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Where to Shop Local
from the editor
Melinda Sheckells Editor-in-Chief Follow us on Twitter @vegasrated
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Something cool Bearing the appearance of spaghetti and meatballs, the Spaghetti Ice handmade gelato dessert at Trevi proves that looks can be sweetly deceiving—and aesthetically pleasing. Vanilla bean gelato “spaghetti noodles” are adorned with chocolate mousse “meatballs” and strawberry “marinara” sauce. Topped with white-chocolate “parmesan” shavings, it’s the perfect treat to follow a tasty Italian dinner. $8.50 Trevi in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, 702.735.4663; trevi-italian.com
Melinda: Ryan Reason; Styling: Nicole Chandler; Hair: Marshall VanIerland; Makeup Natasha Chamberlin; Dolce & Gabbana dress, Neiman Marcus, Fashion Show; Spaghetti: Peter Scaturro
With every holiday season in Las Vegas comes a few guarantees: great meals, fantastic parties and terrific shopping. Whether you call this dazzling city home or just a home away from home, there is a perfect gift around every corner. That’s why Vegas/Rated’s Laura J. Downey and Elizabeth Sewell searched the Strip (and beyond) to put together our 2012 holiday gift guide—a color-blocked wonderland of stocking stuffers anyone would consider themselves lucky to receive. You know what else fits in a stocking? A ticket to one of our amazing shows, and within these pages we showcase a number of entertainment options on the Strip. Steve Bornfeld crafts a compelling oral history of how the Broadway hit Jersey Boys ended up on the Las Vegas stage. Michael Shulman sits down with Jerry Lewis, who reminds us just how Las Vegas was run back in 1947. (Lewis performs at the Orleans this month). And I make friends with a quirky character named Zark, who recently moved into Aria Resort & Casino as part of Zarkana, the city’s newest Cirque du Soleil production. Of course, what’s a holiday season without food? Our Dine section goes downhome, focusing on comfortable fare such as fried chicken and macaroni and cheese. Check out the photography of the dishes; just make sure you do so on an empty stomach because it’s true—a great photo can make you hungry (See Page 52). Thankfully, this year, I planned ahead and dieted before the holidays, so I can enjoy with no guilt and no remorse.
Here today, gone tomorrow—that’s the “pop-up” business. Jackie Gaughan Plaza at El Cortez Hotel & Casino gets in on the trend hosting the Neon Holiday Bazaar November 24. More than 35 local retailers and artisans converge in the heart of Downtown for a one-day pop-up market that urges Las Vegans to shop local and support small business this holiday season (sponsored by our sister affiliate DTLV, dtlv.com). During the Bazaar, shoppers can peruse the eco-friendly furniture of Corner Store Furniture Co., handmade headdresses by Gypsy Den and boldly brilliant wrist cuffs by Jessica Galindo Leather Couture. Various food trucks, such as Johnny McGuire’s and Grouchy John’s Mobile, keep shoppers fueled. And for the perfect end, unwind in the Shop Local Lounge, a tent sponsored by businesses such as Lotus of Siam, Tiger Lily and Box Human Landscaping. 12-8 p.m. November 24 at El Cortez Hotel & Casino, 702.385.5200; neonholidaybazaar.com
‡All carat weights (ct. t.w.) are approximate; variance may be .05 carat. Photo may be enlarged or enhanced to show detail. Fine jewelry at select stores; log on to macys.com for locations. Advertised merchandise may not be carried at your local Macy’s and selection may vary by store. ★ Enter the WebID in the search box at macys.com to order. 2090029
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contributors “What is your go-to gift for the holidays?” Peter Quinnell Quinnell has worked with collage and assemblage for 30 years, both as an artist and illustrator. His work has appeared in hundreds of magazines, book jackets, record sleeves, shop window displays and advertising campaigns, and he exhibits his fine-art pieces regularly. For this issue, Quinnell lent his collage skills to Steve Bornfeld’s oral history of the popular Las Vegas show Jersey Boys (“Rolling with the Jersey Boys,” Page 88). Quinnell lives and works by the sea, in Hastings, East Sussex, U.K., with his partner and daughter. “I will be asking Santa for an illuminated anchor from Philip Oakley—a little bit of Vegas in Hastings, England.”
LAURA J. DOWNEY There are two things Vegas/Rated managing editor Laura J. Downey really enjoys doing. One: She loves interviewing celebrities. And Two: She must hit the spa. For this issue, the former People reporter got the inside scoop from jewelry designer Eddie Borgo on his concrete chic fall 2012 collection (“HighClass Hardware,” Page 40). Plus, she also got a little pampering at Ritual Salon & Spa in Tivoli Village. “I do it all for the travelers. They need to know where to go for the best in spa treatments and so much more (“Healing Rituals,” Page 66). “I love to gift friends and family with framed pictures from special moments we’ve shared together.”
Brandon neasman As a music nerd, there’s hardly a moment that goes by where Neasman isn’t wearing earphones. To him, life is a well-written movie with music serving as the soundtrack. A graduate of Florida A&M University, Neasman has interviewed everyone from DJ Pauly D to Queen Latifah, and penned articles for both national and regional publications, including usmagazine.com, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s Las Vegas magazine and thegrio.com. For Vegas/Rated he put his skills to the test by talking with Musiq Soulchild (“Let Him Love You,” Page 86). “A bottle of wine. Nothing says ‘Happy Holidays’ like giving someone another excuse to get inebriated.”
Giuliano bekor Bekor is a fashion, celebrity and fine-art photographer best known for shooting covers for Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, among other publications in the United States, Europe and Asia. He has captured some of the world’s most recognizable faces—think Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Snoop Dogg, Jessica Alba, Peter Fonda and Philip Seymour Hoffman. In this issue, Bekor turned his camera on Taylor Handley for a men’s fashion story dripping with holiday glamour (“Top Gun,” Page 34). “Love—and Bora Bora.”
fRANCIS + FRANCIS Francis George is the photographer and Francis Baytan is the digital manipulator. Together they provide interpretations of their subjects that they sum up as “honest yet polished.” This aesthetic proved perfect for capturing a house that doubles as an art gallery (“The Living Gallery,” Page 74). “Good wine—and it doesn’t necessarily have to be French.”
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Ryan T. Doherty | Justin WenigeR PUBLISHERS
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
michael skenandore melinda sheckells
art director scott lien
MANAGING EDITOR laura j. downey
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grace bascos, elizabeth sewell
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTs
EDITORIAL INTERNS dayna blackwell, susanna bouse, paulina dimaguila, yazmin kelley, molly trucano
steve bornfeld, christopher calicott, geoff carter, joe donnelly, maureen hank,
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
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deanna rilling, david g. schwartz, michael shulman, brian sodoma, xania woodman
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illustrator and Graphic designer
Graphic Design Intern
SENIOR CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
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DINING / FASHION / NIGHTLIFE
OPENING NEW YEAR’S EVE Crystals at CityCenter
3720 Las Vegas Blvd. South Suite 260 Las Vegas, NV 89158 Restaurant (702) 254-2376 www.SHe-LV.com
WELL BEHAVED WOMEN RARELY MAKE HISTORY. SHeLasVegas
Contents
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46 Shop
Dine
in store & on trend
the culinary scene
V/Rated 28 Admirable attachés for any occasion
V/Rated 44 Fowl play: On and off the Strip, we do fried chicken right
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Current 32 Nars releases a chic makeup line inspired by Andy Warhol
All access 46 Two decades later, Wolfgang Puck dishes on Spago Las Vegas
Shop 19 Speakeasy shopping arrives in the Fremont East district
Top gun 34 Taylor Handley lays down the law in Vegas—and does so in style
meet 50 Jonathan Segal’s goal is simple: to be king of the Entertainment Capital of the World
Meet 40 Jewelry designer Eddie Borgo goes underground for his latest collection
high/low 52 Smile and say (mac ’n) cheese!
Pulse v/Rated exclusives
relax Introducing Linq, a Strip destination with its own “mayor”
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Discover 19 Local artist Juan Muniz gets cartoon-character crazy in his latest exhibit WATCH 20 From Wu-Tang to kung fu, RZA makes his directorial debut In the Moment Snapshots of the city
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Relax best places to get away from it all
DinE 17 What can one man do with a chain saw? Find out at Javier’s in Aria Resort & Casino play Remy Martin VSOP gets a holiday makover
VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 3
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eats & Beats 54 Andrew Economon rocks the House of Blues First Crush 56 A pinot by way of Oregon is a true labor of love The Cellar 58 A fruitful pairing at Aureole
V/Rated 64 It’s a deal: Las Vegas resorts entice guests with holiday perks to go with affordable room rates Spa Day 66 When your body has had enough of the Strip, head to Ritual Salon & Spa in Tivoli Village for some rejuvenation
84 120
66 Discover
Watch
Play
Gift Guide
the city beyond the strip
must-see concerts & shows
on the list & on the lips
Trinkets to take home
V/Rated 72 Welcome home: Take a tour of five of the city’s coolest neighborhoods
V/Rated 84 This month’s must-see concerts, from Wiz Khalifa to Rush
V/Rated 104 DJ Roger Gangi drops the tunes that make STK sizzle
V/Rated 117 Shop any hour of the day in this 24-hour town
The Living Gallery 74 For Karan and Michael Feder, home (literally) is where the art is
meet 86 Soul searching: Musiq Soulchild strikes an emotional chord
All Access 106 Hyde and seek: Bellagio’s posh nightspot invites you to party from dusk till dawn
Current 120 Stocking stuffers show big things come in small packages
Backstage 88 How Jersey Boys made its way from Broadway to Las Vegas
THE SCENE 110 Downtown fun run lights up the night
EPHEMERA 96 Jerry Lewis becomes indebted to Bugsy Siegel—and lives to tell about it
The Guide 112 Your resource for the hottest nightclubs on the Strip
Calendar 80 Your monthly guide to arts and culture in Sin City
On a Roll Welcome to the world of virtual gaming
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pulse
Experience Sin City Inside. Outside and Upside Down
| shop | dine |
Discover the Best Fried Chicken Joints in Town
pl ay
And
| GiFt Guide
Jonathan Segal’s Plan for Total Domination
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hoLIDaY hUNT
Our picks fOr perfect gifts
Six Must-See Concerts, from Wiz Khalifa to Morrissey
watch
Plus
Zarkana by Cirque du Soleil Makes its Grand Vegas Debut
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Vegas’ TaYLor haNDLEY Trades in His Sheriff’s Uniform for Dashing Duds
oN ThE sTrIp
discove r
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD shirt viviennewestwood.co.uk; BURBERRY tie and gloves The Forum Shops at Caesars; DOLCE & GABBANA jacket Crystals at CityCenter; DIESEL scarf Fashion Show
Look sharp!
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CALENDAR 100 Your monthly resource for shows on the Strip
on the cover: Taylor handley Photographed by GIULIANO BEKOR
re l ax
all access 98 Cirque du Soleil’s Zarkana finally lands in Vegas
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C RY S TA L S AT C I T Y C E N T E R 3 7 2 0 L A S V E G A S B O U L E VA R D S O U T H , L A S V E G A S , N V (702) 834-6600 DUBAI - GENEVA - GSTAAD - HONG KONG - KUWAIT - LAS VEGAS - LONDON - MOSCOW NEW DELHI - NEW YORK - PARIS - PORTO CERVO - ROME - ST BARTHELEMY - ST MORITZ - TOKYO
w w w. d e g r i s o g o n o . c o m
VEGAS/RATED EXCLUSIVES
PULSE
PULSE
D I N E / EAT H ERE N OW
andrew sea james
De Profundis Artist J. Chester Armstrong’s 3,000-pound sculpture at Javier’s in Aria Resort & Casino includes elements of Dia de los Muertos writhing from the depths of the wood, with notes of Mayan-creation myths and modern Mexican history all woven together to create The Bones Remember, the world’s largest piece of chain saw art. (Continued on Page 18)
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V/RATED EXCLUSIVES
dine / EXCLUSIVE
De Profundis (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17)
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P L AY / SI P T H IS SE AS O N A L SP I R I T
The Evolution of Cognac Crooner Robin Thicke has a voice that’s made for slow dancing in the rain, so when listening to the R&B artist serenade you with “Lost Without U,” it’s best to have a spirit in hand that has just as much soul. A creative partner with Rémy Martin VSOP, Thicke launched a festive limited-edition bottle that’s meant to be popped open during the holiday season. The tony cognac’s bottle features Thicke’s signature, as well as musical design elements that nod to his prolific songwriting and sultry pipes. Added bonus: Tech-savvy consumers can find a QR code on the back, which unlocks exclusive content. $40 leesliquorlv.com –GB
JAVIER’S: ANDREW SEA JAMES; Vsop: ZACKERY WILLIAMS; COTERIE: GEOFF CARTER
Conceived by restaurant and resort designer-developer Dodd Mitchell, the piece was meant to be crafted from metal, using doll-face molds from the 1900s, but the use of the industrial material never properly resonated. Renowned for his wood sculpting skill, Armstrong—carved Oregon Alderwood during 16- to 18-hour days for six weeks, with each section up to 12 to 16 inches deep and weighing about 600 pounds. Studying the intricate carvings reveals hidden gems, like Easter eggs embedded throughout the piece. “There’s a lot of hidden innuendo,” Mitchell says, careful not to reveal too much. “The point is to get people to talk to each other and open the conversation outside of what you’re used to. I like to hide little things. I want the piece to have a life of its own.” Javier’s in Aria Resort & Casino, open daily 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m., 866.590.3637; arialasvegas.com –Grace Bascos
PULSE exclusives
P L AY / G O H E R E N EX T Y E A R
Linqued In
S H O P / F I N D I T I F YO U C A N
Retail in Fremont East? Check! Coterie, a new boutique in Downtown’s Fremont East district, is a kind of retail speakeasy: It has no posted hours and no sign, save for an old one that says “CHECKS CASHED.” (“If the doors are open, we’re here,” says Hannibal Nisperos, brother of owner Sarah Nisperos.) But once inside, the mood is warm and welcoming. Walk in the door, and Sarah and Hannibal will beg you to hang out for the day—or, at the very least, to doodle on the walls with chalk. And the merchandise—men’s and women’s clothing and accessories—couldn’t be more stylish (and affordable—prices range from $20-$300). 515 Fremont St., 702.685.7741; facebook.com/coterielasvegas –Geoff Carter
Caesars Entertainment has promised that when its new project Linq is unveiled next year, it will be one of a kind. Shopping! Dining! Entertainment! A giant observation wheel (dubbed the High Roller)! Of course, you don’t have to walk far on the Strip to find places to shop, eat or be entertained. So what will make Linq different? For one, the shopping and entertainment district between the Flamingo and Imperial Palace (soon to be renamed The Quad) will have its own mayor. And Jon Gray, the guy who has been tapped for the post, is one of the fastest-rising stars in the Las Vegas hospitality business. Gray, 28, started working behind hotel front desks in 2002 while attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In his senior year, he landed a job at Palms Casino Resort as assistant hotel manager. Then Caesars presented him with an opportunity to, as Gray sees it, help reshape a city. He’s tight-lipped on details right now, but the $550 million project features 200,000 square feet of leasable space,
and Caesars estimates it will attract 15-20 million visitors annually. A mix of retail, restaurants and nightspots will line the walkways of the open-air destination. Dining options such as Yard House, The Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery and local Italian favorite Off The Strip have already been announced. For shoppers, Linq has revealed footwear boutique Bella Scarpa and accessories store Ruby Blue. If you’re ready for a night on the town, check out bowling alley/ music venue hybrid Brooklyn Bowl and F.A.M.E., an Asian-inspired night market. Yes, but what’s the twist? At last, the mayor pulls back the curtain— just a little. “There are eight acres behind the High Roller that we’re going to play with,” he says. “We’ll have street festivals, concerts, fights … we’re already working with partners, and we’ve got some cool ideas for the space.” That’s part of the promise of Linq—the somewhat-risky attempt to engineer an urban vibe (mayor and all). If the engineering works, it might put Linq over the top. –David G. Schwartz
D I S COV E R / O N E TO WATC H
Juan Muniz has Character(s) Juan Muniz doesn’t quite know where his playful, yet emotionally resonant character-driven art comes from. “Sometimes I don’t know what I want to say until I’ve sketched it out on paper,” says the 29-year-old Las Vegas artist. His paintings, which depict cartoon-like characters in the state of overcoming spiritual crises—contemplating suicide, drinking themselves unconscious, literally dealing with their angels and demons—will be on display at Wyland Signature Galleries at The Venetian through late November. There, you can ascertain what Muniz is trying to say and appreciate the way he says it, which is very much in the pop surrealism vein—even if the artist is reluctant to accept that label. “I’m just doing the same characters I drew as a little kid,” he says. Juan Muniz’s work appears through November at Wyland Signature Galleries in The Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes, 702.699.7100; jmunizart.wordpress.com –GC
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WAT C H / M U ST - S E E M OV I E
KUNG FU FANTASY Robert Fitzgerald Diggs—better known simply as RZA—has transitioned from iconic recording artist to motion-picture maker as writer, director and star of the latest Quentin Tarantino film, The Man With the Iron Fists. In theaters November 2, the bloody kung-fu flick features Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu, and was shot over the course of 150 days in and around Shanghai. RZA partnered with gore movie director Eli Roth [Vegas/Rated’s October cover guy] on the screenplay and also scored the equally anticipated soundtrack, collaborating with such musicians as The Black Keys, Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa. In the open-air setting of Baby Dolls lounge at Roth’s Goretorium on the Strip, RZA shared his thoughts on becoming a filmmaker and what he loves about Las Vegas.
