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Hair Loss Hair Loss Hair loss in men or women can contribute to the appearance of looking older than chronologic age. One of the hair restoration procedures may be used alone, or in combination with a procedure for facial skin rejuvenation to take years off of a patients apparent age. Any person who feels that hair loss is a problem should consult a dermatologist. The first step in treating hair loss is diagnosing its cause. Causes can include heredity, various acute and chronic diseases, nutritional deficiency, medications, radiation, and improper hair treatments. The most common cause of hair loss in men is male pattern baldness, a condition with a hereditary basis. In women the most common conditions are androgenetic alopecia baldness, and telogen effluvium which causes thinning of scalp hair but not bald patches. A condition of unknown cause called alopecia areata occurs in both men and women, causing hair loss in small circular patches. Based on medical evaluation, a dermatologist will recommend the procedure that is right for the individual patient. Treatment options include: Male pattern baldness may be medically treated with topical minoxidil or oral finasteride, drugs that can restart hair growth in some patients. Hair restoration surgical procedures include hair transplant, scalp reduction, scalp extenders, and scalp lifts. An educational program brought to you by the American Academy of Dermatology. Disclaimer Hair Loss and Hair Restoration Discusses how hair restoration procedures and treatments can reverse the appearance of aging. American Academy of Dermatology, 2005 All rights reserved.

Hairstyle Imaging Email this

Personal Care Computer Hairstyle Imaging in the Yahoo! Directory Search: the Web | the Directory | this category Personal Care > Computer Hairstyle Imaging Email this page Suggest a Site Advanced Search Directory > Business and Economy > Shopping and Services > Personal Care > Hair > Computer Hairstyle Imaging SPONSOR LISTINGS ( What's this? ) Sponsor Your Site - want to enhance your commercial listing? Click here to learn how. SITE LISTINGS By Popularity | Alphabetical ( What's This? ) Sites 1 - 9 of 9 TheHairStyler.com - fee-based virtual hairstyling tool lets you see what different hairstyles and colors might look like on you. Pick a face like yours to restyle in the free demo, or register to try out different cuts on a photo of yourself. Demkin Technologies - offering Salon Styler imaging software, which features hundreds of quality hair styles, eyewear, moustaches and beards, and more. Stellure - hairstyle imaging software with free model demonstration online. NewDo Hairstyle Imaging - software creates and prints a catalog or a video of you with many different hair styles. Beauty Works - offers the salon industry computer hairstyle imaging systems. Virtual Hair - hairstyle makeovers with computer imaging. Hair Imaging Software - for Windows 95/98, shows an image of what you would look like with a totally different hairstyle. Hairstyleeditor.com - offers an Internet-based tool for previewing new hairstyles for proms, weddings, and more for men and women. Styles On Video By Laurie

Hair cut time? Makeover

Hair cut time? You are here: About > Style > Makeover Madness Change Your Lifestyle Low Fat Kitchen Learn French Find a Boyfriend or Girlfriend See more articles Evaluate Your Career 10 Steps to a Successful Career Change Take This Job and ... Never Mind Things Not to Do When You Leave Your Job See more articles Fix Your Finances Save Money on Your Home Expenses 12 Reasons Budgeting Can Improve Your Life Get Out of Debt See more articles Improve Your Home Feng Shui Your Bathroom Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden Tips for Low-Maintenance Landscaping See more articles Update Your Look Hot or Not? Most Flattering Haircuts for Face Shapes Photo Gallery -- Short Brown Hairstyles See more articles Search Hair cut time? Makeover Madness Blog « Walk this Way! | Main | On Again Off Again Pounds » From Toby Bochan , Your Guide to Makeover Madness . FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! March 11, 2005 Hair cut time? When I was in college, I went from having shoulder-length hair to a very short pixie cut and I remember being unsure of how I looked. Was it too boyish? Did it flatter my face? Thankfully, everyone was very positive, but the only specific response I remember to it was this one guy, Dan, who spotted me down our dormitory hallway and started shouting "Hair. cut! HAIRRRRRRRRRR CUT!" Again and again while pointing and smiling at me. It reminded me of the way the soccer announcers yell "Goooooallll! GOOOOAAALLLL!" And it wasn't like I shaved my head or got a mohawk, but soon everyone in my hall had come out to see what had gotten Dan so worked up. I guess it was a big occassion in that it is the hairstyle I've had in one form or another for the last ten years. So, lately I've been thinking it's time for a change. But growing it out takes so long! And there's that whole awkward phase. Maybe it's time for a color change instead? I'm going to browse through these photos to see if I get inspired: - Short Brown Hairstyles - Short Blonde Hairstyles - Short Red Hairstyles The first of the short blonde styles is already tempting me, but I must remember that I look horrible as a blonde. I have dozens of pictures to remind me. Email to a Friend Display Latest Headlines | | | Read Archives powered by Movable Type Advertisement Most Popular Flattering Hair Cuts short brown hairstyle Fashion Over 40 texas holdem101 short blonde hairstyle What's Hot texas holdem101 Dress younger Hot or Not? When Trends Die short brown hairstyle Wardrobe Must Haves Topic Index | Email to a Friend Our Story | Be a Guide | Advertising Info | Work at About | Site Map | Icons | Help User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy ©2005 About, Inc., A part of the New York Times Company . All rights reserved.

