We've seen her as a slutty trophy wife in The Big Lebowski. We've seen her as a nervous virgin in American Pie. And we've seen her as Janet "Nipplegate" Jackson in P. Diddy Turns 35. But we've never seen Vegas' favorite party girl Tara Reid as a scientist—until now! In Alone in the Dark, George Maloof's gal pal plays Dr. Aline Cedrac, a brilliant anthropologist helping to save the world from evil. With the same vacant, coked-out stare America has come to know and love, how do we know Reid's character is brilliant? Why, she's wearing glasses, of course!
DVDs |
Crazy Horse, Le Show (NR) (3 stars)
$25
Tourist-friendly T&A has been a Strip staple for 50 years, but even the most venerable of production shows was threatened in the '90s with the arrival of Cirque du Soleil. By precisely re-creating the Crazy Horse experience (the one in Paris, not on Industrial Road) with La Femme, the MGM Grand added a new wrinkle to the old skin game. This surprisingly well-conceived DVD—shot at the Parisian club in high-definition—offers several unique viewpoints on "the art of the nude," and will deflate any notion that the MGM show is a diluted version of the original. Available at La Femme Theatre.
The Rainbow Man/John 3:16 (NR) (3 stars)
$24.98
In the late '70s, Rollen Frederick Stewart—a.k.a. "Rainbow Man"—was one of the most photographed people on Earth. At first, he just was a goofball in a cotton-candy afro who danced crazily whenever a camera panned the crowd at a sports event. He later added a sign reading "John 3:16" to his repertoire. This illuminating documentary describes what happened when his quest for celebrity turned into an obsession ... and it isn't pretty.
The Warner Gangsters Collection (NR) (5 stars)
$68.92
The studio that practically invented the gangster genre has reissued its classics. Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Bette Davis, Jean Harlow, and yes, the Dead End Kids are all still terrific fun and in tip-top shape.
WHEN THE FUN STOPS |
The sign that poker has become completely, irrevocably, totally uncool: It now comes to your refrigerator in the form of Fridgeplay's Fridge Poker Dice. The magnetic game, with plenty of tiny, easy-to-lose parts, features a rudimentary version of poker with only six cards and room for two players who "bet" points and use a spinner to pick hands. It wasn't even enough to distract Weekly staffers from work for more than one hand. Even more complex (and with more tiny pieces) is Fridge Roulette, complete with labels in French, magnetic "chips" and a confusing scoring system. If this is your idea of a good time, then rush out and pick these up—though to be fair, the packaging does advise adding alcohol to equal fun.
HEEEERE'S PAULIE! |
Johnny Carson may be gone, but his swingin' instrumental theme song—composed by Vegas regular Paul Anka—lives on. With Carson listed as co-writer for copyright purposes, the tune played five nights a week over the show's 30-year run, netting them in excess of $1.6 million in royalties.
"It put my kids through school," Anka told the Las Vegas Sun in 2001. "I spoke to Jay (about composing his theme), but I understood that they needed a change. I just wrote something simple and catchy, and I defy you to sing the one they're using now."
$1.6 mill, huh? How much is that per note?
LOCAL CD |
Jada Fire (3 stars)
Spoken World
Local yoga teacher Jada Fire has certainly perfected a throaty sexual growl in her debut CD, but whether you're going to like this disc depends on how strongly you believe in chakras. With lines like "I can feel an astral projection coming in" and unintelligible Sanskrit murmurings mixed with Middle Eastern rhythms and Western drum machines, the Goddess knows this isn't for everyone. But as paeans to hippiedom go, it's not all that bad.