Popular Votes, Electoral College Votes, Convention Schedule, Do Dems have a chance to win?

A somewhat random thought blog
from Xtine on the Nevada Political scene

Popular Vote, Electoral Vote, Convention information



In the upcoming weeks Colorado and Minnesota will host
the Democratic Convention and the Republican Convention.


The Democratic convention will be held Monday, August 25th through Thursday, August 28th, 2008 in Denver,Colorado.

The Republican Convention will be held from September 1st through September 5th Minneapolis,Minnesota.


According to the Democratic conventions web site,
there will be media coverage from 130 countries at the Democratic Convention.
They expect 75,000 attendees.
The Republican convention expects 45,000 attendees.

just a "factoid" I found humorous:

# of friends McCain has on MySpace: 63,552 (as of 8-18-08)

# of friends Obama has on MySpace: 451,966 (as of 8-18-08)

Even with Michigan and Florida's delegates being given only half their 'weight' in delegate voting rights,
there will be 4,235 democrat votes cast at their convention.

there will be 15,000 members of the press, over 5,000 delegates and staff, and 50,000 guests at the convention on Thurs.
a total of 75,000 in Invesco Field aka Mile High arena.

21,000 volunteers


live streaming on both the rep. and dems web sites:

Dem Con.

and

GOP Con.

Obama has recently passed the 2 millionth individual donor milestone.

McCain gets money from lobbyists.
(like Oil companies which have declared/ admitted to record profits)


Obama is earning more donations from our troops.


According to

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Obama has 275 committed electoral votes
and
McCain has 250 electoral votes

there are 13 ties.
total of 538 electoral votes.

they say it's not the popular vote but the electoral votes that count.
or so the Supreme Courts of the USA upheld in the 2000 year elections when
Al Gore won the popular vote but
President Bush won the electoral votes.


In 2008 Republicans have 23 seats up for stake, Democrats have 12 seats up.

2008's swing states:


Virgina is a truly tied state and has 13 electoral votes.

Mt has 3 E.V's (electoral votes)
N.D 3
S.D 3
Co 9
IN 11
OH 20
VA 13
NC 15
FL 27
Del 3
New Hamp 4
and
NV 5


*one more? I see on the web site "Electoral Vote.com" that there are 13 ties. Perhaps
I've overlooked a state.
Like I said, some of this blog post is random thoughts.:)

officially it will take 270 electoral votes

to win the pres.

the popular vote stands 45% for Obama and
42% for McCain, according to the latest polls.

there are a total of


538 electoral votes.

Who and What are electoral votes?

your Representatives(the House that is) and SENATORS (plus three for Wash. D.C)

100 Senators, 435 Representatives (+3 for Wash. D.c)




Why are some states "swing" states?
Because of the senatorial and house of representative jobs up for grabs in those states with the most "undecided" voters.


Which states have the most electoral votes?
55 CAl., 31 NY, 21 PA, 34 TX, 27 FL, 17 MI, 15 GA, 21 IL. (in somewhat random order)
Co 9, 10 MN (the convention states)
and
10 AZ, 11 WA (Sen. McCain's state and the "high tech" state)

Why do they say that NV might help elect the next pres?

Because even with only 5 electoral votes(2 Senators plus three Representatives from the House) they might very well be democratic votes
because there are two Democrats (Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, Dist. 1 and Senator Reid, D), plus Dina Titus,D, is running for Dist. 3 and Jill Derby,D, is running for Dist. 2.
If there is a 'clean sweep' with the seats in Nev's house being Democrats
and you pair that with the Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and Congresswoman/ Representative Berkley and viola! (4 of 5 Ev's or Electoral Votes go for Barack Obama)

Nevada counts for something more than it has since it was "Battle Born."


That is why the popular vote is so important!
Your votes in your states elections help
determine how the electoral votes go.

Get out there. Get-Out-The-Vote or GOTV as we volunteers say.


Some tight races in the states:

Virginia former Governor Mark Warner, D, running for Senator will speak at the DNC on Tues. Aug. 26th.

Mr. Warner, who made over $200,000,000 in the cell phone industry is financing his own campaign.

So much for the saying there aren't any self-made successful wealthy democrats!


In Minnesota there is a 'tie" so far (according to the polls) Comedian Al Franken vs. Norm Coleman is a tight race.

I loved reading at least one of Al Franken's books and watched him for years on Saturday Night Live.
People in Minn. elected a wrestler Govenor so why the heck not elect a comedian?


In Mississippi Ronnie Musgrove D, vs. Roger Wicker, R is considered tight so I can't figure out why they
say that Mississippi's not one of the 'swing' states in 2008. Perhaps it's still going to be a strong Republican state?