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The Movable Buffet: December 2005 The Movable Buffet Dispatches from Las Vegas by Richard Abowitz LATIMES.COM TRAVEL SECTION LAS VEGAS SECTION CALENDARLIVE « November 2005 | Main Tale of a Whale I wrote yesterday about how secretive the late Australian whale Kerry Packer was when it came to his gambling sprees in Las Vegas. Norm, author of the Vegas Confidential column, today recounts some stories he gathered on Packer over the years that surprised even me. Particularly, Norm's tale of Packer in 2001 requiring Bellagio employees to sign a non-disclosure agreement about his playing. It didn't help. Norm notes that on that trip Packer wound up stuck in Vegas after the airports were closed following the September 11 attack, and he had one of the all time greatest losing streaks in Vegas history. At the time Norm reported Packer lost $29 million, saying several sources had put the loss at that number, and though the casino disputed that amount as too high they never did disclose how much exactly Packer lost. (photo by Will Burgess/Reuters) December 28, 2005 at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Titus and Ryan Fighting Extradition When it seems that you are obviously lying about the little things it is hard to believe you on the larger issues. Take body builders and murder suspects Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan. The duo vanished after they were questioned by Las Vegas police about the murder of their assistant, Melissa James, 28, whose strangled corpse was found in Titus' burned out Jaguar. After a massive manhunt, the police find the dynamic duo in Massachusetts with a thick stack of cash: Titus had shaved his head and Kelly dyed her hair. But the two claim they were absolutely NOT running or hiding. According to their attorney this morning in the Las Vegas Review-Journal : These two were here (near Boston) to spend some time for the holidays...They found out they were wanted for arrest and were ready to come back. Can even their best friends believe that? Also, if they were ready to come back then and clear their names why are they fighting extradition back to Vegas now, which may keep them in Massachusetts for months? Speaking of friends, how's this for a quote from a friend of Titus in the same story: If Craig was going to kill her, he would have done it with his hands---not a noose or duct tape or anything. Craig would've grabbed her by the neck or choked her easily. I know how Craig thinks. So, let me get this straight, his own friend believes Craig is capable of murder and, not only that, his friend believes strangulation would be Craig's preferred method ergo it wasn't him? Fantastic reasoning! I bet that guy believes they were just vacationing, too. (photos by BIZUAYEHU TESFAYE/AP) December 28, 2005 at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) The Right Time to Join the Party My column from this week's Calendar Section: In other cities the end of the year is when you slack off at work or reflect on the year just past, but in Las Vegas it's a time of high-profile openings. The next few days will see the debuts of two major nightspots (Tryst and Jet), a high-end restaurant (Stack) and an audacious topless bar/nightclub (Seamless). The timing is no coincidence, says Robert Fry, managing partner of Pure, a nightclub at Caesars Palace that opened last New Year's and quickly became very hot. "You want to build momentum, so rather than open in November you'd rather save it," he says. "January is a real busy month, with conventions and the Super Bowl. Usually, Vegas is nuts, and the room rates go up and the people who come here just let off steam. It really is a very fun time. There really is not a lot of risk [to opening then] because every place is sold out, so you know your club will be busy right off the bat." Continue reading "The Right Time to Join the Party" » December 27, 2005 at 05:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Do you know Titus and Ryan? I am looking into the lives of Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan: well known professional bodybuilders who are suspects in a Las Vegas murder case I've been following in this space . For better or worse, fairly or (probably) not, the case has really focused attention locally on the closed world of professional bodybuilding. Many of you who have left comments here on the Buffet knew the couple personally and, I very much want to hear from you about your experiences with Titus and Ryan. Many of these, especially ones that make accusation's about the suspects' personal lives, I'm afraid we are unable to post here. But please, if you have information you'd like to share, e-mail me at MovableBuffet@aol.com And expect more on the Buffet on this case and the high profile suspects. After the jump, we have pictures of Titus and Ryan from their arraignment in Stoughton, Mass. Continue reading "Do you know Titus and Ryan?" » December 27, 2005 at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) UFO Vegas UFO Digest has picked Las Vegas as the location for the #1 UFO story of 2005 ! Between June 21- July 15 the Prophet Yahweh promised to come to Las Vegas to summon spaceships for the media. This is apparently old hat for Prophet Yahweh who claims to have summoned more than 1,500 UFOs or spaceships in the past. The difference: There is a difference between UFOs and spaceships. UFOs are usually small flying objects: glowing orbs, metallic spheres, satellite-type flying machines, etc. And, their flight patterns suggest that they are not of this world. But, spaceships are large futuristic vehicles that are clearly designed to carry passengers in like you see in the movies. Wow, I did not know that. Thanks, Prophet Yahweh. Anyway, back to the story, in the past Prophet Yahweh has only summoned the otherworldly objects for his friends (Dude, great party trick). But this year the plan was to summon them for all Las Vegans to see, and especially to bring them "on-demand" for the media to film and photograph. What happened? Honestly, I don't know; I never got the press release back in June; the Prophet left me off his media list. Yeah, I admit my feelings are a little hurt. Still, he promised all Las Vegas would see the spaceship (it was to hover over Nellis Air Force Base) and I was here throughout that period. Of course, the spaceships could have just gotten lost in the shuffle of a busy convention or holiday weekend. Anyway, whatever happened or didn't happen, UFO Digest signaled out the Prophet Yahweh's efforts for the #1 honor. Congratulations on this dubious honor and remember we have Area 51, too. Say it with me people: What happens in Vegas... December 27, 2005 at 09:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) Death of a Whale Australia's wealthiest man has died and Las Vegas is in mourning. No, one who actually met or knew Kerry Packer in Las Vegas talked about him. An Australian media mogul, Packer was one of the highest high-rollers in Las Vegas history said to have won and lost tens of millions of dollars around town over the years. According, to the front page obituary in the Las Vegas Review Journal: In Las Vegas Packer reportedly won $20 million from MGM Grand in 1995, lost a similar amount at baccarat tables at the Bellagio in 2000 and lost about $29 million at the same resort during the following year in which he was rumored to have been wagering up to $150,000 per hand. Like most Whales (the term used for high rollers) Packer liked his privacy and purchased it with big tips. Still, now that he is no longer with us, I am trying to reach out to casino hosts and others who know first hand of his adventures here to bring you true tales of a Whale. (photo by Will Burgess/Reuters) December 27, 2005 at 08:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Bodybuilder Couple Arrested Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan have been arrested after being tracked to a supermarket parking outside Boston. Where, according to the Review Journal : officers swarmed the couple, Titus was inside his truck, a MUG rootbeer at his side. Ryan was inside a nail salon at the shopping center,Canton, Mass., Police Chief Kenneth Berkowitz said at a Friday nightnews conference, according to the Boston Herald. "He was inside his vehicle," Berkowitz said. "She had gone in, I believe, to get a manicure." December 24, 2005 at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) More on Wanted Body Builders The Review-Journal offers substantial coverage this morning of the two body builders wanted in the murder of 28 year-old Melissa James, their live-in assistant, whose corpse was found in the trunk of a burned out Jaguar. Craig Titus apparently admitted to police he had an affair with James. Also, Titus and his wife accused their alleged victim of embezzlement and theft, too, before running away from authorities: They said they had recently