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May 29, 2004
Something I'd Like to Get to See: Part II (but won't)
Back in the 90's Prince fell off my radar as a musician/performer. Partly
because my interests went in a different direction, and partly because he
seemed to be too far "out there," with changing his name to a symbol and
the like. He always made his music very accessible though, by creating an
online music presence to get his latest music to the public, and therefore
by-passing the record companies altogether. I liked that. He's
always been ahead of his time, and he still is a huge talent. This is why
I wished I had a ticket to one of his
two
sold out shows this weekend at Mandalay Bay. As usual he has surrounded
himself with top caliber musicians, and as bonus, with each ticket you get
a copy of Musicology. This is billed as a "best of" show, so there
will be all the 80's hits performed. Should be a fun night.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
8:06am |
Prince brings his greatest-hits show to the Mandalay Bay Events
Center this weekend. |
May 28, 2004
Something I Would Have Liked to Have Seen.
I would have enjoyed
"Mark
Twain Tonight" at UNLV's Ham Hall last Saturday. Maybe next time.
Nevadans, I've learned, are proud of Mark Twain's time spent as a silver
prospector, and the fact that he worked for the Territorial Enterprise
of Virginia City as a reporter. Twain is quoted as saying "I didn't
want to work, all I wanted was employment. So I became a newspaper reporter.
I hated to do it, but I couldn't find honest employment." I'm sure the night
was full of great Twain quotes, that fit in today's context just fine. Judging
by the
reviews
the night was a success. Too bad I missed it.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
7:55am |
Hal Holbrook presents his one-man show featuring the writings
of Mark Twain last Saturday at Artemus Ham Hall. |
Something I'd Like to Get to See
It seems I have some good company in the crowd of people who have recently
made the move to Las Vegas. Ruby Mazur, a native New Yorker has been
living here since 2000. Mazur is an artist who has done the work for
countless album covers over the years, and is most recognized for creating
the Rolling Stones logo in 1971, not that I remember him doing it back then
though. I couldn't listen to music too much back then because you couldn't
hear anything over my sisters Bobby Sherman and Osmond Brothers records.
I use this as an excuse when people look at me a bit odd over my taste in
music today. As for Mazur, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York
has invited him to
show
a retrospective of his entire collection of paintings. The bonus
for Las Vegans is that since Mazur already has an exhibit at Art de
Vignettes at the Fashion Show Mall on July 22, the Whitney may launch the
entire exhibition there as well.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
7:25am |
Ruby Mazur gets call from famed art museum.
Had I had the time, I would have added the big red tongue
protruding from his face. |
OK OK, I found a little time. |
May 24, 2004
Harrah's Makes Last Hurrah at Binions
Downtown revitalization is facing another roadblock thanks to the confirmation
that Harrah's has decided to move next year's World Series of Poker
to the Rio. I guess it could be said that without Harrah's, there would
be no WSOP since they played a critical role in bailing out Binions Horseshoe
(where the WSOP is played) earlier this year. Anyone who goes downtown during
this event can tell you that the WSOP brings a lot of dollars and eyes to
downtown. This is an area that can use the exposure. Harrah's
maintains that the event has simply out grown Binions, and that next year
there will be twice as many contestants than the casino can handle. I
don't think enough thought went into an alternative to keep the event downtown
though. This event has grown way beyond what
Benny
Binion originally enviosioned 50 years ago, with the addition of
television, and a nobody like Chris Moneymaker winning the championship last
year. This years $10,000 no limit round got started Saturday with some
2,000 entries, compared to about 600 entries three years ago. That's
what happens when you add the internet and television, and of course Moneymaker.
People are attracted to the Moneymaker story, his name aside. He
starts out playing sanctioned tournaments online with a $40 buy in, then
earns the $10,000 needed for the final round and wins a 2.3 million dollar
pot as the champion. Isn't that the lure of Las Vegas? Strike
it rich!
Chris
Moneymaker's luck was short this year. He got short stacked in
the opening round on Saturday and was among some 570 contestants knocked
out. Maybe he was knocked out by another wild card player like Moneymaker.
