-- Feb. 09, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

A Touch of 'Glass'
Sandy Duncan stars in Nevada Conservatory Theatre's 'The Glass Menagerie'
By KEN WHITE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Sandy Duncan stars as Amanda Wingfield in Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie."
Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Think of Sandy Duncan and certain images spring to mind: a bright and perky singer-dancer, "Funny Face," "The Hogan Family," Wheat Thins commercials and "Peter Pan."

But that may be an unfair tag for Duncan. She's also an Emmy-winning actress for her role as Missy Anne Reynolds in the classic miniseries "Roots," and last year she won a San Diego Theatre Critics Circle award for her work in "A Body of Water" at the Old Globe Theatre.

So maybe it isn't such a stretch to imagine Duncan as Amanda Wingfield, the overbearing mother in the Nevada Conservatory Theatre's production of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie," opening today at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Judy Bayley Theatre.

At least director Robert Brewer thought so when he approached her for the role last year.

"She came highly recommended," says Brewer, who was told by several friends in the theater business that he should consider Duncan. "I had seen her years ago in musicals and met her and knew her to be a wonderful person. She's been doing a lot of acting lately and getting good reviews."

At the time, Duncan was performing the lead role in "Mame" in Pittsfield, Mass.

"My agent called and asked if I would like to do 'Glass Menagerie,' " Duncan says. "He said it was in Vegas, which made me kind of giggle. (The image) is of that big theme park with all these people behind it. But Bob flew in to meet me and I sparked to who he is. ... I adjust my career to what's going on in my life. I've never been a competitive actor; I do what comes along when I need to. I try to do new things I can learn from."

For Brewer's part, he has been impressed with her professionalism. "This is a very serious professional. She will only do the things she wants to do at this stage of her career. She has a lot of technique and skill as an actress, a great deal of warmth and honesty. This will be an event with her in the role."

Duncan calls "The Glass Menagerie," set in the 1940s, a "hard play. Traditionally, Amanda is seen as a shrew, a demanding, overpowering mother. When I read it, I said, 'She's a mother.' The core of her is her enormous love for her children. She wants a lot more for her kids."

A Southern belle who remembers the days when she had many "gentleman callers," Amanda Wingfield was abandoned by her husband and left to raise their two children, Tom (Stephen Crandall) and Laura (Melanie Ash). She is forced to make ends meet by selling magazine subscriptions and working in a department store.

As the play opens, Tom and Laura have grown up. Tom, who works in a warehouse, is showing signs of his father's wanderlust, constantly going to movies, drinking and reading novels. Because of a slight limp, Laura suffers from extreme shyness.

Each character retreats from reality into their own fantasy worlds, and Laura spends time gazing at her collection of glass animals.

Not wanting her daughter to be a spinster, Amanda asks Tom to invite a co-worker to meet Laura at dinner.

Tom coincidentally asks Jim O'Connor (Brandon Burk), whom Laura was in love with in high school.

"Williams describes Amanda as heroic," says Brewer. "Her character can be unlikable. You have to be careful, there are big traps in the role."

Apparently, Duncan has avoided the traps, as far as Brewer is concerned. "I never felt so de-stressed than working on this play," he says.

Jan. 30, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
Miss Oklahoma claims the crown two years in a row in Las Vegas
By SONYA PADGETT
REVIEW-JOURNAL

[[[Miss Oklahoma Lauren Nelson is crowned Miss America 2007 by Miss America 2006 Jennifer Berry at the pageant Monday in Las Vegas. At left is show host Mario Lopez.
Photo by Jane Kalinowsky.]]]

[[[The final three, from left, Miss Georgia, Miss Oklahoma, Miss Texas.
Photo by Christine H. Wetzel.]]]

[[[She thought herself too short for the swimsuit round, but Miss Oklahoma Lauren Nelson won that, too.
Photo by Christine H. Wetzel.]]]

[[[The 52 Miss America 2007 contestants assemble on stage for Monday night's pageant at the Aladdin. All the states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands are represented.
Photo by Jane Kalinowsky.]]]

[[[Photo by Christine H. Wetzel.
Miss Oklahoma Lauren Nelson sings "You’ll Be in My Heart" to demonstrate her talent at Monday night's Miss America pageant. After winning the crown at the Aladdin, Nelson is scheduled to appear Wednesday on "Good Morning America" and "Regis & Kelly." Nelson's crowning makes her the sixth Miss America from Oklahoma, tying the state with Ohio and California for the most pageant winners.]]]

If she could change one thing about herself, Miss Oklahoma Lauren Nelson, 20, said, she would like to be 3 inches taller, so she could show a little more leg during the Miss America pageant's swimsuit round.

Turns out, her 5-foot-6-inch frame was tall enough; Judges crowned her Miss America on Monday night at the Aladdin resort.

For the second year in a row, judges gave the coveted crown to a Miss Oklahoma, prompting the question: "What are they putting in the water in Oklahoma?"

It's not the water, Nelson told reporters after receiving her crown.

Rather, it's the support the Miss Oklahoma organization provides to its contestants.

The last state to win back-to-back titles was Mississippi when Mary Ann Mobley crowned Lynda Mead as Miss America in 1960.

More than 300 Oklahomans were in Monday's audience at the Aladdin theater, showing their support for the contestant from the Sooner state. Last year's Miss America Jennifer Berry is a friend, Nelson said, one that she planned to turn to often in the coming year.

"Her phone number will be on speed dial," Nelson said during a news conference after the pageant. "This organization is so important, and I'm so excited to have the opportunity to be the first ambassador for the Children's Miracle Network. I am so very, very excited."

For the first time, the Miss America organization teamed with the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit dedicated to raising money for children's hospitals around the country.

The partnership is one of many changes that organizers have instituted the past two years in an effort to revive flagging interest in the 86-year-old beauty pageant.

Nelson's platform issue is protecting children online. In addition to her title, Nelson will receive a $50,000 scholarship.

Last year, pageant officials moved Miss America to the Aladdin from its home in Atlantic City, N.J. Over recent years, viewership had dropped, and ABC declined to broadcast it anymore. CMT picked it up in 2005 and organizers introduced a series of gimmicks aimed at drawing a young audience.

For the first time in pageant history, viewers were allowed to select Miss Congeniality via text message. True Miss America fans could also download a cell phone ringtone of Bert Parks singing "There She Is, Miss America."

They recruited Mario Lopez, of "Dancing With the Stars" and "Saved By the Bell," to serve as pageant host. A reality show darling himself, Lopez called Miss America the "longest running reality show on television."

As Nelson addressed reporters backstage after the pageant, Lopez jumped on stage and handed her a single red rose.

"I feel like the bachelor handing the final rose," Lopez said, referring to another reality show, "The Bachelor."

Without missing a beat, Nelson said: "I accept."

Though she had told judges that she felt her height put her at a disadvantage to taller contestants, especially in the swimsuit round, Nelson was named the Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit winner. She received $1,000 scholarship for that title.

The key to winning the Miss America crown, she said, is "you have to believe in yourself. I was at peace with whatever happened tonight.