shows movies at his house and invites people over. One night he invited me, and Eli was there. We watched some movies together
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Chan Kam Chuen
VEGAS/RATED: How did you and Eli Roth become partners? RZA: We first met at Quentin Tarantino’s house in L.A.—[Tarantino]
and talked about them and we just got along. We’ve been friends for about eight years now. V/R: How did your idea for a kung-fu film come to fruition? RZA: I just always knew it was going to happen. That’s what I wanted to do, and I had a determined idea. It’s the same thing I did when I started Wu-Tang Clan. This took a lot of focus. I have great teachers and comrades beside me. Eli Roth is a great companion. Quentin Tarantino is a great mentor. Russell Crowe is a genius. I’ve had great relationships, great energy, with everyone I’ve worked with. V/R: What do you do when you’re in Vegas? RZA: I’ve gotten in trouble here, but I’m not going to reveal the crazy stories. Most people know Vegas for gambling, partying and strippers, right? But what I love about Vegas—there’s a lot of beauty here, and I’m seeing a lot of art. GZA, my cousin, he’s the one who told me to go see Le Rêve. He was like, “Yo, the shit they’re doing is like martial arts mixed with gymnastics mixed with some shit you can’t explain!” As far as arts and entertainment, I think Vegas made its way into the top 10. I didn’t see The Lion King on Broadway. I saw it here. –Maureen Hank
in the moment 10 photographs taken around las vegas
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PULSE
PHOTOGRAPH BY XX
IN THE MOMENT
Opposite page, from left: Peaches at Ghostbar in Palms Casino Resort, photographed by Aaron Garcia. Adrian Grenier (left) with Instagram’s Kevin Systrom (right) in the DJ booth at Rain Nightclub, photographed by Aaron Garcia. Travis Barker performs with Blink 182 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, photographed by Erik Kabik. This page: Chris Paul at Tao, photographed by Powers Imagery.
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Clockwise from top: Redfoo and PSY at Tao, photographed by Powers Imagery. DJ Baby Chino at the LV Asian Food Festival at the Silverton Casino, photographed by Claire Hart. Taylor Swift performs at the iHeartRadio music festival, photographed by Ron Koch.
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PULSE IN THE MOMENT
Clockwise from right: Eli Roth with zombie dancers at the opening of the Goretorium, photographed by Chris Weeks. Roving art cars Downtown at the GlowRun, photographed by Tony Tran. Deadmau5 and Kat Von D at XS nightclub, photographed by Danny Mahoney.
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IN STORE & ON TREND
TrAVIS RATHBONE
Pack Light A woman’s purse is her source of power—so says Matthew McConaughey in How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days. The editors of Vegas/Rated whole-heartedly agree thanks to these standout clutches, wallets and cosmetics cases. And since we didn’t want to exclude anyone, we throw in a few drool-worthy items for the boys, so they can feel a bit of the purse-power too. See Page 28
shop
SHOP
Clockwise from top left: GUCCI Lady Stirrup top handle dark-blue leather bag The Forum Shops at Caesars; VICTOR HUGO Tab wallet victorhugo.com.br; ROBERTO CAVALLI lizard shoulder bag Crystals at CityCenter; VERSACE white leather bag with stud detail The Forum Shops at Caesars; VICTOR HUGO hip line bag and striped envelope clutch victorhugo.com.br
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GRAB BAG
LUXE CARRYALLS HOLD EVERYTHING FROM COMPUTERS TO CREDIT CARDS PHOTOGRAPHY BY TRAVIS RATHBONE STYLING BY BEAGY ZIELINSKI
Gentlemanly Gear From left: JOHN VARVATOS Italian leather toiletry kit and crocodile-embossed briefcase The Forum Shops at Caesars; BRUNELLO CUCINELLI brown leather wallet Crystals at CityCenter; BOTTEGA VENETA green computer case used to transport a dress shirt Via Bellagio; GEOFFREY BEENE dress shirt Macy’s in Fashion Show; VICTOR HUGO Texas briefcase victorhugo.com.br
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Pretty Pocketbooks From left: JILL MILAN Pacific Heights clutch jillmilan.com; VICTOR HUGO white leather and black ostrich clutch victorhugo.com.br; ROBERTO CAVALLI blue leather clutch Crystals at CityCenter
V/rated
shop
Photography by TRAVIS RATHBONE travisrathbone.com Photography Assistant SIMON LEWIS Styling by BEAGY ZIELINSKI beagystyle.com
Where to Buy BOTTEGA VENETA Via Bellagio, 702.369.2944; bottegaveneta.com BRUNELLO CUCINELLI Crystals at CityCenter, 702.527.7766; brunellocucinelli.com JOHN VARVATOS The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702.939.0922; johnvarvatos.com MACY’S Fashion Show, 702.731.5111; macys.com ROBERTO CAVALLI Crystals at CityCenter, 702.736.7300; robertocavalli.com
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shop
Photography and Styling by Benedetta Pignatelli François Nars, the founder oF French beauty maison Nars—which is known for its vivid makeup and lush nail-polish shades—has created a series of products in the spirit of Andy Warhol’s oeuvre, The Silver Factory Collection. The highlight of this holiday must-have is three Warhol Self-Portrait eye-shadow palettes ($55) with a chrome logo on the compact and Warhol quotes on the mirrors. Edie ($75) comes in an authentic 16-millimeter film canister and includes Film Star matte lipstick, Carpates eyeliner stylo, Deep Throat/Amour mini blush duo and Edie eye shadow. Meanwhile, Beautiful Darling ($49) is outfitted in a silver cosmetics bag with mini Candy Darling nail polish, Woman in Revolt lip gloss and Femme Fatale duo eye shadow. Also in the collection (but not pictured) are Photo Booth mini nail polish shades ($35) and a Silver Factory gift set, which includes eyeliner, eye shadow, blush, lipstick and brushes ($200). Available at Barneys New York in The Shoppes at The Palazzo, 702.629.4200; theshoppesatthepalazzo.com; Nordstrom in Fashion Show, 702.862.2525; nordstrom.com; narscosmetics.com
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current
15 MINUTES OF FEMME
shop
THE ROW shirt Barneys New York; BURBERRY tie The Forum Shops at Caesars; WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND vintage suspenders whatgoesaroundcomesaroundnyc.com; JOSEPH ABBOUD suit Nordstrom in Fashion Show; BAUME & MERCIER watch Tourneau in The Forum Shops at Caesars
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shop meet
WATCH
Taylor Handley herds cattle and breaks hearts as the down ’n’ dirty sheriff’s deputy on Vegas By Una LaMarche / Photography Giuliano Bekor
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“It just feels really good to be working. ... There have been some ups and downs, but I’m on an upswing—and I intend to keep it that way.” It’s not every actor who will laugh when you call him a dick, but Taylor Handley—who plays deputy Dixon Lamb on CBS’ new hit cowboysand-mafiosos period drama Vegas—takes it like a man. To be fair, the put-down was in reference to the character that the 28-year-old Handley is probably best known for—the troubled Oliver Trask on The O.C.—and not to Handley himself, which removes some of the sting. “Hey, it means I did my job correctly,” the actor says amiably in his deep, easygoing West Coast drawl. “I’m 100 percent opposite of who that person is, which is what acting’s all about.” Handley, a California native, has the piercing blue eyes of a young Paul Newman and the boyishly handsome features of a teen idol, so it would be easy to assume that he’s coasted along on traditional heartthrob roles. In fact, the contrary is true. Handley has made a name for himself playing dark, troubled souls, appearing on shows such as NYPD Blue, Frasier, Southland and Dawson’s Creek before his memorable stint as The O.C. villain. And his first starring role on the big screen was as risqué as they come: the confused, lusty, gender-shifting star of the offbeat 2005 indie comedy Zerophilia. But even though he’s no ingenue by Hollywood standards, Handley’s excitement over Vegas’ early success—its September 25 premiere hooked 14.7 million viewers—is palpable. “It’s the best gig in town,” he says. Vegas, set in the 1960s, is inspired by the life of Ralph Lamb (played onscreen by Dennis Quaid), a rancher who served as the Clark County sheriff in the ’60s and ’70s and who locked horns with mob bosses eager to cash in on the city’s gambling and entertainment industries. Handley’s character, the girl-crazy, trigger-happy Dixon, isn’t based on a real person, but is rather an amalgam of Lamb’s two sons. “From what Ralph told me, they were tough sons of guns,” Handley says gleefully. “I love playing Dixon; he does things that most people only dream about doing. It’s a fun pretend land to live in, putting on the boots, the jeans, the hat—being the cowboy.” And while there’s plenty of literal horseback riding, Vegas also gave Handley the opportunity to get back in the saddle more figuratively. His last major TV role, in Kevin Williamson’s 2007 teen drama Hidden Palms on The CW network, was yanked after only eight episodes. “That was really disappointing,” he says. But when he heard he’d be working with such idols as writer-creator Nicholas Pileggi (Goodfellas, Casino) and director James Mangold (Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma), Handley didn’t hesitate to commit. And, apparently, the feeling was mutual. “Taylor isn’t ‘right’ for Dixon, he is Dixon,” Pileggi says. “And then, suddenly, he’s Taylor again. It’s one of those miracles that terrific actors like Taylor possess.” This may very well prove to be Handley’s breakout year: When he’s not herding cattle and breaking hearts on the small screen, the avid surfer will be riding waves in Curtis Hanson’s new film, Chasing Mavericks. “It’s a dream,” he admits—but not one he’s letting go to his head. “It just feels really good to be working,” he says gratefully. “There have been some ups and downs, but I’m on an upswing—and I intend to keep it that way.”
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What Happens in Vegas, Ends up in Reruns A look back at some other Sin City-set TV shows VEGA$ (ABC, 1978-1981) Aaron Spelling’s drama about T-birddriving detective Dan Tanna (Robert Urich) was shot entirely on location on the Strip. The Real World: Las Vegas (MTV, 2002-2003; 2011) The bed-hopping, bar-brawling cast mates lived at the Palms in the first Vegas iteration of this MTV reality staple; for the second stint in 2011, the Hard Rock Hotel served as the hard-partying host. Las Vegas (NBC, 2003-2008) With five seasons in syndication, this dramedy about a fictional casino staff headed by James Caan and Josh Duhamel holds the crown for longest-running network show with “Vegas” in its title. Dr. Vegas (CBS, 2004) Even though it starred Rob Lowe as a hot young doctor, this drama was pulled from the lineup after just five episodes. Las Vegas Law (Court TV, 2006) Lawyer James “Bucky” Buchanan defended prostitutes, drug addicts and other colorful characters in this shortlived reality circus. King of Vegas (Spike TV, 2006) Less exploitative—but just as brief—was this reality gambling competition show, which pitted six seasoned pros against betting newbies for a cool million-dollar prize.
shop meet
WATCH
DIOR shirt Crystals at CityCenter; VIVIENNE WESTWOOD tuxedo viviennewestwood.co.uk; BURBERRY bow tie The Forum Shops at Caesars
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The Details The golden days of the 1960s conjure images of glitzy shows and dressing for dinner, much like the debonair demeanor of our subject, actor Taylor Handley. It’s a far cry from Handley’s character on the CBS drama Vegas that debuted in September. On the show, he plays a deputy sheriff and is more likely to sport cowboy boots than bow ties. But through the lens of fashion and celebrity photographer Giuliano Bekor, Handley’s suave shines through.
DIOR shirt Crystals at CityCenter; BURBERRY bow tie The Forum Shops at Caesars; VIVIENNE WESTWOOD tuxedo viviennewestwood.co.uk; REISS LONDON socks reiss.com; CESARE PACIOTTI shoes cesare-paciotti.com
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Where to Buy BARNEYS NEW YORK The Shoppes at The Palazzo, 702.629.4200; barneys.com BURBERRY The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702.731.0650; burberry.com
shop
“I’m 100 percent opposite of who that person is, which is what acting’s all about.”
DIESEL Fashion Show, 702.696.1055; diesel.com DIOR Crystals at CityCenter, 702.597.0941; dior.com DOLCE & GABBANA Crystals at CityCenter, 702.431.6615; dolcegabbana.com NORDSTROM Fashion Show, 702.862.2525; nordstrom.com TOURNEAU The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702.732.8463; tourneau.com Photography GIULIANO BEKOR giulianobekor.com Styling JEFF K. KIM jeffkkim.com Grooming JULIANNE KAYE Cloutier Remix
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High-Class Hardware Rock ’n’ roll meets the road in Eddie Borgo’s fall 2012 collection
by Laura J. Downey
Innovative jewelry designer Eddie Borgo’s fall collection is straight from the streets. Filled with lots of pins, pavé, hooks, nail bolts and baubles, the pieces are a direct influence of New York City’s historic infrastructure. The former art-history student and winner of the CFDA Swarovski Award for Innovation in Accessory Design takes a detailed look beneath the pavement, creating treasures such as the Expansion Joint Cuff, Manhole Cuff, Stand Pipe Necklace and Router Bit Studs. While in town promoting his line at Neiman Marcus, Borgo, 36, gave Vegas/Rated the scoop on all things concrete chic. VEGAS/RATED:
What inspired your fall
collection? EDDIE BORGO: It comes from what we call geometric classicisms. It has to do with taking a decorated shape—it could be a flower, a snake, a sculpture or a less organic shape— and stripping it down to its geometric foundation. This collection was all taken from documentary photographer Steve Duncan. There are photos of him and his team within these different subterranean environments in and around New York City. They go into the abandoned sewer systems, subway tunnels, waterway networks, and they document the lost engineering systems from the Industrial Revolution that exist beneath the city. As we started to look at all those different networks, it occurred to me that these are all manmade systems—there are so many joints and connectors and pipe systems and coil networks. All of these pieces were developed
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with that in mind. V/R: How long did it take you to put this together? BORGO: From meeting with [Duncan], to the sketches, to carving all the models—probably about eight months until we actually showed it. All of the different collections [fall 2012, holiday and core]—because they’re so highly thematic—represent, not only new ideas, but also new techniques. V/R: Who is your muse for this collection? BORGO: They are always inspired by modern women—women who are not only lovers of fashion, but lovers of jewelry. While I was sketching the fall 2012 collection, I was listening to a band called The Kills a lot, and I met the lead singer [Alison Mosshart] at a dinner party. She had told me, “I love your jewelry. It’s so fantastic.” And then I ended up finally seeing her perform. I asked her if she would be photographed for our campaign, and she was game for it. V/R: What’s next? BORGO: Most recently, we were chosen as one of the 24 designers who are taking part in the Neiman Marcus and Target collaboration, which will release to stores December 1. That will be available at every single Neiman Marcus and every single Target. And to be included as such a young designer with Marc Jacobs, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Proenza Schouler, Jason Wu—it’s thrilling. We’re so happy. Available at Neiman Marcus in Fashion Show, 702.731.3636; neimanmarcus.com
router bit studs
eddie borgo
shop
manhole cuff “our cuffs are good because they have a very architectural element to them. They’re very fashion focused and fashion forward.”
MEET
sketches and photography Courtesy of Eddie Borgo
expansion joint cuff “expansion joints are meant to connect two pipe networks together. this is the cuff that was inspired by these expansion joint systems.”
pavÉ door latch cuff “[For the holiday collection, we take] our core ideas from our classics collection and cover them in crystal. this is just a simple latch bracelet where the latch is covered in crystal. these pieces do really well.”