evicted her for embezzling from them but they had not filed a police complaint. Both told investigators that James had stolen Ryan's car, though they did not report the theft to police. The two gallants are still at large though their alleged accomplice, 23 year-old Anthony Gross, has been captured. The Review-Journal also has a heartbreaking interview with the victims mother who says of the suspects: I find it hard to believe they had anything to do with it because she trusted them as friends. According to the R-J, expecting her child home for the holiday, the mother of Melissa James, Maura, had gone to the Newark airport to meet her daughter's flight only to go home alone and start making the hospital and other calls one makes when a loved one vanishes, all ending with the coroner's call to her. How very, very, sad. December 23, 2005 at 07:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) Hanging out with Dolphins The Mirage has a new trainer for a day program at the Dolphin Habitat . For $500 per person tourists can spend much of the day with Mirage trainers as they tend to the dolphins. The experience includes a continental breakfast, a cd containing photos of your day of the dolphins, a free T-shirt and a certificate of completion. I have no cynical joke to put here beyond the obvious observation that $500 seems a bit pricey. After all, why should visiting with a Dolphin cost more than seeing Elton John and a Cirque show combined? But then consider that it can't be cheap to keep a dolphin habitat going in the middle of a desert. (photo by Francine Orr/LAT) December 22, 2005 at 07:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) Former Mr. Olympia Contender and Wife: Murder Suspects We have another bizarre murder case in Las Vegas (a body found in the trunk of burned out Jaguar) and the at large suspects are a married couple who are both renowned professional body builders , Craig Titus and his wife Kelly Ryan. Titus a competitor for Mr. Olympia 2002, is, the piece states: A former Texas high school wrestler who weighed 140 pounds at that time, Titus has been called "the bad boy of bodybuilding" by some publications as a result of his temper, his strong opinions and a stint in jail. The article explains: Las Vegas police were hunting for the high-profile couple Wednesday in connection with a body found last week in the trunk of a torched 2003 Jaguar. The 5-foot-8-inch, 250-pound Titus and his chiseled 120-pound wife are both charged in arrest warrants with murder and third-degree arson, according to police. The victim, apparently, was a 28 year old woman who lived with the couple. I am sure this is a story sick and juicy enough for the cable news channels; quick somebody alert Nancy Grace! *Thank you to everyone who pointed out my earlier error. The Mr. Olympia title was never won by Titus December 22, 2005 at 06:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (43) Geroge Clooney's Rambling Still on Track? I got a call last night from a spokesperson for Las Ramblas, the $3 billion proposed hotel/condo/casino development backed by among others actor George Clooney. She called to deny a report on the Buffet that the project is in trouble and will be either canceled or put on hold. "The project is moving forward and there is NO truth to the rumours suggesting otherwise," she said. Though at this time she said she was unable to elaborate further. Still, according to her, everyone at Las Ramblas is dumbfounded where the rumour is coming from. We will see. (photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty) December 22, 2005 at 06:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) The Figure in the Rug Recently, I toured South Coast (the new property in the Coast/Boyd empire), a $600 million casino resort opening on Las Vegas Boulevard some miles south of Mandalay Bay on December 22. Providing the tour was veteran Coast marketing director, Tom Mikovits, and I used the opportunity to ask him something I have always wondered about. Why do casino floors have such loud and busy carpets? The prevailing theory I have always heard has the flavor of an urban myth: the ugly carpet is to make customers look up from it in order to keep their eyes focused on the slot machines. But Mikovits offered a more logical and obvious answer: foot traffic. "The primary consideration in making the carpets look as they do at casinos is because of the heavy foot traffic. There are about 20,000 people giving foot traffic to a carpet each day and we try to make it so it has a longer life." Even so, according to Mikovits, casino rugs tend to be replaced every couple months because of the wear. December 21, 2005 at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Elton John Gets Hitched Congratulations to local headliner Elton John and his partner David Furnish who were united in a civil ceremony in Windsor today! Despite Las Vegas' a reputation as a place where anything goes, Nevada has been extraordinarily conservative on this issue with voters here being among the first to feel the need to "defend" marriage. It is a pity because imagine how much revenue could be generated by the wedding chapels and other businesses in town if we could just be a little less bigoted? Consider: Didn't Nikki Hilton's and Britney Spears' recent and brief Vegas marriages mock the institution more than the love between John and his partner? Done preaching. December 21, 2005 at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) Victory for Cabbies As predicted on the Buffet yesterday the county has decided to repeal the rule preventing taxi cabs from getting kickbacks for delivering customers to topless bars based on the fact that it would be too hard and expensive to enforce. In fact, according to the Review-journal, taxi drivers are getting bribes from other businesses as well: "attorneys offered free traffic representation to cabdrivers, restaurants offered free coffee, clubs offered free admission and massage parlors promised cash for customers." (Caveat: I support the free coffee; no one should be falling asleep behind the wheel and I am notorious for my own Diet Pepsi consumption.) So, the County has decided to abandon this area of enforcement altogether and leave it to taxis and businesses to sort out how much additional bribe a taxi driver deserves for delivering a customer who has already paid the taxi a full fare for the trip. Apparently, the clubs owners are already crumbling on a deal to present a united front to stop paying these kickbacks to cabbies - our own OPEC announcing a short-lived production quota. So, what does this mean for customers wanting to take a taxi ride to a topless bar or anywhere else? Don't ask your driver for advice; do your research and know where you want to go; insist on being taken there. And, always remember there is no such thing as free advice or tips in Las Vegas even if it does not cost you anything. Think of talking to humans here (at least, in their work capacity) like seeing an advertisement. Most locals you contact for "impartial" advice on restaurants, production shows, nightclubs or topless bars including concierges, bell desk employees, valets and, of course, taxi drivers generally have been recruited to market answers to all of these questions to you. (photo by Wendell Donahoo/HBO) December 21, 2005 at 07:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Lou Rawls Fighting Cancer I am very saddened by the news that longtime Las Vegas headliner, singer Lou Rawls is suffering from lung cancer. When the Blue Note jazz club (currently the location of Krave) opened in 2000 at Desert Passage the mall at the Aladdin, Lou Rawls co-headlined with Nancy Wilson. Rawls will forever be known for his hit "Natural Man" and for his giant Philly soul hits like "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" and "Groovy People" But after his performance at the Blue Note he talked to me about his early years working in groups with childhood friend Sam Cooke. It is Rawls who offers the commanding background voice on the Cooke classic "Bring It On Home to Me." I wish him well in this difficult time. I highly recommend the 2 disc set Anthology (Capitol 2000) for those who have yet to fully enjoy the range of Rawls' talents. (photo by Rose Prouser/Reuters) December 20, 2005 at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Elected officials Plan to Take Stand between Taxis and Topless Bars The strip club Vs. taxi cab controversy is heating up again with the Clark County Commission set to review an ordinance today banning topless bars from paying per head bounties to taxi cabs for delivering customers (who, of course, have already paid the taxi driver to be taken to the club). The problem is that limos are not included by the regulations, and, as a result, there is no enforcement of the ordinance. Commissioners can amend the rules to include limos but it seems more likely that they will suspend the regulation