Cousins Mark and Tom Udall are both running for office this year, but in two different states.
Mark Udall, (D) is running in Colorado and his cousin Tom is running in New Mexico.

They say that New Mexico is truly a 'swing' state from the way it changes from a Republican dominate state to Democratic one.



Guest Speakers at The Democratic National Convention
2008:

MONDAY, August 25

Michelle Obama,House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Craig Robinson.

There will be a tribute to Mass. Sen. Edward Kennedy, who's a huge Obama supporter and is bravely (& sadly)fighting cancer.


TUESDAY, Aug. 26

Mark Warner,who's running for the Senate in VA, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton,will speak on the anniversary of Women's Right to Vote.

Other speakers include Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey and former Transportation Secretary Federico Pena.

WEDNESDAY, August 27

Obama's vice presidential choice will make a speech.

It could be exciting to see the reaction of the media and the public to the Democratic candidate for Vice Pres. persona and plans this year. It might be more important than ever in helping the undecided to decide how they will vote.
In previous elections it's been a time for people to weigh in on their perceived ability to step in the role and if they would have conflicts with the Pres.

THURSDAY, August 28

Barack Obama accepts the nomination.

Remember when Barack Obama gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in
2004?
I cried my eyes out! I remember what he said "Help is on the way."

Senator Obama I believed you and am still waiting.
It's our time now and Thursday, August 28th is the beginning of real "Help on-the-way."


Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter will also speak on Thursday.

Now before you go thinking that this is a 'Rock Concert' or a coronation of
Obama at the convention because there will be 75,000 people in attendance,
please read a bit about 10 special people who were invited as guests.
These people entered a contest to be considered to be guests at the convention.
These people are so fired up about the Campaign for Change and/or fed up with
the way things have gone over the past 8 years, or maybe they're ready for a new beginning, which is what Barack Obama offers.

Here's a glimpse of the type of people who will be in the crowd:


Barb Sackman of Fallon, Montana
Barb is a teacher living in Fallon, Montana, a town of 150. She lives on her family's wheat and cattle farm, and rising fuel prices are making it hard to get by. She hopes Barack's plan for alternative bio-fuels will help the struggling economy in rural Montana. Barb volunteers for her church, sits on a hospital board, and organizes community events in Fallon. Barb says Barack "genuinely cares about the problems of people like me. We appreciate his continued trips to Montana to let us know that we are not forgotten." She will attend the convention with her husband.

Lenny Julius of Emerald Isle, North Carolina
Lenny is a retired naval officer who believes the Iraq War was a serious strategic mistake. He says that in 2000 he looked forward to seeing John McCain, a fellow shipmate, in the Oval Office, having known and served with him in Vietnam -- but no more. "Senator McCain has become a strong supporter of the Bush policies -- policies which have led to disaster both at home and abroad." He was won over by Barack's communication skills, leadership abilities, and intelligence. Lenny is an auto parts manager at AutoZone in Emerald Isle, a heavily Republican town where he says there are many "closet Barack supporters." Lenny remembers staying up late when he was young to watch John F. Kennedy accept the nomination at the last truly open convention in 1960. He will come to the convention this year with his wife.

Anne Rector of Indianapolis, Indiana
Anne is a retired budget analyst for the federal government. She says the first time she saw Barack at the 2004 convention, she thought, "This is Everyman. He is Kansan and he is Kenyan; he is African and he is Anglo-American; he is common sense and he is eloquence; he is dynamic and he is down to earth." Anne is an active volunteer for the campaign, as well as for a local animal protection group. She hosts a weekly local radio program named Art and Review, in which she reads to the blind. Anne strongly believes in the protection of our civil liberties. She will attend with a friend and fellow campaign supporter.

James T. Fondriest of Massillon, Ohio
James, a 22-year-old law student and graduate of Ohio State University, never thought he would vote for anyone other than a Republican. An active Bush-Cheney supporter in 2004, he became disillusioned with his state party and Republicans' handling of Iraq, health care, and education. "Barack Obama has inspired me to believe in politics again and, most importantly, the power of the ordinary citizen," he writes. "Although I still identify as a Republican and still stand for some conservative values, I finally feel like America has found a leader it can look up to and trust." Leading up to the Ohio primary, James made over 500 "Buckeyes for Obama" T-shirts and donated the profits to the campaign. He plans to bring his father with him to the convention.

John Volkmar of Boulder, Colorado
John served in the U.S. Army for 10 years. He says his two tours in Iraq with the 10th Special Forces Group opened his eyes to "the link between our country's lack of an effective energy policy and our flawed foreign policy." John believes changing this relationship is an essential step towards ensuring that our government works for the interest of the American people instead of special interest groups. He is now pursuing an MBA and hopes to work in the alternative energy industry. He is coming to Denver with his wife.