"When I was one of the top 10, I said everything else is icing on the cake. When I got announced in the top 5, I was excited" to have opportunity to sing on live television.

Even though contestants were in Las Vegas for 10 days, Nelson said she had little time to see the city. Though she wouldn't be able to remedy that before leaving for her television appearances today, she might have time to indulge a craving: caramel turtle cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jan. 25, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NORM: Beauty queens shake it good

It was the last night on the town for 52 Miss America contestants, and a bootylicious time was had by all.

The pageant's annual girls-night-out dinner at Planet Hollywood was winding down Tuesday when general manager David Tanner decided to turn up the volume.

Chairs and tables were still being cleared to create a dance floor when Tanner, with a mic in hand, got the party started.

The reaction was immediate: Most of the beauty queens jammed the floor to join in "The Electric Slide," Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" and Toni Basil's "Mickey."

Then Tanner got the biggest reaction of the night. "This song," he said, "is not dedicated to you -- I repeat not."

Squeals erupted as some of the most beautiful women of the world took to heart the words to Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back."

"Shake it! Shake it! Shake that healthy butt!"

Jumping into the action were Planet Hollywood's female servers, who bolted onto the floor, butts first, to join the derriere-a-thon.

The contestants, who were chaperoned, were given their last night off until after Monday's finals, which air on CMT from the Aladdin Theatre.

Nov. 27, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NORM: Crowd goes wild as Liza loses the lashes

[[[Liza Minnelli performs a free after-hours concert Sunday for Las Vegas performers. Late in the show she plucked off her famous eyelashes so she could see the audience better.]]]

If the Luxor's light beam ever needs extra wattage, bring on Liza Minnelli.

The energy at her free concert for fellow entertainers early Sunday was something to behold.

With 23 standing ovations and too many affectionate shoutouts to count, more than 1,000 showbiz kids and headliners showered the Broadway and film icon with appreciation during her two-hour show in the Luxor Theatre.

Minnelli was making good on a recent promise to revive a lost tradition on the Strip.

Back in the 1980s, she often joined Sammy Davis Jr. for special after-hour shows for performers who rarely got to see the big names.

Minnelli, 60, repeatedly referred to the youngish crowd as "my babies" and thanked the audience for turning out.

In a moment that long will be remembered, Minnelli brought down the house late in the show when she told the crowd, "Wait a minute, I can't see a damn thing," and plucked off her iconic eyelashes.

Special guest performer Terri White wowed 'em with "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and Sam Harris joined Minnelli for "Happy Days are Here Again."

As the crowd filed out about 3:30 a.m., "La Cage" headliner Frank Marino was heard saying, "Now if we can just get Cher to do it."

...........................

Sep. 28, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NORM: Paula Abdul 'Woman of Year'

[[[Paula Abdul started the year amid controversy but now is the Nevada Ballet Theatre's "Woman of the Year."]]]

[[[Sandy Murphy will be a "Snapped" topic.]]]

[[[Rita Rudner wrote "Turning the Tables."]]]

Paula Abdul is returning to the Nevada Ballet Theatre's "Woman of the Year" event -- this time as the honoree.

Last year, she went home with a teacup Yorkie puppy after a winning $10,000 live auction bid.

The "American Idol" judge and former Los Angeles Lakers dancer and choreographer joins recent honorees Celine Dion, Carol Channing, Ann-Margret, Debbie Reynolds, Chita Rivera, Rita Rudner and Elaine Wynn.

The event will be held Jan. 27 at Wynn Las Vegas.

Abdul's selection likely will raise eyebrows in some quarters.

Her headline-making year started with a ruckus in January, when two employees at the Silverton said they were fired after Abdul claimed she missed a 7:40 a.m. flight during New Year's weekend. The workers said she called at 6 a.m. to have the flight changed.

Silverton President Craig Cavileer issued a statement at the time, saying it was "necessary to clarify that the alleged decision to recently terminate two of our team members was not based on any request or direction of Ms. Abdul as has been reported by the media."

Cavileer and his wife, Charlene, are honorary chairs of the upcoming event.

Nevada Ballet Theatre co-founder Nancy Houssels, in a Wednesday press release, said, "Everyone knows Paula as the judge of the popular show, 'American Idol.' But they may not be aware of her extensive work with children through her cheerleading camps and scholarship programs.

"Her warm personality and talent have touched every aspect of the arts and entertainment world. Paula exemplifies the qualities we look for in an honoree."

GOLD RUSH

A collection of 32 gold nuggets that were on display at the Golden Nugget for almost 30 years is heading for auction.

They were part of Steve Wynn's new Golden Nugget when they went on display in October 1979.

Wynn had a deal with Alaskan businessman and entrepreneur Arthur J. Sexauer to display the nuggets, which included the "Parrot head," the largest nugget in the collection at 21.61 troy ounces. It came from Alaska's American Creek.

Bonhams & Butterfields auction house will offer the collection in its Dec. 3 sale in Los Angeles.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

Sandy Murphy returns to national television at 10 p.m. Sunday in Oxygen's season premiere of "Snapped." The reality show examines women who commit murder. Murphy and Rick Tabish were accused of murdering Las Vegas casino heir Ted Binion in September 1998. They were found guilty of killing Binion in 2001. A jury in 2004 found them not guilty of the murder charges. ...

Rita Rudner will appear on KLVX, Channel 10's Book Club program at 4 p.m. Sunday with host Jamie Carpenter. "Turning the Tables" is the fourth book for Rudner, who opens on Monday at Harrah's after five years at New York-New York. ...

SIGHTINGS

Jason Priestly of "Beverly Hills 90210," Frankie Muniz of "Malcolm in the Middle," and Cedric the Entertainer, checking into suites at the Fantasy Tower at the Palms on Wednesday. ... Music producer Quincy Jones in Picasso (Bellagio) on Monday night. Jones showed up at Pure (Caesars Palace) on Tuesday, after a recording session with Celine Dion at the Palms recording studios. In Pure earlier: comedian Tommy Davidson, Kenny Thomas of the Sacramento Kings and Josh Radnor of TV's "How I Met Your Mother," after dinner at Social House (Treasure Island). ... Cristina Saralegui, star of Univision's "The Cristina Show," drew more than 3,000 fans at her personal appearance Saturday at Walker Furniture, where she introduced her new Casa Cristina Furniture Collection.

THE PUNCH LINE

"Bill (Clinton) hasn't been this angry since Hillary made him take his page off MySpace." -- Jay Leno

Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.

-- Sep. 22, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

The Floor is on Fire

'Burn the Floor' opens at the Luxor and brings ballroom dancing to the Strip

Ballroom dancers are transported from competition into a theatrical context for "Burn the Floor," which taps into the popularity of TV's "Dancing With the Stars."
Photos by Ronda Churchill.

Much of the choreography comes from Jason Gilkison's sexier spinoff "FloorPlay."

"Burn the Floor" at Luxor capitalizes on the popularity of ballroom dancing.

Some performers find Las Vegas audiences a tough crowd: Sleepy. Distracted. Tipsy. But that's nothing for the dancers in "Burn the Floor."