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LATE NIGHT DINING, PRIVATE PARTIES & SPECIAL EVENTS BLUE RIBBON SUSHI BAR & GRILL
at
LOCATED ON P3 COMMONS
Sunday to Thursday 5pm-1am Friday to Saturday 5pm-2am ACCEPTING ALL RESERVATIONS
(702) 736-0808
THE CULINARY SCENE
DINE dine
Move Over, Turkey! Thanksgiving fare is comfort food in a fancy disguise. Swap out the roasted turkey for fried chicken, and the accompaniments—mashed potatoes, corn bread, etc.—can remain the same. Vegas/Rated tracks down the city’s favorite deep-fried fowl (including this flavorful specimen from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino newcomer Culinary Dropout). Then we present three must-haves on the side. See Page 44
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BLUE RIBBON FRIED CHICKEN
INSIDER INTEL / Blue Ribbon Sushi understands it can be a bit much to eat full-size pieces of fried chicken after hours. On the other hand, chicken wings, with their inherent, bite-size portability, are the perfect late-night snack. SO starting at 10 p.m. daily, the kitchen offers nine- ($12) or 18-piece ($20) buckets of their prized wings.
v/rated
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Hash House a Go Go
THE BIRD’S THE WORD
NO DISRESPECT TO THE COLONEL, but here’s a few other chicks that have us lickin’ our fingers by grace bascos Bazic Bar & Restoyaky
There are many questions about Bazic. First, is it supposed to be a “z” or a backward “s” on the sign? Is it a karaoke bar or a Korean restaurant? Is 3,000 cc’s of beer too much? The answer to all: yes. But you’ll forget all about this restaurant’s conundrums once the fried chicken arrives. It’s fried in olive oil so that it’s nearly crackling, and served with spicy sweet sauces for dipping. If you’re looking for the ideal way to break into the world of Korean fried chicken, this is it. 5115 Spring Mountain Road, 702.642.8888 Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill
That spark of heat that you can’t quite identify after biting into Blue Ribbon’s fried chicken? It’s togarashi shichimi, a popular Japanese condiment of seven peppers and seasonings, which chefs and restaurateurs Bruce and Eric Bromberg have been using
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in the restaurant’s fried chicken since its inception 20 years ago. The chicken’s other secret weapon for such a light, airy crust? Matzoh meal. And don’t forget a side of wasabi honey. Fusion cuisine just exploded. The Cosmopolitan, 702.736.0808; cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
Andy’s Sage Fried Chicken comes in various forms at this temple of enormous portions. The earthy herbed chicken retains its crunch no matter how you order it: as eggs Benedict, smothered with chipotle cream and with maple reduction, alongside a tower of waffles, or even as a salad with a honey-mango vinaigrette (if you’d like to pretend you’re being healthy). Anyway you get it, trust us when we tell you to show up with an empty stomach. 6800 W. Sahara Ave., 702.804.4646; hashhouseagogo.com Additional locations in the Imperial Palace, Plaza Hotel & Casino and The M Resort M&M Soul Food Café
Even though you might have to wait up to 20 minutes for it to land on your table, the fried chicken at this off-Strip diner is a must for regulars. The bird is wellseasoned and properly cooked to ideal crunchiness, and while it’s terrific on its own, we recommend going the full soulfood mile: Smother those bad boys with gravy. (Don’t worry, we won’t tell your cardiologist.)
best tip: On The Side
Waffles have become a sort of de rigueur pairing for fried chicken, but the fluffy golden breakfast treats aren’t the only game in town. The macaroni and cheese served as part of Gospel Brunch on Sundays at the House of Blues is so good, you’ll want to testify. House of Blues, Mandalay Bay, 702.632.7600; houseofblues.com
Any self-respecting Asian will tell you fried chicken should be eaten with rice—better if it’s kimchi fried rice studded with the famously spicy, pungent fermented cabbage and topped with a fried egg. Bazic Bar & Restoyaky, 5115 Spring Mountain Road, 702.642.8888
The South has fried chicken on lock, and they know best to serve it: with warm buttermilk biscuits drizzled with honey. Culinary Dropout, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 702.522.8100; hardrockhotel.com
DISHING WITH WOLFGANG PUCK
By MICHAEL SHULMAN PHOTOGRAPHY SABIN ORR
VEGAS/RATED: Why has Spago had such
incredible success?
ALL ACCESS
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PUCK: When we opened in West Hollywood 30 years
Thirty years ago, Wolfgang Puck opened Spago in Los Angeles, the restaurant that would become synonymous with California haute cuisine. Vegas/Rated recently caught up with the convivial chef who lifted pizza to the swankiest heights of gastronomy, who cooks annually for the biggest stars in the worlds of philanthropy and cinema, and who brought Las Vegas into the age of the celebrity chef in 1992 with his eatery in The Forum Shops at Caesars.
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ago, it had the first open kitchen where guests could see all the chefs preparing their meal. It was fun, and only the food was serious. Three years later, super agent “Swifty” Lazar started to host his Oscar party at Spago, and the restaurant became known for catering to the biggest stars in the world. To be in business for 30 years you have to serve great food and give people great service. So what defined Spago was really the people who have worked and still work here, and the guests who continue to be loyal to us. V/R: With which charitable organizations are you most proud to be affiliated? PUCK: One is Keep Memory Alive, which helps raise money for treatment and research into memory disorders. The other one is Dream for Future Africa—my wife supports a school in Ethiopia that takes in orphans and kids with nowhere else to go. V/R: What do you hope your legacy will be? PUCK: I hope that I trained enough great people so that our restaurants and our businesses will continue long after I’m gone. V/R: How important is the local customer to a restaurant’s success in Las Vegas? PUCK: We always thought we have to cater to the local clientele first. We know every out-of-towner wants to go to a restaurant where the locals go. And in the long run, it’s the repeat customer who makes the restaurant successful, and repeat customers are often local. V/R: What should every chef keep in the kitchen? PUCK: If you want to have fun cooking, you have to have great pots and pans, great appliances, knives, etc. The next thing is to get the best products. I go to the farmers market with my children to buy the best vegetables, fruits and berries, or to the fish market if I need fish. And I think a steamer is always handy, because you can cook vegetables and have them truly taste the way they should. V/R: What is your favorite meal to prepare when it is just you and your wife at home? PUCK: I love to have Sunday brunch at home where I eat different kinds of salads, maybe roasted potatoes and scrambled eggs with white truffles, followed by a chocolate dessert. And, naturally, a bottle of Krug Champagne.
spago turns 20 By grace bascos Just as Spago has undergone a few facelifts since opening at the Forum Shops at Caesars in 1992, Wolfgang Puck’s modern American cuisine has evolved with seasons and trends. Some dishes, however, are timeless. Spago celebrates 20 years in Las Vegas in December, and to commemorate two decades, the restaurant brings back items from its original opening menu from December 10-14. Keep an eye out for classics such as smoked sturgeon with crisp potato galette and horseradish cream, and stir-fried lamb with ginger and garlic in lettuce cups. 702.369.6300; wolfgangpuck.com
THEN ... The main dining room was the first to be renovated in 2001, after the restaurant had been open for nine years. In hindsight, Wolfgang Puck wasn’t happy with this redesign, which is what led to another renovation a quick five years later. The blue panels on the walls, which are meant to look like reflecting pools, had to be remade. The original panes were on one of the ill-fated airplanes of 9/11.
INSIDER INTEL / Adam Tihany designed the original dining room (not shown). Art work included a giant painting from renowned artist James Rosenquest called “Time Dust,” made of seven panels about 15 feet high by 20 feet long.
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dine ALL ACCESS
NOW ...
a work of art
The most recent renovation completed in 2006 by Engstrom Design Group includes pieces commissioned from local artist Tim Bavington, as well as David Ryan and Eric Engstrom. Bavington was handpicked by Tom Kaplan, Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group senior managing partner. “Tom liked it, and it was a big piece. Here’s a guy who’s local, so it was perfect for us,” Puck says. The second renovation was intended to re-envision Spago as a gallery-like space, and to re-introduce the restaurant’s significant art collection.
The second renovation continued Spago’s endeavor to collect major art, but this time focused on local and emerging artists from UNLV’s College of Fine Arts.
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The World is Not Enough
One man is on a mission to take over the Entertainment Capital of the World By Joe Donnelly PHOTOGRAPHY Tomo
In one way, at least, Jonathan Segal, a smooth debonair Brit, is more like a Bond villain than Bond himself: Segal is bent on world domination. He even kind of talks like a Bond villain. “You have to be brave in this world; you can’t just run with the pack,” he tells me recently on the phone from New York City, taking a break from pushing pins into a map of the world. You know Segal’s work from The One Group—STK at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, but that’s just the tip of the steak knife, as it were. He opens Bagatelle Las Vegas (a version of the multifaceted bistro, club and bar that he operates in New York and Los Angeles) at the Tropicana November 1, and will soon open Heraea and Xishi at Palms Casino Resort (January 2013). It’s all just part of an expanding global reach that will spread Segal’s trademark upscale and relaxed entertainment approach to future venues such as The Hippodrome Casino in London and STK steak houses across Europe and into the Middle East. “I’m a deal junkie. Some people like to drink, some people like to take illegal substances, but I’m obsessed with making the deal. It’s always to build bigger, better and faster. It has nothing to do with money.” Right now, Segal sees no better place to exercise his global imperatives than Las Vegas, a destination he believes sets the entertainment standard for the world. “It’s the greatest of the greatest,” Segal says. “It has an amazing ability to invent and reinvent itself. It has an enduring and endearing capacity.” The opportunity to be a part of reinventing and reinvigorating enduring brands has Segal bullish on his forthcoming Tropicana and Palms openings. Bagatelle will take over the space formerly occupied by Miami Beachbased Club Nikki and Nikki Beach. But it will operate as an autonomous destination within the iconic hotel. Which begs the question: Bagatelle is a sophisticated, sexy brand, but is the august Tropicana a well-matched destination? Segal’s response: “The people are getting younger and younger and hipper and hipper. It’s changing.” Plus, he says, it’s got what every venue wants: a great location. “First, it’s one of the easiest hotels to get in and out of from anywhere. Secondly, it’s on one of the busiest hotel corners in the world. MGM, fantastic! New York-
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New York, a great hotel. Excalibur is a fun hotel,” Segal says, breathlessly. “I love anything that’s recovering. We went into the Tropicana because it’s renewing and being reinvented.” Likewise, Heraea, a female-friendly sports bar and restaurant, will be part of Palms’ new infusion of energy and capital. “You gotta love the Maloofs, they did a fantastic job,” Segal says of the family who founded the property. “The Palms is getting a massive capital injection. It was [once] the cool, sexy, fun place to go, and I think it will be again.” If Segal says so, you might be inclined to believe it. His roots in this business go back 35 years to when he started as a teenager working with his father. Segal and his father built the largest hospitality company on the island of Jersey in the English Channel. The family’s entrepreneurial spirit goes even further back to Segal’s grandfather, who emigrated from Russia to England, where he earned enough money by rolling cigarettes for rich folks to start his own business. “We’ve always seen opportunity, sometimes ahead of others.” For now, the opportunity is in giving venerable Vegas destinations such as the Tropicana and Palms a shot in the arm. “It’s not enough to just have a strong name,” Segal says. “Las Vegas will reward you if you work hard. But you can’t just show up and think it owes you a living.” You get the impression Segal likes it that way.
How to Expand One Empire The One Group’s first three steps to taking over Las Vegas: 1 / Build a steak house: STK at The Cosmopolitan comes complete with champagnefueled Magnum Mondays, celebrity clients, live DJs and swank steaks. 2 / Build a day club and create a mega champagne brunch: Here comes Bagatelle, and its promise of high-society brunching and mingling poolside at Tropicana, as well as becoming one of the Strip’s newest and biggest outdoor entertainment venues. 3 / Start stacking them two deep: The One Group has a doubleheader planned for Palms, with feminine twists. Asian bistro Xishi will offer dumplings and sushi, while Heraea will be a bar that has sports showing on the walls, but women on the brain. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but The One Group makes it appear as if it can happen virtually overnight. togrp.com –Grace Bascos
dine MEET
jonathan segal never says “never� to seizing new opportunities
STITCHED shirt, tie, suit and socks The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas; Bailey hat and George Esquivel shoes STITCHED in the cosmopolitan of las vegas
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high/low
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High $18
Tender ’Roni
Served with lobster or garnished with junk food, this comfort fare is impossible to resist
By Debbie Lee Photography sabin orr
Low $4.95
Dorito-Crusted Mac N Cheese With its mechanical bull, sexy servers and ice-cold buckets of beer, the raucous PBR Rock Bar has down-to-earth food to match its casual atmosphere. A small order of macaroni and cheese served in an earthenware crock is the perfect accompaniment to ribs or brisket. It’s also rich enough to share. But what really makes this side dish stand out is a generous helping of crushed nacho-cheese Doritos chips spooned over the top. Don’t let the orange glow alarm you; each bite is satisfyingly crunchy and provides tons of flavor (minus the cheese-dusted fingers). PBR Rock Bar & Grill in Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, 702.750.1685; pbrrockbar.com
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“In the Shower” Mac & Cheese Chef Hubert Keller’s rendition of this American classic is a far cry from the boxed version of your childhood. Sure, the elbow noodles are familiar. The rest is pure luxury: Meticulously diced vegetables and chunks of lobster swim in a rich, cheesy béchamel sauce, and a blanket of buttered golden breadcrumbs adds crunch to every bite. The dish is named after a cooking challenge endured during Keller’s run on Top Chef Masters, but fear not—the noodles are not rinsed in a dorm-room shower, as they were on the television show. Fleur by Hubert Keller in Mandalay Bay, 702.632.9400; hubertkeller.com
Discover the exceptional taste of Grey Goose Cherry Noir.
G R E YG O O S E . C O M
S I P R E S P O N S I B LY
©2012 GREY GOOSE, THE GREY GOOSE BOTTLE DESIGNS AND THE GEESE DEVICES ARE TRADEMARKS AND/OR REGISTERED TRADEMARKS. IMPORTED BY GREY GOOSE IMPORTING COMPANY, CORAL GABLES, FL. VODKA 40% ALC. BY VOL.: FLAVORED VODKAS EACH 40% ALC. BY VOL. -DISTILLED FROM GRAIN.
dine EATS & BEATS
ANDREW ECONOMON
Rock the House
Meet the man behind the new House of Blues Las Vegas By Craig Asher Nyman PHOTOGRAPHY TOMO From the moment he took the job as general manager of House of Blues Las Vegas one year ago, Andrew Economon has been committed to returning one of the Strip’s most recognized brands to a high-level experience for guests. So far, so good. Under Economon’s watch, the HOB—which has been hosting acts both big and small since 1999—has installed new lighting and sound systems in the concert hall, while the lineup has taken a turn toward fresh. Ditto the creations in the kitchen (where nearly everything is made from scratch). Meanwhile, behind the bar guests now find custom House of Blues craft beers alongside specialty distilled spirits. Indeed, in his short time at HOB, Economon—a selfproclaimed music lover who honed his food and beverage skills at such properties as The Mirage, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Rio—has brought some much-needed spice to this soulful venue. Played by Carlos Santana
Shortly after Economon arrived at House of Blues, legendary musician Carlos Santana signed on for a twoyear, 80-show residency, titled An Intimate Evening with Santana Greatest Hits Live. Economon then shrunk the venue’s capacity from 1,800 to 1,230 for Santana shows,
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adding tables on the music hall’s traditional standingroom-only main level. The goal: to provide a more intimate experience for concertgoers by giving them prime seats at nearly eye-level with the performers. First-Rate Food
HOB’s corporate team brought in celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez from the Food Network to rework the menu for all 11 venues, elevating the casual dining destination. The fried chicken is marinated for at least 48 hours, and the pizza and flatbread dough are prepared fresh daily. Additionally, HOB retooled its iconic Sunday Gospel Brunch to offer a more robust buffet. Up Next
November marks the House of Blues’ 20th anniversary. While Economon couldn’t disclose details on how the milestone will be commemorated, he did offer this: “Our corporate team is working on getting some amazing talent together from some of the first shows that took place in the House of Blues.” House of Blues in Mandalay Bay, 702.632.7600; houseofblues.com
Insider Intel / The Foundation Room atop Mandalay Bay provides one of the most spectacular views of the Las Vegas Strip, whether you are enjoying a meal in the dining room or just stopping by for a drink or two in the lounge. Originally, access to the Foundation Room was granted to members only, but with a new entrance, sound system, lighting rig, chef and menu—plus a revamped lounge—come new rules, which means you too can dine and party dozens of floors above Las Vegas Boulevard. for reservations, call 702.632.7631.
in good hands
one las vegan’s labor of love yields an outstanding pinot noir from oregon
By Xania Woodman Photography by anthony mair
“This pinot is earthy but complex,” chef Eric Bromberg has said of Labor Wines’ debut vintage. The Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill co-owner suggested Corey Nyman’s 2009 Willamette Valley, Oregon, pinot noir as the ideal match for an autumnal side dish of broiled wild mushrooms with tamari butter. Nyman, a third-generation food and beverage guy, has wine running through his veins, and he’s breaking ground in the historically stuffy wine world with his driven, DIY approach. Las Vegas-based Labor Wines launched in 2010 with just 280 cases of the ’09 pinot noir, which was entirely scooped up by thirsty foodies within the first five months. Nyman responded in April with the release of 336 cases of the 2010 vintage, which—though it hails from the same two sub-appellations (predominantly Yamhill-Carlton, with the balance from Chehalem Mountain)—is a somewhat different animal. This isn’t surprising, as pinot noir is a notoriously moody grape. Cultivated in Oregon—itself climatically capricious—pinots can vary greatly from vintage to vintage, even within a house style. Like children, Nyman says, “Each wine is always going to have its own personality.” Just don’t ask him to pick a favorite. 2010 Labor Wines Willamette Valley Oregon Pinot Noir $16 per glass at Vesper Bar in The Cosmopolitan $18 per glass, $72 by the bottle at Nove Italiano in Palms Casino Resort $30 per bottle at Marche Bacchus (marchebacchus.com) and Khoury’s Fine Wine & Spirits (khourysfinewine.com)
best tip / Sunday Funday
It’s always a good time when Labor Wines founder Corey Nyman hooks up with Nove Italiano executive chef Geno Bernardo. This month, they join forces for Sunday Feast, a family-style wine-pairing dinner meant to encourage conversation and conviviality between newfound friends. The five-course “Labor Wine, Local Swine” features pork from heritage pigs from Bernardo’s very own farm in Nevada, where he also grows his own produce. Farm-to-table just took a giant leap in Las Vegas. $75 excluding tax and gratuity 6 p.m., November 4, Palms Casino Resort, 702.942.6832, 9groupvegas.com
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LABOR’S REWARD / The 2010 Labor Wines pinot noir spent eight months in French oak, 15 percent of it new. The result is an exceedingly balanced wine with an enticing smokiness on the nose, and a mouthful of red and dark fruits. The finish bears a bit of chocolate, with plum and a hint of slate. Not only food-friendly, but with a 12.5 percent alcohol content, this wine is also always up for a patio party or cocktail chat.