altogether and leave the clubs and taxi drivers to work it out amongst themselves. If this happens it will be disgraceful. In the Review-Journal today, Clark County Commissioner, Tom Collins (using the sort of logic that gave Vegas politics its wholesome reputation) says, of these kickbacks: " It's the American way, It's the Nevada way, anyway." Continue reading "Elected officials Plan to Take Stand between Taxis and Topless Bars " » December 20, 2005 at 07:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) Seamless Opens and Impresses Jaded is a word I hate especially since it is often used to describe me by readers anytime I don't like something. As I have been fortunate enough to see so many wonders in Las Vegas, it does take quite a bit to amaze me especially when it comes to nightclubs. But I swear I am not yet jaded and just want to let you know as honestly as I can what is and is not worth your precious vacation time and dollar in Las Vegas. And, on Saturday I was amazed by Seamless. Continue reading "Seamless Opens and Impresses" » December 19, 2005 at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Condo Crazy Las Vegas: George Clooney and Ivana Trump and Me Since leaving the parental nest I have always lived in apartments. I am not fussy as long I've got my books, my music, my cats and a door to get out. So, before I moved here in 1999, I rented the first apartment I found on the Internet and I am still living there now. Few understand why I stay here as my apartment was built in the 80's (ancient by Vegas standards) and has construction problems that are apparent even to me (light switches that are wired backwards, a roof that doesn't keep the rain out, and is so porous that during the summer the air conditioner running full time can't get my two bedroom apartment lower than 85 degrees and, most disturbingly, odd dark stains on the ceiling that each year seem to mysteriously grow). And, yet, I have never really thought of moving. But last week in the mail I got a notice that even my cruddy apartment complex is hoping to go condo and if I am not interested in purchasing all this luxury I will be required to move next year. Yes, Las Vegas has gone condo crazy. In the last 18 months 70 condo towers have been announced. And, now that boom is predictably going bust. The Las Vegas Sun has an article , "LV Condos Toppling Before They Rise," about the condominiums that have failed so far (including Ivana Trump's planned high rise, Ivana Las Vegas). They quote one developer: "It's the combination of rising construction costs, rising land prices and the fact that the mid- and high-rise condo market (in Las Vegas) is still in its infancy," said John Restrepo, principal of Restrepo Consulting Group. He said the fever to build a condo tower in Las Vegas was equivalent to a gold rush. But getting a condo project off the ground is tougher than drawing up a rendering and having a slick marketing campaign. "There's a certain segment that are more promoters than developers, more snake-oil salesmen," Restrepo said. Continue reading "Condo Crazy Las Vegas: George Clooney and Ivana Trump and Me" » December 16, 2005 at 04:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) Got Monorail, anyone want it? The Las Vegas Monorail has been plagued with system failures, lower than expected ridership and competition from the Strip's cheaper "The Deuce" busses not to mention taxis and limos. So, what is the solution to not enough customers? Charge the ones you have more! That's right, according to the Review-Journal, the latest attempt by the Las Vegas monorail to reach its revenue goals is to raise the base fare from $3 to $5 for tourists . Locals, who have little need for the four mile monorail that runs parallel to the Strip from the MGM to the Sahara, can get a cheaper $1 per trip ticket. But that won't be easy since locals won't actually be allowed to buy the $1 pass at any of the monorail stations, rather we must travel to Citizens Area Transit bus stations to get monorail tickets. Tentative plans to expand the monorail to downtown were long ago abandoned (excuse me, indefinitely postponed). And, with the monorail requiring $650 million in 2006 to meet operating costs and debt payments it is looking like this may well wind up being one of the biggest fiascos in Las Vegas history. (photo by PRN) December 15, 2005 at 07:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Restricting Payday Loan Companies I always thought it was the pawn shops that desperate degenerate gamblers gave it all away to so they could get back into the game. But it isn't just the family jewels and heirlooms that can be piddled away since, thanks to payday loan stores, future income can be lost at extravagant interest rates, too. The Las Vegas Valley has been struggling with what to do about these parasite businesses that have exploded in number in recent years. The Sun has a nice round-up of what the various governing authorities are trying. In North Las Vegas there is a six month moratorium on opening more of these businesses (while new regulations are developed). My suburb of Henderson is trying to zone them into the more obscure and out of the way spots; this is also the approach being taken by the city of Las Vegas and Clark County. Obviously, these businesses are being used and have customers and outlawing them would only lead to the old knee cap busting loan sharks getting the business. Still, these are businesses that deserve plenty of regulation to protect consumers, and it looks like that is starting to happen. December 15, 2005 at 07:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) The Mirage Finally Gets More Than a Volcano Last night I went to a sneak preview of Jet the new nightclub at the Mirage. Also, to open this month at the Mirage is a new restaurant Stack. Both are being run by The Light Group who did this before by creating first Light nightclub(which has been a rare long term success in a fickle business) at the Bellagio and, more recently, Fix, a very hot restaurant, also at Bellagio. So, not surprising is that Jet has similar design elements to Light including a rectangular main room, plenty of tables for VIP bottle service and an all around sense of high-end LA nightlife aesthetics: no camp, no cheese, no tackiness. The large club also has smaller more intimate rooms that feature rock and house music as alternatives to the hip-hop and dance music of the main room. Both Light and Stack are the fruit of a two year struggle to help bring the Mirage back after the Siegfried & Roy show closed in October, 2003 when Roy was infamously attacked by one of his tigers on stage. Obviously, that tragedy captured the world's attention and almost immediately resulted in the 267 employees of the show being out of work. But Siegfried & Roy were not just any performers; it is safe to say that no casino in Vegas has ever been so entirely branded by their headliners as the Mirage was by S&R. After over 5,000 sold out performances spanning more than a decade attracting millions of customers to the casino: from the rooms to the restaurants to the souvenir shops the Mirage was also devastated. But the Mirage is finally coming back in a big way both with Jet and Stack as well as a planned Cirque show built around the Beatles opening next year. (photo by Sarah Gerke) December 15, 2005 at 06:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) More on PBS Vegas Documentary I am nervous writing this, more nervous than I've been about any other entry I have posted on the Movable Buffet. But after a few conversations with friends in Vegas I feel it is necessary. I am not holding back criticizing the Greenspun Family Foundation for helping fund the PBS documentary on Vegas; on the contrary, I am reluctant to defend them on the grounds of hating the idea of looking like I am kissing the bosses collective asses. But this is my honest view: Hank Greeenspun arrived here in the 1940s and played a major roll in media, politics and land development in Las Vegas. Las Vegas would not be the same without him. His lifetime competitor (Greenspun ran The Las Vegas Sun), The Las Vegas Review Journal named him one of the 100 people who had a major impact on the history of Las Vegas . In many ways the Greenspun family story is entwined with the story of Las Vegas, and Hank's sons (Danny and Brian) who currently run the family's business empire have seen this little town become a major city in their lifetime. This was the vision of their father and it was a vision that many laughed at him for having. I take for granted the centrality of Vegas to American and, indeed, world culture. But I did not grow up here. I do not remember Las Vegas as a fading 80s relic of a brief 60s heyday. That a series as prestigious as "The American Experience" on PBS wanted to focus on Vegas would be seen by anyone who grew up here as a huge validation of our importance. And, it makes complete