Many veteran poker players have commented how the competition has changed
with all the newcomers they call "wild cards." A "wild card" will play
hands they shouldn't, and sometimes get lucky, thus knocking out the veteran
player. Anyway, Harrah's says they will bring just the final round
back to Binions next year, which will be nice, but the downtown area will
suffer from the loss of business the entire event brings.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
7:49am |
Chris Moneymaker reacts after a few bad hands Saturday at the
World Series of Poker at Binion's Horseshoe.
Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
|
May 23, 2004
Juggling Out of the Box
Ever have to go beyond the limits of reality to regain a piece of your sanity?
Happens all the time in Vegas.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
12:34pm |
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May 21, 2003
"At the Hard Rock Hotel, we believe in your Monday night rights: large
quantities of prescription stimulants (and) having wives in two
states"
This is just one sample of the Hard Rock's advertising that has landed them
in some hot water with the Nevada Gaming Commission. The Hotel/Casino
has been notorious for pushing the envelope in its advertising campaigns,
and as such has agreed to pay some hefty fines, however they were caught
off guard when the
Gaming
Commission rejected a proposed $300,000 (a mere bag of shells to these
guys) agreement, and is now scheduling the case to go to trial (this will
definitely cost them a few more bags of shells). There is no doubt that the
outdoor advertising in this town pushes the limits, and I think this is why
the Gaming Commission is reluctant to back down. The Gaming Commission
is probably hoping other outdoor advertisers will see this as a warning and
back off a bit, we'll see.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
7:48am |
Hard Rock Hotel representatives expressed surprise over Thursday's
decision by the Nevada Gaming Commission.
Photo by John Gurzinski.
|
May 18, 2004
The Mustang Ranch
I'm not a horse person. I don't own a horse. My wife tried to talk
me into getting one once but, I don't have time get into that right now.
I could be a horse advocate though, and I can understand why people are planning
a demonstration outside a BLM hearing next month to discuss a
round
up of wild horses. Growing up on Long Island there wasn't many
wild anythings, besides the birds, rabbits and maybe cats. You had
to take a considerable drive to commune with the wild critters. I like
knowing that nearly half of all the wild horses in the west are here in Nevada,
some are close by in Red Rock Canyon. There are also large numbers
of Bighorn Sheep in the hills as well, they keep the Mountain Lions in the
mountains and out of the neighborhoods that are taking over their territory.
Well, that's all for now, time to take a ride (in the SUV) on
the Ponderosa with Hoss.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
7:48am
May 17, 2004
Kerry Plays Vegas... Have Mercy!
John Kerry was in Las Vegas yesterday. I think Nevada has
only five electoral votes but, because of the politically mixed nature
of the population, Nevada could very well be a swing vote. While there was
much of the usual talk about the big issues, Iraq, economy, etc., Kerry was
smart enough to take time to focus on Yucca Mountain, and how he plans to
manage the situation, should he become President. Kerry's plan to do extensive
research is too little too late though. Plus, Nevadans have already been
mislead by Bush, who promised that there would never be a Yucca Mountain
Repository. Why should they believe Kerry now? Simple fact is,
you can't put the genie back in the bottle anyway. There has been way too
much invested in the facility already to turn back I'm afraid, plus there
are some rural county politicians that actually want to negotiate with the
DOE on letting them construct a railroad through their county. The
rail line will be built, 'cause they've already dug a deep hole in Nevada.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
6:03pm |
Kerry performs for the Teamsters Sunday at Bally's. One night
only. |
May 16, 2004
Jim Beam Me Up, Scotty
Browsing around town yesterday, we came upon an attraction in Las Vegas
that I think most people are unaware of.
The Star Trek Experience
at the Hilton Hotel is a fun distraction from the usual gaming activity
associated with Las Vegas. I had heard of this, but never paid much attention
to it. My wife is not a fan of Star Trek, nor does she like motion rides,
so I'll have to get the full experience another time. Only part of the
attraction consists of a ride simulation. The full experience
isn't cheap either at about $27.00 per person (includes the Nevada resident
discount), but then again that kind of money goes so fast in a
casino why not get something for it. There are two main attractions to
the experience. First there's the
Klingon
Encounter, and then there is the the far more interesting
Star Trek:
Borg 4D. The
Virtual
Tour gives a good display of the attraction. So, if you look hard
enough there is more to do here than "Let it Ride," or "Double Down,"
or "Splitem'," or "Snake Eyes," or "Box Cars," and of course the
"Cha-Ching" of the slot machine." Oh yeah, don't forget the SpaceQuest Bar,
with the bartender named Scott, thus the "Jim Beam me up Scotty" thing.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
8:30am |
Borg 4D Ride Technology:
The first multiple-angle
3D cinema production with 3D effects from the
front, overhead, right and left sides. Also the first world-wide attraction
to use 2K digital cinema
projections, which is two times clearer than any
other digital projection system in the world.
