “People know who we are,” Quinn marvels. “I never had that.” And David can fnally make contact with his dream girl, Jessie (Sofa BlackD’Elia). They vow to “flm everything,” and they do. They pledge to only travel as a pack—all fve of them—be it back to Lollapalooza shows they missed, or further. And as they break their time travel “rules,” they get a handle on the consequences of tampering with time. The cast is competent, but has few moments to make us empathize with their fate, the guilt they might feel

February 5–11, 2015

VegasSeven.com

SHORT REVIEWS

American Sniper (R) ★★✩✩✩ Director Clint Eastwood’s latest film is reverent and slippery. You don’t have to know much about the real Navy SEAL marksman Chris Kyle to wonder if it’s telling the whole truth about him. The film is one life-anddeath sequence after another, and the filmmaking is efficient, crisply delivered. But Eastwood honors his subject without really getting under his skin. Bradley Cooper plays Kyle as a “legend” whose vulnerabilities remain a secret, even to himself, until the breaking point. Cooper is very good, as is Sienna Miller as Kyle’s wife.

Black Or White (PG-13) ★✩✩✩✩

Black or White patronizes its African-American characters up, down and sideways, and audiences of every ethnicity can find something to dislike. Kevin Costner plays an L.A. attorney, Elliot, who loses his wife in a fatal car accident. We learn that his daughter died in childbirth seven years earlier, leaving a biracial daughter (Jillian Estell) in the care of Elliot and his wife. A paternal grandmother (Octavia Spencer) proposes shared custody, and the film mixes up elements of courtroom drama, custody melodrama and, in a stupid third-act turnabout, home-invasion thriller.

Black Sea (R) ★★★✩✩ Nothing promises old-school pressure-cooking the way the sub thriller can, and while director Kevin Macdonald’s drama springs leaks in its second half, there are satisfactions along the way. Jude Law plays a recently laid-off marine salvage skipper who has given his life to the sea but destroyed his marriage in the process. Over a pint with a couple of other castoffs, he hatches a plan: There’s a Nazi U-boat at the bottom of the Black Sea rumored to be laden with gold. Black Sea is about hostile, desperate men in close quarters who want that money.

over the ripple effects of their actions. The flm sets us up for a Peggy Sue Got Married moment with David and his dead dad—that’s a dud. Nobody truly stands out. The idea in this much-delayed thriller is just to keep things light and moving along, and reference a lot of time travel movies as they do. In this, it succeeds. Lerner gets the funny lines, the young ladies get lots of short shorts scenes and science get short shrift, though they do mention Einstein. Project Almanac (PG-13) ★★★✩✩

By Tribune Media Services

Mommy (R) ★★★✩✩

The first half of Xavier Dolan’s Mommy feels like a modern classic, driven by galvanizing performances. The second half succumbs to emotional excess. But see it. This wild tragicomedy of irresistible forces juggles our sympathies with devilish ease. Anne Dorval plays a 46-year-old woman who’s single, struggling and about to become a full-time parent again. Her son (Olivier Pilon) has bounced from juvenile facility to facility and has a disrupted emotional makeup. Their savior is a new neighbor who has suffered a breakdown. In French, with English subtitles.

Cake (R) ★★★✩✩

Mortdecai (R) ★★✩✩✩

Why didn’t Jennifer Aniston get an Oscar nomination for Cake? With a best actress slot taken by Julianne Moore for Still Alice, there wasn’t room for another routine healthcrisis indie, salvaged by a strong, confident, unfussy turn from its female lead. Cake attempts to deal with a protagonist in chronic pain without becoming a chronic pain itself. Claire (Aniston) has scars on her face and body, and plenty she’s not yet acknowledging in her recent, tragic past. The film charts a progression from a dark place to a lighter place, from misanthropy to community.

Should the facial hair trend stall in 2015, blame Mortdecai, a perky but obstinately unfunny heist caper with a hero irksome enough to make any happily mustachioed man reconsider his life choices. The film shoots for the swinging insouciance of ’60s farce, but this story of a caddish art dealer enlisted by MI5 to assist in a theft case is longer on frippery than quippery. Only dedicated devotees of Johnny Depp’s latter-day strain of mugging—here channeling Austin Powers by way of P.G. Wodehouse—will delight in this expensive-looking oddity.

The Humbling (R) ★★★✩✩

The Boy Next Door (R) ★★✩✩✩

We have forgotten how subtle Al Pacino could be, pre-hooah, before his Oscarwinning turn in Scent of a Woman unleashed the beast. So it’s a bit of a jolt to see him as Simon Axler, a famous, fading actor who is losing his grip and his ability to stay on script. Pacino rarely cranks up the heat here, and that’s a shame, because this sometimes funny/often sad film could use some fireworks. Instead it shambles along the way Simon does, with witty, coherent stretches and droning theatrical self-absorption that’s as dull as a sleepwalk through Shakespeare.

Jennifer Lopez plays Claire, a suburban high school literature teacher whose marriage is on the rocks. Her loins are stirred by the hunk next door (Ryan Guzman), who seems nice enough in a turning-stalker-anysecond-now way. While estranged husband and teen son are away, Claire capitulates to those psycho-bedroom eyes, and soon her new neighbor gets clingy and violent and then serial-killy. Whenever this mediocre film threatens to become zingier, it pulls back and behaves itself and settles for a grindingly predictable series of escalations.

