Seven Questions
Seven Questions
Seven Questions for Fox 5 Weatherman Ted Pretty
The TV forecaster on his job’s degree of difficulty, aggravating car-wash owners and the most miserable part of a SoCal vacation
May 21st, 2013
Ted Pretty sees you watching him deliver the weather every morning on KVVU Channel 5, and he knows what you’re thinking: “A lot of people think weather guys are dorks and dolts and very boring guys and nerdy. And they’re right, for the most part.” In Pretty’s defense, he never intended to be a weather guy. His career began as a reporter/photographer at a TV station in Kearney, Nebraska—“a total hellhole”—and he quickly graduated to morning-show features reporter at stations in Pocatello, Idaho, and Champaign, Illinois, before a similar job at Las Vegas’ Fox affiliate brought him to the desert in 1999. Read more »
Seven Questions
Seven Questions for Linda Quinn, Discovery Children’s Museum CEO
The Discovery Children’s Museum boss on her career path, the rebirth of her facility and what our museum community is lacking
May 15th, 2013
As a onetime CPA, Linda Quinn certainly knows how to crunch numbers. But these days, when the Discovery Children’s Museum’s CEO cracks open the books, she probably has to crunch the numbers a few times, just to make sure they’re accurate. That’s because since moving from the city’s Cultural Corridor to its new digs in Symphony Park, the museum has been a huge hit—so much so that in the six weeks since the March 9 reopening, Quinn says the museum sold as many memberships as it had in the previous year. And over the eight days of spring break, the museum welcomed more guests than in any previous month. “We are seeing 4½ times more volume than at the old facility,” she says. Read more »
Seven Questions
Seven Questions for Comedian Bill Burr
The veteran stand-up on his role in Breaking Bad, being a comedian’s comedian and the hate-hate relationship between New York and Boston
May 7th, 2013
When Bill Burr came through the Pearl in 2011 on The Anti-Social Comedy Tour with Jim Breuer, Dave Attell and Jim Norton, he more than held his own in a stacked lineup—he was the best performer on a night even when Attell was thoroughly in the zone. Read more »
Seven Questions
Seven Questions for Tim Brooks, Emerald Island Casino Owner
The owner of Nevada’s only all-penny casino on surviving a decade, the allure of downtown Henderson and trusting your gut instinct
April 30th, 2013
Recipe for small-business success: Take over a failed casino—one that’s been vacant for three years—in a stagnant section of downtown Henderson. Rebrand it the Emerald Island (because your mother’s 100 percent Irish), complete with murals of 17th-century Irish village landscapes and faux stonework. Market it as “Nevada’s only all-penny casino.” Then wait for the money to roll in. OK, maybe that’s not the ideal recipe, but it certainly worked for Tim Brooks, who along with his twin brother, Michael, opened the Emerald Island just west of Water Street in 2003. Read more »
Seven Questions
Seven Questions for Tommy DeVito
The Four Seasons founder on his Jersey Boys depiction, his relationship with his former bandmates and lessons learned doin’ time
April 23rd, 2013
“Bullshit artist,” you say? Utter … bullshit. So insists 84-year-old Tommy DeVito, founder of the Four Seasons, who’s itching to answer back after this Read more »
Seven Questions
Seven Questions for Linn Mills, Horticulturist
The longtime horticulturist on the importance of soil prep, his landscaping pet peeve and the one veggie he can do without
April 16th, 2013
From his days growing up on a farm in Salt Lake City to his former job as a horticulturist for the Springs Preserve and Las Vegas Valley Water District, Linn Mills has dedicated his life to the great outdoors—and to helping others learn to enjoy the great outdoors. To wit: In 1992, Mills launched Southern Nevada’s Master Gardener program, which over the past two decades has spawned more than 1,000 certified Master Gardeners who have volunteered more than 270,000 hours to help local residents in their quest to build their dream garden. Read more »
Seven Questions
Seven Questions for Cat Cora
The chef on being involved in the Life Is Beautiful festival, how music pairs with food and her desire for a permanent Las Vegas presence
April 9th, 2013
Cat Cora, best known for her epic battles on Food Network’s Iron Chef America, is no stranger to Las Vegas. The celebrity chef has participated at Vegas Uncork’d—our city’s renowned annual food-and-drink extravaganza—and before the recession, there was even talk of her opening a restaurant here (and if the Jackson, Mississippi, native has her way, those talks eventually will heat up again). Read more »
Cal Talks Tark
Seven Questions for John Calipari, College Basketball Coach
Kentucky’s iconic–and controversial–basketball coach on the image, influence and legacy of UNLV legend Jerry Tarkanian
April 2nd, 2013
If there were a bracket for most polarizing coaches in modern-day college basketball, Kentucky’s John Calipari would undoubtedly be a No. 1 seed. From his days at the University of Massachusetts (where he built a national power from scratch) to Memphis (where he took the Tigers to the 2008 national championship game) to Kentucky (where last year he guided the Wildcats to the national title), Calipari’s on-court success has been matched only by the off-court speculation that perpetually swirls around his programs. Read more »
Seven Questions
Seven Questions for Jean-Marc Levy, Stylist and Former French Baseball Pro
March 26th, 2013
It comes as no surprise to Jean Marc Levy’s clients when the master stylist starts singing Edith Piaf songs—it’s so very French of him. But if he mentions his previous career—as catcher on the French national baseball team—eyebrows arch. France? Baseball? High-end salons? “These things, they do not go together,” he says as he swirls in a chair at The Salon at Red Rock. “But this is me.” Read more »
Seven Questions
Seven Questions for Bill Maher
The left-leaning comedian on the charm of ‘old Vegas,’ his $1 million investment in President Obama and why Donald Trump is good for his business
March 19th, 2013
Political provocateur Bill Maher has been peddling his brand of smarmy punditry for well on 20 years now, starting with Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central and later ABC, before moving to premium cable, where he started Real Time With Bill Maher in 2003. Along the way, he’s done nine stand-up specials for HBO; played himself in politically focused fare such as The Campaign and House of Cards; and crafted the 2008 documentary Religulous (hitting on one of his favorite topics: skewering religion). And last year he even found the time to buy a minority stake in the New York Mets. Read more »
