The Playground
Work is hard. Everybody needs recess.
10.31.08 · 4:46 PM
A.J.’s Steakhouse says goodbye with retro pricing
Back in 1999 I was a sophomore in high school, 15 years old and enjoying my golden year (I had my first real kiss) and Vegas was too. In 1999 Las Vegas became the world’s most visited place, with 37 million tourists a year, hosted its highest grossing concert ever, Barbara Streisand’s New Year’s Eve show at the MGM Grand, and welcomed three new casinos to the Strip – the Venetian, Paris and Mandalay Bay. Together with the Bellagio (opened ... Read more...
E-mail
iPod
del.icio.us
digg
Facebook10.31.08 · 2:19 PM
Primm, but not so proper
A few exits down Interstate 15 there’s a tiny outcropping of casinos in the midst of the empty desert. The town of Primm appears as a sort of mirage on the drive west from Vegas, and with gas prices dropping and affordable lodging rates, Primm has turned into a viable option for an entertaining weekend excursion not too far from home. My boyfriend and I had the chance to check out the new, ironically-named topless revue, Sin City Kitties, at ... Read more...
10.30.08 · 2:39 PM
Cirque makeover makes for a queen revival
Have you ever been to a chef’s house for dinner? Pros in the kitchen are off duty when they get home; the last thing someone who sautés for a living wants to do after work is whip up a stir-fry. The same is true of nearly any profession – bartenders don’t mix drinks after shift; hairdressers don’t spend all evening on their coif. And wardrobe directors for Cirque du Soleil dress themselves in burlap sacks when they’re not back stage, ... Read more...
10.30.08 · 2:09 PM
Sophisticated chocolate is all treat
When you were a kid, you greedily filled your pillow sack or plastic pumpkin with as much candy as your little fists could grab from neighbors’ bowls. Then you went home, compared piles with your friends and siblings, did some trading and went to chocolate-coated, caramel nougat town. But nothing gold can stay, and now that you are over five feet and your metabolism is slower you can’t get away with knocking on neighbors’ doors with a perky “trick-or-treat” nor ... Read more...
10.28.08 · 12:25 AM
Costume tips from Cirque du Soleil
For Ruben Permel and Kathy Wusnack creating a Halloween costume is a little like going to work. As head and assistant head of wardrobe for Cirque du Soleil’s KA, Permel and Wusnack help turn an empty theater into an exotic foreign world for every performance by outfitting the cast in creations that make imaginative an understatement. So when Halloween comes around what do Strip professionals look for in a costume and what can an average Joe or Jane do to ... Read more...
10.25.08 · 9:56 AM
Celebrity NFL picks: An accurate forecast is, the league is totally unpredictable
The beauty of the NFL is that some things are inherently unpredictable. Tom Brady’s injury had turned New England from an unstoppable offensive powerhouse to a fairly pedestrian team. Tony Romo’s injury has turned Dallas’ offense from juggernaut to a day on Wall Street. The Colts, Super Bowl champions two seasons ago, are a .500 club. The Seahawks, three seasons removed from a Super Bowl and a perennial playoff team, are 1-5. Tennessee, without Vince Young, is 6-0 and the ... Read more...
10.25.08 · 3:47 AM
Betting on the Breeders’ Cup: a three-step program
I can remember the first time I stepped up to a racetrack betting window – 11 years old, freckled, barely tall enough to see over the counter and certainly not of legal gambling age. I imagine that I was probably wearing Adidas Samba sneakers, and I picked the horses by their names, which one had the nicest coat or who looked the most spirited in the paddock. I clenched a wrinkled $2 in my fist, stood tall and said it: ... Read more...
10.24.08 · 8:16 PM
Parrothead paradise
Every year Halloween comes a little early to Las Vegas as thousands of Jimmy Buffett fans break out their most creative costumes for the margarita-swilling musician’s October concerts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. If Jimmy Buffett tickets aren’t within your budget, you can party for free at the street party outside Margaritaville this Saturday before the show starts. It’s not often they close down an alley off the strip for an outdoor party, but the huge turnout for these ... Read more...