SUMMER WHITES / Nyman also debuted his first white wine in April, a bright, flavorful and versatile 2011 Willamette Valley pinot blanc. It has all the luscious and floral aromatics and flavors of Asian pear, lychee and Granny Smith apple, so it pairs perfectly with light, lean fish such as yellowtail and Hamachi, or grilled kama (yellowtail collar). Just 112 cases were made, so try it at Blue Ribbon in The Cosmopolitan ($70), find it at Marche Bacchus ($26) or Khoury’s Fine Wine & Spirits ($24), or wait with everyone else till next spring for the 2012 vintage.
dine first crush
INSIDER INTEL / Las Vegans interested in CAN’T FIND IT? / Labor Wines ships to 30 states (including Nevada) and Washington, D.C. 855.503.9463; laborwines.com
winemaking at home can pick up a kit from Vegas Homebrew & Winemaking (vegashomebrew.com). Wine grapes grow nearly year-round and are available for purchase from the Master Gardener Orchard (facebook. com/uncemastergardeners). And in Henderson, Grape Expectations holds your hand while you make 240 bottles of your very own wine (grapeexpectationslasvegas.com).
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Fruitful Pairings Aureole’s lead sommelier turns to BOUTIQUE WINES FROM CALIFORNIA and Italy when suggesting BOTTLES UNDER $100 By Christopher Calicott PHOTOGRAPHY Elizabeth Buehring
Stepping into the foyer of Aureole—one of Las Vegas’ premier wine restaurants—is an experience unto itself. Stretching two stories overhead and another two stories below is a singular glass tower: a monument to all things vinous and a structure whose super-huge presence could only be executed in this great city. Inside the pillar, a wine angel floats upward to grab one of the more than 2,300 precisely climate-controlled bottles. Back on the ground, the man in control of all this is Douglas Kim, the lead sommelier. Kim, who was born in Korea and whose family moved to Chicago when he was 2, has a solid food and beverage background. After studying cuisine at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Kim arrived in Las Vegas to complete his college career at UNLV’s hospitality management program. This left him well positioned to enter the restaurant business on the Strip’s resort corridor. After a stint at Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant Charlie in The Palazzo, Kim interviewed with master sommelier William Sherer at Aureole, which led to his current position.
TASTING NOTES Demonstrating his process, Kim presents two go-to wines for traditional dining and one that didn’t make the cut for the new Parallel tasting menu ($85 for the eight-course Parallel Menu—within each setting, two dishes are served side-by-side, plus $55 for the wine accompaniments). First, he shares a fun wine that comes from his mentor Sherer, who is now a winemaker. Sherer’s 2009 Iberian Remix ($13 glass, $55 bottle) is 100 percent Albariño, a Spanish white varietal being grown in California. Echoing the setting, it has what Kim describes as “sunshine” and “tutti-frutti orange” flavors, in addition to stone fruits like peach, noting that it’s “a little richer in profile than one grown in Spain.” He pairs it with Aureole’s yellowfin tuna poke à la carte appetizer. For a red selection, Kim loves Canalicchio di Sopra’s 2009 Rosso di Montalcino with Aureole’s grilled octopus salad and radicchio wedge flavored with blood orange ($15 glass, $75 bottle). While octopus might not be a natural match for most Tuscany wines, he calls this pairing “just amazing.” One sip and you understand why, as this Rosso has plum skin, dried fruit and leafy aromas. “Almost reminds you of fall,” Kim adds. For Kim, experimentation is at least half of the fun.
THE ONE THAT DIDN’T MAKE IT For a sommelier, the job is as much about finding what does not work as what does. Kim shared a pairing that didn’t pass the test for Aureole’s Parallel tasting menu: a rare Italian varietal called Mataòssu (2008 by Punta Crena), which he tried with summer corn agnolotti. This Mataòssu has a floral nose and plenty of acidity. In the end, the buttery corn dish outweighed the lighter style of this wine, which was meant to be “a contrast pairing.” Instead, Kim went with a chardonnay. That’s the process. But this wine is still available for à-lacarte cuisine. $60 per bottle Aureole in Mandalay Bay, 702.632.7401; charliepalmer.com
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dine the cellar
Insider Intel / douglas Kim will soon offer a very unusual wine at aureole—another Albariño, but with a twist: It’s aged underwater on the Galician coast. He says one can almost taste the salinity in the wine named sketch.
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THE BEST PLACES TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL
RELAX relax
andrew Sea james
Gimme a Break You’ve stuffed your face with turkey and the tryptophan has set in. Now is the time to get some rest by spoiling yourself with a variety of hotel holiday packages and Black Friday deals (like the Hard Rock Hotel’s $55 room rates). After checking in, head to Ritual Salon and Spa (pictured) in Tivoli Village for the Diva Day Out package, which includes a massage, facial and body treatment ($190). See Page 66 440 S. Rampart Blvd., Suite 150, 702.476.2929; ritualssalonandspa.net
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V/RATED
relax
MANDARIN ORIENTAL
bundles of joy
get a little something extra as resorts offer more than just affordable room rates this season by Elizabeth Sewell Trump International Hotel Las Vegas All that shopping can wear out even the most experienced bargain hunter. You’re going to need a little “me time,” which is where the "Holiday Shop & Spa" Package comes in. Reserve a room at Trump International through December 28 and receive 15 percent off the best available rate and a $50 credit to use at The Spa at Trump. To sweeten the deal, the property partnered with neighboring Fashion Show mall to provide guests 15 percent off purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue, plus a free tote bag. Rates start at $109/night 702.982.0000; trumphotellasvegas.com Mandarin Oriental Book the “Every Day Is a Holiday” special at this Forbes five-star retreat, and you’ll take home a lavish present (or three). From November 23-December 30, guests staying
two nights receive a third free, plus a luxury surprise each evening from the boutiques of neighboring shopping destination Crystals at CityCenter. After a day on the town, return to your room, where you could find a $1,000 Van Cleef & Arpels gift card, a deck of Hermès playing cards or a Paul Smith domino set and gift card left during turndown service. Rates start at $265/night 702.590.8888; mandarinoriental.com/lasvegas Hard Rock Hotel & Casino From Black Friday through Christmas Day, vacationers booking the “Happy Rockadays” package receive a bounty of goodies, including free gifts at Love Jones and the Hard Rock Store, discounts at Affliction and John Varvatos, and a passport offering rebates at Fashion Show mall. After shopping, ship up to 50 pounds home for $20 in the business center, then
head to Vanity where you’ll be given free entry and a complimentary cocktail. To secure this deal, enter code HFSHOW2 when reserving online or via phone. Rates start at $55/night 800.343.4346; hardrockhotel.com Caesars Palace Shania Twain kicks off her residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on December 1, and the hotel celebrates the country songstress’ arrival with a special for guests eager to see the show. Book a one-night stay in the Roman Tower and receive the choice of two mezzanine tickets or two orchestra seats to see Twain perform such hits as “Any Man of Mine” and “You’re Still the One” up close and personal. Rates start at $386/night but may vary. Tax and gratuity are not included and the package cannot be combined with any other promotions. 702.731.7110; caesarspalace.com
INSIDER INTEL / Put your social-media addiction to good use at Caesars Entertainment properties. Use the location-based app Foursquare and “like” any of the company’s resorts (such as Caesars Palace, Bally’s, Flamingo and Paris Las Vegas) and “check into” three venues at a specific property within 48 hours to unlock its badge. This entitles you to various perks, including nightclub line passes to Chateau and Pure, as well as discounted tickets to Jubilee!
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Š2012 Bombay Sapphire, the Bombay Sapphire Bottle Design and device are trademarks and/or registered trademarks. Imported by the Bombay Spirits Company U.S.A., Coral Gables, FL. Gin – 47% Alc. by Vol.
Enjoy Bombay Sapphire Responsibly.
JUST FACE IT
HEALING RITUALS
With four on-site skin-care specialists (including owner Jennifer Frederick), a facial is a must. Since you’re in Vegas—and Vegas eventually leads to booze—book the Operation Hydration Facial, a 50-minute treatment that includes a micro-derm scrub exfoliation, extractions, sour cherry masque, aloe serum, acai moisturizer, eye serum and sunscreen for the lips. $120
PASS on partying for a day and head off-strip for some pampering By Laura J. Downey Photography Andrew Sea James Most visitors trek to Las Vegas to live it up on the Strip. But if you do enough of that in your own neck of the woods and are looking for an off-Strip spot to get some R&R, head 25 minutes west of Las Vegas Boulevard to Summerlin, where you’ll find Ritual Salon & Spa at Tivoli Village. On the salon side, get a shampoo, cut and color, or sit down for a hair-extension consultation ($25 applied to first service). If you’d rather hit the spa, sign up for the 80-minute On the Rocks hot-stone massage ($155) and say goodbye to tight muscles and tension, or try the 50-minute Mineral Mud Detox Body Treatment ($105) and get covered in mud from head to toe before a therapist wraps you in heated blankets, followed by a smooth coconut butter lotion application. 440 S. Rampart Blvd., Suite 150, 702.476.2929, ritualsalonandspa.net
BY THE NUMBERS The 4,000-square-foot salon has everything a gal (or guy) could desire: 15 hair stations, five treatment rooms, two manicure and two pedicure chairs, and men’s and women’s locker rooms with essentials such as showers, towels, robes, sandals, lotion, razors and personal dressing rooms.
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STATE OF tHE ART Always on the cutting edge, Ritual uses the Sudatonic Infrared System in the 50-minute Sudatonic Infrared Body Treatment. This equipment applies infrared heat to stimulate the metabolism, which in turn flushes toxins from the body in an effort to reduce stretch marks and cellulite. $150
relax spa day
WAX ON Ritual also offers waxing from stomach and chin to eyebrows and underarms. Our pick is the In Be-tweeny ($55), for those who need a cleanup of the nether regions before a night out on the town.
PACKAGE ME PRETTY Can’t pick just one service? Try the Desperate Housewives, which comes with the Eminence Organic Facial, Me! Bath Ice Cream Pedicure, Shampoo & Blow-dry, and your choice of the On the Rocks or Bamboo Bliss massage. $290
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THE CITY BEYOND THE STRIP
DISCOVER Artsy Abode
Francis + Francis
DISCOVER
To complement their multitasking lifestyle, Las Vegas couple Karan and Michael Feder transformed their west-side Las Vegas home into a living art gallery. The walls display quirky modern and Southern Vernacular art collections, making it a playground for both collectors and their Chihuahua, Ezra Tulip. See Page 74
One of Karan and Michael feder’s favorite pieces includes this sawdust-and-glue figure by archie byron.
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ONE QUEENSRIDGE PLACE
discover
V/RATED
There Goes the Neighborhood
five locales that dispel the myth all Las Vegas residents live on the Strip By Brian Sodoma Scotch 80s In the early 1900s, Las Vegas’ first mayor, Pete Buol, bought 80 acres with a Scottish investor’s money, hence this district’s name. The Scotch 80s boasts mid-century modern homes on half-acre lots near Downtown, and this 1940s neighborhood is also home to mayoral power couple Oscar and Carolyn Goodman. Visit the city’s finest mid-mod restoration at 1300 Birch St., formerly the home of the Cashman family, longtime civic leaders. location: Rancho Drive and Charleston Boulevard, about two miles southwest of Fremont Street and a few miles north of the Strip.
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Quail Ridge Estates The 102 unique custom homes were built throughout the 1980s right in Henderson. Tuscan-, neoclassic- and New England Cape-style architecture isn’t out of place on these tree-lined streets, which are only a stone’s throw from Wayne Newton’s Casa de
Shenandoah. Check out the White House replica on Quail Run Road. location: Warm Springs and Pecos roads, about 10 miles southeast of the Strip. One Queensridge Place Old-world charm and craftsmanship are staples in these two high-rise luxury condo towers built along a bustling west-side retail corridor. Footsteps away from Tivoli Village, where the design extends into the shopping realm, these condos pamper amid cobblestones, mosaics … and a Target. Experience world-class golf at Badlands Golf Club next door or at other nearby courses such as TPC Summerlin and Angel Park Las Vegas. location: Alta Drive and Rampart Boulevard, about 20 miles northwest of the Strip.
INSIDER INTEL / want to reside in the heart of the strip? At the summit of Las Vegas high-rise living sits a 42nd-floor jewel at Mandarin Oriental. designed by Kay Lang & Associates and Steele Interior Architects, the 2,756-square-foot, fully furnished penthouse has breathtaking views from every room. it can be yours if the price is right. mandarinpenthouselv.com
JEFF BERLIN
John S. Park Historic District Named for the city’s first power-company president, this 120-acre development is Las Vegas’ first “suburban neighborhood,” says Jack LeVine of veryvintagevegas.com. Here you’ll find a mix of custom and tract ranch-style homes from the 1940s and 1950s that sell quickly. location: Charleston and Las Vegas boulevards, a few miles north of the Strip, less than a mile south of Fremont Street, within walking distance from Fremont East, Vegas’ hip urban core.
Stone Canyon-Buffalo City loft living meets the suburban Southwest in this quaint 23-unit development. Lofts with 20-foot ceilings offer Strip views to the east and mountain desert views to the west. Nearby custom residences make for a homey and serene location that’s still close to the action. A few minutes to the west, the best hiking in the city awaits at Red Rock Canyon. location: Corner of Buffalo Drive and Del Rey Avenue, about 10 miles northwest of the Strip.
The Living Gallery How one Las Vegas couple built its life around art—literally By Geoff Carter Photography Francis + Francis
Large red work by Lou Majors, abstract on billboard paper. Above the window, an Eddy Mumma series, (who painted identical images, obsessively, and typically on both sides of the canvas).
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PHOTOGRAPH BY XX
This PAGE: Three early American chairs and a vintage Stickley bookcase filled with Michael’s collectibles such as an Andy Warhol coloring book and Lego dinosaur. Pictures of Bobby Kennedy running on beach and Martin Luther King by Barry Sweet.
In Michael’s office, a Jimmy Suddith “Indian” made with mud mixed with paint pigment; black and white photos by Barry Sweet including a shot of Miles Davis at Jimmy Hendrix funeral (right), and an image of Jimmy Hendrix casket and pallbearers; and “Bucket Brigade” by Earl Stoutenburg punctuated by an Eames lounge chair.
living
A vintage Nelson platform bench circa 1954 with art by Purvis Young.
