A+E

Perhaps the surprising thing about Las Vegas placing 44th in a ranking of most-literate cities isn't that we were so low, but that a town in which George Harris publishes a magazine made the cut at all. Local publications, after all, was one factor Central Connecticut State University crunched into the survey; others included newspaper circulation, bookstores per capita, education levels and something about Internet connectedness (hey, that's what's ruining literacy). What other factors cost us spots in the ranking?

• Vin Suprynowicz's R-J column (-4 spots)

• Number of Chinese restaurants offering "chow main" (-2 spots)

• Keno: all numbers (-2 spots)

Throw in CityLife's Chip Moser writing about his icky sex life last week (-20 spots), and you can see how Vegas missed a respectable showing in the 20s. At least we rated above LA (No. 60). Seattle, of course, came in first.

Better get yourself down to the Elvis-A-Rama before August 15 because Wall Streeter Robert F.X. Sillerman's going to shut it down. Sillerman recently bought Elvis Presley Enterprises, entering into a partnership with Lisa Marie to resuscitate the stagnant business. In the works are plans for an Elvis-themed casino and 2,000-seat Elvis theater likely to be built on some 18 acres of Vegas property Sillerman owns through his MJX firm, as well as a crackdown on shoddy Elvis impersonators. The Weekly is expecting a West Side Story-like rumble between Sillerman and his Elvi and the gang from the Imperial Palace's Legends show.

Left Standing

Life in Stereo (3 stars)

Left Standing is Vegas' band that won't die. Formed in 1997, it now comprises brothers Chris, Jesse and Danny Pino, Beau Stewart and Zak Weidle. Their hard-rock sound demonstrates their longevity, coming across as polished and mature while their lyrics still carry the sort of teenage angst we never really let go of. Catch them at Palace Station every other Saturday .

March of the Penguins (G) (4 stars)


$28.98

Very few documentaries have captured the imagination of America as successfully as this beguiling study of the mating rituals of Emperor penguins. The U.S. distributor deserves credit for dropping the original French soundtrack, which had the birds adding their own commentary to the magnificent cinematography, and substituting it with Morgan Freeman's calming narration. The DVD adds a fascinating making-off featurette; the National Geographic documentary, Crittercam: Emperor Penguins; and a cartoon encounter between Bugs Bunny and a penguin.

The Dukes of Hazzard: Unrated Widescreen Edition (NR) (2 stars)


$28.98

By asking fans to boycott The Dukes of Hazzard, Ben "Cooter" Jones did more to ensure a blockbuster opening than anyone besides Jessica Simpson's underwear wrangler. What greater endorsement would your average teenage boy need than it's "a sleazy insult to all of us who have cared about The Dukes of Hazzard for so long." Imagine what the former congressman and Hazzard star would have to say about the unrated version, which adds beaucoup T&A (alas, Simpson keeps her puppies in the dog house), pot smoking and creative cussing to what originally was a PG-13 title. Although the story that supports the conceit behind the film is as original as the average TV episode, the overall product easily qualifies as a guilty pleasure. The car chases are terrific, and Simpson, Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott don't embarrass themselves as the irrepressible cousins.

Cinderella Man (PG) (4 stars)


$29.98

Ron Howard's biopic of Depression-era boxer James J. Braddock disappointed at the box office. In anticipation of awards-season campaigns, it has also been re-released into key markets. There's no question the film suffered from comparisons to the similarly inspirational and period-specific Seabiscuit, Oscar-winner Million Dollar Baby and Raging Bull. Or maybe folks knew Howard would use every trick in the book to yank their heartstrings. No matter, Cinderella Man still deserves to be seen. The DVD comes with a generous menu of bonus features, including biographical material on Braddock.