GRAY MATTERS

At last week's awards ceremony for the 48 Hour Film Project, widely acknowledged as the Oscars of short films made in 48 hours, Three Girls, a Guy and an Apocalypse, co-written and co-produced by Weekly staff writer Josh Bell, was nominated for six awards and won three, including best actor (C.J. Maldonado), best actress (Molly Bernard) and best screenplay (Bell and collaborator Jason Leinwand). Although he's currently in negotiations to pen the next James Bond film (which will, naturally, be between four and seven minutes long and complete production in 48 hours), Bell (via his publicist) insists that the win will not change him.

"UNLV President Carol Harter said Monday that she plans to ask the Board of Regents in December to boost the grade-point-average admission requirement for high-school graduates to 3.0 by fall 2007, three years ahead of schedule."

Hey, we funded that Nevada State College for something, right? We're tight on space at UNLV and low in national rankings. Raising the bar makes sense.

From Craigslist Casual Encounters:

"Dear Natalie,

"I am doing this for my brother who just was in Indiana watching you at your golf tournament. He is a fairly avid golfer and would like the chance to play 18 holes with you; if you would be willing, he would also like to put out there the possibility of a gentlemanly wager. Whereas if he wins the golf game he would like to take you out to dinner and a show, and if you were to win the golf game he would still like to take you out to dinner and show. We do request since you will probably do quite well at the golf game that you pay for the golf game or maybe dutch. I do hope this does not offend you. Please e-mail me so we could go over more of the details. He has dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, casual dresser but professional man. Hobbies include of course, golf, snowboarding, etc. He has been talking about you all morning with me on messenger, about you and would love the chance to play a game, if you would be willing.

"Thank You Natalie. I (and my brother) appreciate your time."

"I can't understand people who don't like Las Vegas. What's not to like? You can smoke indoors, drink for free, party like it's spring break most any night, and buy a little hope with every spin of the roulette wheel. Las Vegas is phony. Yes it is. But it is more real in its phoniness than most people's reality."

The 2006 election season hasn't "officially" started—really, when does campaigning ever end?—but you couldn't tell by all the press releases. We don't know about you, but the Weekly finds particularly irksome releases that are long on candidates' fundraising prowess but short on how, instead of being corporate shills, they'll advocate for Joe Public.

According to a recent release, Reno Assemblywoman and congressional hopeful Sharron Angle reported raised $100,021.17 from July 1 to September 30. She's raised $264,018.56 to date, according to the release, and has $259,416.52 in cash in the bank.

"Angle did not begin fundraising until June of this year after the end of the Legislative session. In just four months, she has already received donations from over 2,000 supporters. Her average donation for this filing period is $175. 'I am really pleased with this continued strong showing of support. Wherever I go throughout Nevada, citizens are responding to my message of lower taxes and more freedom, and I'm very grateful'."

It isn't until the end of the release that you find out any information or see any credentials. Angle says she's "known for her tough conservative stands against tax and fee increases of all kinds. Mrs. Angle led the fight against the 2003 state tax increase, and has been an outspoken defender of the state's constitutional two-thirds majority vote requirement for taxincreases."

And the good TV news just keeps on comin' for Sin City, as noted by Entertainment Weekly in the week's ratings report: "NBC seems to have hit a minor jackpot in the third season of Las Vegas (17th). The dramedy's numbers are up 2.2 million over last year, even with competition from CBS' Two and a Half Men (15th) and Fox's breakout success, Prison Break (37th)."

Good work for a fake casino that's not headed for a fake implosion anytime soon.

We love surveys. Especially scientific ones that prove that Nevada is the 47th smartest state in the nation. According to the Morgan Quitno Press, a publication that ranks cities and lets us ruminate over the discoveries, just finished the Smartest State Rankings. Winner? Vermont, home of Ben & Jerry. Please note that Vermont has other smart things like maple syrup and gay unions. Second place goes to Connecticut; third to Massachusetts. California was one notch smarter than us, at 46.

But the survey was based on really stupid things like "Public Elementary and Secondary School Revenue per $1,000 Personal Income; Percent of Public Elementary and Secondary School Current Expenditures used for Instruction ; Percent of Population Graduated from High School; Public High School Graduation Rate; Percent of Public School Fourth-Graders Proficient or Better in Reading; Percent of Public School Eighth-Graders Proficient or Better in Reading ; Percent of Public School Fourth-Graders Proficient or Better in Writing ..."

HellloOOo State Officials!

"The youngest Baby Boomers turn 65 in 2029. Many will live into their 80s. A 40-year horizon combined with the American obsession with leisure and Las Vegas' iconic status make the revolution we've seen in the past 20 years not only likely to continue, but equally likely to expand."