Originally from Southern California (“We followed the great migration in ’04,” jokes Michael), both are heavily involved with West Coast artistic endeavors. Michael is a great collector of Southern Vernacular art pieces—what some call “outsider art,” though he bristles a bit at the term—and he was a key supplier of folk art to the House of Blues club-and-restaurant chain. (In a “proclamation” Michael hands me halfway through my visit, HOB founder Isaac Tigrett even suggests that the art was a key element in the conceptualization of the chain: “Without Michael Feder’s vision and friendship, there would be no House of Blues.”) Karan runs a firm, Entertainment Exhibitions, a consultancy of experts from fields such as entertainment, marketing and fashion that preserves and creates exhibition layouts for classic show-business costumes. Her expertise has earned her a voting membership in the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Together, the Feders run Fame Farm, a successful brand-licensing and marketing consultancy, whose clients have included the Liberace Foundation and the late Tony Curtis. To do so much, you need to be close to your work—and what better way to do it than to live in the same place with it? “The live-in gallery is a concept that you see in L.A. and other cities, but not so much in Vegas,” Michael says. “We had been looking for a place to showcase art, and we also wanted to be involved with local artists. Looking for a place that allowed us to meet those goals,
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DISCOVER
Michael and Karan Feder have an art gallery in Las Vegas. And you’ve got to see it to truly appreciate it. The floors are sustainable bamboo and treated concrete. The second-story loft affords a view of virtually the entire space. And it’s suffused in natural light, which all but emanates from the walls. It’s kind of a perfect gallery space, really—architecturally striking and smartly functional. It could have been airlifted from Los Angeles. But there are two things about the gallery that are unusual. First, it’s located in a gated community on the west side of town, near Charleston Boulevard and Buffalo Drive—a part of Las Vegas renown for its cultural and artistic legacy of … well, nothing. And second, it’s the Feders’ home. Michael and Karan live in an art gallery, with their own mid-century modern furniture, their own garden and a cool little dog named Ezra Tulip. “We liked the geometry of this place a lot,” says Michael of the livework space he shares with his wife. It’s a sprawling 2007 tract home that Karan says was “more of a contemporary, rather than an architectural” model when they discovered it languishing in foreclosure. The house had never been occupied, and the Feders had plenty to re-do. “It didn’t have a stovetop, didn’t have bath fixtures,” Michael says. Acting as their own general contractors, they hired teams to improve the house’s wiring and plumbing, and to see to dozens of other details: Doors were moved, windows replaced. The resulting space looks like few others. Like the place they live in, the Feders are whole-cloth unique.
Clockwise from top left: Statue made of found construction objects and ceramic by Daniela Came; Richard Burnside (with pinecone chip embellishment and a frame by Michael Feder and Andrew Wood); Mary T. Smith (plexiglass frame designed by Michael Feder); Richard Burnside (unframed).
Which brings us back to the gallery. Las Vegas has never been to showcase art on a rotating basis, was a priority. And it’s hard to find known for its fine-art market, even though homegrown talent certainly very modern spaces that you can do that kind of work in Vegas.” exists here. (The Feders currently have two local artists hanging on their I’m actually at the Feders’ house to see Michael’s Southern Vernacular walls, Martin Kreloff and Barry Sweet). In a small way, the Feders are art collection. Hanging throughout the space are works by Sybil Gibson, hopeful that their home gallery will inspire others to take up residence Mose Tolliver, Howard Finster, Mary T. Smith, Richard Burnside and in other neglected Las Vegas tract homes, waiting to become living art. many others. The artists had no formal training and didn’t need any; “We’re a 45-minute plane flight from San Francisco and L.A., and they were storytellers first and foremost. To stand before one of these with Skype, you can be here and really maximize the opportunity,” pieces is to hear it speaking to you. Michael’s conversation with the art Michael says. “In L.A., living like this is reserved for a tiny few. But is never-ending; ask which piece is his favorite, and he’ll simply say, “It’s people can come here and find out that even as creative people, they whatever I happen to be staring at.” can have their own home.” If all the Feders did was show this art, it would be enough—but Collectors of both Southern Vernacular and modern art are welcome the two of them are constantly busy with other projects. Michael to tour the space by appointment (contact michael@famefarm.com), and is president of Southern Nevada Parrot Rescue; Karan designs all of the pieces are for sale. award-winning handbags and is on the Fashion Design Advisory Board of the International Academy of Design and Technology. Even on a Saturday afternoon, when insider intel / In addition to living in an art gallery, Karan I come to visit, the house practically vibrates with Feder counts handbag design as one of her many talents. Her their labors. quirky collection uses unexpected materials such as faux “We each have a different skill set,” Karan says. fur, reflective vinyl and jelly to craft bags of all different “What I do best Michael does not, and what he styles and sizes. The Bubblegum Booty Bag is a perfect holiday does best I can’t even begin to do. We very much carryall in the shape of a Christmas stocking, and fashioned complement each other. And usually, if one of us from ballistic nylon and clear glitter vinyl. Snatch one of the gets involved with a project, it sort of migrates into unconventional designs at Artifact LV in Tivoli Village. the other’s space at some point in time.” 420 S. Rampart Blvd., 702.672.2780; artifactlv.com
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Large kitchen table made of Saal wood from Tibet. Above the table, a long thin piece by Willie Jinks called “Hoper Family Goint To Church.” On the right, a canvas by Lou Majors.
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Highly/Rated
this month’s Arts and Culture events by Geoff carter
discover
CALENDAR
REdeFINED SUGAR November 1-30 Trifecta Gallery in The Arts Factory Trifecta prides itself in presenting art in a wide variety of media, and with REdeFINED SUGAR, it takes a delicious detour into confectionery. Chef Robert Teddy Thompson of M. Antoinette Legendary Cakes & Confections creates a large and tasty chandelier, and a fashion show features models accessorized in his sweet handmade finery. 107 E. Charleston Blvd., Suite 135 702.366.7001; trifectagallery.com KEVIN MACK November 1-30 Brett Wesley Gallery An Academy Award-winning visual-effects designer whose films include Fight Club, Speed Racer and What Dreams May Come, Kevin Mack practically resides in the digital realm. His fine art—abstractions whose shapes and forms are, remarkably, as real in their appearance as they are difficult to physically describe—is “focused
JUSTICE HOWARD’S RUDE, CRUDE AND TATTOOED
on philosophical, spiritual and scientific imponderables.” 1112 S. Casino Center Blvd. 702.433.4433; brettwesleygallery.com PAULA LIVINGSTON November 2-28 Tasty Space at Emergency Arts This Port Townsend, Washington-based artist paints distinctly American scenes that don’t directly evoke the scenes they depict, but rather blurry, saturated photographs of those scenes. This is Americana as remembered from an ancient photo album, warm and heartening and sentimental, but viewed through a painter’s diffuse and abstract perspective. 520 Fremont St., Suite 150 617.513.7336; facebook.com/tastyspace JUSTICE HOWARD Through December 23 Sin City Gallery One of the world’s top tattoo photographers— and also one of its foremost shooters of stylish erotica—comes to Sin City Gallery with a show described as “glamour calendar with a Downtown edge.” The sexiness and menace of Justice Howard’s photographs of tattooed beauties are in perfect balance with their playfulness and color. 107 E. Charleston Blvd., Suite 100 702.608.2461; sincitygallery.com
12-year anniversary November 10 with a bash benefiting the LV ARTreach program of Casa De Luz. The “Down the Rabbit Hole”-themed soiree features a fashion show and food from Firefly, Triple George, Nove Italiano, N9NE Steakhouse, Caio Uva and The Cupcakery. Casa De Luz provides underprivileged local youths with opportunities for creative expression, such as drawing and poetry, as well as mentoring from local artists. $100 per person 7:30 p.m., Tim Bavington Studio, 1509 S. Sixth St., 702.938.4247; thefashionfling.com –Maureen Hank
The location of Barbara and Larry Domsky’s recently opened contemporary art gallery Artistic Lifestyles—on a remarkable stretch of Highland Drive, just south of Presidio Avenue—doesn’t make a whole lot of sense at first. Who would open a fine-art space here, and not in the Arts District or City Center? But then you step inside the doors, and all at once, it makes sense. They have found a nearperfect warehouse space, and they’ve made it into a spectacular gallery. Everything about Artistic Lifestyles, from the lighting to the flow of its floor plan, is ideally conducive to the showing of large works. It’s one of the best-looking galleries ever built in this town. Better still, the work hanging on its walls belongs predominantly to local artists. The clockwork marvels of Dale Mathis, the smartly geometric works of Mikel Patrik, the finely detailed surrealism of KD Matheson and striking works by several others get the elegant presentation they deserve. And as a bonus, the Domskys’ glassblowing studio adjoins the gallery. If for no other reason, you should visit to check out their intricate glass art being patiently created. But there’s so, so much more to see at Artistic Lifestyles. —Geoff Carter Artistic Lifestyles and Domsky Glass, 2758 S. Highland Drive, 702.754.3355; artisticlifestyles.com
GEISHA: Justice Howard; DOMSKY: ZACKERY WILLIAMS
Best tip: don’t-miss event Downtown style authority Globe Salon celebrates its
off the beaten path
MUST-SEE CONCERTS & SHOWS
WATCH
WATCH
jeremy daniel
Optic Nerve
A new star takes up residence on the Strip this month, and he’s quite the character. Meet Zark, the protagonist fronting Zarkana by Cirque du Soleil, which opens November 11 at Aria Resort & Casino. Best described as a dilapidated, freakish circus gone awry, Zarkana features characters that are traditional (clowns, jugglers) and nontraditional (a pickled baby, pictured). It’s supported by heavy, operatic music with a rock/Goth feel, meaning Zarkana is darker than most Cirque shows—but no less captivating. See Page 98
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IN VEGAS, IN CONCERT
FROM NEW HIP-HOP TO CLASSIC PROG ROCK, THIS CONCERT SEASON AMAZES BY GEOFF CARTER
ENGLISH BEAT November 9 Hard Rock Café on the Strip This legendary English ska band is now just singer-songwriter Dave Wakeling and a bunch of hired guns. But any band with a sliver of talent playing “Mirror in the Bathroom” and “I Confess” is going to sound great—and even more so when the original voice of those songs steps to the mic. Tickets $22 advance, $25 same day 702.733.7625; hardrock.com
THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE November 17 Vinyl at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Intense, playful, sexy, creepy—it’s difficult to put a label on this electro-metal band, aside from “Internet sensation.” The Birthday Massacre has a groundswell of social-media support that could well catapult them to superstardom. Why not find out where all the hype is coming from? Tickets $23 702.693.5000; hardrockhotel.com WIZ KHALIFA
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Khalifa: Marc Hom; SHAKIRA: Recording ACADEMY/WIREIMAGE
WIZ KHALIFA November 15 Thomas & Mack Center It’s hard to say how many parties this young rapper has ignited with his anthems “Say Yeah” and “Black and Yellow.” Perhaps millions. All that’s certain is that he’s bringing that firepower to Las Vegas for a night … and that night will no doubt blow up, like all the others. Tickets start at $32.50 702.739.3267; thomasandmack.com
MORRISSEY (Postponed, to be rescheduled) The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan Why go see Morrissey? Because of “This Charming Man,” “Everyday Is Like Sunday,” “Hairdresser on Fire”—need we go on? Also, he’s making noises about retiring sometime in the next couple of years … so this may well be your last autumn fling with the Mozz. Tickets start at $84 702.698.7000; cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
JIM GAFFIGAN
RUSH November 23 MGM Grand Garden Arena Rush won’t be around forever. Retirement comes for everyone, even “the priests of the temples of Syrinx.” If you’d like to see one of the most commercially successful progressive rock bands ever performing at what critics are calling a late-career peak, you’d best act now. Tickets start at $68 702.891.7777; mgmgrand.com
THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE
ANDREA BOCCELI
IT’S A DATE The legendary Barbra Streisand—the No. 1 best-selling female recording artist of all time, according to the Recording Industry Artists of America—takes the stage for one night only MORRISSEY 2). at MGM Grand Garden Arena (November … Wanna see who inspired Gangnam style? Check-out the K-pop magic of the Kim BumSoo Get Alright Show With Orchestra at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace (November 3), or channel Scheherazade at Arabian Nights 26, featuring Bassem Feghali, Hussam Al Rassam, Ragheb Subhi Alama, and Divanessa at Paris Las Vegas (November 3). … TV’s favorite mom, Florence Henderson, presents All the Lives of Me, A Musical Journey in an evening of cabaret, benefiting AFAN (Aid for AIDS of Nevada) at The Smith Center for Performing Arts (November 8). … Caustic comedian Lewis Black returns to The Mirage with two nights of high-volume insights (November 9-10), or catch Ben Vereen when the multitalented star of stage and screen delivers Steppin’ Out With Ben Vereen at The Smith Center (November 10). … Channel your inner fairy-godmother at the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s 11th annual Fashion Show Luncheon at Spago (November 15), then enter Camelot at the Magical Forest, a salute to Susan and Billy Walters,
at Opportunity Village, 6300 W. Oakey Blvd. (November 15). … Get out those cha-cha heels for Shakira and the 13th annual Latin Grammys at Mandalay Bay Events Center (November 15), or take in the comedic snarkiness of Daniel Tosh at The Mirage (November 16-17). … Go ahead and “Take It to the Limit” when rock legends The Eagles bring their Long Road Out of Eden tour to the MGM Grand Garden Arena (November 17). … Get a full-dose of the Great White Way when longtime leading lady Betty Buckley sings the male roles she always dreamed of in Ah Men! The Boys of Broadway at The Smith Center (November 15-18). … And speaking of Broadway, don’t miss the creepy kookiness of The Addams Family at The Smith Center (November 20-25). … Laugh it up with comedian Jim Gaffigan at The Mirage (November 23-24). … Wash down all of that Thanksgiving turkey with a little “Con te Partirò” delivered via the dulcet voice of Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli at MGM Grand Garden Arena (November 24). Finally, if you need to relieve the pressure inflicted by another Black Friday, head over to The Smith Center and laugh it up with a little Late Nite Catechism (November 30- December 2). –Michael Shulman
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WATCH
SUPERSUCKERS
SHAKIRA AT THE 12th LATIN GRAMMYS
V/RATED
SUPERSUCKERS December 8 The Lounge at Palms Casino Resort Thunder! Chango! “Metal” Marty! Eddie Spaghetti! It isn’t every day that the world’s greatest rock ’n’ roll band (self-appointed) favors us with a visit, but here they are— and tickets run you less than an Andrew Jackson. They’ll earn that, and more, halfway through “Bom With a Tail.” Tickets $15 702.942.7777; palms.com/nightlife/las-vegas-the-lounge/
Let Him love you Musiq soulchild’s soundtracks are simply magiq By brandon neasman
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Soul music. Love music. Positive music. Impactful. These are the words that soul-singing phenomenon Musiq Soulchild uses to describe his sound. The world was introduced to the R&B sensation after hearing his breakout single “Just Friends” from his 2000 debut album Aijuswanaseing (I Just Want to Sing). Twelve years later, his music is still moving people, still touching souls. “In a lot of ways I feel like I’m just getting started,” Soulchild says,
during a break from his national tour. “I really feel like you guys have yet to be exposed to the best of what I have to offer.” Soulchild brings a tender voice combined with meaningful lyrics, a slow-burning sound that gives listeners a chance to inhale the emotion in his art. Known for his intimate shows and the unique spelling of song and album titles (often spelled phonetically and without spaces between words), the Philadelphia native has been focused on touring since the release of his last album, 2011’s MusiqInTheMagiq. He isn’t a bells and whistles kind of artist. With hits such as “Love,” “Halfcrazy,” “dontchange” and “Yes,” the music speaks for itself. “I don’t have a whole bunch of gimmicks,” he says. “I just do what I do best and hope that you guys rock out with me.” Capable of pulling at the heartstrings with ballads that evoke as much emotion as some of Luther Vandross’ finest compositions, Soulchild has carved a niche as an artist who turns out quality records—all in the name of love. And while a lot of R&B artists are going through an identity crisis these days, experimenting with more Euro-dance sounds in search of that next Top 40 hit, Soulchild is satisfied with appealing to his fan base. “The whole point is to inspire you,” he says. “I make this music for you. I’m thinking about soundtracking your life, the moments that go on in your life. This music ain’t about me; it’s about you.” Musiq Soulchild performs at 8 p.m. November 9 at Texas Station’s Dallas Events Center. Tickets start at $22. 800.745.3000; texasstation.sclv.com
Big Laughs
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comedian John Pinette leaves audiences hungry for more
VEGAS/RATED: You’ve got a decadeslong relationship
with Las Vegas … JOHN PINETTE: Oh yes. I’ve been working in Vegas
since ’89, when I performed at The Comedy Store at the Dunes. Of course, most of the places I’ve
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worked, they’ve blown up. V/R: Speaking of Vegas, your big break came when you were picked by Frank Sinatra to be his opening act. What was it like working with the Chairman of the Board? PINETTE: I was really lucky with that. I was represented by ICM [Partners] at the time, and an agent there gave me a shot to open for Sinatra. And we did three arena shows a week. They would regionalize it. We’d do like Cleveland and Detroit one week. It was very well-planned. And it was me and Shirley MacLaine and Sinatra. It was just one of those things where I did one of them and got hired for quite a few more. Then I did Foxwoods [Resort Casino in Connecticut] with him, and then I did the Greek Theatre in L.A. It was a great experience. And he always picked up the dinner check—I liked that. John Pinette performs at 8 p.m. November 9-10 at The Orleans Showroom. Tickets are $39.95. 702.365.7075; orleanscasino.com –Michael Shulman
soulchild: Sheryl NieLDs
Known to millions as the bane of all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet owners, John Pinette has won the American Comedy Awards’ “Stand-up Comedian of the Year,” starred as Edna Turnblad in the Broadway adaptation of John Waters’ Hairspray, and played roles in such major Hollywood films as Duets, The Punisher and Junior, as well as the two-episode finale of sitcom juggernaut Seinfeld. His highly successful comedy albums—Show Me the Buffet (1998) and Making Lite of Myself (2007)—are topped only by his trio of stand-up specials for Comedy Central, I Say Nay-Nay (2005), I’m Starvin’! (2007) and Still Hungry (2011). Pinette brings that stand-up act back to Las Vegas on November 9-10 at The Orleans showroom.