Paddington (PG) ★★★✩✩

The Wedding Ringer (R) ★★★✩✩

Based on the beloved children’s books, Paddington is witty and charming, with a considerable if sneaky emotional impact, and it offers more than enough to satisfy. Graced with unusually delicate computer-generated animation mixed with live action, the film retains elements of the first book, ropes in bits of other books and invents a lot of its own. Raised in a tribe of surprisingly verbal bears in Peru, Paddington is shipped off to London, where he and his adoptive human family negotiate life under the same roof. Nicole Kidman is a villainous taxidermist.

In this Wedding Crashers Redux, Kevin Hart plays a guy who hires himself out as a rent-a-best-man to rescue grooms who have failed to establish long-term friendships. He’s hired by a sad sack (Josh Gad) who needs not just a best man but a whole team of groomsmen. The film softens Hart and his manic funnyman persona into someone more sentimental than abrasive. A savvy, sassy script and genuine chemistry between Hart and Gad make this an R-rated bromance that will touch you as often as it tickles you.

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What stories get your pulse racing?

Stories about the proposed UNLV medical school and Switch technology’s expansion. It’s extremely exciting that we are starting to be this technological, solar-energy, alternative-thinking state, and it’s not just gambling anymore. Gambling was the way to get the money in. I’ve always thought of cash as being our natural resource. It’s like there’s this river of cash that runs through it, but we are turning that into a greater emphasis on the natural environment we’ve got. How did you get through broadcasts on 9/11?

The longtime news anchor on her CSI experience, hanging with Siegfried & Roy at midnight and her surprising obsession By Paul Szydelko

February 5–11, 2015

VegasSeven.com

Paula Francis

When you arrived here in 1985, did you think you’d stay this long?

No, I intended to fulfll my three-year contract and move on. I got fred—let go—at Channel 13, but I had already fallen in love [with my husband-

to-be]. So I wanted to stay. I did like it here. In 1985, it was different—there was this pioneer feeling. I applied for jobs elsewhere, but as soon as Channel 8 made me an offer, there was no question.

What have you learned about Vegas in 30 years?

It’s like a secret that we all have. There’s this Las Vegas that the rest of the world sees, but they don’t see the real Las Vegas. I love that

My parents called me [when the attacks occurred], and I went into the shower to come to work. In the shower, suddenly the enormity hit me and I realized I was not going to get through the day unless I had something to ground me. I called my parents back, and I said, “Dad, you have to describe for me what it was like to hear about Pearl Harbor and what you did to go forward with life after that.” And then I got Mom on the phone. She’s British, and she lived through the Battle of Britain when Hitler was carpet-bombing London. They saved me that day. How has social media changed the way you do your job?

It’s eating up our lives. Everyone’s had the experience of going on Facebook and looking up fve hours later and saying, “Whoa, what did I do today?” I try to limit it, but there is simply no denying the fact that the resources on the Internet have revolutionized this business. Newsgathering has never been more accessible. If we have a murder suspect, we can generally fnd a Facebook page that they’ve made. It does give on-air people like me a chance to have a little more exposure of our

personality to people who are interested. It lets us be more real to them. I like to post little behind-the-scenes photos, and people enjoy those. You’ve appeared on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation at least once every season for 15 years. Is there anything you won’t do for the sake of good fiction?

Our only requirement is that they don’t make fun of the media. Roger Daltrey of The Who was going to be on an episode, and they wanted me to come out to L.A. and interview [his character]. He was going to be a murderer or a gardener who found a body, but it was kind of stupid. It made me look like one of those reporters who hunts people down. I said I really wasn’t comfortable doing it, so I didn’t. My dad always thought it was a mistake for me to do them at all; he said you are confusing the truth and drama. At first that worried me, but people have been so accepting of it that they definitely don’t have any [confusion]. What’s your favorite memory of New Year’s Eve broadcasts?

In the early ’90s, [former coanchor Gary Waddell] and I were part of West Coast Live. I was onstage with Siegfried & Roy at midnight. We’re going live to the whole West Coast, and Roy says [feigning a German accent], “You must touch the white tiger’s tail. It means good luck for life.” So I touched the white tiger’s tail, and the audience goes crazy and there’s confetti. The curtains closed, we went backstage and then Roy says, “You must touch the tiger’s tail again for real.” So, like, the stage version wasn’t real. And I must say I have had good luck ever since. What would surprise viewers the most about you?

I quote Bob Dylan constantly, ad nauseam, to my friends and husband. It’s really kind of verging on fanatical, although there is a much larger cult of fanaticism around him. I went to San Diego to see him last fall. He was great. I love his voice. … There’s a Bob Dylan line for every occasion. Who was Francis’ journalism role model? Read the full interview at VegasSeven/com/PaulaFrancis.

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH BUEHRING

SEVEN QUESTIONS

feeling of sharing that with people. And it makes us a little defensive: Have you ever noticed how Las Vegans are sick of being the worst on a list? It’s part of that pioneer thing—donÕt put us down! … I love the fact that there’s no real social hierarchy here. In this state, you also have the chance to talk to anyone in public office, and there’s just a more relaxed, Western feeling.