Smile When You Sue That
Could TV reporter and former columnist for the now-defunct Las Vegas Mercury George Knapp be our own Judith Miller? After all, he invoked Nevada's journalism shield law in a deposition to protect himself from revealing where he got information that led him to compare a woman's teeth unfavorably to those on a carved pumpkin. The woman is suing Knapp over a column he wrote defending a dentist she was already suing for malpractice. Instead of a trial, the jury should simply ask the plaintiff to smile.
Hello, Las Vegas, It's Me, God. Check Out My New Ad Campaign! It's No Burning Bush, but We Think It'll Grab Eyeballs.
The GodSpeaks campaign is placing messages from God on billboards around Las Vegas highways. "These billboards are designed to draw attention to the God presented in the Bible in a creative, thought-provoking, relevant way," said spokesman Mark DeMoss.
So, what do the billboards tell us about what God's been up to and what He has to say?
Well, clearly, he longs to wash our mouths out with soap ("If you must curse, use your own name! —God") and has, like the rest of us, spent too much time watching reality TV ("As my apprentice, you're never fired. —God").
You know things are getting dire when the God who once thundered "I am that I am" is reduced to quoting Donald Trump.
He'll Be Ridin' Into Town In His Vee-HICLE
Ex-M*A*S*H actor G.W. Bailey, who as bayou-bred Sgt. Luther Rizzo gave Col. Potter a memorable driving lesson in one episode and became a semi-regular during the classic series' later years in the early '80s, will return to the UNLV stage in February. After delighting Vegas audiences last season portraying the Common Man in Nevada Conservatory Theatre's A Man for All Seasons, Bailey's scheduled to return in February to assume the dynamic role of Henry Drummond, the lawyer character based on Clarence Darrow, in Inherit the Wind. The play, based on the famous 1925 "monkey trial" in Tennessee, couldn't be more relevant right now, given the evolution-vs.-intelligent design debate.
Of course, he'll be arguing the right to teach evolution in schools, which is fitting given that "intelligent design" is not what leaps to mind to describe Sgt. Rizzo.
Unanswerable Question of the Week, or Hell If It Knows
"Which way is the new Las Vegas Monorail heading?"
On the Other Hand, Do 40 Million Tourists Visit the Safest City in America, Newton, Massachusetts?
The Morgan Quitno Press has announced its annual ranking of safest and most dangerous cities. (The survey measures murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.) Las Vegas was rated the seventh most-dangerous city; up (or down) from last year, when we were No. 8. Camden, New Jersey, clocked in as the most dangerous city.
Spectacular News! It's Vegas or Bust, Baby!
Rumor of it has been around for so long that it's almost become a punch line among Strip promoters and theater enthusiasts. But Miss Spectacular, the still-unrealized musical and pet project of legendary Mame/Hello Dolly composer Jerry Herman, is still very much on Herman's mind. And so is Vegas.
In a recent interview, Backstage.com, calling the musical "a show about Las Vegas, for Las Vegas," quotes an insistent Herman:
"'It really should be done in Vegas. It has lots of big production numbers, and it has the opportunity for fantastic scenery and glamorous costumes. It's melodic. ... It would be accessible to Vegas audiences. A lot of people who like the score have asked me to do it as a legitimate show or touring show, and I've been turning them down. I really did it as a 90-minute Vegas piece, and I'm just going to wait until the right place and the right moment come.'"
Anyone in mind for the title role of Miss Spectacular, Jerry? Say ... Frank Marino?
Can You Hit Me Now? Good
As if gaming wasn't ubiquitous enough, state lawmakers earlier this year approved the use of wireless handheld gambling devices inside casinos. Great: blackjack right to your Blackberry.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board hasn't drafted regulations concerning the use wireless gambling devices—think BlackBerries, tablet PCs, handheld computers, etc.—but they might soon, nudged by local gaming companies itching to tap into the billion-dollar online gambling industry.
"I think the convenience of it will be desirable to people," MGM Mirage Chairman and CEO Terri Lanni was quoted as saying at September's G2E Global Gaming Conference.
Convenience?
"This is about allowing people to play their favorite casino-type games without being restricted to the traditional convenience of the casino floor," Joe Asher, managing director of Cantor G&W, told seacoastonline.com.
That word again, convenience.
Make no mistake, people, this isn't about convenience. It's about coin. American gamblers accounted for nearly two-thirds of the $8.2 billion wagered online in more than 70 countries last year. Land-based gamers want a piece.
Jonah, Meet Your Whale. His Name Is Harry.
Admit it, you never thought Sen. Harry Reid—Searchlight's favorite and perhaps only son—had the cajones to be Senate Minority Leader. Admit this, too: Reid has made you proud, even if just a tinge.
"Reid is leading the Democrats' attack on the president over the war in Iraq, but because the minority leader wears such a big, soft mitten over his hamfistedness, it's difficult to appreciate how lame the attack really is," writes Jonah Goldberg, editor at large for the National Review in a Dear Jonah letter titled "Harry's Mirage."
Admit this, too—it's kind of fun watching Harry give 'em hell.