A+E

The only thing worse than slogging through a humor book that isn't funny is slogging through a humor recipe book that isn't funny. Case in point: The Dittohead's Guide to Adult Beverages by Britt Gillette. Meant to be a tongue-in-highball-glass collection of conservative-lauding and liberal-mocking cocktails, from the Evil Empire Eraser to the Spotted Owl Slammer, and divided into chapters such as These Adult Beverages Have Been Approved by the U.N., the book falls on its face faster than a tourist on the Strip at 3 a.m.

Clever idea, but sometimes a clever idea should be left as such. The fleshing-out that goes on for 149 pages squeezes out whatever scant humor might have existed as surely as my bartender does with my lemon twist.

Ably led by principal conductor Frank Fetta, the Nevada Opera Theatre's production of Tosca on January 22 was a dramatically satisfying production. The minimalist but evocative set design allowed the audience to focus on the singers, both local talent and guest artists. Tosca was portrayed by the persuasive Viktoria Kurbatskaya; Dinyar Vania, a vocally stunning tenor, met the challenges of Cavaradossi; and Zeffin Hollis was the seductively evil villain, Scarpia. However, the serviceable chorus needs more discipline to bring the single voices into a cohesive ensemble. The minor roles were well-executed, particularly Shawn Thuris as Spoletta and local high-school student Cristina Heinzerling as the Shepherd Boy, whose ethereal soprano captivated the audience.

The Day After ...

Counting All the Upsets (3.5 stars)

Local scene veterans The Day After ... are a pleasant throwback to the solid alterna-rock of the mid-'90s, sort of like the Foo Fighters with a female singer and a bit more fuzz in the guitars. Their first full-length album is full of energetic rock songs, some of which (especially "Sing it Back" and "We Are Going Nowhere") could stand up to anything on the radio right now. They may be more workhorses than innovators, but the work they do is top-notch.

The Aristocrats (NR) (4 stars)


$29.99

A guy walks into his agent's office and says, "Ya wouldn't believe dis show I just seen" ... to which, the agent says, "I'll bite" ... the guy says, "a hundred comedians, one afta da udder, tell da same story about dis fam'ly act they'd seen one time ... each of 'em doing somethin' obscene to da udder one, pets and all ... and each of da comedians, see, describe da the act a diff'rent way, one more disgustin' dan de udder ... 'cept de all end at da same place ... wit' da name of the group," ... to which, the agent says, "OK, so, what did these comedians say was the name of the act?" ... to which, the guy replies, The Aristocrats. It's out now on DVD, with longer riffs on the gag and new interviews. (Badda-boom!)

Thumbsucker (R) (3 stars)

$26.96

Mike Mills' sensitive and ironic teen melodrama comes to us by way of Sundance, the cradle for such suburban-teen-angst fare as The Chumscrubber, Donnie Darko, Welcome to the Dollhouse and Thirteen. Thumbsucker describes the travails of 17-year-old Justin (Lou Pucci), who, yes, still sucks his thumb. Wrongly diagnosed with ADD, Justin is prescribed Ritalin. Soon after, just as Tom Cruise promised, even crazier things start to happen. Fine performances by Vincent D'Onofrio, Tilda Swinton, Vince Vaughn, Keanu Reeves, Benjamin Bratt and Kelli Garner keep Thumbsucker moving in the right direction, giving fans of kooky coming-of-age flicks a reason to smile.

The Tomorrow Show: Punk & New Wave (NR) (4 stars)

$29.98

Long before Carson Daly, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel—even before Dave, Jay, Arsenio and Koppel—there was late-night talk-show host Tom Snyder, who came on after Johnny, and simply conversed with interesting people. Compared with today's hypefests, The Tomorrow Show was Shakespeare in the Park. Appearing in this collection are Paul Weller, John Lydon, Elvis Costello, Iggy Pop, the Plasmatics, the Ramones, Patti Smith, Kim Fowley and Joan Jett. Some performed, others didn't.