Marsha Shearer of Orlando, Florida
Marsha is a retired elementary school principal. She has phone banked and canvassed for Obama in Florida, and has been a supporter since even before Barack made the decision to run. Marsha believes that both the Iraq War and America's dependence on oil are negatively affecting the health of our economy. She supports Barack because he is not a typical politician. "He represents something above and beyond," she says. "I haven't felt so energized since McCarthy, trying to end the Vietnam War." She will bring her college-age granddaughter to the convention.

Trinace Johnson of Richmond, Virginia
Trinace is a single mother and disabled veteran who served overseas for the Iraq War. She currently works for the U.S. Army as a public affairs specialist. She has voted since the age of 18, but this is the first time she has actively been involved with a political campaign. Trinace is inspired by Senator Obama's message of change and his plans to address all of the issues that she cares deeply about: veterans' support, education, stopping the war, tax breaks for the middle class, gas prices and health care. Trinace became motivated to get involved when her neighborhood ran out of ballots in the primaries, and is determined to ensure access to voting in this election. "I wish I could be there in Denver," she wrote to Backstage with Barack. "I would love to be a part of this historical event. [It's] so long overdue." Trinace will attend the convention with her sister.

Eric Melder of Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Eric is a 59-year-old married father of three sons and a grandparent to seven grandchildren. A retired YMCA director, he has worked at Diakon Wilderness Center for the past 13 years counseling young men with drug, alcohol, and family problems. "The boys call me 'E-rock' and I do all I can to make a difference in their lives," writes Eric. A self-proclaimed "values voter" and evangelical Christian, Eric switched his allegiance from Mike Huckabee to Barack, convinced by Barack's ability to lead and build coalitions. Eric is bringing Anthony, a former student at the Wilderness Center, who overcame immense hardships, including an absent father and a drug-addicted mother, to ultimately become Program Director of the Center. "Barack needs to meet him," Eric says.

Holly Miowak Stebing of Anchorage, Alaska
Holly, a 20-year-old Alaska Native Inupiaq, is spending her summer break from Stanford University at the First Alaskans Organization interviewing native elders about their experiences with segregation. Holly is passionate about improving health care access for Native Americans, and protecting Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from drilling. The 2008 presidential election is Holly's first as a voter. She says: "This was the first campaign I felt I needed to support. I don't have a lot of money, but I donate what I can because I believe in [Barack]." She will attend the convention with her mother who is the first Native American woman to pass the Alaska bar.

Kayla Whitaker of West Fargo, North Dakota
Kayla is a 20-year-old student and evangelical Christian who credits Barack for her new found interest in the political process. "As a Christian, I have seen it repeated that evangelical Christians are 'required' to vote Republican. When I heard Barack's 'Call to Renewal' speech, I was surprised... This is change I can believe in and many other young, evangelical Christians can believe in, too. For the first time in my life, I got hooked on politics." She now plans to register to vote so that she can cast her ballot for Barack in November. Among Kayla's top concerns are health care, teacher pay, and the environment. In an effort to convince her mom to become involved in politics, she is bringing her to Denver.


These people have stories that deserve to be addressed, respected, and they deserve recognition.

You can get involved by voting, or volunteering. Perhaps you have some extra money or something of value that your local Campaign for Change office needs.

You can start by visiting the web site and signing up for email updates:

Barack Obama









source: info. about Democratic Convention schedule:

Writing by Jeff Mason and Andy Sullivan; editing by David Wiessler

http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/08/14/news/OUKWD-UK-USA-POLITICS-DEMOCRATS-CONVENTION.php


Source:

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Source:

Http://www.demconvention.com

Source:

http://www.barackobama.com

Grand Opening Nevada State Headquarters of Barack Obama Campaign For Change

U.S. Senator Harry Reid
Senator Reid's Web site


"Today with our efforts we have registered 600 new voters and by the end of the day we'll have helped to register 1,000 new voters." Senator Harry Reid.


Shelley Berkley's web site

Congresswoman Shelley Berkley


"Belive me after the Democratic National Convention, the opposing party will hit us with every below-the-belt tactic." Congresswoman Berkley






Nevada State Director for Senator Barack Obama's Campaign For Change
(US Presidency Campaign 2008), Terrence Tolbert


"I'm calling myself the Nevada State Director for Change." Terrence Tolbert

Barack Obama's web site







Miss Nevada 2008

"I'm here to support all the Democratic candidates in Nevada." Miss Nevada 2008



I'd like to start this article by helping to spread truth and facts about
many of the controversies that have been spread on the web, in emails, on TV commercials, heard from radio personalities and word-of-mouth about Senator Barack Obama. These rumors and the truth listed below come directly from Barack Obama's web site. The 'mudslinging' has only just begun in this political season. If it's true what Congresswoman Shelley Berkley said today during the grand opening of the Nevada State headquarters of The Barack Obama Campaign for Change, that after the conventions are held, the presidential campaign will get ugly and people need to be prepared with the truth, I'm here blogging the truth in hopes that others will be informed.