You see, most of the fleet-footed stars of the Latin and ballroom dance revue were plucked from the world of competitive dancing. And when you get to the finals, "a lot of your audience is the competitors that you've beaten. They're all watching you with prying eyes," says Damon Sugden, one of the 18 dancers in the new revue at Luxor.

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"When you come here and audiences come to see you and appreciate what you're doing, it's just a total feeling of elation," he says. "A lot of stress from the competitive side is completely gone and you actually dance better for it."

"Burn" is ballroom dancing's answer to "Riverdance." It has been around since 1999, but only waltzed onto the Strip briefly in 2003, with a hastily booked week at Paris Las Vegas. Now the revue lands at Luxor through at least Oct. 26, where it will surround a schedule of weekend concert acts.

If it fails to pull an audience this time, producer Harley Medcalf can't blame bad timing. "Burn" opened two days after the return of the Top 10 TV hit, "Dancing With the Stars," which was kept warm over the summer by the success of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance."

And "Burn" has a head start on "Simply Ballroom," a rival production that will reopen the Golden Nugget's downtown showroom next month.

"What is luck? It's preparation meets timing," Australian promoter Medcalf says of the revue, which has reached arena-rock popularity in Japan. "The groundswell around the world now is obviously wonderful for us and it has made a huge difference."

" 'Riverdance' has had it's moment and now we're striking while the iron's hot all over the world," says dancer Robin Windsor. "So many more people are now beginning to learn to dance all over the world. In England, where I'm from, there's a big craze for it at the moment."

When Medcalf was first inspired with his idea, after watching ballroom dancers at Elton John's 50th birthday party in 1997, "everyone thought I was absolutely and completely insane, mucking around with ballroom and Latin."

Now that the pop zeitgeist has caught up, "Burn" has streamlined the elaborate production design of its early days to focus more on the dance itself, "not the razzle-dazzle and the glimmer of the sequins," Sugden says. Choreographer Jason Gilkison "made it more real-life clothing, things you could almost wear out to a party. We're just showing the raw essence of the dancing. Not trying to cover it up with fluff."

The Luxor show keeps the original "Burn the Floor" name to build brand awareness on the Strip. But much of the material and some of the dancers come from a leaner, sexier spinoff that was titled "FloorPlay" in Australia last summer.

Rebecca Sugden, Damon's wife and dance partner onstage, says the older version of "Burn" was "introducing the art form. Now we're really explaining it."

The show still takes a page from the Cirque du Soleil playbook by taking unpolished gems -- in this case, young dancers fresh from competition -- and putting them into a cohesive theatrical context. "The talent was amazing but there was no technical support," Medcalf says.

Gilkison "looks for the younger kids with personality," the producer adds. "We're kind of the rebels. We're looking for the kids who have the personality and want to break out."

The performers say they're not so much giving up the adrenalin rush of competition as trading one kind of rush for another.

"That was one thing that appealed to me, it wasn't a competition," says dancer Jessica Raffa. "It was a group of people that loved what they did and performed together as one and not as individuals. That's what makes our show so different."

These dancers are the wrong people to ask why ballroom dancing became a TV fad. Most of them started some form of dance lessons as young children, and feel like the rest of the world is just now catching up to them. "It's kind of a breathe-out: 'Finally,' " Rebecca Sugden says.

"There was always this perception that ballroom dancing is what your grandparents used to do and we're here to basically show that's not what it's about anymore," her husband Damon adds.

The athleticism of modern competition, updated with modern music, is a factor as well.

"It's just like any sport, if you care to deem it as a sport. Runners get faster, and dancers have to progress and become more dynamic," Windsor says. "I think it's just a natural progression with information and studying what your body can do. It has to become better over time."

And, like the poker craze, the fad may be influenced by the fact that it's an accessible fantasy, something most people can at least attempt. With this show, at least, they try it vicariously.

Says Raffa, "A lot of people say, 'I feel like I've done the show with you,' and they come out sweating. That's what we love."

Aug. 31, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NEON THURSDAY

Jennifer Holliday on Flamingo stage

George Wallace is here every week, but you have only three more days to catch a limited engagement in which he shares his Flamingo Las Vegas stage with singer Jennifer Holliday.

Advertisement

Holliday is best remembered from the original Broadway cast of "Dreamgirls," singing the signature anthem "And I'm Telling You (I'm Not Going)." She's sure to put you in the mood for the movie version of the musical, one of the most anticipated releases of the year.

Tickets are $??.45-$??.95 for the 10 p.m. show at 3555 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Call 733-3333.

MIKE WEATHERFORD

Aug. 25, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

FREE CONCERT AT CELEBRITY: The Killers dream big and deliver
Band debuts songs at club

[[[People hang out outside Celebrity on Wednesday as fans, left, wait in line hoping to get in to the free Killers concert. The band performed a handful of songs from the new release, "Sam's Town."
Photo by Craig L. Moran.]]]

The aspirations were big, the bass lines were bigger, and the man clutching his chest, flush with confidence, seemed to outsize them all.

"I know that I can make it," Brandon Flowers sang authoritatively over rhythms that could be felt in the chest. "As long as somebody brings me home."

Of course, for Flowers' band, The Killers, home is right here in Las Vegas, a city that disavows limits on pretty much everything and treats moderation like an unwelcome house guest.

This is The Killers' muse.

You can hear it in their tunes, which have stars in their eyes and ambitions as grand as any of The Strip's architectural flights of fancy.

A town like this isn't about bringing anyone down to earth, and amidst all the larger-than-life trappings of Las Vegas, The Killers have seemingly challenged themselves to outstrip them all.

Because of this, some critics have been put off by the band's lofty aims and healthy self-esteem, which Flowers is never afraid of putting into words. (Flowers on The Killers' forthcoming sophomore disc, "Sam's Town": "This album is one of the best albums in the past 20 years," he told MTV News.com earlier this year).

Others are drawn to the band's brashness.

But it's best to ignore both camps and just let The Killers do what they do better than most: inspire rock fans to dance again.

There were plenty of bodies in motion when The Killers packed the Celebrity on Wednesday night to debut a handful of selections from their hotly-anticipated new disc.

The free show, sponsored by the Myspace Web site, drew long lines of fans that spanned city blocks. Dozens were turned away after the club reached capacity, while others got tired of the hourlong wait to get into Celebrity and gave up.

But those who managed to press themselves into the club paid witness to a band that's beginning to make good on all the hot talk that has enveloped the second album.

On a stage festooned with sagebrush and blinking Christmas lights, the band premiered a clutch of new tunes that felt broader in scope than the earlier songs, ripe with nonlinear arrangements and an emphasis on texture as well as the skyscraper hooks that helped the group go platinum.

The Killers dug into their latest single, "When You Were Young," with particular vigor, throttling from twinkling keys to full-bodied guitars that had the crowd pumping fists in the air.

And then there was the brooding "Bling," driven by ricocheting synth lines and some particularly heavy-handed drumming from Ronnie Vannucci.

"Bones" paired what sounded like a sampled horn section with whirring synth.