Rolling with the
Jersey MEET
Boys
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By Steve Bornfeld Photography Tomo Illustration Peter Quinnell
Sh-eee-eee-eee-eee-eee-eee-eee-ry bay-yay-bee. Need we say/sing more? Once a radio hit, “Sherry” was reborn as a Broadway anthem via Jersey Boys, as well as a full-throated cheer for the Garden State. While New Jersey proudly produced Bruce Springsteen—i.e., “The Boss”—it needed some contemporary pop-culture cachet in the early 2000s that wasn’t the bloody, crime-ridden world of The Sopranos. Overcoming other longstanding jibes at the state’s expense—Smokestack Central, Tollbooth Capital of the World, “A Turnpike Runs Through It”—Jersey Boys lent New Jersey an upbeat hipness. Chockablock with decades of hits, the turbulent and tuneful—and bracingly honest— musical about the Four Seasons begins its biographical tale on the streets of Newark in the 1950s, but its theatrical odyssey began in the back of a Manhattan eatery in 2003. Consigned to the playlists of oldies stations, the Four Seasons—like many ’60s/’70s hitmakers—had by then faded into nostalgia for some people, forgotten by others. That was about to change.
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ourney with us through the history of Jersey Boys from creation to sensation, beginning when writer Rick Elice, excreative director of Broadway ad agency Serino/Coyne, received a call from a former client who held an option on the Four Seasons catalog. Rick Elice: I picked up the phone—the lesson is you should always pick up the phone—and the man says, “What do you think of the Four Seasons?” I said, “I love Vivaldi!” He said, “No, the band with Frankie Valli, the guy with the high voice.” I didn’t know much about the band, but when he rattled off the song titles, I was familiar with many of them. I associated many from being a kid in summer camp in upstate New York. I had been trying to find a project to collaborate with the great Marshall Brickman, who is a poker buddy of mine. I said, “Would you like to do a Broadway musical about the Four Seasons?” He said, “I love Vivaldi!“ We made the same lame joke, which probably meant it was meant to be. Marshall Brickman: I didn’t really want to do it because I didn’t know the Four Seasons. I’m a banjo player. But Rick gave me this double-album CD of their greatest hits, and it really knocked me out. Very simple but powerful stuff. Elice: I invited him to join me at the back of a very dark restaurant on West 46th Street in Manhattan with Frankie and Bob Gaudio. I think we figured it would be one of those lunches we would cancel the morning of, but suddenly we realized it was time to go. Brickman: We meet them, and they’re a little guarded. It was like speed dating, where you decide if you want to go on a date with these guys. Elice: Frankie is a very well-turned-out guy, and Gaudio is very tall and handsome, and he’s got this great-looking wife and this little earring and diamond stud in the ear, just dripping with cool. I thought, Wow, they didn’t seem like Axl Rose and those big-haired rockers. Brickman: After a bottle of Italian wine, everybody opened up. Frankie Valli: We just talked about everything from the very
beginning of our careers. Even before we got to do this, we decided we wanted to be a play for Broadway. Bob looked at me and said, “You know, if we do this we have to tell the truth. Are we ready to do that?” Bob Gaudio: We had many offers to do something, but most of them were movies or TV, something we thought would be nice but would be a quick burn and not meaningful. It was a gamble, because no one had been knocking on our door to do a Broadway show. Elice: They started to tell us about the Mob, what the music business was like, how hard it was to be successful, how hard it was to repeat and navigate the shark-infested waters with the Mafia breathing down their back. I didn’t know any of it, that some of the guys were in prison for a while, that [band member] Tommy [DeVito] learned to play guitar in prison. It was like the mother lode of everything good theater is supposed to be. We pushed the food aside and started to pay attention. With their interest piqued, Elice and Brickman commenced writing a script—in Broadway parlance, the “book”—mining the memories of the three surviving Seasons. (The fourth, Nick Massi, died in 2000.) Brickman: It was not a valentine; it was a real story about guys who had jealousy and hit on each other’s girlfriends. The guys quite understandably reserved the right to approve the script. But when we first shopped this script around to New York producers, no one was interested—some were so disinterested they never got back to us. The last resort was a [producing group] called The Dodgers. There was this guy, Michael David, who is a kind of visionary, as it turns out. Michael David: I received a call from Rick, whom I had known for years. We set up a meeting, and he brought Marshall with him. Marshall said, “Who is this?” and sang a little bit of “Sherry.” I said, with my memory fading, “That’s the Seasons.” He said, “That’s the idea.” After a deal was struck with The Dodgers, director Des McAnuff (The Who’s Tommy) was approached to mount the show for a tryout in 2004
Your Jersey Boys guides
Frankie Valli Four Seasons lead singer
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Bob Gaudio
Des McAnuff
composer/ producer/ ex-Four Seasons member
director
Marshall Brickman co-writer (and Oscarwinning screenwriter)
Rick Elice co-writer
Rick Faugno
Travis Cloer
Michael David
original Frankie Valli in Las Vegas
portrayed Frankie Valli in Las Vegas and on Broadway
producer
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CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: Travis Cloer (Frankie Valli), Rob Marnell (Bob Gaudio) and Jeff Leibow (Nick Massi); Graham Fenton as Frankie Valli; ensemble members Buck Hujabre and Mike Erikson; Ensemble member Jason Martinez; Nikka Wahl and Megan Arnoldy; Travis Cloer (Frankie Valli) and Rob Marnell (bob Gaudio); Sheet music from the "SHERRY" scene. vrated.com / 91
at San Diego’s La Jolla Playhouse, where McAnuff was artistic director. Over two acts, the show was separated into four “seasons”—spring, summer, fall and winter—each narrated by a different band member. Des McAnuff: My initial reaction was that it wasn’t for me. But after a couple of meetings we came up with a vision for the piece that satisfied all of us. Doing a new musical involves a lot of hitting each other over the head with ball-peen hammers and amputating limbs. Poor Marshall and Rick were locked in a windowless room in beautiful Southern California, grumpily producing these rewrites. Elice: We eventually enfolded Tommy into the mix and called him in Las Vegas, where he lives. What became fascinating weren’t the similarities in what they were telling us, but describing events with different points of view. Tommy would say, “Oh, don’t listen to them, I’ll tell you the way it really happened.” That was the “Eureka!” moment in terms of the structure of the show. It would be an interactive game with the audience in a Rashomon kind of way. Who do you believe? The audience might love and believe Bob, or they will recognize that Tommy is a bullshit artist from the first words out of his mouth. We decided to give Frankie the edge in terms of the larger truth by saving his section for the end, so it gives him a privileged position with the audience. McAnuff: I said, “It’s the story of three microphones going to four microphones, then going down to three and then to two and going down to one for Frankie.” And I wanted the actors to play instruments and have authenticity. If you were doing a musical about a band, you needed to put them in rehearsal or the studio or at a concert or a club. Brickman: There was difficulty in casting. This was 2004, and Broadway was littered with the corpses of so-called “jukebox musicals.” There were ones about The Beatles, Elvis, the Beach Boys,
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and they all failed. And then we came in last. Nobody wanted to go to La Jolla for four months, out of town with a jukebox musical. No actor was willing, but we got a wonderful actor (David Norona, who played Frankie) who lived in San Diego. He came in and knocked it out of the park. While Valli and Gaudio retained veto power over the book—and used it in omitting certain details and protecting the identities of some people in their lives and careers—there is an unsparing honesty to much of the story, including DeVito’s jewelry heist and prison time, their interactions with mobsters and Gaudio’s sexual awakening. One episode in particular was painful to Valli, but made it onstage. Valli: They got a bit more personal with me. With the loss of a child who ended up overdosing on drugs, they did it where they wheeled the child in on a gurney. It was very bold, but it didn’t feel right to me. Des wasn’t a director who was afraid to take chances. To go through the loss of a child is something that never leaves you. I still have those moments for as many times as I’ve seen the show where I have to put my head down and put myself in a place where I’m not really listening. Travis Cloer: I haven’t spoken to him about [that scene]. I give him his space about it. I know it still upsets him very much. I’m told there are times at the show when he gets up and leaves because he knows that scene is coming. Elice: The shocking thing is that there is the daughter in the play who dies from an overdose, but Frankie also lost [a stepdaughter] who locked herself out of her apartment, climbed out on the fire escape to try to get through the window, fell and died. If you put that in the show, no one would believe it. It would be too horrible and seem like it was fiction. Gaudio: We were also concerned with someone coming out as
opposite page FROM LEFT: Merissa Haddad, Nikka Wahl, Megan Arnoldy as “The Angels;" Graham Fenton as Frankie Valli; This page from left: the musicians; Jeff Leibow, Travis Cloer, Rob Marnell and Deven May.
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Eyes Adored You” were included, a disco-era favorite, “Swearin’ to God,” was not. Valli: I wanted that song in there so badly I cannot begin to tell you. There was another I had a hit with that I thought would be incredibly dramatic, called “To Give,” a representation of the way I saw life. Several songs I felt strongly about, but silence is golden. Gaudio: They tried [“Swearin’ to God”] in an early rehearsal. Des was like, “I have to try it, the lyric is perfect,” but I said the missing link here is the Four Seasons didn’t sing on that record. What are they doing in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when Frankie sings “Swearin’ to God”? It obviously wasn’t the right moment, but it didn’t seem to fit anywhere else. That was also the case with my favorite song that I have written, “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore).” Des tried it, but he said it just wasn’t feeling right. I said, “OK, do what you think is right.” Other issues McAnuff grappled with included costumes, lighting and building the narrative to a rousing climax, the latter confounding him. McAnuff: It was a real roller-coaster ride shaping this musical. We get to the end of the show with “Rag Doll,” and it’s, “OK, it’s feeling good but not as good as it had been.” We get to “Oh, What a Night” and I’m going, “This is a disaster! How can we have gotten to the last number and have it misfire so badly?” One mistake we made was to put them in tuxedos for [induction into] the [Rock and Roll] Hall of Fame. It didn’t seem like the Seasons; it was distancing. We put them in black-and-white suits. The second thing, which may sound ridiculous, is that it was colored light. I said to our lighting designer, Howell Binkley, who won a Tony for this, that you couldn’t use colored light. It had to be white light, just as austere. It was the most remarkable transformation. Debuting in San Diego on October 5, 2004, Jersey Boys, as a so-
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the total bad guy. I guess that would fall in Tommy’s world. He was a lovable rogue. Still is. He has done many things, some of which are not in the show. But he’s a charming guy, and he was OK with it. And when he was, then we were. Yet the writers found themselves in touchy territory with a character based on South Jersey mob boss Angelo “Gyp” DeCarlo, a member of the Genovese crime family. When band members wind up in debt to a Brooklyn mob in the musical, the DeCarlo character brokers a compromise, resulting in DeVito—who worked as a driver for DeCarlo between gigs—relocating to Vegas. Elice: One night we got this message to go to a parking lot outside of a supermarket and wait for a pay phone to ring. So Marshall and I went. This guy on the other end says, “I want you to understand that Gyp DeCarlo may be dead, but he is not forgotten in our community— and I understand from the Internet that he is a character in your play.” You think, “My God, Tony Soprano is on the phone!” He says, “Write down this number. You will fax us all the pages on which the character of Gyp DeCarlo appears. If you don’t, I’ll just say I know where you live.” We just wanted to write a musical; we didn’t want to die. Gaudio: I was quite amused. I couldn’t imagine those two Upper West Side, New York Jews hearing something like that. Elice: We faxed the pages and never heard from him again. But a few months later, Gyp’s son, who owns a restaurant in Little Italy, invited the cast for complimentary dinners. It became like a family once we were all on Broadway. As Jersey Boys took shape, decisions were made—and then remade—on aspects of the show, including which songs to use from the Four Seasons’ massive catalog. Twenty-eight were chosen, and while top-10 Valli solo hits “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “My
called “jukebox musical,” gave critics pause, but not audiences. As Daryl H. Miller’s review in the Los Angeles Times noted: “It’s unlikely to be embraced by theater critics or rock historians. But nostalgiahungry audiences will scream for more.” Encouraged to take it to Broadway after concluding the show’s West Coast run on January 16, 2005, David was responsible for attracting investors. David: Broadway was crowded. Fundraising was relatively easy in California. Many of them had not seen a Broadway show before, but they were so enthusiastic they committed early on. The more difficult raise was from those folks who see [producers and shows] on a regular basis. To them it seemed very speculative. It’s not like the money didn’t come in; it was just relatively new money to Broadway, not old money. Bowing on Broadway with a month of previews, Jersey Boys officially opened on November 6, 2005. With David Norona opting to remain in San Diego, actor John Lloyd Young created the Frankie Valli role in New York, winning a Tony Award as best lead actor in a musical, one of four Tonys accorded Jersey Boys, including best musical of 2006. After Young’s departure he was replaced by actors including Travis Cloer, while Rick Faugno created the role in Las Vegas as the show fanned out across the globe. Rick Faugno: It’s the hardest role I’ve ever done. It’s 28 songs, 200 lines of dialogue. Trying not to crash and burn is the goal, to bring the character to life and do justice to the songs and not kill yourself in the process. Cloer: It’s not something you fake your way through. I watched a lot of YouTube, and there are several things Frankie does. He stands more on one leg, and when you look at his face, he looks like he’s in pain a little bit. He gets that scrunchy face. Faugno: The falsetto is difficult, but the most difficult is that “high belt” he has, when he sings full out. People don’t realize it’s the most exhausting part. It takes a long time to learn to blend that seamlessly, to give it a beautiful sound but also an edge. When branching out into national tours and out-of-town productions, Las Vegas became a candidate as a host city, the producer giving partial credit for its Strip arrival to a local columnist. David: Early on Las Vegas seemed like a place that would be open to the show. (Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist) Mike Weatherford had the idea a couple of years earlier. He went to a preview in New York, then called The Dodger office, and asked if he could come by. For some serendipitous reason I said, “Come over,” and he said, “You know where this would work great is where I live.” Mike Weatherford: For [a 2006 story] about the Broadwayto-Vegas movement, I was going there to see Phantom, Hairspray, Spamalot and The Producers. Michael Gill, who manages Jersey Boys here in town, was then co-producer of Hairspray. [He] said, “While you’re up there you really should see Jersey Boys,” which just opened, because he said it was a natural for Vegas. This, as it turned out, was because Gill was already trying to
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score the rights to a Vegas production. … Because Michael David was nice enough to do an interview, he wound up well quoted in the story. How much that helped bring the show here? I will at this point let him give me all the credit he wants. On May 3, 2008, Jersey Boys opened at The Palazzo, but not before the creative folks and the business folks ironed out some details. Before heading to San Francisco for the launch of the first national tour in 2006, Elice and Gaudio attended the intermission-less version of Phantom at the Venetian, knowing they would confront a similar situation in Vegas. Elice: We were presented with a plan to bring the show to Las Vegas, but they said we had to rewrite the show; it couldn’t be two acts like on Broadway, it couldn’t be longer than 90 minutes without an interval, because the audience won’t sit through it. That wasn’t fun to us. Bob and Frankie were fantastic in that negotiation. They just said, “No, we’re not going to do it until we get what we want,” which was just a slight adjustment to the show. Gaudio: I had seen [the Broadway version of Phantom], and at the end of the Act I when the chandelier drops, it’s such a fabulous moment, and then you take an intermission and talk about it. But when the [Las Vegas version of Phantom] show just continued, it wasn’t so effective anymore. We thought with the end of Act I for us with “Dawn (Go Away),” it had such a visual with the lights that we couldn’t imagine going right into the next scene, and it bothered us. But Marshall and Rick wrote a version without an intermission, and we previewed it in San Francisco. We determined it didn’t work, so we left the intermission in, but a shorter one. It worked. We were spot on. After making a new deal, Jersey Boys closed at The Palazzo on New Year’s Day 2012, and reopened on March 3 at its new home at Paris Las Vegas, where it remains. Set to make the stage-to-screen leap, a movie version is in development, aiming for a December 2013 release. Brickman: We did a draft, and [the producers] brought somebody else in to do a draft, because if that didn’t happen it wouldn’t be Hollywood. I just want the movie to come out, and I want them to spend $100 million on advertising. Reflecting on the Jersey Boys journey, the last word goes—as it does onstage—to Frankie Valli. Valli: Everybody knew what we did in the music business, but very few people knew what we went through, the turmoil. We were always worried that if people found out that any member of the Four Seasons had done time, the radio would stop playing us and record companies and the public would reject us. When we got to the point where we wanted to be a play, Bob and I looked at each other and said, “At this point, who cares?” The success of this show is about real guys and real facts. There are many other people out there who have great stories—if they are willing to not be afraid and tell the truth.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The actors take a final BOW; Buck Hujabre, Jeff Leibow, Deven May and Travis Cloer Behind the scenes; Jeff Leibow and Deven May backstage; Deven May as Tommy DeVito warms up in the wings.