With regards to the numerous rumors about Senator Barack Obama, here's the current list:

1)
Rumor:
Barack Obama does not display a flag on his campaign plane

Details about the rumor:
Since Barack Obama renovated his campaign plane in July 2008, there has been a false rumor that the new exterior did not include an American flag on the outside of the plane.

Truth:
Barack Obama’s campaign plane does, in fact, display the American flag on the outside fuselage of the plane.


2)
SMEAR: John McCain is attacking Barack Obama for not visiting wounded troops
John McCain, his spokesmen, and his TV ads have all been politicizing our heroes overseas by making the false claim that Barack Obama snubbed wounded troops by not visiting them on his foreign trip.

Truth:
Barack Obama’s campaign canceled an originally private visit (no media) to wounded troops in Germany to avoid politicizing our soldiers during his campaign-funded trip in Germany.
3)
SMEAR: Barack Obama didn't take time for the troops.
Conservative blogs, referencing an inaccurate email from abroad, have been spreading the rumor that Barack Obama gave troops the cold shoulder on his foreign trip.

Truth:
Barack Obama spent time throughout his foreign trip visiting with and thanking our troops.
4)
SMEAR: Michelle Obama isn't proud of her country.
Michelle Obama's comments about her pride in her country have been taken out of context, again, by both the Tennessee and Washington State Republican parties in paid advertisements attacking Michelle.

Truth:
Michelle Obama loves the United States and the opportunities it has given her. Even Laura Bush has defended her comments – watch the video.
(on Barack Obama's web site)


5)
SMEAR: An email claims that Barack Obama wants to tax your home, IRA, & even your water.
A rapidly spreading email is tricking thousands—if not millions—of Americans with outrageous lies and misrepresentations about Barack Obama's tax policies.

Truth:
The independent group, Factcheck.org, concludes that the smear email about Barack Obama and taxes is “a pack of lies.”

6)
SMEAR: Michelle Obama Says “Whitey” On a Tape
Michelle Obama is a successful attorney, a loving mother, and a respectful person. But Rush Limbaugh and his fellow right-wing attack-dogs have been spreading baseless rumors about a non-existent video tape showing Michelle Obama using a racial epithet.

Truth:
The tape that Rush and others are spreading rumors about doesn't exist.
7)
SMEAR: Barack Obama can't produce his birth certificate
Truth:
Barack Obama was born in America, and his story could only happen here. But some smear-mongers claim he can't produce his birth certificate and that he is not a natural-born citizen.

and furthermore,
Barack Obama has made his birth certificate public and it can be seen here.
Barack Obama
8)
SMEAR: Barack Obama is secretly a Muslim

Truth:
Barack is a committed Christian who was sworn into the Senate on his family bible, but unscrupulous right-wing operatives are repeating the lie that he was raised a Muslim. These assertions are completely false and designed to play into the worst kind of stereotypes.

Truth:
Senator Obama is a committed Christian. He has never been Muslim, and was not raised in that faith.

9)
SMEAR: Obama's Books Contain Racially Incendiary Remarks
Barack believes in racial reconciliation based on our mutual responsibility to ourselves and each other. But a recent email forward quotes alterations, deliberate manipulations, and an outright fabrication of Obama's words on race and religion as fact.

Truth:
Recent viral emails quote Barack Obama's books out of context

10)
SMEAR: Barack Obama Won't Say the Pledge of Allegiance & He Won't Put His Hand Over His Heart
Truth:
Barack Obama's grandfather, a WWII veteran, taught him the Pledge of Allegiance and inspired his strong love of this country. There's even video of Barack honoring the flag, but people who want to tear him down claim he refuses to put his hand over his heart or say the Pledge.

Truth:
Barack Obama loves his flag and his country. Watch a video of Barack leading The Pledge of Allegiance in the United States Senate, with his hand over his heart.

That is ten of the hot rumors and the truth!


For anyone interested in more information about Senator Obama's Campaign for Change
or to register to vote, or volunteer, they can contact their closest (of the ten)campaign office.