10.23.08 · 2:36 PM
Hauntings in the house
Some people really enjoy being scared to death. These days I just have to look at my bank balance to freak myself out, but for those in search of a more bone-chilling fright, the haunted houses around town offer a pulse-quickening good time. At the forefront of the Vegas fear-in is the ever-popular Fright Dome, the October incarnation of Circus Circus’ Adventure Dome. The haunted expanse is full of creepy goblins, chainsaw-wielding undead and a host of haunted houses. This ... Read more...
10.22.08 · 3:12 PM
Chef Shawn McClain finds opportunity in spades at Sage
Some chefs find their niche and stick to it. They do Italian, crafting silken pastas and rich, earthy sauces, or opt for Japanese, plating slices of fresh fish in bright, sculptural displays. They become the masters of their chosen cuisine, and excel to the point of redefining it. Sushi is born again. French classics are transformed for 21st century palettes. But other chefs refuse to enter into a culinary marriage. You might say Chef Shawn McClain is a serial monogamist ... Read more...
10.20.08 · 9:11 AM
All you ever needed to know about going to college
The 31st Annual College Fair will be at Cashman Center this Monday and Tuesday, with representatives from over 200 universities and colleges dispensing information and advice to high schoolers and their parents. Boring, boring, boring. Here’s all you prospective freshman need to know about your higher ed debut: 1. Avoid referring your first class of the day as “first hour.” It’s a dead giveaway that you just migrated from the halls of somewhere-in-America high school. This could get you into ... Read more...
10.18.08 · 3:24 PM
Celebrity NFL picks: In this case, ‘Big D’ stands for ‘Big Drama’
What a bizarre week in Big D. It began Sunday with their fierce battle against the Arizona Cardinals. Trailing by 10 with less than three minutes remaining, Marion Barber cut through the Cardinals defense for a 70-yard touchdown reception to pull the Cowboys within a field goal. Dallas held Arizona and forced a punt with less than a minute remaining, and on a third-and-11 play Tony Romo connected with Jason Witten for a 30-yard gain. Dallas hurried to the line ... Read more...
10.18.08 · 10:19 AM
Slices of learned life, on a Thursday night
A trio of Weekly staffers fanned out across the Thursday-night culturescape to sample various panels, lectures and discussions, just to see what was happening outside the usual entertainment calendar: 1. Art collecting at Las Vegas Art Museum Art critic Dave Hickey headlined a panel on art collecting at the Las Vegas Art Museum, with harmonies provided by wealthy collectors Roger Thomas, Lee Cagli and Anthony Spiegel. They’re smart, passionate, privileged men, but you go to these things mostly because Hickey, ... Read more...
10.17.08 · 12:50 PM
“Shake your bum” downtown with Bloodcat Love
With the economy in the crapper, who can afford to go see Jet perform in Australia? Don’t worry — you can get a taste of internationally flavored indie rock by going downtown this Saturday to catch Los Angeles-based Bloodcat Love performing live at Beauty Bar. The band has toured with the likes of Jet and OK Go. Lead singer Myles Hendrik, of New Zealand, got his start in the American music scene when he befriended Chris Cester of Jet. Hendrik ... Read more...
10.16.08 · 7:20 PM
We’re all about superlatives, but…
When I heard The Most Interesting Show in the World was coming to Vegas I was, well, interested. Of course, “interesting” is sometimes just a nice word for weird, annoying or having that funny smell usually associated with nursing homes and many cats, but that wasn’t going to deter me. Hyperbole this gratuitous warrants a closer look. The. Most. Interesting. Show. In. The. World. What it could possibly contain? I pondered the things that interest me: well-constructed bridges, food with ... Read more...
10.16.08 · 5:16 PM
Bite of Las Vegas lacks teeth
The 12th Annual Bite of Las Vegas sounds like a promising afternoon: 11 bands, 3 stages, 45 restaurants serving small tasting portions. But the full-day outdoor festival is sadly lacking teeth. On the culinary side, Bite’s 45 restaurant participants present a bland picture of the Vegas restaurant scene. Rather than showcasing some of the city’s fabulous local haunts, the food is from Fuddruckers, Pizza Hut, Panda Express, Golden Spoon, Winchell’s and other chains – an open air mall food court. ... Read more...