"My List" mingled a domineering bass line with a "We Will Rock You" beat, sounding like a nouveau Queen tune.

The Killers delved into their back catalog as well, intermingling hits like the show-ending "Mr Brightside" with "Hot Fuss" album cuts like "Midnight Show."

As these numbers re-emphasized, The Killers are fond of climactic moments and arch gestures.

They stuff their tunes with melodrama, which takes on a physical dimension on stage: Flowers strangles his mic stand, wags a finger at the crowd and sings with his arms outstretched like a preacher testifying to the powers of arena rock bluster.

It all adds a sweaty, visceral edge to the band's repertoire. Unlike dancefloor-minded acts of the past -- groups like New Order and Depeche Mode, whose sound could border on the clinical at times -- The Killers dirty up the proceedings with David Keuning's buzzing guitar and Flowers' lively, lived-in voice.

It's made The Killers stars, and at Celebrity, they seemed to be pushing hard against the bounds of their sound, striving for something more.

"Dreams aren't what they used to be," Flowers sang during a heated take on "Smile Like You Mean It," closing his eyes for a moment to imagine something bigger.

-- Aug. 18, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

PLAYER'S EDGE: Red Rock giving away a car a day in new promotion

Each day from Saturday through Sept. 17, Red Rock Resort will give away a 2006 Chrysler 300M or Jeep Wrangler. Boarding Pass members will receive one entry for every 100 Boarding Pass points ($100 coin-in on slots, $200 on 100 percent-plus video poker games) or for every $200 buy-in on all table games (excluding live poker). At 8:15 p.m., the casino will electronically draw for 10 players (who must be present) for a chance to win $250 (six prizes), $500 (two prizes), $2,500 (one prize) or, for one lucky winner, the choice of the Chrysler or the Jeep.

......................................

The Player's Edge appears Fridays in Neon. E-mail Jeffrey Compton and Bob Dancer at jeffrey.compton@compdance. com.

-- Jul. 14, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

EYE OPENERS

Fine art by seniors displayed at Bridge

Winning artwork from the 2006 Celebrating Life! senior fine art competition is on display at the City Hall Bridge Gallery, which can be reached through the second floor of the parking garage on the southeast corner of Stewart Avenue and 4th Street.

Works include Vina Curtis' watercolor painting that received the Best of Show award as well as the first through third place winners in the categories of watercolor, acrylic and oil painting, drawing and printmaking, pastel, photography and sculpture.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 22.

Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Admission is free. For more information, call 229-4674.

Easton sings at Henderson Pavilion

Sheena Easton will perform Saturday at the Henderson Pavilion, 200 S. Green Valley Parkway.

Easton is known for albums such as "The Lover in Me," "Freedom" and "Fabulous."

Tickets are $15 for lawn seating and $35 for orchestra seating. For more information, call 267-4849.

Best-selling author Hamilton at library

New York Times best-selling author Laurell K. Hamilton will discuss her latest book, "Danse Macabre," today (7/14/06) at 7 p.m. in the Clark County Library theater, 1401 E. Flamingo Road.

A book signing and reception will follow the talk

Admission is free. For more information, call 507-3459.

-- Jul. 14, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

THEATER CHAT: Free seminars a must if you travel to Shakespeare festival
By ANTHONY DEL VALLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

What makes the Utah Shakespearean Festival such an enjoyable experience for me isn't whether I like the six plays it presents every summer (although I usually like a good number of them). It's the experience of interacting with fellow viewers.

I often meet people about town who say, "Didn't I see you at the play last night? Did you like it? You didn't? Tell me why, because I and my family loved it."

You're reminded time and time again that our reaction to the arts has a lot to do with who we are as individuals. There are such things as educated and uneducated opinions, but there's no "right" answer when critiquing a production. "Did you see the same play I did?" is a question those who disagree often ask one another.

And the answer is, none of us ever see the same play. Our emotional responses are too wrapped up in our life experiences for any of us to experience a drama with the same pair of eyes. That's what makes the arts so uniquely human.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the free literary seminars that are conducted at the festival the morning after each show. You simply are not getting your money's worth if you don't attend. They're led by Shakespeare scholar Ace Pilkington and Nancy Melich, the former theater critic for the Salt Lake Tribune.

When the seminars are at their best, you get a wonderful criss-crossing of opinion. Last year, for example, the attendees were split during one session about the merit of Christopher Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus."

This year, I found the big debate to be "Hamlet."

The seminar folk adored it, but I found people I bumped into to be about evenly split. Some thought Brian Vaughn in the title role was enormously moving. Others thought he was vocally monotonous and theatrically slick. The debate about Vaughn inevitably brought spirited arguments about the play itself.

The morning-after discussions also cover the three non-Shakespearean productions. They're attended by people with vastly different levels of theatrical knowledge. Some have never been to a play before. Some have doctorates in the subject. I never fail to come away from the talks with at least one thought that I'd never entertained before.

Occasionally, the seminar leaders act too much like public relations spokespersons. Melich especially tends to begin discussions with comments like, "This was a delightful production" -- which doesn't exactly encourage the sharing of honest thought. Even cynical critics like to follow social protocol, and discussion leaders need to create an atmosphere in which people know it's fine to criticize. But blunt debate rules the day often enough to make these seminars a required daily visit. Come prepared to have your ideas challenged by others who care.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.

-- Jun. 30, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Four Days of the Fourth
With the holiday on Tuesday, fireworks displays are spreading out
By KEN WHITE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

The Las Vegas Philharmonic performs at Hills Park on July 4, 2005.
Photo by Jeff Scheid.

With Independence Day falling on a Tuesday this year, the holiday is shaping up to be one long weekend of activities.

• The 12th Annual Red, White and Boom Festival will feature two days of entertainment and activities Monday and Tuesday from 4 to 11 p.m. at Desert Breeze Park, 8275 Spring Mountain Road.

Social Distortion is slated to perform Monday, along with Flogging Molly, Seether, Saving Jane, Hawthorne Heights and local band Fletch.

Train will headline Tuesday, with performances from Blue October, Ne-Yo, Colin Hay, Jacks Mannequin and local band Away Station.

The event also will have a carnival with games and exhibitions and food and beverage vendors.

Tuesday will feature a 20-minute fireworks display at 9 p.m.

Tickets are $17.50 per day in advance, $22 the day of the event and a $30 two-day pass also is available for advanced purchase only. A limited number of two-day VIP passes -- which include special seating and parking, an air-conditioned area, free food and discounted beverages -- are available for $150 each. Children 12 and younger are admitted free.

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster outlets.

No carry-in food, beverages or chairs are allowed. Blankets and one bottle of water per person are permitted. Parking is available at Desert Breeze Park or across Spring Mountain Road at the soccer complex.

• The Las Vegas Philharmonic once again will present its Star Spangled Spectacular at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Hills Park, 9002 Hillpointe Road. Gates open at 4:30.