They are located here:


Nevada Campaign for Change Offices
State HQ
3376 S. Eastern Ave.
Suite 115
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 466 7988

Central Las Vegas
1210 S. Valley View Rd.
Suite 114
Las Vegas, NV
(702)737-8683


Southeast Las Vegas
3711 E. Sunset Rd.
Suites C-4 through C-6
Las Vegas, NV


North Las Vegas
4060 N. Martin L King Blvd.
Suite 101B
North Las Vegas, NV


Carson City
709 E. Robinson St.
Carson City, NV


Douglas County
1662 Hwy 395
Minden, NV


Elko
445 5th St.
Elko, NV


Pahrump
2050 N Highway 160
Suite 200
Pahrump, NV

Reno
141 E. Pueblo St.
Suite B
Reno, NV

Nevadans can count on statewide Obama support on Nevada's web site
with the Campaign for Change:Nevada.BarackObama.com


People can help man the phone banks, go knocking on doors, put up a voter registration section in their business, make donations of so many types.

The main thing that brought me to become a volunteer and avid supporter of Barack Obama is the friendly invitation and sense of inclusion that the other volunteers gave to me. So I hope to impart this to you the reader of my blog the same thing; individually collectively we can change the world.:)

You can sign up for updates from Barack Obama on your cell phone.
You simply text your state or zip code to: O-B-A-M-A which in numeral form is
62262 and viola! you're in the loop. Rumor has it people who are registered on the text lines will be first to know who's the VP nominee.




For more information about Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, District 1 Nevada,
Please refer to:
Berkley's site


For information on Dina Titus, who is running for Congressional District 3,
please visit:
Dina Titus


To find out more about your local government (in USA),
please visit:
Gov Track.us


For more info. about Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, please visit:
Senator Reid's Web Site

With only a 'simple majority' of Democrats in the Senate and only a slight majority in the House of Representatives in the House since the 2006 elections many politicians have found themselves unable to honor the promises that their campaigns made. The public has given Congress a lower approval rating than of President Bush. Perhaps that is because President Bush has used his right to Veto just about anything that the Democrats have brought to him.

Many democrats belive it's time to make sure that the supporters of democratic platforms need to vote democratic across the board to have a very stong majority in
both the house and the Senate and with the help of a democratic president that many of their ideals can be realized and many US citizens will be helped.

It's nice to see firsthand politicians giving rousing verbal support of other candidates like I witnessed today. Congresswoman Berkley sung the praises of Senator Reid and also made friendly gestures towards the other democratic candidates for congress Dina Titus, who is running for district 3,and Jill Derby, who's running for District 2, in addition to Senator Barack Obama's campaign for Presidency.



For more information about Jill Derby,candidate for District 2, visit her web site:
Jill Derby


If you care about health care, Earned-income-credit, a credit card bill of rights, raising the minimum wage, women's rights to choose,expansion of the family medical leave, portable health care insurance, helping Iraq refugees, restoring the international image of the United States, reforming government (i.e. no Political Action / National Lobby money), and keeping nuclear waste out of Nevada (Yucca Mt.), you'll agree to at least consider to vote for Senator Barack Obama this November.

The last day to register to vote in the presidential election in Nevada
is October 4th,2008.

I learned today that Senator Obama and Senator Reid helped the situation in Darfur, Sudan by awarding the African Union's peacekeeping mission $20,000,000.


"Nevadans may very well be the ones who elect our next president." Congresswoman Shelley Berkley

Nevada for Barack Obama. Wear your Obama shirts proudly and vote Barack Obama in 2008!

Respect, Peace and Light
Xtine on the Nevada political scene

Paul Oakenfold's Perfecto Saturday's in Las Vegas Club Rain in The Palms

(photo from Perfecto Las Vegas)

Clubbing in Las Vegas 2008


By Xtine aka Christine A. Justice



Clubbing in Las Vegas will change Labor Day Weekend 2008.
For at least five years we've been told that a major world-class top ten(or top twenty)
dj/ producer/ label owner will set up shop/ residency/ club promotion in sin city.

Rain at the Palms will have Paul Oakenfold's Perfecto parties beginning Sat. Aug. 30th. Perfecto is the name of the label "Oakey" started. Paul will dj many of the Saturday nights(a reported commitment of at least 26 Sat. nights annually). Rain's management has announced that the Planet Perfecto ® party will host other internationally acclaimed dj's to 'man-the-decks' while he's away.

Once the hottest club in town, Rain has seen the fierce competition of forty new clubs opening during the past few years and the rise of the most powerful force:


Hip Hop fans.



Make no mistake I love me some hip hop. I've been a fan since The Sugar Hill Gang
came out with the 12" 'Rapper's Delite' back in 1980.
I'm aware that Paul Oakenfold was instrumental in signing Salt n Pepa and DJ Jazzy Jeff (& the Fresh Prince aka Will Smith).