sense to me that the family's non-profit foundation, if approached, would happily contribute to making it happen without expecting to impact the finished product. After all, they support many attempts to preserve Nevada history especially through UNLV (another PBS program sponsor). Now, it is a separate question if the money should have been solicited from them and from the LVCVA (who are charged with promoting tourism). But that is a PBS and the documentary makers' moral quandary and not the ethical failings of anyone in Las Vegas. December 14, 2005 at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) Jerry Garcia Footwear An advertisement complete with a photo of the beaming bearded guitarist announces in today's Las Vegas Review-Journal that J. Garcia Special Edition Collection of Birkenstock sandals are now available in limited quantities for sale at a store at Sunset Station Casino. (photo by KRISTY MCDONALD/AP) December 14, 2005 at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) The Kindness of Entertainers One of the things the big headliners and the showkids on the Strip do best is rally around one of their own. Recently, I blogged about a benefit being held for Sonny King to help with his medical bills. In 2004 then it was no surprise that local performers came together to raise money for Christina Anderson, a former cast member of "The Rat Pack is Back" (a show once at the Desert Inn and then the Sahara), to help her with bills after it was announced she was suffering from cervical cancer. One benefit at Boulder Station alone raised $6000. It turns out Anderson did not have cancer and yesterday, Anderson pleaded guilty to charges related to the deception agreeing to pay back $44, 830 she received from her victims . This is a very sad story yet I am sure it will not make any entertainer here cynical about volunteering time and money for a good cause in the future as that practice is too thoroughly ingrained into the local culture. December 14, 2005 at 09:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Vegas on PBS Sponsored by Vegas On the November 15 Buffet I wrote about a small controversy involving the unconventional funding of the PBS documentary "Las Vegas: an Unconventional History" that aired that month as part of the acclaimed "American Experience" series. At the time, it had been reported that seed money for the project had been provided by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. PBS ombudsman Michael Getler has now weighed in with "Las Vegas: Did PBS Load The Dice." In it, he points out other funds for the show came from UNLV and the Greenspun Family Foundation (full disclosure: the Greenspun family owns Las Vegas Weekly where I work full time). Getler complains that the Las Vegas entities paid for half the program and there was no way for viewers to suspect that was the case. Though in general Gelter does not detect that the financing had a discernable impact on the film, he also quotes former Las Vegas writer Doug Elfman (more full disclosure: a friend of mine, Elfman now works for The Chicago Sun-Times ) complaining that the documentary had a booster quality to it. As I said about this in November, that while PBS is a special case, let the viewer beware when watching any reality show or documentary shot in Las Vegas. There is no city on the planet (well maybe Pyongyang but they get to use other methods for media control, ones even casinos dare not dream of) better at controlling its image and how it is presented than Las Vegas. As I said back then: People should regard most television coverage of Las Vegas with a grain of salt particularly on the cable channels that rely heavily on the casinos for access and promotional footage. Requests to film in casinos generally get granted only under heavily controlled conditions. Sponsorship is just another tool. A few months ago a documentary producer for a major cable channel told me that he was making Vegas specials because ten hours of sponsorship had been secured for Vegas coverage and after the fact the shows were being created to go with it. And this is true even on PBS. December 14, 2005 at 07:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) Christmas in Las Vegas Christmas in Vegas is traditionally a very slow time. But few traditions are static here. Yesterday, I spoke to John Piet, Senior Research Analyst at The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, who is predicting that this year there will be 275,000 visitors here over Christmas with the resort hotels that weekend enjoying a 90% city wide occupancy (granted a bit off from a typical weekend where 95% is average). Today as further confirmation of the increasing popularity of Christmas in Vegas, AAA put out a press release on holiday travel that lists Las Vegas as the second (Orlando being first) most popular travel destination during the last two weeks of December. Of course, New Year's weekend certainly helps us with AAA. But anyone have any guesses about why Las Vegas has suddenly become so popular at Christmas? By comparison, just last year, according to Piet, almost 20% of the rooms on the Strip went unused during Christmas and since then Wynn has opened adding 2,700 more rooms. December 13, 2005 at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) What me Worry? Le Reve's Creator Happy Jerry Fink has a rare interview with former Cirque mastermind Franco Dragone. Since leaving Cirque, Dragone has created both Celine Dion's "A New Day" and Le Reve. In the too brief interview, Dragone simply denies the general perception that there are any problems with attendance at Le Reve at Wynn: "Our attendance is growing all the time." I wish Fink would have pushed Dragone harder on this point instead of lapping it up. I also wish he would have gotten him to talk a bit about Dion's show which originally billed as an almost equal collaboration between Dragone and the diva. But nowadays the marketing and discussion and reviews of the show seem to focus on Celine alone. Anyway, as I mentioned before on the Buffet , Le Reve has certainly improved since opening, but Dragone is far too coy when he claims here that he isn't worried about empty seats because the theatre has so many of them. I am quite certain that Steve Wynn never intended to build extra seats for the aesthetic thrill of seeing them remain empty: Wynn collects Picasso and not Duchamp. (photo by Lawrence K. Ho/LAT) December 13, 2005 at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Hair By Lenny Kravitz Coming to the Strip The local restaurant industry e-mail newsletter, Eye on Vegas, published by Michael Politz of Las Vegas Food and Beverage Magazine is reporting a rumor that MGM is negotiating a deal to have rock star Lenny Kravitz open a hair salon in the Mirage casino. They write: One reason for Kravitz' venture, his early childhood dream of being a hairdresser. This is so odd that despite common sense arguing strongly against it, I really want it to be true. (photo by MIKE BLAKE/Reuters) December 13, 2005 at 09:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Lady Luck Closing for Renovations Downtown is one of the touchiest subjects in Las Vegas. When I moved here in 1999 almost no one I met lived there or even went there unless they were called for jury duty or got a traffic ticket. One of the commonplaces about Las Vegas that few outsiders fully grasp is that the Las Vegas Strip is not in Las Vegas where the city limit is at Sahara Avenue. Everything South of Sahara falls into Clark County (and, more specifically Paradise Township, created to fend off the Strip's annexation by Las Vegas decades ago). This confusion can have serious moments such as when Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman in 2004 made headlines complaining that the FBI did not give him information about video captured from terrorism suspects in 2002 that showed Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Luxor and Excalibur . They Mayor did not mention that his city does not include any of those properties and blurred and buried amidst the controversy was that the FBI had informed the proper Clark Country authorities . Continue reading "Lady Luck Closing for Renovations" » December 13, 2005 at 06:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Wayne Newton and Local 369 In Sunday's print version of The Movable Buffet I talked about the State of the Wayner and only had space to touch briefly on his current dispute with union musicians. For those interested I wrote a more detailed look at the Local 369's walkout on Wayne Newton show for Las Vegas Weekly . In that article Newton and the president of Local 369 both pinpoint the importance of a 1989 strike by the union that was dealt a fatal blow after two weeks when Newton, at the time perhaps the biggest star in Las Vegas, crossed the picket line. As a result of that strike casinos began moving shows to taped music and also casino orchestras went