Packs of pre-teen girls—well, maybe actual teenage girls—kept traipsing in and out of AJ's Steakhouse Friday night to get their picture taken with some guy in the corner of the bar. Turns out, it's Fabio. Yes, that Fabio, now 45 years old. The hair's not as long, the superhuman build isn't evident in his shirt, and frankly we have no idea how the girls knew of him, found him, recognized him, or worked up such a lather over getting photos taken with him. But it had to be good for the aging hunk's ego.
A visit to the official Fabio website explains, "Fabio Lanzoni, the 45-year-old Italian stallion—like many men his age who lead a hectic schedule—is finding he has less time to take care of himself. The timing of Celebrity Overhaul was ideal for 'the most beautiful man in the cosmos,' who had just made a New Year's resolution to get fitter."
Chuck Twardy had this snap judgment when he heard the latest architectural news from Las Vegas: When civic leaders toss around the tired term "world-class," you get the sense they want a city they can be proud of, unlike those who mint money here and live ... well, anywhere else. The term surfaced again with the announcement last week that Frank Gehry will design an Alzheimer's Research Center on the 61-acre Union Park parcel Downtown. No question Larry Ruvo, leading the drive to build the center in memory of his father, is doing a good deed. And yes, Gehry is a Pritzker Prize-winner. But must we step boldly into the 1990s? If only we had some architects here...
Every married man's worst nightmare: an expensive ladies watch found under the bed, and it does not belong to your wife. "I don't know where that could have come from," you say. And, yet, you know you won't be believed. But it could happen! Really, it could, as a—whew!—single writer in Henderson learned this weekend when he discovered a ladies Movado watch covered by a bedsheet on the floor of his apartment. This writer, being single, had an interesting list of candidates for ownership of the Movado timepiece, which retails for over $1,000: a high-end escort, a stripper, a porn actress, a corporate lawyer and an adult film director. All were dutifully contacted. All denied ownership, leaving the origin of the watch an enduring mystery. So, married men, please, clip this item and keep it in your wallet in case you need backup when you say to your spouse one day: "Honey, look, these odd things just happen sometimes and there is no explanation."
We love construction cranes. Their right angles tower in the sky, as majestic as tall sails on the seas. When they turn, it's like watching a mechanical maestro swing a baton, conducting the tall buildings that rise up around them. Cranes are elegant and strong, and this week they're rising on the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center, in preparation for the Conexpo construction convention, which runs March 15-19. Now is a good time to take a look around, before the show and the crowds, before the security guards shoo you away. More than a dozen cranes of various sizes angle upward, and a fleet of enormous tractors and bulldozers stand watch below, shiny, yellow, and, from the looks of them, brand new. It's like strolling through a gigantic sandbox, drained of sand.
"Win a free tip to Laughlin's River Run."
While the cash-strapped Clark County School District must perennially beg lawmakers for funding, the Long Island School District is so awash in loot that top administrators illegally diverted $11.2 million to themselves and the district didn't even miss a beat, according to the New York Times. An audit revealed that funds were used for a bevy of purchases—from foreign trips (Argentina, Morocco, Thailand, Indonesia) to hotel suites ($1,800 a night), a mortgage on a luxury home in Florida to Sony Playstations, cars (BMW, Jaguar) to $5,236 for Christmas cards and an unspecified $4,500 bill at Mandalay Bay.
Don King must be salivating. According to the boxing website ringtalk.com, a federal grand jury is being empaneled to bring indictments against Las Vegas-based Top Rank boxing, run by venerable promoter and King antagonist Bob Arum. The FBI's Organized Crime squad raided Top Rank's offices in January 2004, seizing boxer contracts, computers, medical records and videotapes, looking for proof of alleged fight-fixing, drug-trafficking and ties to organized crime. Arum's troubles have been exacerbated with King's Microsoft-like dominance of fight promotion and the fast rise of Dan Goosen of Goosen-Tutor Promotions.
"Publisher Chris Rohland is a spineless alt-weekly weenie."
—Outgoing New York Press Editor Jeff Koyen on his boss, former Las Vegas Weekly Publisher Chris Rohland. Their dispute stems from the controversy over the Press' recent cover piece detailing the 52 funniest things about the pope's upcoming death.
Imagine it: the world's grossest (but great) filmmaker paired with the world's grossest (but great) television series. Yes, gross-out heaven is coming to a small screen near you because Pulp Fiction auteur Quentin Tarantino has agreed to direct the fifth-season finale of Vegas-centric CSI, and has already concocted an original story, in which one of the forensic crew is thrust into major-league jeopardy. The episode of the series, of which Tarantino is a huge fan, will film in early April and air May 19. "There will be more bugs and blood this time," joked Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn to The Hollywood Reporter. We're also hoping Tarantino borrows from his screenplay for From Dusk Till Dawn and turns Marg Helgenberger into a vampire. She can suck our blood anytime!