10.14.08 · 3:38 PM
Your butt will hurt, but you’ll be glad you did it
Before Vegas was a metropolis of almost two million people, before the Strip had become a Mecca of non-stop entertainment, this area was a blend of desert and meadow – lots of cacti, few people, no one going by the name Elvis. Before that, it was under a deep ocean (circa 600 million years ago), and the decaying marine life formed a sediment crust up to 9000 feet thick, which became limestone, eventually rusting and turning the rock formations bright ... Read more...
10.12.08 · 1:44 PM
The story of a boy (in this case, Donny Osmond) and his Porsche (well, actually, Don Marrandino’s Porsche)
A stray anecdote from Donny Osmond from last night’s red carpet at the Agassi Grand Slam for Children. Mr. A Little Bit Rock ’n’ Roll was asked about what it’s like to have his image, along with that of Marie Osmond, splashed across several floors of the Flamingo on the hotel-casino’s impossible-to-miss building wrap. “Isn’t it the coolest thing ever?” Donny said, not waiting for the obvious answer, which would be, “Probably so, yes, Donny.” He continued, “It stops me ... Read more...
10.12.08 · 1:12 PM
Celebs speak out, kind of, about campaign
What’s the difference between celebs walking the red carpet at the Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children and John McCain’s meandering during last week’s presidential debate? The celebs had a firm idea of where they were going. It was amid the splash of lights at Wynn Las Vegas that I asked some of the rich and famous their thoughts on the campaign. The responses ranged from Donny Osmond’s slight wince to Sheryl Crow’s comments that the Republican ticket was stoking ... Read more...
10.11.08 · 12:33 PM
Back in time to 1608, wenches included
I remember singing on stage in an a capella choir in a beautiful Renaissance gown, getting chased by boys into the bushes and my brother buying me a hand-carved wooden ocarina, which I still treasure. Fourteen years later, the Renaissance Fair is still holding court in Sunset Park, transporting children and amusing parents with a wide array of period entertainments and none of the questionable hygiene. The festival offers full-contact jousting tournaments, gladiator battles, black powder demonstrations, strolling minstrels, contortionists, ... Read more...
10.11.08 · 8:42 AM
Celebrity NFL picks: Compared to ‘03 victory over Bucs, Colts’ comeback against Texans pretty ordinary
As I watched the Indianapolis Colts’ fourth-quarter rally against the Houston Texans on Sunday, I couldn’t help but think I had seen this before. The Colts had fallen behind by 17 points with about five minutes remaining, and appeared headed for defeat at the hands of the winless Texans. But a touchdown pass by Peyton Manning, a key 68-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and another Manning TD pass in the final minute – set up by another fumble recovery ... Read more...
10.10.08 · 3:18 PM
An evening with Poe, courtesy of Joshua Kane
Joshua Kane may be in an Armani suit, or he may be in an old-fashioned vest and ascot. Anything could happen this Saturday night at the Historic Fifth Street School, but a few things are certain. “An old man will be murdered, eight politicians will be set aflame and there is one creepy black bird,” Kane promises of his dramatic performance of Poe’s Tales of Terror. “I am a person out of time,” says Joshua in a deep voice over ... Read more...
10.9.08 · 11:16 AM
Point Break Live meets untimely demise
The perils of print publications. Point Break LIVE! blew into town on October 1—a hilarious send up of the 1991 Keanue Reeves surfer action flick. You can look for our review in this week’s Las Vegas Weekly. And now it looks like it’s riding a wave clear out of town. As of press time we reported that the show was leaving the V Theater at Planet Hollywood for a new venue that was yet to be announced. Since then Eve ... Read more...
10.6.08 · 5:11 PM
The sexiest place to work in Vegas? Drama and skin at Sunset Tan
You can tell that Devin Haman, the founder and owner of Sunset Tan, is successful as soon as you meet him. He’s tall, built like a football star (he played in college) with a golden tan, bleached hair and an unabashedly trendy ensemble of destroyed denim, a half-open collared shirt, embroidered leather shoes and a diamond watch, but it’s not his style that makes the strongest impression. It’s his affect – the genuine smile, eye contact, clear confidence and easy ... Read more...