I just love E.D.M(Electronic Dance Music) a tiny bit more. Culturally speaking, the dj's who spin EDM and their fans are in love with life, music, humanity, are open minded about most types of music and love to dance.
Their love of music tends to be insatiable. When they follow a dj/ producer they tend to buy their mixers, their remixes of other people's music, their original material, go to hear and see them spin other people's music and become their 'friends on myspace, facebook, etc.'


Hip hop fans, on-the-other-hand know ALL the lyrics to every song and know who's featured in their favorite artists videos and songs(You know how long those "featuring" lists can be)! Hip hop fans buy everything their favorite artists are selling: alcohol, clothing, handbags,their protege's music, their jewelry, they storm their web sites,support their charities, their everything!


For fans of electronic music in Las Vegas people have been forced to go on "off nights" or wait for major holiday weekends and pay at least double of what fans in other cities pay. That is because "Vegas is Vegas". Vegas has smaller venues than in Los Angeles, for example. Vegas has had to cater to the convention and wedding crowd. Bear in-mind that in Las Vegas there are only 2 mill. permanent residents
which get outnumbered by the monthly visitors (average 3 mill. visitors per month). Those visitors come from everywhere. Vegas is tourist by nature. Many tourists want familiarity.


Hip hop comes with plenty of videos and lyrics. Electronic music does not.


That might change after Perfecto with host DJ/ Producer/ Label owner/
Paul Oakenfold begins at Rain in The Palms on Saturday, August 30th.
All access passes for Rain, Ghostbar, Playboy & Moon
are $100. Tickets for Rain are $40.
Some people may be able to get on the guest list.
*Local ladies are sometimes admitted free.



For more info. about Saturday nights @ Rain,
please visit the web site:



Perfecto Vegas

My thinking is there will be plenty of promotion/ marketing surrounding electronic music on Saturday nights in Las Vegas. People will get to know the labels and web sites that sell Electronic Music.They will seek out radio stations like the laptop radio station Vibe Radio 94.5 FM. They'll support Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights with electronic music not because they've been the only nights to have electronic music for a while but because they will be the more accessible evenings with less crowds. Fans will come on the weekends from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for world class dj's on Saturday nights and not just on the major holiday weekends.




Of course, there will still be the lion's share to be had by the clubs that play hip hop. I'm just happy to have more than one choice on my weekends!

In other sin city clubland news:

Labor Day Weekend will be a huge blowout, as usual. I know blah, blah... Las Vegas is a clubbing destination especially during the major holidays like Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Here's a sample list of some of the clubs and the talent booked:

• 
  Paul Oakenfold (as mentioned above) Saturday, Aug. 30th
  Perfecto Las Vegas kick-off
  $40 to $100
  
  
  
• 
  Paul Van Dyk Sunday, August 31st
  tickets for all 14 MGM Grand events Labor Day weekend $350 @
  Want Tickets
  
  
  phone # USA 1. 866. 926. 8499
  all 14 events include Studio 54, Tabu & Wet Republic pool parties.
  
  
  in addition to Paul Van Dyk, BT, Serge Devant,Roger Sanchez, The Crystal Method, Sharam of Deep Dish,Matt Darey, Cedric Gervais, Kaskade, Deadmau5, DJ Kiss, DJ Five, Funky Bad Chad, (I may not have the complete list. For set times, please refer to venue management)
  
• 
  Club Rubber's Pimp N Ho will be Sunday, Aug. 31st with:
  Felix da Housecat, Filo & Peri, Eric Cubeechee, 4Strings, Beej, The Funkler, and Danny Love (maybe in somewhat random order)
  Pre-sale tickets are $65.00
  People are encouraged to dress up as Pimps and Ho's.
  seriously:)
  
  
• 
  @ Tao Erick Morillo performs
  pre-sale-front-of-line tickets are : $30.00
  
• 
  Perry Mann's Strippers & Hustlers Ball
  August 30 & 31
  The Orleans Arena
  The Vegas Ball
  $20,000 cash prizes for strippers
  The Genitorturers, Host Gilby Clarke, D'Amato and
  Girls, Girls, Girls will perform
  
  
  
  
• 
  For four years Sally Steele has printed a magazine dedicated to Rock in Las Vegas.
  That publication is called Vegas Rocks!
  