The Philharmonic, under music director Harold Weller and associate conductor Richard McGee, will perform patriotic tunes and marches. The finale, starting with the "1812 Overture," will include a full fireworks show.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the gate. Tickets for children 6-12 are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Children 5 and younger are admitted free. Admission to the VIP pavilion -- which features a full buffet, wine and soft drinks -- is $90. Tickets are available at 895-2787.

• The Las Vegas 51s will host the Tucson Sidewinders, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Saturday and Monday with fireworks following both games at Cashman Field, 850 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

The action starts at 7:05 p.m. both days. Tickets are $12 for each game.

• The 58th annual Boulder City Damboree will take place Tuesday in Boulder City.

The Rotary pancake breakfast will take place at 7 a.m. in Bicentennial Park; a parade down Nevada Way will begin at 9 a.m.; a flyover by planes from Nellis Air Force Base will happen at 9:05; Damboree ceremonies, including the parade trophy presentation, will take place at 11 a.m.; and entertainment in Central Park will start at 11:30 a.m.

In the afternoon, games and contests will start at 2 p.m., and the Damboree celebration will continue at Veterans Memorial Park from 6 to 11 p.m.

Entertainment will start at 7 p.m., and a fireworks show at Veterans Memorial Park will start at 9. More entertainment will follow the fireworks until 11 p.m.

Admission is free.

• The Stratosphere's fireworks and pool party will take place Sunday at 2000 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

The Independence Pool Party runs from 7 to 10 p.m. on the Stratosphere's pool and recreation deck on the eighth floor of the Premier room tower.

Admission is $49.99 per person (21 and older) and includes food and drinks. Tickets are $25 for ages 12 to 20.

Fireworks start at 9 p.m.

• Henderson will host a Fourth of July fireworks and holiday celebration from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday at Anthem Hills Park, 2256 N. Reunion Drive, and Morrell Park, 500 Harris St.

There will be music, activities, attractions and food concessions, plus fireworks at 9 p.m.

Free continuous shuttle buses are available to and from each park. No barbecuing, glass bottles, sparklers or fireworks are permitted.

Admission is free.

• Summerlin's Fourth of July Patriotic Parade will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the corner of Hillpointe Road and Hills Center Drive in Summerlin.

The parade will feature floats, bands, dance performers, cars and other decorated vehicles, dignitaries and local mascots. The Scintas will be on hand to perform at the close of the event.

Admission is free.

• Caesars Palace and the Las Vegas Hilton will be shooting off fireworks at private events Saturday and Tuesday, respectively. Both will go off between 9 and 9:30 p.m.

• Primm Valley Resort and Casino will feature live music and fireworks at dusk Monday. Admission to this event is free.

-- Jun. 23, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Summer Lovin'
The disco diva's music is being embraced by a new generation of tastemakers
By JASON BRACELIN
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Beginning three decades ago, Donna Summer helped legitimize dance music and sold more than 100 million records along the way.

Disco's foremost sensualist is on the line, her voice evocative of satin sheets and satisfied grins. She's living up to her rep as the lady who tingled dance music's nerve endings like few before her.

"What is the first thing that human beings do when they're born?" Donna Summer asks. "They drink, they feel, they touch. A record's gotta feel good to you. It's gotta have something about it. You don't have to be able to explain it, it's just something that has to happen to you."

Summer has always been about working the body, her songs resonating as much physically as emotionally.

"It was about the music hopefully making you feel a sense of elation, that floating-ness you feel when you're in love," she says of one of her biggest hits, the sublime "I Feel Love." "It's simple; it's not complicated."

And neither is Summer's appeal. Three decades ago, she helped legitimize dance music -- which at the time was still dismissed as novelty by some -- by wrapping her feathery voice around sleek pop tunes as well put-together as the photogenic Summer.

Sure, some of Summer's albums were high-concept -- 1977's "Once Upon a Time" was a retelling of the "Cinderella" story over fat beats -- but any arty conceits were trumped by linear melodies and direct, seismic rhythms that you could feel in your rib cage.

For Summer, her music was rooted in pragmaticism. Having relocated to Germany upon graduating from high school to star in a production of "Hair," she began her musical career in front of a foreign audience. She kept her tunes pointedly straightforward because she didn't want to confuse anyone.

"Part of writing so simplistically, which is a task believe me, was because we knew we had a big public and we didn't know the extent of their English and their understanding of that English at the time," Summer recalls. "So a lot of those songs were kept specifically simple so that they could sing them. We were thinking along a global sense as opposed to just an American sense."

Encapsulating this approach was Summer's breakout hit, "Love to Love You Baby," a shot of sunshine that raised the temperature in discotheques the world over. The song became a huge hit overseas and reached these shores before Summer even knew it.

"When my record came out in the United States, I had no knowledge of it," Summer says. "I wasn't even in the country. Somebody had taken a copy and had begun to play it in their house, and then someone else heard it and copied it. Then Neil Bogart (president of Casablanca Records, which would sign Summer) took it and played it for someone in New York on the radio and asked them what they thought. They liked it, and it just caught fire. The song they had wasn't even finished."

Summer would eventually record an 18-minute version of "Love to Love You Baby," which would pave the way for dance remixes of songs, to the delight of clubgoers and disc jockeys.

Later, with "I Feel Love," Summer would be the first artist to score a pop hit with a song that featured an all-electronic backing track, an innovation that would spur the rise of techno a decade later.

These days, Summer's influence on the airwaves is more palpable than it has been in years. Disco is en vogue again -- you hear it in everything from dancefloor-minded rock bands like the Rapture to Madonna's latest album. Disco, which once was derided as the most banal and trite of genres, has been embraced by today's tastemakers for its supersized beats and retro chic.

"It's like going to your grandmother's attic," Summer says of disco's resurgence. " 'Hey man, look at this, I found this really cool old dress. Let's design something off that.' I think music is kind of the same way. It just keeps being recycled into another format."

Summer's estimation of her own material hasn't always been as charitable as the public's. In the late '80s, after a spiritual reawakening, she denounced her earlier, more lusty tunes.

But these days she's back to playing all her old hits. If she can survive the disco backlash, she can survive herself.

"I think I just keep making music. And maybe I didn't sell as many records sometimes; maybe I did. I really didn't do it for that reason," she says of her longevity, chuckling a little. "That's the record company's problem."

-- Jun. 16, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Little Time for Fun
Singer Underwood stays busy balancing 'normal Carrie' and 'performance Carrie'
By JASON BRACELIN
REVIEW-JOURNAL

[[[Carrie Underwood says that she feels like two different people, and neither gets to cut loose much.]]]

You don't want to party with Carrie Underwood.

Of course, you think you do.

After all, she's America's sweetheart, your favorite blonde not named Reese Witherspoon. She looks like a beauty queen, with a smile so warm and bright, it's almost fatiguing, like staring at the sun. But she doesn't carry herself like the prettiest girl in the room -- meaning she seems like a gal who might actually talk to you.

You could see yourself sidling up to Underwood in a bar, having a beer with her, and she wouldn't even laugh at that silly haircut of yours.

But alas, this is not the case. And it's not because Underwood is uppity -- she's as easy to talk to as your kid sister, and just as wide-eyed and bubbly.

It's just that Underwood is too business-minded to be knocking back any cold ones these days.