out of fashion. Nowadays, casinos pay a headliner with a lump sum and the headliner must pay their own musicians. So, in this case, the union is in the awkward position of having a problem with Wayne Newton but not with The Flamingo where he is performing since it is a Harrah's property and that company is on good terms with all of the local unions. (photo by Christine Cotter/LAT) December 12, 2005 at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) Elton John's Red Piano on the Small Screen Tonight at 8 PM on NBC stations you can see highlights of a performance of Elton John's The Red Piano recorded live at the The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The Red Piano is the most expensive ticket in Las Vegas. Certainly, the television version will be no substitute for the real thing. But I love Elton John's show and regret only its cost and brevity (The Red Piano is a mere 90 minutes that barely scratches John's career). Still, this is a good way to taste the experience for free, and decide if it is worth spending $250 for a ticket. (photo by MICHAEL CAULFIELD/PRN) December 12, 2005 at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Francois Paolini's We All Live in Vegas One thing you don't often do in a casino is go to a book signing. In fact, there is only one bookstore on the Strip: The Reading Room at Mandalay Bay. Its unique existence is likely the result of a quirk in that a former Mandalay Bay executive was a graduate of the famous Iowa Writers Workshop (whose alumni include Flannery O' Connor, John Irving, Raymond Carver and T. C. Boyle). The Reading Room is located right near The House of Blues in the casino. The store is a total joy in its wonderful oddity. True story: One day while waiting for doors to open for a Seether concert I was writing about at HOB I headed over to The Reading Room hoping to show a friend an Osip Mandelstam poem I had told her about earlier in the day and, yes, in the casino on the Las Vegas Strip, we discovered a translation of the work of that great Russian poet. On Saturday afternoon I returned to the Reading Room for a signing by French photojournalist Francois Paolini. We All Live in Vegas features 320 of Paolini's photos many artfully arranged into collages that offer juxtapositions that really capture the energy of the town. One of my favorites merges the frontage of Circus Circus with the ceiling of the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton. I asked Paolini what his favorite casino was to photograph: "The MGM. I've stayed at the MGM Grand many times. And, the more I stay at the MGM the more I love it. But I know it is not the most beautiful of the resorts. Here (Mandalay Bay) is better than the MGM, of course, and Bellagio and Four Seasons. But I feel better in MGM. I don't know why. It is an interesting place. When night falls on MGM, its color, its special green is completely strange. I don't know how they make this green. It is green from a dream. I also like to get pictures of the street from the rooms at the MGM." I had to ask Paolini where he got his jacket. "Las Vegas," he said with a huge smile (photo by Sarah Gerke) December 12, 2005 at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) The Man who Knows Vegas' Secrets I don't remember when I first met Ira David Sternberg. But one of the first times was the day he introduced me to Frank Sinatra Jr. To describe what a fan of Frank Sinatra I am would require an essay of such length and fanaticism that it would fall for most of you under tl;dr (that's Internet slang for too long;didn't read, O Tempora O Mores! ). So, meeting his son in a penthouse suite at MGM Grand to discuss his father's music was an incredible thrill. I remember Frank Jr. mostly looking out his suite's huge windows with binoculars at arrivals and departures from the airport noting everything about the planes he saw, and I mean everything: from the make and model to the luggage capacity. He was so fascinated by the airplanes that even getting him to answer questions proved difficult. Anyway, though his voice is eerily similar to his father in personality (and, of course, take the huge grain of salt that Sinatra's personality I know only from books about him and interviews I've done with those who knew him)the two could not be more different. If his father was famed for being explosive and emotional, his son seems more--- for lack of a better word--- an intellectual, a person who seriously considers the art of music having spent years under the tutelage of folks like Nelson Riddle. Anyway, the thing I remember most about interviewing Frank Sinatra Jr. was his enthusiastic recommendation that I NEEDED to read books by the singing comedian Allan Sherman. Of course, this item isn't about Sinatra, I was supposed to be telling you about his publicist that day: Ira David Sternberg. Continue reading "The Man who Knows Vegas' Secrets " » December 12, 2005 at 07:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Few New Year's Eve Concerts It will be slim pickings this New Year's Eve. Matchbox 20 (at the Hard Rock) and Goo Goo Dolls (at House of Blues) with the big show being Kanye West at the Aladdin. It looks like among the major venues in town who will have nothing going on December 31: Hilton Theatre, The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, MGM Grand Garden Arena and The Mandalay Bay Events Center. December 31 is a Saturday night and so I am a bit surprised or maybe that is the issue (people might need more attractions to come here for a New Year's Eve that fell on a Tuesday). But it seems that New Year's Eve in Las Vegas--at least if it lands on a weekend---has become enough of a draw that casinos no longer feel the need to book a big name. December 09, 2005 at 07:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Of Topless Bars and Taxicabs The war between taxi drivers and topless bars has escalated. Apparently, according to Jeff German's column, at a meeting on Monday, management of all the major strip clubs agreed to form a united front to end the practice of paying kickbacks to taxi drivers. When I arrived here in 1999 the bounty paid by clubs was around $20 a head for each customer in a taxi. Since then that number has been hitting $70 thanks to the competition between the many high end new clubs that have opened like Treasures, Scores and Sapphire. I hate to side with rich club owners over the taxi drivers. But the arrogance of the taxi drivers is amazing. Greg Bambic, a Vegas taxi driver, is quoted in German's column saying: I just don't see how the clubs can be successful without the cabdrivers and the limousine drivers. We bring them 85% of their business. They can't get along without us. This is outrageous since the taxi drivers are already being paid by their customers and there is no reason the drivers should be collecting extra money from the club. This practice is technically not allowed by County regulations. But the County regulations are simply not enforced and, even if they were, don't apply to limousine drivers, only taxis. Tourists are the ones getting shafted in the end with higher covers and more expensive drinks. I have suggested before that the best way you can fight back is to demand that a driver let you out across the street from your strip club of choice. Or, if you allow the driver to take you to the club, make sure the driver agrees to forgive the meter as your ride is being paid for already by the strip club. (photo by Wendell Donahoo/HBO) December 09, 2005 at 07:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) Wynn resturant Wins Coveted Rating Alex at Wynn has been given a AAA Five Diamond restaurant rating. It is one of only three restaurants in Las Vegas to be so judged the others (Le Cirque and Picasso) are both in the Bellagio. Chef Alex Stratta had previously been responsible for the Five Diamond restaurant Renoir (formerly in The Mirage). (photo by Mark Boster/LAT) December 08, 2005 at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Alert the Press: Fleiss Arrives in Nevada The Review-Journal contains an interview with Heidi Fleiss where the reporter, Henry Brean, visited her at her rented "modest two-bedroom house" in rural Nevada and watched her unpack and spackle holes in the wall . It is kind-of pathetic to hear her fantasies (endlessly lapped up by the media). She promises 20 studs with 10 in reserve and a flat fee of around $250 an hour. Meanwhile, as portrayed in the article, even her own lawyer can offer nothing more supportive of her chances of getting a licence than: "Fleiss will probably have to answer a lot of questions about her past, but, Schonfeld said, he is confident the board will give her application a fair and unbiased review." And, I thought that was the problem since an unbiased review might well deny her a licence for being a convicted felon whose crimes could clearly be seen as demonstrating "moral turpitude." Yes, there are endless