10.6.08 · 12:53 PM
Ryan Seacrest is calling all “Momma’s Boys”
With internet personals, speed dating and Craigslist, it seems that most people these days would rather turn to their computer than their parents when it comes to finding a significant other. But NBC and producer Ryan Seacrest are betting that mother still knows best in matters of love, and tonight Prive’s getting in on the action with a casting session for Seacrest’s new dating show. The reality show Momma’s Boys does the unthinkable, housing bachelor sons and their meddling moms ... Read more...
10.5.08 · 1:35 AM
Celebrity NFL picks: Spirit of 76 (yarder) costs Kiffin
Late in the first half of the Raiders-Chargers game, Oakland was enjoying an unusual bout with prosperity, leading San Diego 15-0, with the ball in its possession. With 36 seconds to go, JaMarcus Russell completed a short pass, setting up a third-and-2 situation at Oakland’s 42-yard-line. The receiver was unable to get out of bounds on the play, however, so the clock continued to tick down toward the end of the half. Oakland had a timeout remaining, but seemed content ... Read more...
10.4.08 · 1:50 AM
She’s a beaut: Artistry in Iron showcases BikeFest’s best work
Slouching low to the ground and slinking along the carpet in an alluring curve, Erick Ackley’s bike looks like an animal ready to pounce. Third in a four-part series of bikes named for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Conquest is the culmination of more than six months of work for Ackley and his partner, Dave Sekman, and Ackley guesses that with parts and labor the bikes has cost about $200,000 to make. Like The Conquest, all of the ... Read more...
10.3.08 · 6:31 PM
On being a corpse: 15 minutes of blood, guns and fame at Point Break Live!
I have no idea why I volunteered to do this, but for some reason there’s a fake gun and a blood pack under me now. “I’ll come back and get you when it’s time,” says the director to me as she scurries off to whatever place she came from. I should have know that at Point Break Live!, the intensely absurd, interactive re-telling of the Hollywood blockbuster Point Break, I’d get myself involved in something stupid as hell. And here ... Read more...
10.3.08 · 4:55 PM
Downtown accordion fun time
Thank your artsy-fartsy, Eastern European hoe down-loving stars. Tonight, Downtown takes on center of the universe status with a double header of living, breathing, sweating entertainment. First up is First Fridays, the Arts Districts’ monthly block party and open house, which turns six this month, complete with gallery shows, live music on two stages, spontaneous break dancing, tasty snacks and cold beer. Every month, First Fridays brings Las Vegas a taste of a real urban lifestyle via the park, walk ... Read more...
10.2.08 · 1:29 PM
There’s your carrot, kid: Six questions with Bryan Bruner
Ever go to a show for the opening act then leave before the main band comes onstage? Such may be the case with Bryan Bruner, the host and emcee of the LA Comedy Club at Trader Vic’s. The popular comedy club has made a name for itself in Vegas hosting many big name stars like this week’s headliner, Ian Bagg. The heart and soul of the LA Comedy Club however, is Bruner. He opens the show every night with a ... Read more...
-
Friday
2013-05-24
The Strip
-
Friday
2013-05-24
Activities-Pool Parties
-
Friday
2013-05-24
Comedy
- More ›
-
Saturday
2013-05-25
The Orleans
-
Saturday
2013-05-25
The Strip
-
Saturday
2013-05-25
The Strip
- More ›
-
Tuesday
2013-05-28
Concert
-
Tuesday
2013-05-28
Paris
-
Tuesday
2013-05-28
Drink Specials
- More ›
-
Wednesday
2013-05-29
Museum (ongoing)
-
Wednesday
2013-05-29
The Strip
-
Wednesday
2013-05-29
UNLV
- More ›
SMS Alerts
Featured Cocktail
May 15, 2013
by
Sabrina Chapman
The Golden Pillar: An architectural cocktail built for XS
This Sunday, XS nightclub celebrates the grand reopening of its after-dark pool party, Night Swim. Along with the bash comes a new offering of signature cocktails served by the pitcher, ...
Read more...