The last time she was in town, for the Academy of Country Music Awards show in May, Underwood had the kind of night that champagne was invented for. She took home the honors for Top New Female Vocalist and Single Record of the Year, and was clearly the belle of this particular ball.

She should have stayed up late, draining bottles of Dom Perignon and charging it all to her record company.

Instead, she went right back to work.

"I went to the label after-party for 30 minutes, then I went back to my room, changed my clothes, got all my stuff together, and we had to fly to L.A.," Underwood says of her uneventful post-ACM evening. "I didn't get to do much celebratin'. I had to be a responsible person."

There's no regret in Underwood's voice as she says this, and you don't get the sense that she feels like she missed out on any fun. Born and raised in rural Oklahoma, Underwood can appreciate the quiet life, and she's still getting used to the spotlight's glare.

"There's two people in me right now," she explains. "There's the normal Carrie -- that's no makeup and running around in my pajamas and giggling and being goofy. And then there's the performance Carrie, and that's just a completely different person. She's all glitzed and glamoured. She's on a mission. She's got a job to do. She's gotta make people have a good time.

"My biggest problem is that I love attention when I'm the performance Carrie, but I'm just getting used to the attention when I'm normal Carrie," she continues. "I think that's the hardest thing to get used to."

But if Underwood seems to be acclimating herself slowly, it's only because her career has taken off so quickly in the past year. After winning the fourth season of "American Idol," Underwood has gone on to sell more than 4 million copies of her debut album, the plucky, buoyant "Some Hearts."

She's particularly proud of becoming the first country singer to finish first on "Idol."

"To me, it's always been the most pure form of music," she says of country. "It kind of just tells the truth. Of course, we have our fun songs and stuff like that, that don't really have anything to do with real life issues. But to me, it's the kind of music that you can really identify with. It talks about things that you deal with."

Underwood embodies both country's down-home charms and its glossy sheen, a duality that's defined the genre in recent years. She sings of heartache and redemption in a sweet, honeysuckle voice, largely eschewing any vocal histrionics for warm, even tones. Her songs are earthy and unadorned, a lot of vaguely twangy pop tunes with touches of pedal steel and the occasional dance beat.

It's an album meant to resonate with everyone from Nashville stalwarts to "TRL" tweens, though Underwood fancies herself as something of an ambassador for country.

Now all she needs is to work on a few drinking songs.

"For people who listen to other kinds of music, I wanted them to be checkin' out country music," Underwood says of her debut's broad appeal.

"I've had people come up to me and be like, 'You know, I went out and I bought a Rascal Flatts CD, I've never listened to country music before, and now I love it,' " she beams. "That makes it all worth it right there."

Dear All,

I went to the Yucca Mountain Project outing today with Siena group. It's very educational. This project still in planning and testing stage for more than 10 years. And once they get a license on construction and they can start to build the real tunnel to store the nuclear waste. I think they said it will take till 2028 to complete the whole thing. And they can start transporting the waste. This site can hold 70 Metric Ton of the waste.

Yucca Mountain is 100 miles north of LV. They make the storage area so safe, and they prepare the storage Alcove deep in the ground and good for at least 10 thousand years or better. It's way beyond our life time.

It opens 5 days a week. and it costs only $10.00 for the box lunch(from Marie Calendar, it was pretty). You go with group of people in a big comffy bus. 7-4pm. It's well worht the trip. Due the procedure problem, we didn't get in to the tunnel, we have to take a rain check.

If you are interest in seeing this project, let me know, I'll get you and contact info.
The project is run by Dept of Energy, contractor and Lab.

Have a good week.

Margaret

-- Apr. 21, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

His Own Man

Saxophonist Boney James has used his chutzpah to move into the producing ranks

By KEN WHITE
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Saxophonist Boney James will bring his rhythm and blues-based brand of contemporary jazz to the City of Lights Jazz and R&B Festival this weekend.

Mindi Abair will join the lineup at Hills Park in Summerlin.

When an artist attains huge success in the music business, he can pretty much call on any heavy-hitters in the jazz world and get them to play on his latest CD.

Saxophonist Boney James, who headlines the jazz portion of promoter Michael Schivo's City of Lights Jazz and R&B Festival this weekend at Hills Park in Summerlin, did just that for his upcoming, as-yet-untitled CD. He enticed guitar legend George Benson to come in for a track, and keyboardist George Duke was available, too.

"I always had chutzpah," James said in a recent phone interview. "Now I get some respect."

James took on producing with 2004's "Pure" CD, after eight years of working with hitmaker Paul Brown, an accomplished guitarist who is also part of the City of Lights lineup.

Brown and James co-produced four straight gold records and the sax player credits Brown with giving him the skills to produce his own records.

"It's about transmitting the music to a CD," he said of producing. "It's the nuts and bolts. You have to have the sound right and make a CD that people will want to hear over and over."

"Paul had his sensibility and I had mine and that was great," James said. Producing his own work in his own studio gives him "a real sense of immediacy. It's a lot of work. At first you get caught up in it, but you have to stay relaxed. I love having the control."

He's now working without Brown as a sounding board, but that doesn't seem to faze him. "All I can do is make sure I like it, I can't second-guess."

James also has switched record companies to Concord Records after Warner Bros. closed out its jazz department. "It changed too much for me," James said. "I was disappointed with the way it worked without a jazz department. Record companies are losing confidence in themselves, because of a lot of issues, like (Internet) downloading."

Unlike Rick Braun, his co-performer on the hit CD "Shake It Up," James didn't want to create his own label. "I chose to go a different route," he said. "The idea of running a label was not attractive," explaining that he'd rather concentrate on making music and putting it down on CD rather than get into the business side, too.

Other than James and Brown, artists performing Saturday include vocalist Phil Perry, sax player Mindi Abair, keyboardist Joe McBride, and sax player Mike Phillips and the Unwrapped All Stars.

Today's R&B Festival features Cameo, Ohio Players and Mint Condition.

-- Apr. 07, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

SPOTLIGHT

Vegas artists shown at Hofbräuhaus event

Five Las Vegas artists, Marty Walsh, KD Matheson, Cybele, Jason Stein and Mark T. Zeilman, will display and sell their work at the wineNart Sunday Festival from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday in the Hofbr?uhaus Las Vegas beer garden, 4510 Paradise Road.

The festival also will include entertainment, special guests, lunch specials and Hofbr?u beers.

Admission is free.

Glass art display in Holsum Lofts

Glass artists Barbara and Larry Domsky will open their first exhibit, "Domsky Glass," today at the Lynn Peri Collection at the Holsum Lofts, 241 W. Charleston Blvd.

Their 2006 collection of blown glass chandeliers will be on display.

An artists' reception will take place today from 6 to 9 p.m. at the gallery.

Admission is free.

Google.cn and Google.com published this section (Entertainment, Art, and Recreation) at 9:11 a.m. in the morning on March 31, 2006. It covers about the 25 fliers from January 18, 2006 to March 21, 2006.

