Oscar Week Screenings
The Academy Awards air March 4 at 5 p.m. on ABC, which means there are still a few days to prepare. If you haven’t seen enough of this year’s Best Picture nominees, there are marathons of all nine nominated films (Call Me by Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) at numerous local theaters, spread out over several days (March 1-4, times vary, $35).
If you want to dive deeper into the nominations (and give yourself an advantage in your Oscar pool), check out the nominated animated and live action short films at the Suncoast and South Point (March 2-4, 2 & 7 p.m., $10). This year’s nominees include an animated short based on a letter by Kobe Bryant (Dear Basketball), a drama inspired by the life of Emmett Till (My Nephew Emmett) and the latest imaginative, adorable short from Pixar Animation (Lou).
And once you’ve thoroughly educated yourself on all the nominees, you can watch the actual ceremony alongside other movie fans. The annual benefit for Variety: The Children’s Charity at the Brenden Theaters inside the Palms (March 4, 4 p.m., $35-$200) includes concessions and a celebrity red carpet. Or for a more laid-back experience, head to Beer Park at Paris (March 4, 5 p.m., free) for Oscar drinking games, prizes and a DJ spinning during the breaks. March 1-4 -Josh Bell
Three Conference Hoops Tournaments
The march to March Madness is underway, and once again Las Vegas will host a slew of the action as teams try to punch their postseason tickets and improve positioning for the Big Dance.
The West Coast Conference Championships take place March 1-6 at Orleans Arena, with men and women from Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, BYU and beyond battling it out. Early-round tickets were sold out at press time, but two-day passes pairing up one semifinal contest and one championship title were still available from $175 to $225.
The Mountain West Conference Championships—which represent UNLV’s final chance to snag bids to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments—will also bring UNR, Boise State and other regional rivals to the Thomas & Mack from March 5-10. Tickets run from $20 for individual sessions to $250 for full-tournament passes.
And the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament hits T-Mobile Arena from March 7-10, with Arizona, UCLA, Arizona State and others competing to cut down the net. March 1-10, Tickets span from $29 to $240. –Spencer Patterson
UNLV Dance at Judy Bayley Theatre
The show’s called In Composition, but it could also be called In Collaboration. Composers and musicians from UNLV’s School of Music team with choreographers and dancers from the Department of Dance to create a program that includes ballet, hip-hop and even something called “dance by chance.” March 2 and 3, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2:30 & 7:30 p.m.; $18. –C. Moon Reed
USA Sevens Rugby Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium
It’s more than a game when rugby does Vegas. While the 16-team tourney rages, fans can also visit the International Fan Festival for food, drinks and entertainment from every country represented in USA Sevens. Big screens make sure you won’t miss the on-field action, then check out the afterparties on the Strip at Chateau, Light and Marquee nightclubs. March 2-4. Usasevens.com. –Brock Radke
Clash of the Drones at Bally's
Things you might not know: Drone racing exists, and there’s a facility at Bally’s that can host it. Watch the quadcopters whiz around a course up to 60 mph on Saturday at the new 48,000-square-foot Caesars Entertainment Studios. March 3, 5:45 p.m., $17. –Mike Prevatt
Raj Sharma at Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club
Comic Raj Sharma is a native Texan, but his parents hail from India. His solo show Cowboy & Indian promises to detail the challenges he faced in that tricky scenario. And if Sharma’s hilariously funny YouTube clips are any indication, it’ll be a Western worth seeing. March 5-11, 8 p.m., $43-$87, MGM Grand. –Geoff Carter