ironies in Heidi Fleiss being too immoral to operate a brothel in Nevada, because she operated a call girl ring in California. But when you get into legal prostitution Commissioners tend to accept some irony and contradiction to protect their turf. For now none of this matters since Fleiss has yet to even turn in her brothel licence application. That might put a bummer on the media campaign that continues with her first hire, James Brandt, 37, who explains in the article that he expects to earn $250 an hour: Some women want to walk hand in hand through the park. Some want you to sing them a song. Some may want me to bite them on the spine. Whatever it is. I will do this. I don't know about the singing and biting, but good luck finding a park in Crystal, Nevada for that romantic walk. December 08, 2005 at 07:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) Update on Planet Hollywood Casino The transformation of the Aladdin into a Planet Hollywood casino has been excruciatingly slow. The Aladdin filed for bankruptcy in 2001, and was purchased by an investment group led by Robert Earl in 2003. Originally, the change was to have happened in 2005, but it has turned out to be tricky to simultaneously run and redesign a casino. With good occupancy, and without the pressure of the debt load of the old ownership, the decision has been to slow the redesign. Today The Sun has an interview with the resort's president, Mike Mecca, offering an update on the change over . He explains: "The process of de-theming the Aladdin has taken a little longer than we expected. But there are all sorts of things happening in January." (photo by Jim Cooper/For LAT) December 07, 2005 at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Rio's Bikinis to go Bowling Bikinis in the Rio has closed. The club which opened in 2002 never really caught on with locals or tourists.The problem with Bikinis is that it was a huge club---large enough to fit a 12 lane bowling alley---during a time when the trend has been toward small lounges. But what to do with a space that large? The solution: a lounge with a twelve lane bowling alley! The press release heralding the "high end bowling lounge" set to open in Fall 2006 promises: "In addition to the state-of-the-art bowling lanes and sound system, the new venue will feature live DJs on the weekend, making for a bowling and entertainment experience unmatched in Las Vegas." I'm laughing, yes, but not for the reason you think. I am laughing because I think this will work. December 07, 2005 at 08:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Ten Questions with a Vegas Publicist The Third in a series of Q and A's with the people of The Strip. Alissa Kelly 28 years old Where are you from? Las Vegas How rare, a lifer. If you weren't here where would you be living? California on a beach, no question. What is your job? Publicist by day and superhero by night. What is a typical day like on your job? Today about 7 AM I started my day at work with lots of phone calls, lots of e-mail, leave for meeting, come back, lots of phone calls, lots of e-mails. Lot's of phone calls while I am driving; that is probably not a good idea, but that is the way it is then ending the evening with an event that will go late into the night. What is your favorite thing to do in Las Vegas? Best thing to do here is shop. We have the best stores in the nation here though my favorite store is Urban Outfitters. Do you have a favorite tourist story? One of my clients, Rainbow Bar & Grill, is new to Vegas but has a long history in LA. When we launched the Vegas location, a woman came in and when she saw the room that is an exact replica of the Rainbow in LA she started crying. It was pretty cool to see someone have such an emotional attachment. Another one: I was at an event waiting for our guests to arrive when a couple walked towards me. The man was old, drunk and hardly understandable when he spoke. The woman was young, blonde, dressed to the hilt in Dior and smoking a cigarette. The man walked into the restaurant and the woman started talking to me for about 20 minutes on how she comes to Vegas each month for a week and stays in a suite, shops, hangs out at the pool, goes to the spa, etc...all on her boyfriends dime. It was such a sugar daddy story that is so typical of Las Vegas. Reminded me of a time when I worked in-house at a casino and we were filming at events, we always had people that could not talk on camera or have their picture taken because their significant other did not know they were in Vegas with someone else. It’s crazy the things people do in Vegas! Do you gamble? Occasionally, I play a nice hand of black jack but I always lose. I think it is the Vegas curse that if you live here you should try to stay away. What do you think would surprise most people to know about living in Las Vegas? I think people tend to ignore that the actual residents of Las Vegas are pretty cool, nice, down to earth people. Tourists who come here and have a bad experience on the Strip often take it out on Vegas. We are still a pretty small town, where everyone knows each other and gets along for the most part. Well, as a lifetime resident you are the perfect person to ask: do you prefer old Vegas or new? New, because I actually think you have to stay up with the times. (photo by Sarah Gerke) December 06, 2005 at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Punk Vegas The New York Post is reporting that CBGB's owner is in negotiations with the Desert Passage Mall at the Aladdin to bring the legendary punk club to Las Vegas. I somehow don't see that happening, but if it does it will be a disaster for the New York institution that birthed The Ramones, Television, Blondie and the Talking Heads. The most obvious spot they are negotiating over would be the space now occupied by Krave which I hear from sources has had an increasingly strained relationship with Desert Passage. Krave is the first club on the Strip to explicitly market itself as gay, and, if it closes or moves, some may see this as a failure on that score. But it won't be. I think Krave is one of the worst locations on the Strip for a club. Amazingly, you can't enter Krave from either the Aladdin or Desert Passage--the entrance is on a side street off the Strip. The space's short history illustrates the problem: It opened as the Blue Note jazz club in 2000, closing in January 2003. For a while, it was a dance club called Ibiza, before Krave assumed the lease in late 2004. People in a position to know tell me that Krave's rent is around $70,000 a month. When I last interviewed Krave's owner, Sia Amiri, back in October he told me that Desert Passage in the past has given Krave an up to 50% discount on rent. But that is still a lot of punk rock tickets to sell, and CBGB's owner would do well to consider the history of this spot very carefully. (photo by ADAM ROUNTREE/AP) December 06, 2005 at 07:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Fleiss and HBO Newsweek has a story by local journalist Steve Friess on Heidi Fleiss and her efforts to open a brothel with male hookers in Nevada. The article goes over the obstacles to Fleiss getting a licence here and adds one important new detail about how she plans to fund her effort: "She's vague about the funding for her $1.5 million sexual fantasyland, but she says she has other investors. And she just landed a six-figure deal with HBO to let a film crew document the brothel's birth." Does it surprise anyone that the only money Fleiss seems to clearly have in hand comes from HBO (who plan to document events created in part thanks to their seed money)? How long until some conservative pundit or group starts screaming that HBO is trying to get into the brothel business? Is that wrong? December 05, 2005 at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) Off the Record On Saturday night I did something I rarely do: socialized with Las Vegas entertainment folks. My ostensible reason for going to Sedona (a hot upscale restaurant in Summerlin) was to see keyboardist Ronnie Foster's band perform. Foster recorded for Blue Note in the 70's and currently is the keyboard player for Clint Holmes, the headliner at Harrah's. After the show on weekends Foster has recently been performing for free at Sedona and I love his playing. Clint, of course, was there as was Delisco who performs at the Hilton. I know Brent, Clint's son, and it was agreed at the outset by all that this was a social occasion with all of the conversation between the two headliners and myself off the record. I had a great time and as always wish I could do things like that more often. But reality quickly sets in. Primarily I don't do "off-the-record evenings" because I hate knowing things that I am not allowed to write about. But another reason is that it is good for the headliners to keep their distance from me, too. Recently, I had a falling out with Jeff Beacher, the promoter of the