  Here's a few bands who will perform during Labor Day weekend, according to
  Vegas Rocks' Concert Calendar:
  
  3 Doors Down, Mandalay Bay, Friday, Aug. 29th
  Hinder, also Mandalay Bay, Friday, Aug. 29th
  Staind, Mandalay Bay, Friday, Aug. 29th
  
  KISS performs at The Pearl Theatre in The Palms
  Friday, Aug 29th
  
  Ice Cube performs at The House Of Blues
  Mandalay Bay Sat. Aug. 30th
  
  The Tubes featuring Fee Waybill performs at Santa Fe Station on Sat. Aug. 30th
  
  Air Supply performs at The Orleans Fri. Sat. and Sunday Aug. 29th -31st
  
  
• 
  
  Comedians are always coming to Las Vegas and Labor Day Weekend offers these performers:
  Bill Engvall at T.I on Fri. Aug. 29,
  Lewis Black in the Mirage Sat. Aug. 30th, and Sun. Aug. 31st,
  David Spade @ Planet Hollywood Sat. and Sunday
  
  
• 
  Miss Joy, a very good friend of ours and the number one female dj in Las Vegas
  has a very special birthday party on Aug. 28th at Hawaiian Tropic in Planet Hollywood.
  She also dj's at Rumjungle on Wednesday evenings and at the new club Rockhouse in addition to other clubs in Vegas.
  To find out more about Miss Joy's gigs, please check out her MySpace page:
  
  
  DJ Miss Joy
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  DJ Lalka
  Is a dj originally from upstate NY who has spun his way around town in sin city since 2006. Now on Friday nights during happy hour downtown
  @ Downtown Cocktail Room
  111 Las Vegas Blvd. from 5 PM till 10:30 PM.
  The party is called Speak EZ with DJ's Lalka and Andy.
  phone 702.880.DOWN (bottle service available)
  
  Here's a link for DJ Lalka's Summer 2008 Deep House mix
  
  DJ Lalka Deep House Free, 60 minutes of Deep House
  
  
• 
  
  Bad Boy Bill and DJ Riz are spinning at Jet (in the Mirage) Sunday, Aug. 31st.
  Call 702. 693.8300
  
  
  

List to be updated with more info. such as the new club Rockhouse and clubs like Krave's lineups for the holiday weekend.



Feel free to make a comment for other dates that have been overlooked.



Respect, Peace and Light
Xtine on the sin city scene

Senator Hillary Clinton in Las Vegas for Senator Barack Obama Rally

Despite recent controversy put forth by numerous media outlets
about a possible rift between Senators Clinton and Obama,
former First Lady and current Senator Hillary Clinton will be in the Las Vegas valley on Friday, August 8th, 2008 for a rally for Senator Barack Obama's Campaign for Change.

I'll be sure to attend this event as I want to support anyone who supports Obama's campaign, especially Senator Clinton. Because she's a woman. Because they ran such a close race. Because she's here supporting a unified Democratic party.


Barack Obama's campaign headquarters in Clark County is now open
in the Hermosa Plaza on Eastern Road just south of Desert Inn Road.
The tireless volunteers and hard working staff have a small 'wish list'
of items. If anyone has some of these items for loan or donation
they can count them as donations to the Obama Campaign for Change:

• 
  Printer
  
• 
  Refrigerator
  
• 
  Coffee Pot
  
• 
  Tacks/ Push pins
  
• 
  Hand soap
  
• 
  Tissues
  
• 
  Business Cards
  

There are many new branches open for Barack Obama which have opened in the past few weeks. Many people are a tiny bit confused when they try to go to the Obama office they went to during the caucus in January, but those offices have closed.
The new offices are located in various strip malls throughout the valley.

Here's the rest of the scoop about this Friday's rally;
Senator Hillary Clinton will be in Las Vegas for an Obama rally at Green Valley High School on Friday, August 8th, 2008.
Doors open 11 AM. The program/ rally begins @ 12:15 PM

Tickets are mandatory to attend the rally but are completely FREE of charge.


Green Valley High School
460 Arroyo Grande Boulevard
Henderson

You can call Matt 702. 466.7988

to make arrangements to come by the office for tickets.

Or if you simply wish to learn more about
Senator Barack Obama's Campaign for Change

The office is located

@ 3376 S. Eastern Las Vegas NV 89121

Suite 115 for the "southern branch"
(the headquarters is in the suite next door)

The southeast corner of Eastern and Desert Inn
just south of the CVS pharmacy.

*Items can be dropped off with Matt as requested above in this post.

Anyone interested in more information or to get involved in volunteering is invited and encouraged.

You can visit the official web site for Senator Barack Obama's
Campaign for Change here:
Barack Obama



Respect, Peace and Light
Xtine on the Las Vegas political scene

Sly & The Family Stone Las Vegas show (FREE)

Sly & The Family Stone
Las Vegas concert


One of my all time favorite bands will perform in
Las Vegas for
free

Saturday, August 23
Moonlight Concert Series: Family Stone Project
Clark County Amphitheater
500 South Grand Central Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89106


Free - Concert
begins at 8 p.m.


Original Founding members, Rock & Roll Hall of fame inductees, and R&B Pioneer Award Winners Jerry Martini(sax) and Cynthia Robinson(trumpet); The First inter-racial / inter-gender horn section in Rock & Roll history bring you the hits of Sly & The Family Stone.