Just type your name, the title of a report or an article, your concerned, the name of an organization, an event, or a reporter;{like "Chairperson Elaine Chao", "æ⏬—–", "‹LŽÒä——½‰Ã", and among others) on the searching box of Google.cn and Google.com please, and what can you find the good things that Google and WBTI have for you?*2

Many people have a good perspective on Google. Google.cn and Google.com will put more effort and wisdom to contribute to English and Chinese readers being an efficient visitor on the searching of fluent and useful information. Washington Business and Technology Institute's (WBTI's) website has been continuously published by Google.com and Google.cn about every 11 days. We wish advanced performance may be extended from Google.cn to WBTI.*3

You're on Google.cn and Google.com, if you're on Washington Business and Technology Institute's website at http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/wbti

[[[A compliment or encouragement is verbal sunshine! We are pleased to quote the following three short but meaningful ones:
***** No matter how busy you are, you must take time to make other person feel important. ---Mary Kay Ash
***** There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assit another human being---to help someone succeed. ---Alan Loy McGinnis
***** There are two things people want more than sex and money ...recognition and praise. ---Mary Kay Ash
All art, permanent or temporary, has a life in the immediate experience, but then has a life in the imagination. ---Anish Kapoor 1954- :in "Sunday Times" 11 July 1999
"Accomplishment will prove to be a journey, not a destination." ---Dwight D. Eisenhower]]]

[[[Dear Dr. & Mrs. Lei:
I am writing this letter to invite you to my next Senior Advisory Committee meeting at 9:30 am on Thursday, February 23, 2006, at the Lieburn Senior Center, 6230 Garwood Avenue (map is enclosed). ..... Dr. Tony Tung-tien Lei has been U. S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley's Senior Advisor since January 2000.]]]*4

[[["It's really my pleasure and honor to be named as an Associate Professor of the Graduate School of Business and Public Administration of WBTI. WBTI has a good reputation with its Advisory Board and faculty members. The Board has Governor Kenny Guinn as its Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign as Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman as Executive Directors. With the excellent and informative publications of 'Google.cn', 'Google.com', 'Communitylink of Reviewjournal.com', 'Next Weekly' and among others, high-ranking officials of Nevada with the spiritual leadership of Chairperson Elaine Chao of WBTI have been inspired to help realize the creed for professional righteousness, community service, and humane spirit of WBTI," expressed Justice Michael Douglas of Nevada Supreme Court at the Event and Dinner Party in the Emperor's Garden Restaurant on February 4, 2005 in Las Vegas. It was held by the Committee to implement the ART EXHIBIT of Mr. QIN QUAN XIONG.]]]*5

[[[Some of the significant idea from the letters to Dr. Tony Lei, President of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI):
"It's my great pleasure and honor to be named by you as a Senior Advisor and Honorary Chairman of CCDAPCC of WBTI. Please know that I irrevocably stand by my personal commitment to diversity issues in this state and that my sense of patriotism and faith in America stems from its embrace of that diversity." --A. William Maupin, Chief Justice of Nevada Supreme Court
"As Mayor, I will continue to devote my energies into the preservation and improvement of the standard of living enjoyed here in the City of Las Vegas." --Oscar B. Goodman
"It is only with the dedication and commitment of good people like yourself that I will achieve my goal of becoming Governor of this great state. Dema and I can't thank you enough for your assistance and your positive activivities in the community." --Kenny C. Guinn]]]*6

[[["As the Hononary Chairperson of International Cities Business Council of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI), I'll have more venues to work for international tourism with Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn who is the Chairman of the Advisory Board of WBTI. We're putting all our effort and wisdom to work for our people, land, and country under the spiritual leadership of Chairperson Elaine Chao of WBTI," said Lorraine Hunt, Lt. Governor of Nevada, on November 11, 2005.
The above message was signed by Lt. Governor of Nevada Lorraine Hunt:.....]]]*7

[[["It's my great pleasure to extend my warm greetings of 'Happy Lunar New Year!' to every American and Chinese here in Las Vegas and North America through the Communitylink (at http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/wbti) of the largest newspaper in Nevada, Las Vegas Review-Journal," said James Gibbons, U. S. Congressman and Senior Director of Washington Business and Technology Institute, in the Event and Dinner Party held by Nevada Republican Party and ARCC on January 29, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event and dinner party were sponsored by Asian Republicans of Clark County for a reunion of the lunar new year to the Chinese, Asian, and American people in Las Vegas:.....]]]*8

---------------------------------------------
References

*1. Michael Douglas is a distinguished Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court. Valerie Weber is a famous and achieved Assemblywoman of Nevada and the Minority
Whip of the Assembly. Cheryl Moss is an outstanding District Court Judge of Nevada serving in Las Vegas, Clark County.
*2. PAI of WBTI. 'U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao's on Google!' "A search of 'U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao' on the Google.com," Mountain View, California: Google.com.
*3. Ibid.
*4. Berkley, Shelley. 'I am writing this letter to invite you to,' "A letter from U. S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley to Dr. and Mrs. Tony Tung-tien Lei," (February 8, 2006), Las Vegas, Nevada: Congresswoman Shelley Berkley's Office.
*5. Denton, Mark; Vega, Valorie; and Chang, Tiffany. 'Michael Douglas has been appointed Associate Professor of GSBPA by WBTI,' "A search of 'Justice Michael Douglas wbti' on the Google.com," (March 25, 2006), Mountain View, California: Google.com.
*6. Guinn, Kenny C. 'Nevada Proud of Our Troops in the Middle East,' "Section of 'Business & Administration' of the WBTI website," (March 23, 2006), Las Vegas, Nevada: WBTI.
*7. Hunt, Lorraine. 'As the Hononary Chairperson of International Cities Business Council,' "A search of 'Chairperson Lorraine Hunt' on the Google.com," (March 26, 2006), Mountain View, California: Google.com.
*8. Gibbons, James. 'It's my great pleasure to extend my warm greetings of,' "A search of 'James Gibbons, U. S. Congressman' on the Google.com," (March 27, 2006), Mountain View, California: Google.com.

Mar. 30, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NEON THURSDAY

Ensemble brings back jazz night

Las Vegas' heart always has thumped to a jazz beat.

No one knows this better than Jimmy Mulidore, the renowned baritone saxophonist who has played with everyone from Frank Sinatra to James Brown. But ever since the glory days of the Rat Pack, jazz slowly has receded from the spotlight in this city, and now it's about as popular as sobriety on a Saturday night.

Mulidore hopes to reverse this trend with a new weekly jazz night at the Celebrity on Thursdays. Backed by pianist Ron Feuer, bassist Arnold Jacks and drummer Santo Savino, Mulidore and company will give vintage bebop a modern-day rebirth.

See them at 7:30 p.m. at Celebrity, 201 N. Third St. Tickets cost $??; call 384-2582.

-- JASON BRACELIN

-- Mar. 17, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Living the 'Dream'
Nevada Ballet Theatre brings in plenty of extra help for Shakespeare production
By KEN WHITE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

[[[Jeremy Bannon-Neches, center, performs as Puck in a rehearsal for the Nevada Ballet Theatre production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Photo by Ralph Fountain.]]]

