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Three Questions with Dita Von Teese



When in Sin City, how does Dita like to sin? What clubs do you frequent, where must you dine, what must you see?

I suppose my biggest sins involve drinking expensive champagne and shopping, two things that I don't necessarily want to do at the same time, or that could mean big trouble! I've always enjoyed seeing risqué shows, but of course, in my book that's not a sin.

When I come to Vegas, I like to eat at the best restaurants, which seem to be all over the place now, I like to visit vintage Vegas spots, like the Liberace Museum and the Imperial Palace antique auto museum. And I've almost never missed a recent trip to Vegas without seeing The Crazy Horse [formerly La Femme] at the MGM Grand. It's the best showgirl revue in Las Vegas, and the only show that even comes close to what burlesque actually felt like to see. The girls are great beauties, and they put naughty thoughts in the audience's heads. Every other burlesque show is way too sanitized and commercialized. The Crazy Horse has had the vision of the art of the nude since 1951, and has stayed true to that.


What is Vegas to you? Why does Vegas appeal to you?

Bright sparkling things appeal to me! I love feathers! Rhinestones! Showgirls! Live entertainment and pure spectacle. Those are the things that appeal to me, and those are things that are easy to find in Vegas.


What does burlesque give you that no other art or dance form can?

I think that one special thing about burlesque is that it was historically based on a woman creating her own act, that was derived from her own ideas rather than someone else teaching or dictating what the act should be. There was always a real individualistic approach to it. Stars made themselves. Many stars of burlesque weren't necessarily the most talented dancers, or the most beautiful girls; they used what they had and their charisma and stage presence went a long way.



–Xania Woodman









No



Oscar Goodman, no. Jane Ann Morrison, no. Amazing Johnathan, no. Rory Reid, no. George Knapp, no. Penn, no. Teller, no. Bob Beers, no. The other Bob Beers, no. Steve Sebelius, no. The Chopper, no. Jim Rogers, no. Norm!, no. That former Baywatch dude who's leaving The Producers, no. Robin Leach, no. Jeff Beacher, no. Stacie Truesdell, no. Fran Deane, no. The Weekly's editor, hell no. Carrot Top ... well, okay.

There is to be a book titled Naked Las Vegas, which is just what it sounds like—portraits of people both clothed and nude. Photographer Greg Fiedler is coming to town soon to begin shooting. He's looking for volunteers. (As you can see, we've taken the liberty of narrowing the list.) For more info, log onto www.gregfriedler.com.








Tragedy and color



A DVD worth your time

Curse of the Golden Flower (4 stars, $28.95) Zhang Yimou's visually stunning follow-up to the vastly entertaining House of Flying Daggers and Hero will provide the perfect test for anyone's home-theater system. The color scheme ranges from ultravivid reds, yellows and golds to inky black, which stands in discreet contrast to the flat blacks and dark grays in scenes involving ninja attacks. The palette speaks to the opulence and majesty of the court of Emperor Ping (Chow Yun-Fat). In a plot that echoes Shakespeare, Ping's attempt to handpick his successor is complicated by treachery, conspiracies, paranoia and ambition, while his fanatical grip on his realm is tested by his wife, children and a former lover now married to the imperial physician. For his part, Ping is slowly poisoning the Empress Phoenix (Gong Li), who's engaged in an affair with her stepson. All of the meshugaas comes to a head on the eve of the Chrysanthemum Festival, 928 A.D., when her army of gold-armored soldiers confronts the black ninjas and silver-suited soldiers of her husband in a courtyard transformed by a carpet of brilliant yellow flowers.



– Gary Dretzka









Go see this exhibit. Ponder. Discuss.



 

 

 

"Rock, Drug, Hollywood," by local artist Sush Machida Gaikotsu. opens at the Las Vegas Art Museum on April 14. It will be up through July 8.




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