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EPHEMERA
From left: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and Frank Sinatra, circa 1948.
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Benny and Jerry
A tale of how a 19-year-old putz kept the syndicate in stitches
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An Evening with Jerry Lewis Live from Las Vegas!, 8 p.m. November 18 in The Orleans showroom. Tickets $40 702.365.7075; orleanscasino.com COURTESY JERRY LEWIS ARCHIVES
As told by Jerry Lewis to Michael Shulman in the office of Jerry Lewis Productions in Las Vegas
When [Dean Martin and I] opened at the Flamingo in 1947, we were working for Benny Siegel. And I get a call on Monday morning from Gus Greenbaum [summoning me to Benny’s office]. Gus was one of Benny’s enforcers. And in Benny’s office were three other enforcers, standing behind his desk, as [Benny] says to me, “How does a 19-year-old, still-wet-behind-the-ears, pratfall comic take markers for $185,000, and you and your partner are only making $1,500 a week? How do you run up a $185,000 tab?” And I looked at him and said, “How do you allow a young putz to do that?” He said, “What’d you say?” “[I] couldn’t have done it if you’d said, ‘No,’ but you said, ‘Yes.’ You’ll have to correct your cashiers, Benny. You’ve gotta let them know,
‘Don’t let that fuckin’ kid take anymore.’” He said, “You pay it when you can.” Benny thought I was very forthright, because I told him the truth. He respected that I handled it like a gentleman. Benny told this story to a lot of people, in Kansas City … Des Moines … and Chicago. A week [after the incident in Benny’s office] he was killed. From the time that I left the Flamingo [after our first run], my life was fuckin’ glorious, because everyone I’m meeting, from every walk of life, wants to shake my hand. And when they shook my hand, they’d say [Lewis claps one hand over the other], “Benny told us.” And I asked Gus Greenbaum, “Are people watching what I’m doing?” He said, “Don’t ya realize what you did?” I said, “I did it good, didn’t I?” He said, “$185,000? You did great! But it’s the fact that you didn’t cop out with Benny, and that you gave him a plan of payment.” For the next four years, I sent Benny a check every fucking week. And I treated it like he was still there. I sent it to “Ben Siegel.” He was a good guy. He’d blow your brains out if you fucked with his wife or something, but beneath all of that, he was a sensitive, passionate, compassionate human being. And now, here I am, 65 years later, and when I see [enforcer types] sittin’ around all I have to say is, “Hi. I need someone to help me,” and 12 people come to the rescue. And I wonder, “Is this the respect I earned for just yelling ‘Laaadyyyy!’?
The Circus Comes to Town (Again)
Balls in the Air Zarkana opens with a female juggler, something you won’t find in any other Las Vegas Cirque show. There’s also an impressive flag act, which is unique to Zarkana.
Zarkana’s ringmaster welcomes audiences into his bizarre world By Melinda Sheckells
After touring the world from New York to Moscow to Madrid, Zarkana has finally settled into its permanent home in Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter. Cirque du Soleil’s acrobatically infused rock opera tells the story of Zark, who inhabits the surreal world of an abandoned theater. As he pines for his lost powers, mutants, clowns and other strange circus characters pass through his abode. The palette is dark, and its music is heavy. “We are paying tribute to the Golden Age of the American circus,” director/writer François Girard says. “The acrobatics come first. It is a circus show, and the primary content is acrobatic performance.” The bodies and movement tell the story. And all the classic acrobatic elements are here: Cyr Wheel, Banquine, Russian Bar, trapeze, high wire (pictured right) … the list goes on, a true greatest-hits medley. The walls of Zark’s theater are a study in organic formations: They breathe, move and sing their own chorus. Inspired by the art nouveau movement of the 20th century—and artists such as Antoni Gaudí and Gustav Klimt—the environment transports guests on a visual adventure. “Cirque du Soleil has reinvented circus art, and I want to reinvent Cirque du Soleil,” Girard says. Tickets start at $69 Regular performances of Zarkana begin November 11. 877.253.5847; cirquedusoleil.com
A Sandy Future A “sand painter” retells the story of Zarkana via a live projection of her drawing the actions in granules of sand.
Sand painter: jeremy daniel; Highwire :john davis
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Insider Intel / When Zarkana debuted, main character Zark sang his operatic ballads in English. The language was changed to gibberish when the show started touring internationally (to eliminate any language barriers). But if you have seen any other Cirque shows (KÀ, Mystère, etc.), Zark’s brand of gibberish should be familiar; it’s actually a nonsensical scripted “language” called Cirque-ish.
More to Love With seven resident Cirque du Soleil shows on the Strip, it’s easy to think that our city has a monopoly on Canadian acrobats. But outside our borders, Cirque offers a whopping 13 more shows.
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Nouveau Cirque Pre-recorded projections play a key role in the performance. Zarkana’s set is composed of gigantic screens that mimic theatrical drapes and add depth and scale to the action.
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Criss Angel Believe
MYSTÈRE
highly/rated
the essential guide to the strip’s top shows
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ABSINTHE Caesars Palace Staged in a tent, Absinthe is a carnival on acid. A leering ringmaster who calls himself The Gazillionaire banters profanely with his assistant, Penny Pibbets, a kind of potty-mouthed Betty Boop. In between the sex-obsessed shtick, they introduce truly astounding acrobatic acts. Tickets start at $89 Dark: Monday, 800.745.3000; absinthevegas.com BLUE MAN GROUP Monte Carlo Surrealism meets avant-garde as The Painted Ones create a label-defying production that tosses theatrics, music and art into a bizarre, interactive stew, spiced with percussion and humor. Tickets start at $65 877.459.0268; blueman.com
JERSEY BOYS Paris Las Vegas One of the best shows in the jukebox-musical genre, Jersey Boys is a tuneful journey
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JUBILEE! Bally’s They’re not gone yet: Those classic showgirls keep the tradition alive at this paean to Old Vegas, a production show brimming with big numbers, classy ladies, lavish costumes, ornate sets and the nightly plunge of the Titanic. Tickets start at $57.50 Dark: Friday, 800.237.7469; ballyslasvegas.com KÀ MGM Grand Different from other Cirque shows, KÀ features an ever-changing stage, which depicts landscapes such as a calm beach, a snow-covered mountain and an uneven sea. Tickets start at $69 Dark: Sunday-Monday, 702.531.3826; cirquedusoleil.com LE RÊVE Wynn Las Vegas French for “The Dream,” Le Rêve ripples out across an aqua theater-in-the-round, creating a water ballet that incorporates swimming, fire and special effects for a show that could easily invade your nocturnal psyche. Tickets
start at $105 Dark: Wednesday-Thursday, 702.770.9966; wynnlasvegas.com THE BEATLES LOVE The Mirage Blend the 1960s—an era that was already psychedelic—with the breathtaking acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil, and put the music of The Beatles at the center of it, and you have a show that Sgt. Pepper would leave his yellow submarine to see. Tickets start at $79 Dark: Tuesday-Wednesday, 702.792.7777; mgmresorts.com MATT GOSS Caesars Palace Bringing back memories of Vegas’ vintage days, Goss croons (and even looks) like Frank Sinatra, only unlike the Chairman of the Board, he even sits down to play piano and guitar. Not only does he perform, but the Englishman has published two books as well. Tickets start at $40 Dark: Sunday-Thursday, 866.462.5982; caesarspalace.com MYSTÈRE Treasure Island Performing for nearly two decades, Mystère—Cirque du Soleil’s first resident show in Las Vegas—continues to hypnotize audiences with its upbeat music and thrilling acrobatics. Tickets start at $40 Dark: Thursday-Friday, 866.462.5982; caesarspalace.com
BELIEVE: Matthew Burke/APWI; MYSTÈRE: AL SIEB
CRISS ANGEL BELIEVE Luxor Magician/illusionist Criss Angel rolls his showy legerdemain into the razzle-dazzle of Cirque du Soleil for a production that covers the magic waterfront, from the classic feats of Harry Houdini to Angel originals. Tickets start at $65 Dark: Sunday-Monday, 877.459.0268; blueman.com
through the careers of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, their dozens of hits propelling the compelling story of their rocky rise to fame from the hardscrabble streets of Newark, New Jersey. Tickets start at $52.80 Dark: Monday, 702.777.7776; jerseyboysinfo.com
“O” ZUMANITY
PEEPSHOW
TOURNAMENT OF KINGS Excalibur Jousting and eating—plus a serving wench. What more could you ask of Las Vegas than this Renaissance-style dinner show, watching warriors in the arena as you feed your medieval face? Think of it as Camelot at suppertime. Here, everyone’s King Artie. Tickets start at $59 Dark: Tuesday, 702.597.7600; excalibur.com
ZUMANITY, THE SENSUAL SIDE OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL New York-New York Zumanity’s erotic acts feature contortionists, sex toys and more. The adult-themed show is sure to leave you feeling naughty. Tickets start at $69 Dark: Wednesday-Thursday and November 6, 702.740.6815; cirquedusoleil.com
CRAZIER THAN EVER Humping a giant stage phallus that ejaculates party streamers? Can’t love Vegas if you can’t love that, gang. Hard to call it classy—peeling off one of those streamers after it lands on your shoulder in the audience is vaguely creepy. Yet the Riviera’s Crazy Girls, now celebrating a quartercentury of follow-the-bouncing-boobs, is unpretentiously—and refreshingly—classic. Unapologetically low-rent, Crazy Girls remembers its ties to, if not Old Vegas, at least Older Vegas, its cozy showroom fostering an intimacy that puts the sex in a sex show. Opening to the majestic swells of the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme telegraphs its butt-cheeky attitude. Sex here isn’t a mystical life force (a la Zumanity) or the “art of the nude” (a la just-closed Crazy Horse Paris). Crazy Girls just wants to sex us up. And does. Going topless 10 minutes in with a cast of luscious—and elastic—young ladies, it puts us in a burlesque mood as the gals lip-sync and pole-twirl to sexy-funny staples “Ya Gotta Have Boobs,” “I Need a Cowboy to Ride My Pony” and “How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I’ve Been a Liar All My Life?” Slow, sensually-danced solo numbers nicely shift the pace. Raunchiness gets raunchier—and funnier—in an S&M-flavored number, with the poetic lyrical refrain of “Fuck Me!” Climaxing the carnal high jinks is the phallic frolic as a frisky lass gyrates around The Package to “Whatever Lola Wants,” an amusing perversion of an American standard. 9:30 p.m. Thursday, dark November 22. Tickets start at $44.95. Riviera Casino & Hotel, 702.734.5110; rivierahotel.com –Steve Bornfeld
WATCH
WATCH
PEEPSHOW Planet Hollywood Who knew Bo Peep was such a sex kitten? In December, Coco Austin assumes the role made famous by Holly Madison, an innocent sweetie who transforms into a sensual hottie in this burlesque show that turns nursery rhymes naughty. This month, Angel Porrino fills the marquee role. Tickets start at $66 Dark: Wednesday, 702.785.5055; lasvegaspeepshow.com
ZARKANA Aria Resort & Casino Following successful engagements in New York, Russia and Spain, this Cirque du Soleil show finds a permanent Las Vegas home. Follow ringmaster, Zark, through the abandoned theater setting of this extraordinary acrobatic circus. Tickets start at $69 Dark Wednesday-Thursday, 855.927.5262; cirquedusoleil.com
CALENDAR
O: Tomasz Rossa; PEEPSHOW: John Ganun; ZUMANITY: GiUILANO BEKOR; Crazy Girls: Bill Hughes/Erik Kabik Photography
“O” Bellagio From the French word for water, “O” consists of 85 cast members performing sensational acts in and above a 1.5-milliongallon pool. You have to see it to believe it. Tickets start at $104 Dark: Monday-Tuesday, 702.693.8866; cirquedusoleil.com
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THE DANCE PARTY IS ON! ZOWIE BOWIE FR I DAYS • DOO RS 1 0 PM
THE PEELERS
SATU R DAYS • DOO RS 1 0 PM
NO COVER redrock.sclv.com | Like us on facebook.com/redrock Must be 21 or older. © 2012 Station Casinos LLC. All rights reserved.
ON THE LIST & ON THE LIPS
PLAY
PLAY
Water’s Edge A staple of the Los Angeles nightlife scene, Hyde Lounge’s original location on Sunset Boulevard became a destination for Hollywood’s “It” crowd. Owned by hospitality firm SBE, the venue grew so popular that it branched out to a location in L.A.’s Staples Center before making its new home in Las Vegas. Hyde Bellagio, which debuted on New Year’s Eve 2011, adheres to its sister property’s cozy vibe with warm leathers and a reclaimed wood fireplace. But it has one atmospheric element its counterparts do not: a prime location overlooking the Fountains of Bellagio. See Page 106 vrated.com / 103
Steak and shake
STK’s ROGER Gangi turns a dining experience into a booming party By Craig Asher Nyman
p pl la ay y
V/rated
At 9 p.m. on a Saturday, it’s easy to mistake STK Las Vegas in The Cosmopolitan for a nightclub. Gorgeous bartenders sling drinks, while cocktail servers in 6-inch stilettos tend to restaurant-goer’s needs. Music pumps through the room and women dance atop the banquettes. At any other steak house, this might seem odd; yet at STK, it works thanks to rocking beats by DJ Roger Gangi. As STK’s resident DJ since the hip spot opened, Gangi provides the soundtrack for diners four nights a week, blending an eclectic mix of ’70s, ’80s and ’90s tunes with today’s popular house music and hip-hop. With the DJ booth in the middle of the restaurant, Gangi is the pulse of the party, reading the crowd and creating a celebratory atmosphere that gets patrons primed for a true Vegas night out as they guzzle champagne and cut into succulent steaks. But it’s not all meat and beautiful girls for Gangi; outside of STK he produces music for such clients as Crown hotelcasinos in Melbourne and Perth, Australia, and the male revue Chippendales, for which he’s creating a cutting-edge opening track for their Las Vegas show. He is also the founder of DJ management company Ultradjs and programs more than 25 events per week in and out of Las Vegas, with clients including Caesars Entertainment, Guess, Marciano, Paul Mitchell, Soul Headphones by Ludacris and Golden Gaming. In other words, yes, Gangi is quite busy. But when you’re the life of the soiree, entertaining thousands of people weekly at one of the city’s most successful restaurants, it’s all fun and games. STK in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, 702.698.7990; stkhouse.com
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Eileen Ryans
Looking to replicate the STK experience? Here’s Gangi’s current playlist Depeche Mode – “Personal Jesus” Michael Jackson – “PYT” Montell Jordan – “This Is How We Do It” Biz Markie – “Just a Friend” Bell Biv DeVoe – “Poison” Beastie Boys – “Girls” AC/DC – “TNT” Calvin Harris – “Feel So Close” Whitney Houston vs. Rihanna –“I Wanna Dance With Somebody”
THENI GHTCLUBATENCORE
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all night long By Deanna Rilling
Partying from sunrise to sunset and back again has become the modus operandi for Las Vegas in 2012. Thanks to Hyde in Bellagio, there’s a venue you never need to leave to keep the party going. Channeling an opulent Italian villa, G+ Designs created multiple environments adorned in marble and mahogany, punctuated by elaborate chandeliers, all overlooking the Fountains of Bellagio. Start your evening with small bites and cocktails, such as the Hyde Fountain made from Laird’s Applejack Brandy, La Marca Prosecco and fresh berries. Those with endless energy should check out Sunrise Sessions (1 a.m. Saturdays) and party until daylight with top DJs, or mix and mingle with locals at Lost Angels every Tuesday. Open 5 p.m.-close seven days a week; 702.693.8700, hydebellagio.com
Mix It Up Perched atop a black-and-white petrified wood fireplace, the DJ presides over the Grand Salon. Past headliners included mixtape maestro Mick Boogie and French-import Tristan Garner, plus a bevy of beats courtesy of regular residents Daniel D, Jace One, Atom E and DJ Five.
Raise Your Glass From 5-10 p.m. daily, enjoy handcrafted cocktails such as the Love Unit, Burning Mango, Blackberry Elderflower Collins or Cucumber Watermelon Margarita. Pair it with gourmet nibbles from neighboring Circo, including San Daniele prosciutto and melon, Kumamoto oysters or Frito Misto. Or take it to the next level by requesting the liquid nitrogen Bellini cart or caviar service.