Pretty cool stuff!
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More Space Travel
On the subject of space travel, my Mom passed along a
fun link that takes
you for a space ride. It takes a bout 12 minutes, but then again you are
going all the way to the Hour Glass Nebula, so time goes by pretty
fast.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
8:40am
According to USA Weekend...
USA
Weekend.com recently conducted a poll asking people "When you want
to kick back, laugh, and be amazed and entertained, where do you go?" I
know this will surprise many but, Las Vegas was the #1 location. I'll go
with that but, The Iowa State Fair was #2, and River Tubing in Texas was
#6! Who reads USA Today anymore? OK, I have looked at it at a Starbucks a
couple times, but beyond that, never. (via brother J.)
posted by
Andy Loughlin
8:46am
May 14, 2004
Bombs Bursting in... your Backyard
Not too much time goes by around here, and you are reminded that
this really is a military town. As if the nearly constant fly over of military
aircraft isn't reminder enough. On Monday night, the news came on with
the usual stuff, nothing special, then came a story toward the end like,
oh yea, if you live in Northwest Las Vegas (that would be me) you may hear
explosions tomorrow. The military is having
a demonstration
of some new bombs, or something like that. My first thought was, aren't
they getting all the practice they need already in Iraq? But, then,
common sense would say, yea but before they actually use the stuff,
they should be sure it works right. The only creepy thing was
knowing that all those aircraft going over the house were armed to the teeth
with lethal weapons. The type of aircraft wasn't the usual variety either,
I saw the usual F-16's but then there were the A-10's and at least one B-52
in the sky. I wasn't around to hear the explosions, but my wife said
she heard some, and the dog probably heard them all.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
7:39am |
A B-52 bomber releases flares as a countermeasure to heat-seeking
missiles
during Wednesday's firepower demonstration at the Nellis Air Force
Range. |
500-pound bombs explode after they were dropped by a B-52 from
Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
Photos by John Gurzinski. |
May 13, 2004
Hard Rockin' Casino
Last weekend brother R, flew his plane out to Las Vegas. He picked a
good weekend to do this since the rest of the household here, up and left
for California for the weekend. I almost missed him too. Because
of some wind in Mojave, CA (where he flies from) he was leaning toward not
coming. As the morning wore on, I had decided to venture out to the
party streets of Las Vegas, when the cell phone rings, and it's my brother,
already on the ground in North Las Vegas airport. Only takes an hour and
twenty to get here from Mojave, CA. We wound up driving all around town trying
to figure out where to start. We drove by
Hofbrauhaus, and it looked
inviting, but there is driving involved today, so next time. We wound
up at the Hard Rock Hotel/ Casino. I've been too many Hard Rock Cafe's
over the years, but this is the first time to the Casino. So picture
the HR Cafe, with slot machines. Actually the music is a lot better
in this casino over the other casinos I've been in, and the atmosphere
is very comfortable. Our first stop was at the Center Bar. This made for
an ok place to start. If I had known of the
Live Cams in
this place, I would have notified people ahead of time to look
for us. No expectation of privacy here. We got outta there just in time,
before the Howard Stern crew showed up.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
6:44pm |
 |
 |
May 6, 2004
B-Bye
Lately it seems to be "goodbye" to popular television sitcoms. I want
to say "how special." But really, how special? Well the special final
episodes are on, and I don't care. I liked Frasier, and Friends
early on. I liked Frasier the most, but they lost a valuable
writer, David Angell, thanks to 9/11. The "Fr" shows stopped
being of interest years ago for me. I stopped watching Friends way
before Frasier. Hey, Frasier was my Friend from Cheers, ok!