When artistic director Bruce Steivel says Nevada Ballet Theatre's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is the company's big production of the season, he means it.

"No one is sitting in the wings," he says. "A story ballet is tougher for us, but easier to sell. It takes more people, there are a lot more characters. It takes absolutely everybody."

And then some.

Steivel brought in former dancers Karm Sandhu and Jamie Gallagher, plus put John Surdick, a former NBT dancer and current member of the company's technical department, back onstage.

Choreographing the ballet also required some extra help, including former principal dancer Clarice Geissel and guest teacher Paolo Manso from Portugal. Both have helped Steivel set the ballet, which was previously performed by the company in 2002.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" is classic William Shakespeare. The comedy is set in Greece, as preparations are under way for the wedding of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons.

Most of the action takes place in an enchanted forest, where Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia and Helena become lost.

Lysander and Demetrius both love Hermia and ignore Helena. But Oberon, king of the fairies, tells the elf Puck to make Demetrius love Helena by anointing his eyes with magic drops. Puck, however, anoints Lysander's eyes instead.

The result is comic confusion. Even for Steivel.

"The dancers have to know the story and know their characters because it can get confusing," he says. "I got confused choreographing it. I had the play right with me. But the ballet is very straightforward, so you'll know who's in love with whom."

Steivel choreographed "A Midsummer Night's Dream" about 15 years ago when he was artistic director of the Hong Kong Ballet and has used a video of that production to help set the ballet. "It's difficult to remember your own choreography," Steivel says. "I can remember the ballets I danced in, but not my own."

Christina Giannini designed the sets and costumes that Steivel first used in Hong Kong.

Kyu Dong Kwak, fully recovered from a broken foot suffered last year, dances the role of Theseus and Yoomi Lee is Hippolyta. Baris Erhan is Oberon, Natalia Chapourskaya is Titania, Jeremy Bannon-Neches is Puck and Jared Hunt is Bottom.

The cast also includes Racheal Hummel, Cristobal Marquez, Elena Shokina and Zeb Nole.

-- Mar. 03, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

SPOTLIGHT

Works by local artists shown at Reed Whipple

"Nevada Now II," an exhibition of works by artists who have been awarded Visual Arts Fellowships through the Nevada Arts Council's Artist Fellowship Program, opens Saturday at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center, 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

The show features works by 10 artists who participated in the Fellowship Program from 1988 through 2003, including David Anderson, Dennis Angel, Mary Ann Bonjorni, Paul Ford, Tom Holder and Mary Warner.

Also included are works by photographers Philippe Mazaud and Cara Cole, sculptor Rebekah Bogard and media artist Chad Simmons.

Admission is free.

Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through April 30.

'Africa' photo exhibit begins Saturday

"Africa: Journey of Adventure," documenting photographer Helen Murphy's recent visit to Ghana, opens Saturday in the community gallery at the West Las Vegas Arts Center, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd.

A reception for Murphy will take place Saturday at 4 p.m., following the arts center's women's expo, "Finding Your Sacred Space."

Admission is free. The exhibit runs through April 23.

-- Mar. 03, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

'Dragon Tales Live!'
PBS kids program brings 'Missing Music Mystery' to Cox Pavilion this weekend
REVIEW-JOURNAL

From left, Cassie, Ord, Zak & Wheezie, Emmy and Max visit Mr. Pop in the touring production "Dragon Tales Live!"

Simon, Norm the Number Gnome, Cassie, Max, Emmy, Zak & Wheezie and Ord attempt to solve the "Missing Music Mystery."

Emmy, Max, Cassie, Ord and Zak & Wheezie hit the stage in "Dragon Tales Live!," a touring version of PBS' top-rated children's program, "Dragon Tales," this weekend at the Cox Pavilion.

The show, called "Missing Music Mystery," features sing-along music; special effects, including a 16-foot-tall Quetzal (an old wise dragon) and flying dragons; costumed characters; and child actors in a Broadway-style musical.

After wishing on their magical dragon scale, Max and Emmy arrive in Dragon Land the day of a concert at Singing Springs. The concert was off to a great start until the Singing Springs stopped singing.

"Missing Music Mystery" follows the story of 6-year-old Emmy, her 4-year-old brother Max and all of their dragon friends as they go on an adventure to solve the mystery.

While in Dragon Land, they help each other overcome challenges and learn new ways to deal with their fears and problems. Audience participation is encouraged as children learn cooperation and problem solving skills.

Produced with Sesame Workshop and Sony Pictures Family Entertainment, the show premiered in 2001 and returned in 2005 with an additional flying sequence and a new song, "Racing the Sun."

Through the first season, "Dragon Tales Live!" was seen by more than 500,000 children and their families. A second tour, "Journey to Crystal Cave," opened in 2002. A third tour, "The Riddle of Rainbow River," premiered in fall 2003.

Feb. 20, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Explorer's 1876 painting of Las Vegas on public display in museum

By history curator David Millman's own admission, the first painting of Las Vegas is rather underwhelming.

"It's not a great work of art," Millman said. But nevertheless, "it's a very significant work of art," he said.

Now the painting is viewable to the public at the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society at 700 Twin Lakes Drive, near Bonanza Road and Rancho Drive.

"Everything is in the eye of the beholder," said Millman, the museum's curator of history.

In this case, the historical significance is more important than the quality of the art.

"Las Vegas, Nevada," painted by the 22-year-old renowned author and explorer Frederick Dellenbaugh on March 16, 1876. The artwork looks east toward Frenchman Mountain at the Old Mormon Fort, which by then had been converted into the Las Vegas Ranch by Octavious Decatur Gass. Dellenbaugh's tent and traveling companion are in the foreground.

"You can count on your hand the number of things from the 19th century," Millman said of Las Vegas historical artifacts.

The Legislature bought the art for $60,000 from Las Vegas resident Marilyn T. Jones, widow of former Lt. Gov. Clifford A. Jones Sr. who acquired the painting around 1950.

Millman said Jones was gracious for letting the painting go for so little money. He estimated its value to be around $100,000.

The Dellenbaugh painting will be on display at the museum through the summer. Afterward, Millman will have the painting cleaned, restored and prepared for permanent display at the new Nevada State Museum at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve in 2008.

Admission prices at the museum are $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and those under 19 are free. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

LAWRENCE MOWER Wondering how a local story turned out or what happened to someone in the news? Call the City Desk at 383-0264, and we will try to answer your question in this column.

Feb. 12, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NEON SUNDAY: Musical details Nevada history

Musical details Nevada history

If you have taken the youngsters to one too many local productions of "Annie," the Rainbow Company Youth Theatre offers the chance to see something new with "Snowshoes Across the Sierras," the troupe's annual nod to Nevada history.

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Karen McKenny wrote and directed the musical saga of Snowshoe Thompson, who could deliver mail, find lost travelers and discover gold in the Sierra Nevada where no one else could. Tickets are $3 to $7 for the 2 p.m. production at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center, 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Call 229-6211. Performances continue through Feb. 19.

MIKE WEATHERFORD