Madhouse at the Hard Rock, because he felt I used details he meant to be off the record in an item I wrote on the Buffet. I did not. But rather than accuse Beacher of bad faith or lying, looking back I think what happened was that Beacher spent so much time around me that he stopped thinking of me as a reporter. On the other side of the coin, I haven't seen Delisco's show yet and when I do what if I wind up telling you I don't like it? Will Delisco feel betrayed or think that something he said when we met rubbed me the wrong way? Anyway, there is no way to exaggerate how important relationships are to covering Las Vegas. If people aren't comfortable with you around you lose access, quickly, and can't do your job. But distance is just as important. December 05, 2005 at 07:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) The Man who Knows the Best Bargains In Las Vegas The publication that I continue to praise as the best consumer guide to this town, The Las Vegas Advisor newsletter, published its annual guide to room rates concluding in the words of publisher Anthony Curtis: Harrah's, Hilton, Flamingo, Luxor, Palms, Bally's, and Golden Nugget, all for under $60. This level of accommodations costs, at minimum, triple the price anywhere else in the country. The best the city has to offer falls well below the $200 level (the highest quote we found was $240 at Four Seasons)- try finding that in L.A. A former professional gambler, Anthony Curtis is also the owner of the Huntington Press which specializes in gambling books. Curtis was one of the first people I met after moving here. I was lucky, because he is one of the few who truly grasp the complicated statistics and mathematics involved in games of chance and, far more important, can explain it in comprehensible English to a man who doesn't even know how to play poker. Continue reading "The Man who Knows the Best Bargains In Las Vegas" » December 02, 2005 at 07:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) More Heat for Heidi Fleiss' Pipe Dream As previously reported by the Buffet , Heidi Fleiss no longer has a business partner, she doesn't have a licence to operate a brothel and she, of course, doesn't have a brothel. All Heidi Fleiss has is 60 acres (in rural Nevada) and now , of course, an HBO film crew . Zap2it reports: HBO, the network of "Cathouse: The Series," will take another look at the legalized-prostitution business in Nevada, this time with notorious "Hollywood madam" Heidi Fleiss. The premium-cable network says it's reached an agreement with Fleiss to chronicle her efforts to open a bordello for women in Nevada in a documentary. The film will follow Fleiss as she builds a structure near the town of Pahrump, east of Las Vegas, hires men to staff the business and faces whatever other hurdles might pop up in front of her. (Zap2it's geography is a bit off, Pahrump is west of Las Vegas.) (photo by Joe Castro/EPA) December 02, 2005 at 07:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) Le Reve at Wynn: my reve for its future Last night I saw "Le Reve" at Wynn followed by a release party for the soundtrack. I loathed the production the first time I saw it but I liked the music enough to regret that it was a stinky show. Mostly people complained it was dark, but my problem was with its incoherent confusion, almost perfectly described by its official subtitle "A Small Collection of Imperfect Dreams." I say, almost, because "small" might suggest it is brief and "Le Reve" is a long, long 90 minutes. Anyway, much has changed. Continue reading "Le Reve at Wynn: my reve for its future" » December 01, 2005 at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) Ten Questions for the Dance Captain The second in a series of Q and A's with the people of The Strip. Meet Jeffery Debarathy, 25. Where are you from? Butte, Montana Why did you come to live in Vegas? In 2001 I got hired for a show at Mandalay Bay called "Storm." What is your job? I am the dance captain and the lead understudy of the "Fasionistas." What is a typical day like on your job? I am night owl; so I go out and have fun. I get up and have lunch. If I have rehearsals I go, but if not I just lounge around. If I have a show to re-block I re-block it. Otherwise, call time is at 8:30 and then do the show at 9:30. What is your favorite thing to do in Las Vegas? Going out to the different nightspots and just hang out with friends. I like Rainbow Bar and Grill, Foundation Room (Mandalay Bay) and Body English (Hard Rock). Do you have a favorite tourist story? My sister is from Montana and when she had a birthday she brought a bunch of her girlfriends here. I took them to Rain (Palms) because they saw it on MTV. I got them a table and bought them a bottle. And, they were just so amazed, because they were at where all the "Real World" people worked. It was enjoyable to me to give her that for her birthday. Do you gamble? No. What do you think would surprise most people to know about living in Las Vegas? Our show, "Fashionistas," because it is different, in your face and underground. Do you have a favorite Vegas moment? Yes, my first gig here was "Diva's Las Vegas" at MGM, because it was my first TV gig (a VH1 television special) and I got to work with Shakira and Dixie Chicks. Do you prefer old Vegas or new? New Vegas. I like all the new spots coming up and their is new condos, new living and new people coming. 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Curly Hair

Curly-hair tarantula - Brachypelma albopilosa: More Information - ARKive Search Homepage > Species > Global > Invertebrates - terrestrial and freshwater > Curly-hair tarantula > More Information Curly-hair tarantula (Brachypelma albopilosa) Previously known as: Euathlus albopilosa Facts Status Description Range Habitat Biology Threats Conservation © Michael Leach / OSF / Photolibrary.com back to top Facts Kingdom Animalia Phylum Arthropoda Class Arachnida Order Araneae Family Theraphosidae Genus Brachypelma (1) Size Leg span: 14.5 cm (2) back to top Status The curly-hair tarantula is listed on Appendix II of CITES (1) . back to top Description With exceedingly hairy back legs, the curly-hair tarantula has a very fuzzy appearance (3) . The body is plump and covered with dark brown to black hair. It has a golden-bronze sheen due to longer gold hairs that cover the whole body, and these are particularly dense on the hind legs (4) . Males are often a lighter bronze colour than females (2) . back to top Range This tarantula is found in the central tropical regions of northern Costa Rica, Honduras, and possibly Nicaragua and Guatemala (1) (2) . back to top Habitat A burrowing species, the curly-hair tarantula is found on the tropical rainforest floor around the base of large trees, near rivers (2) (3) . back to top Biology Male curly-hair tarantulas are ready to mate at around 18 months of age, whereas females do not mature until three years of age (3) . Unreceptive females are likely to be aggressive towards approaching males, and may kill and eat them. Once receptive, a female will allow a male into her burrow to mate, resulting in the laying of an egg sack eight weeks later. This is incubated for seven or eight weeks at 24 – 27 ºC, after which the pale-coloured young emerge and cluster together. The spiderlings grow quickly, and moult by the fourth day, by which time they are independent and able to disperse and feed alone (2) . A nocturnal , opportunistic ambusher, the curly-hair tarantula attacks insects and small vertebrates. An area on the end of each leg is sensitive to smell, taste and vibration, and is used to detect prey. The tarantula holds its prey with its pedipalps (front limbs) and injects it with venom delivered via two hollow fangs. This venom has a double purpose, paralysing the prey, as well as beginning digestion. Once the venom has acted the tarantula is able to suck out the proteins and fats of its prey, leaving just a hollow skin or body case (2) . back to top Threats Once captured in large numbers for the international pet trade, the curly-haired tarantula is now bred in captivity worldwide and relatively few are caught in the wild (2) . back to top Conservation Listed on CITES Appendix II, the curly-hair tarantula can now only be traded internationally according to quotas and with trade permits (3) . Authentication This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.uk back to top Glossary Nocturnal: Active at night. back to top References IUCN Red List (April, 2005) http://www.redlist.org Baxter, R.N. (1993) Keeping and Breeding Tarantulas . Chudleigh Publishing, Ilford, Essex. Exo Pets (April, 2005) http://www.exopets.com/Brachalbop.htm Eight – A site about tarantulas (April, 2005) http://www.eightlegs.org/ back to overview click for more images more information Email to a friend © Wildscreen 2004 By using this website you agree to the Terms of Use About ARKive | Contact | Newsletter | FAQ | Links Donate to ARKive