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Kodak Moment If the view of the fountains from the terrace wasn’t Instagram-worthy enough, the monthly XIV Sessions party transforms the venue with a themed soirée. Previous installments for the day-into-night festivities included a nautical yacht party, a candy carnival wonderland and an all-out neon explosion—and guests are encouraged to be part of the action by donning costumes for the occasion. And if you need that certain something to make your outfit sparkle, peruse the collection of items for sale in the Study.
ALL ACCE S S
PLAY
Insider Intel / The venue has a $250,000 package, which comes with a 30-liter bottle of ace of spades champagne. plus, guests are allowed to turn on the Fountains of Bellagio by pressing a button.
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DECEMBER 28 & 29 ticketmaster.com // pearl box office // 702.944.3200 // palmspearl.com palms.com
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Š2012 FP Holdings, L.P. dba Palms Casino Resort. All Rights Reserved.
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THE SCENE
Get Up and Glow A Radiant fun run lights up the streets of downtown By Elizabeth Sewell Photography ANTHONY MAIR On October 7, decked out in neon colors, glow sticks and trainers, 3,500 runners snaked their way through Las Vegas Boulevard and around the streets of Downtown on a 5-kilometer course, ending with a phosphorescent festival in the Fremont East District. GlowRun combined athletic prowess with a blowout party featuring live music, art installations (such as a 15-foot-tall tree-like steel structure dubbed “Cubisimos Urbano� by Boris Kostov) and a bar crawl through the pubs lining Fremont Street. The Red Bull Fire Truck (outfitted with a full DJ setup) rocked with a lineup of local artists including Lisa Pittman and Brett Rubin playing dance music, while Capital Cities took the main stage followed by after-party headliner Girl Talk. All the fun was for a cause: GlowRun raised more than $5,000 for Aid for AIDS of Nevada. 702.798.7000; glowrun.com
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MARQUEE
LAVO
MOON
Highly/Rated
An all-access pass to the hottest Nightspots
HYDE BELLAGIO Bellagio The first Las Vegas nightlife venture by Los Angeles-based nightlife company SBE boasts a seamless indoor/outdoor space, floor-to-ceiling windows and an expansive terrace that showcases the Fountains of Bellagio. Open daily at 5 p.m. for cocktails and small plates from Circo. Nightclub open 5 p.m.-4 a.m. Tuesday, Friday-Saturday 702.693.7111; bellagio.com; sbe.com HAZE Aria Resort & Casino A 70-foot wall of lights dominates the room at this technologically advanced venue catering to live performances from DJs (including Laidback Luke) and musicians (such as Adam Levine from Maroon 5). This dual-level club means guests can hit the dance floor or observe from above on the balcony. 10:30 p.m.-4 a.m. ThursdaySaturday 702.693.8300; lightgroup.com
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LAVO The Palazzo Appointed in rich leathers and painted frescos, Lavo is the Italianinspired nightclub for guests looking for an intimate experience. The space offers the amenities of a megaclub (think bottle service and top-name talent such as DJ Vice), but without the massive crowds. 11 p.m.-4 a.m. Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday; 10:30 p.m.-4 a.m. Friday-Saturday 702.791.1818; lavolv.com LAX Luxor Las Vegas Red leather walls and shimmering chandeliers greet guests at the two-story LAX nightclub. Descend the grand staircase to the dance floor to watch performers such as Ginuwine, while hosts such as Ice-T and Coco greet the crowd on weekends. 10 p.m.-4 a.m. Wednesday-Monday 702.262.4529; laxthenightclub.com LILY BAR & LOUNGE Bellagio XS If a tranquil and intimate space better suits your nightlife needs, head to Lily Bar & Lounge, and order a drink off the seasonal mixologist-crafted cocktail menu. Snag a plush ottoman and enjoy American culinary classics from sister restaurant Fix, served from 5-10 p.m. daily on the imported Spanish stone tabletops with views of the surrounding casino floor. Noon-4 a.m. Monday-Sunday 702.693.8300; bellagio.com
MARQUEE The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Marquee has a space for everyone thanks to its cozy Library room, intimate BoomBox room and main floor, all of which regularly host a weekend lineup of notable DJs such as Avicii and Dirty South. 10 p.m.-close Monday; 10 p.m.-4 a.m. Thursday; 9:30 p.m.-close Friday; 9 p.m.-close Saturday 702.333.9000; marqueelasvegas.com mOON AND GHOSTBAR Palms Casino Resort Whether you’re a little bit hip-hop or a little bit house, both of the Palms’ party venues have you covered. Moon offers spectacular views from its patio on the top floor of the Palms Fantasy Tower, and Ghostbar provides an intimate lounge experience overlooking the Strip. Moon: 11 p.m.-4 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday; Ghostbar: 8 p.m.-close daily 702.942.6832; palms.com PURE Caesars Palace At Pure, the lounge, dance floor and terrace come together to provide a multisensory experience. The club, once voted best nightclub in the world by E!, is a hotspot to see A-list celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna. 10:30 p.m.-4 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday-Sunday 702.731.7873; purethenightclub.com
SURRENDER Encore This is two experiences in one. Walk inside and be greeted by a 120-foot silver snake behind the bar, and a DJ booth with an LED wall and lighting system to complement talent such as Tiësto and Skrillex. Outfitted for winter with a heated tent, stroll the 55,000 square feet of outside space in comfort. 10:30 p.m.-4 a.m. Wednesday, Friday-Saturday 702.770.7300; surrendernightclub.com TAO The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Beauties bathing in tubs filled with rose petals greet guests at this Asian-inspired nightlife temple. With a capacity of 3,000, Tao packs its dance floor with partygoers seeking high-profile DJs such as Erick Morillo and celebrity hosts such as LeBron James. The club has multiple spots to book a table, including the main room, the moat and the more discreet Opium Room. 10 p.m.-4 a.m. Thursday-Saturday 702.388.8588; taolasvegas.com The Act The Palazzo Simon Hammerstein, the creator of The Box in New York City, brings The Act to Las Vegas. A fresh nightlife concept in a city that has seen it all, The Act is part
MARQUEE: Powers Imagery; LAVO: WARREN JAGGER
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THE GUIDE
1 OAK NIGHTCLUB The Mirage A transplant from New York City, 1 OAK (which stands for one-of-akind) features original Roy Nachum surrealist artwork, parquet wooden floors and two rooms playing Top 40 and house music, so you can choose your own nightlife experience. 10:30 p.m.-4 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday 702.693.8300; lightgroup.com
XS
cabaret, part sensual sideshow. The venue features outrageous acts where audience participation is encouraged. Open 10 p.m.-4 a.m. WednesdaySaturday 702.607.0222; theactlv.com
10 p.m.-4 a.m. Thursday-Saturday
THE BANK NIGHTCLUB Bellagio Enter on the second floor of The Bank and find a bird’s eye view of the first-level dance floor surrounded by VIP tables. Explore the cavernous club, and you’ll come into contact with the Cristal Room, which features 500 bottles of bubbly on the walls. 10:30 p.m.-4 a.m. Thursday– Sunday 702.693.8300; lightgroup.com
is the centerpiece of the room at
TRYST Wynn Las Vegas A 90-foot-tall waterfall is the centerpiece of this posh nightlife venue, which pioneered the indoor/outdoor experience. Stay with the luxurious theme and order the $3,000 Menage a Trois cocktail, crafted with Cristal Rose and Hennessy Ellipse and topped with 23-karat gold flakes; this drink is sipped through a souvenir golden straw studded with diamonds.
702.770.3375; trystlasvegas.com VANITY Hard Rock Hotel & Casino A cyclone chandelier illuminated by 20,000 color-changing crystals Vanity. DJs spin from the frontand-center booth, and guests have the option to choose a table on the terrace overlooking the Hard Rock Hotel pool. Ladies, don’t miss the powder room: Adorned with crystal chandeliers and lined with lit vanities, it’s a space that lives up to the club’s name. 10:30 p.m.-4 a.m, Friday-Sunday 702.693.5555; vanitylv.com XS Encore Awash in gold tones with glittering bodices lining the walls, XS is 40,000 square feet dedicated to opulent nightlife. An 800-pound rotating gilded chandelier hangs over a circular dance floor that opens up to a poolside patio. 10 p.m.–4 a.m. Friday-Monday 702.770.0097; xslasvegas.com
XS: Barbara Kraft
best tip / downtown An off-Strip adventure awaits for those willing to drift beyond resort row. Head to the burgeoning Fremont East District on Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard for a bevy of bars and a vibrant social scene. One of the most popular spots for those seeking more than a cocktail is Insert Coin(s). The “barcade” has 60 vintage video-game cabinets with titles such as Ms. Pac-Man and Tetris lining the walls. For a more VIP experience, reserve one of the gaming booths and be treated to bottle service and access to a private gaming console such as PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. 702.477.2525; insertcoinslv.com
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pocket-size presents
GIFT GUIDE
Don’t let a Vegas state of mind encroach on your holiday shopping. Instead, capitalize on the city’s acres of consumer-friendly real estate. Need help with ideas? Vegas/Rated curated a colorful gift guide of stocking stuffers small enough to transport directly to wherever your tree stands. See Page 120
GIFT GUIDE
PHOTOGRAPH BY travis rathbone
Cash and Carry
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SHOP AROUND THE CLOCK
FROM MIDMORNING TO MIDNIGHT, COMPLETE YOUR HOLIDAY Gift Hunt IN A MERE 24 HOURS By Elizabeth Sewell
Start at 10 a.m.: Las Vegas Premium Outlets North
7 p.m.: The Forum Shops at Caesars
Begin with a bargain hunt. This retail center, along with sister outpost south of the Strip, offers some of the top names in fashion at affordable prices. Get there early to avoid the busloads of tourists and to snag first dibs on brands such as Burberry, Etro and David Yurman. If you can’t wait to get your shopping out of the way, Premium Outlets is open Thanksgiving Day. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., 875 S. Grand Central Parkway, 702.474.7500; premiumoutlets.com
Filled with designer boutiques and high-end eats, The Forum Shops are open until 11 p.m. So start by grabbing dinner at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab or P.J. Clarke’s—you’ll need the energy before roaming up and down the cobblestone streetscape. Then prepare to give your plastic a workout as you browse Alfred Dunhill for supple leathers, Breitling for high-end timepieces and Fendi for splurge-worthy shoes. 702.893.3807; caesarspalace.com
1 p.m.: Fashion Show
If you’re running low on inspiration, go to this 2-million-square-foot shopping mecca and catch one of the live fashion shows featuring clothes from any of the mall’s more than 250 retailers on an 80-foot retractable runway in The Great Hall. Grab a burger at Johnny Rockets or do lunch at one of the other nine restaurants before browsing stores such as Neiman Marcus and Henri Bendel. Better yet, schedule a personal shopping appointment at Topshop, and leave the guesswork to the pros. 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702.369.8382; thefashionshow.com 4 p.m.: Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood
GIFT GUIDE
V/RATED
Miracle Mile Shops has plenty of goodies for the guy on your list, such as a timeless polo from Original Penguin, trendy denim at Lucky Brand Jeans and funky coffee-table books at Urban Outfitters. If said guy happens to be a kernel lover, visit Garrett Popcorn Shops to snag their signature Chicago Mix (CheeseCorn and CaramelCrisp flavors) in a holiday tin. 702.866.0703; miraclemileshopslv.com
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End at Midnight: Elements in Aria Resort & Casino
Procrastinators rejoice! Waiting until the 25th hour is OK when the town you’re in is open the other 24. Elements at Aria carries stocking-stuffers from brands such as Nixon watches and Rain Cosmetics, among the many quick gifts (Champagne anyone?) up for grabs 24 hours a day. If one of your desired-recipients happens to include a fan of Sin City keepsakes, there are plenty of Aria shot glasses, T-shirts and baseball hats, as well as souvenirs such as blackjack strategy cards. 702.590.8735; arialasvegas.com HENRI BENDEL nutcracker (SHOWN LEFT) FASHION SHOW; KATE SPADE earmuffs (ABOVE) THE FORUM SHOPS AT CAESARS.
Color Me Chic Mini gifts that go from the shopping bag to the stocking in no time flat Photography Travis Rathbone
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PHOTOGRAPH BY XX
Luck of the Draw COOL MATERIAL The Gentleman’s Deck cards coolmaterial.com
Boyish Charm KIDROBOT hat KidRobot in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Totable Tools KAUFMANN MERCANTILE Every Day Carry multi-use instruments kaufmannmercantile.com
Propose a Toast NEAT World’s Best Whiskey Glass Unica home in The Bungalow
Current
gift guide
Music to Your Ears OZAKI iCarry Time 2boom iPhone 4 & 4S stand and amp Nordstrom in Fashion Show
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Sweet Scent STELLA MCCARTNEY L.I.L.Y perfume Crystals at CityCenter
GIFT GUIDE
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Merry Mobile SAMSUNG Galaxy S III AT&T locations
Seasonal Sparkle THE JEWELER’S DAUGHTER Stardust necklace Tower of Jewels
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Eyes on the Prize MORGENTHAL FREDERICS The Farrah sunglasses Davante in The Forum Shops at Caesars
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HALLOWEEN
Holiday Shine PAUL SMITH Glitter Hove bag Crystals at CityCenter
Molten Masterpiece MINE DESIGN Chalkboard Candle Saks Fifth Avenue in Fashion Show
Where to Buy CRSVR The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas 702.698.7605; crsvr.com DAVANTE The Forum Shops at Caesars 702.737.8585; loholdings.com KIDROBOT The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas 702.698.7670; kidrobot.com NORDSTROM Fashion Show 702.862.2525; nordstrom.com PAUL SMITH Crystals at CityCenter 702.796.2640; paulsmith.co.uk SAKS FIFTH AVENUE Fashion Show 702.733.8300; saks.com SEPHORA The Venetian 702.735.3896; sephora.com STELLA MCCARTNEY Crystals at CityCenter 702.798.5102; stellamccartney.com THE BUNGALOW 7024 W. Charleston Blvd. 702.477.0107; thebungalowlv.com TOWER OF JEWELS 896 E. Sahara Ave. 702.735.4145; thejewelersdaughter.com
Take it Off CLARISONIC Aria Sonic Skin Cleansing Brush Sephora in The Venetian
Winter Walking TOMS Desert Wedge Nordstrom in Fashion Show
Shopping Shoes FLAT OUT OF HEELS Gold Flat flatoutofheels.com
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GIFT GUIDE
Timely Manner CASIO G-Shock watch CRSVR in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
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ON A ROLL
Virtual Reality by matt jacob It’s your first trip to Las Vegas. After spending the last several months studying every gambling book you could get your hands on, you’re ready to try your luck in the casino. One problem: You’re more nervous than a 15-year-old boy standing next to Kate Upton. The last thing you want to do is hold up a craps game because you’re confused about how to bet—or worse, receive death stares at the blackjack table for mistakenly hitting on 13 when the dealer’s up card is a six. Fear not, because much like nearly everything else in this town, Vegas has something just your speed. It’s called virtual gaming, and it features all the risk with none of the social pressure—think of it as gambling’s version of training wheels. THE (ALMOST) REAL DEAL Most casinos up and down the Strip from The Cosmopolitan to Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon now offer electronic versions of popular table games such as blackjack, craps and roulette. The attraction is twofold: For the player, it’s the ability to play lower minimums at a slower pace without worrying that one bad decision will result in the guy two seats down putting his cigarette out in your eye. Meanwhile, the casino benefits from not having to rely on (and pay) employees. “The game doesn’t need a lunch break, isn’t going to call out sick and isn’t going to object to tips being split with management,” says David G. Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. TAKE A SPIN With virtual blackjack and craps, the only human interaction is with the other players seated around the machine—even the three-dimensional oversize craps dice sit in a sealed cylinder and are “rolled” by pressing a button. However, some virtual roulette games feature a regulation wheel and live dealer who rolls the ball after all wagers are placed electronically. “It’s the best combination of live and virtual,” Schwartz says of roulette. “It’s easier to place bets from the casino’s point of view—there are a lot fewer disputes—and since there’s a real ball, players don’t feel like, ‘Oh, the game is going to cheat me.’”
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ANTHONY MAIR
INSIDER INTEL / Still hesitant about wagering against a machine? Don’t be. Before any game opens for business on a casino floor in Nevada, it must pass muster with the state’s Gaming Control Board, which is responsible for verifying the authenticity of all gaming machines.
DOWN FOR THE COUNT At their core, casino games are games of chance (hence the word “gambling”). But that’s not to say skill can’t play a role in a gambler’s success, particularly when it comes to blackjack (think counting cards) and craps (think pressing the odds during a hot roll). Unfortunately, you can’t use skill to beat a random machine, which is the one downside to virtual gaming. Then again, if you’re a novice, counting cards probably isn’t part of your repertoire …