I remember the last episode of MASH, and CHEERS, but I don't think
I will take special interest in the final episodes of the "FR's."
Ok, it's sweet that Ross & Rachael wound up together.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
9:55pm
The Weekend is Free
Now I just have to figure out how to stay out of trouble. My
Wife, daughter and mother-in-law are going to California for the weekend.
'Ya know, a little R&R on the beach for Mother's Day, while I stay
back here and hold things down. Sometimes with the wind around here, that
can be a literal term. I also have to make sure that the dog doesn't
melt, since we have started to hit the century mark on the thermometer. This
will give my wife a chance to spend time with her our grandson, J, who she
can't wait to see again. So the city is mine for the weekend,
so much to do! I'll probably catch up on 'blogging mostly.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
7:41am
Blue Period
Evidently from the late '70's and on into the '90's, Frank Sinatra took up
painting in his home in Palm Springs, CA. Why not? That is exactly
what I would do with nothing but time and cash laying around. I should do
it anyway, but that's for another discussion. As a result,
"Frank
Sinatra: Paintings and Memorabilia" is on display in the Godt-Cleary
Gallery at Mandalay Place. Art critics say he was a Sunday painter,
but a good Sunday painter. I've been to this gallery before, it's not
bad. It is convenient, which is why I will make it one of my stops
this weekend, plus I wanted to stop by
Red
Square again at the Mandalay, to sample the some vodka, and rest my elbows
on their bar made of ice. I'll stay away from their "walk-in" freezer with
over 300 varieties of vodka, although it would be fun to try on one of those
Russian overcoats they give you to enter. I would have to get a room
at that point.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
7:38am |
 |
 |
May 3, 2004
The Mudder Eats the Fodder
On Saturday the Sports Books where alive with parties for the Kentucky Derby.
Wife A, wanted to place a bet on the race so off to the Texas Station
we went. Not knowing any of the horses, we placed a bet on a horse
strictly by name. We didn't look at the favorites, odds, or anything
about the horses, just names. We picked Lion Heart. Why,
I don't know exactly, something about the fact that her dad would have liked
that name. Personally, I liked the name Read the Footnotes,
but I didn't hear that horse's name mentioned once during the race. So
we placed $10 to win, $5 to place, and $5 to show on Lion Heart. It
wasn't until after the bet was placed that I started to read about the
horse, and learned that it may not have been such a bad pick after all.
Also, I discovered he was good on a wet track, so when the race was
about to start I was pleased to see the muddy track. He started strong
out of the gate, and held the lead for most of the race, until Smarty Pants
took over. Oh well. It made for an exciting race, and our $20 bet paid
$35.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
7:20am
May 1, 2004
Bring us your Nuclear Waste
There no longer seems to be a unified front among party lines in Nevada
opposing
the Yucca Mountain facility. This will just assure us of the
inevitable. This facility will open. I don't think there is much
of a chance to stop it. I learned of this place after moving here, but
it has been in the works for years. When I was young, I was never a
fan of the proliferation of nuclear power plants across the country, and
now, years later the reality of how and where to dispose of the entire nation's
nuclear waste has become not just a health issue, but a security issue as
well. Most agree that once the material is stored in the facility,
it poses little threat (although there is some concern over the seismic activity
of the ancient volcanic ridge which makes up Yucca Mountain). It is
the transportation of the material that has most people upset. An early
plan called for it to be railed right through Las Vegas. Then a plan
to truck it through via Las Vegas, and now the latest plan is to build a
railroad across rural Nevada. Of course all this puts the project late,
and way over budget. What I really don't like about this whole thing,
is how the
DOE
has knowingly put profits before the health and safety of the workers
building it.
posted by
Andy Loughlin
8:55am |
 |
Yucca Mountain, located 100 miles northwest
of Las Vegas, is the
proposed site of a repository to hold the nation's nuclear waste.
The U.S. Department of Energy wants to use the mountain to bury
77,000 tons of radioactive waste. On Feb. 14, 2002, energy secretary
Spencer Abraham recommended Yucca Mountain to President
George W. Bush for nuclear waste storage. Bush has accepted the
recommendation. |
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