News
The Deal
Moms eat free
May 5th, 2011
I’ve never liked eating holiday meals in a casino restaurant. The spreads they put together are good and usually represent a value, but something about spending Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter in a casino just doesn’t seem quite right. Mother’s Day, on the other hand, is different. Eating out means that Mom doesn’t have to cook, and that’s the way it should be. It’s not a question of where special Mother’s Day meals will be available. They’ll be everywhere. But some are better than others. Read more »
The Latest (National)
Hot Damn!
Bin Laden’s death is viewed as an Obama victory, but it was a Rumsfeld aide who broke the news
May 5th, 2011
The reason for his newfound fame was a 140-character message that Keith Urbahn typed out on his BlackBerry, amid the mad speculation over what President Obama was going to say in a surprise news conference on Sunday evening. “So I’m told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden,” he wrote. “Hot damn.” Read more »
The Latest
Belt-Tightening for the Pantless
From coast to coast, statehouses are talking the balanced-budget talk, and wondering how to walk the walk
May 5th, 2011
Should you decide to shell out a great deal of gas money this summer and travel the country, may we propose a theme trip: a tour of unhappy statehouses. You’re likely to find that each state is unhappy in its own way, but that ours is perhaps unhappiest of all. Read more »
Seven Questions
Paul Carr
The British journo talks about his month in Strip hotel rooms, having no worldly possessions and why he’ll miss us
May 5th, 2011
It’s true. Carr, a British journalist, has spent the past five years living in hotels across the world after leaving his far-too-expensive London apartment and ridding himself of nearly all his possessions. The book he wrote about his experiences, The Upgrade: A Cautionary Tale of a Life Without Reservations, comes out in Europe this month (W&N, $13), but before he could deal with the whirlwind of a book tour, Carr decided to spend a month in Las Vegas. And he did it as only Paul Carr could do it—by spending a night in every hotel on the Strip. Read more »
Tweets of the Week
May 5th, 2011
Seven days of tasty observations and bite-sized commentary from Vegas and beyond, served 140 characters at a time. Curated by @marseniuk, published every Thursday—get 'em while they're hot! Read more »
Vegas Moment
Peer Group
Photo by Adan Van Dam/Hypefactor Films
May 5th, 2011
Smart guys travel in packs. Sometimes interstellar packs. So it was a match made in the heavens when the Starship Enterprise’s resident logician, Mr. Spock, met Las Vegas’ foremost wiseguy, Mayor Oscar Goodman, at the April 28 ribbon-cutting for downtown’s Insert Coin(s) Videolounge and Gamebar. Read more »
Seven Days
This week in your city.
May 5th, 2011
Wed 11 This morning Ty Pennington (4), the host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, teams with Rebuilding Together as part of the Sears Blue Tool Crew “Do It Together” program to build a ramp in the home of a handicapped girl. Donations to the program are accepted and volunteers are welcome. For more information, visit RTSNV.org. Read more »
Seven Questions
Angel Porrino
Holly’s housemate talks about her new role, motherhood and her future fame
May 5th, 2011
The world was first introduced to the pint-size Angel Porrino when she auditioned for Playboy on the reality show The Girls Next Door. She wasn’t cast but quickly struck up a friendship with Hugh Hefner’s then-girlfriend, Holly Madison. When Madison moved to Las Vegas to pursue a role in Peepshow at Planet Hollywood, she brought a new reality show and Porrino with her. While Holly’s World focused on Madison, its supporting cast of friends—including Porrino in the role of assistant/understudy/housemate—gained fame. The 21-year-old Las Vegas native (who’ll be 22 on May 6) is out to prove she’s ready to step out of Madison’s long shadow with her new role in Absinthe at Caesars Palace. Read more »
The Latest Thought
Fifteen, Already
A father, a daughter and the cross-cultural adventure of the quinceañera
May 5th, 2011
For years, my wife spoke of throwing a quinceañera for our daughters—an elaborate party, traditional in Latin culture, to celebrate the transition from childhood to young womanhood. A quinceañera is not a sacrament in the Catholic Church like Confirmation, but it includes a formal Mass and a call to accept more responsibility. Read more »
Politics
The Progressive
Chris Giunchigliani isn’t sold on the Goodman regime. And she’s confident that she’s about to end it.
April 28th, 2011
Chris Giunchigliani is 10 minutes late for our interview, and she’s not about to waste time apologizing. “I took one more phone call,” she says, striding into the Clark County Government Center’s nearly empty cafeteria, and she leaves it at that. It’s early on a Monday morning; Giunchigliani’s hair is up high and perfect, her business suit sensible and crisp. She’s currently a Clark County commissioner, and she’s hoping to be elected the next mayor of Las Vegas on June 7, so her plate’s a little full—and if that means running late to an interview, so be it. Read more »