Featuring the Powerful Voices of Robert Brookins and Trina Johnson on vocals bringing you the message of peace, love, and social consciousness through musical harmony with some of the funkiest players of all time. Players like Nate Wingfield on the Guitar, drummer Frank Klepacki keeping the beat, and Musical Director Blaise Sison on bass adding the proper pocket to the raw Family Stone sound.





While Sly himself won't be performing in this line-up there will be original members
and there will be a lot of seasoned talent performing the songs that we've all come to know and love. With the economy being what it is these days a free concert will hit a sweet spot in many people's pocketbook right about now!


One of our friends DJ Reset has a song that he produced "Thank You Rhythm Nation 1814" a mash-up of Sly & The Family Stone and Janet Jackson on Sly & The Family Stone's "Different Strokes By Different Folks".

Different Strokes By Different Folks

Sly & The Family Stone
on Amazon


1. Dance To The Music - Will.I.Am
2. Everyday People - Maroon 5
3. Star - Roots
4. Runnin' Away - Big Boi
5. Family Affair - Joss Stone
6. (You Caught Me) Smilin' - Big Boi
7. If You Want Me To Stay - Devin Lima
8. I Get High On You - The Wylde Bunch
9. Love City - Moby
10. You Can Make It If You Try - John Mayer
11. Sing A Simple Song - Isaac Hayes
12. I Want To Take You Higher - Steven Tyler
13. Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey - Martin Luther
14. Thank You Rhythm Nation 1814 - Janet Jackson

Here's a Spring Widget for Sly & The Family Stone with updates
about the band:

Get this widget!

Visit the Widget Gallery

Their official web site is here: Sly Stone Music

When I die I want Sly & The Family Stone's music to be played at my funeral.
"Dane To The Music" is my number one favorite song in my all-time Top 100 list of songs.

An acquaintance Vaughn Thomas, of The Nevada Film Library once mentioned in an email that he was one of the promoters for Sly & The Family Stone's first live Las Vegas performance.
It's amazing how many people perk up when there's even a mention of Sly & The Family Stone.

Some of my favorite songs of theirs include:
"Family Affair", "If You Want Me To Stay", "Hot Fun in The Summertime", "Dance To The Music", & "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."


I was only slightly surprised to learn that Sly's family was originally from Texas, like myself, and then from the Bay Area, (again like myself) and Sly started out as a radio dj (loved doing that as well). Also noteworthy from the numerous biographies on Sly; his ex-girlfriend Deborah, was Carlos Santana's wife for 34-years.






Also on Saturday an event for charity that includes food, wine, song and psychics:

Saturday, August 23, 2008.
World Market Center Las Vegas
World View on 16
3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Hundreds of wines to sample, great food provided by Trader Vic's, live entertainment with local band Venus Rising, psychic readings with Las Vegas' own Mystic Mona and a fabulous silent auction.

Tickets will be sold at all area Lee's Discount Liquors and all area Green Valley Grocery Stores. You can also purchase tickets at Opportunity Village - 6300 W. Oakey Blvd. (Mon- Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm)


Tickets are $50 in advance, $75 at the door.
Must be 21 or older to attend this event.


For more information call (702) 259-3741

World Market Center Las Vegas is located at 495 S. Grand Central Parkway, in downtown Las Vegas
World View on 16 is in Building B

for more info. about this event, please visit:

2nd annual O Vino

for Opportunity Village in Las Vegas.


With hard economic times hitting the states in this recession, especially for Las Vegas(at least as far as the reports go) locals often find themselves like
kids with their noses pressed against the glass of the theatres only looking at what Las Vegas has to offer and not being able to
actually attend the spectacular entertainment events that sin city has to offer.
While looking around the www, I found a few web sites that offer people
who live here a discount or even free passage to several events about town.


For discounted and/ or free tickets to numerous events in Las Vegas for
locals, check out these sites:

Vegas 4 Locals

and

Show Tickets 4 Locals


One more thing on Saturday, August 23rd:
The 22nd annual Black and White Ball
@ The Palms

A benefit for AFAN.

The Black & White Party is held in the pool area. People dress up in fabulous costumes, enjoy food, drink and music
all proceeds will benefit people with HIV or AIDS.

Visit AFAN

or call 702. 382.2326 for more info.

Tickets are $50
Hang in there!
Respect, Peace and Light,

Xtine on the sin city scene

Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams MGM August 2,2008

* Photo "Still The Same" CD art and photo cover from Rod Stewart's official web site:


Rod Stewart

Hello visitors to Las Vegas, Las Vegans and Rod Stewart fans!

I've seen Rod Stewart in concert twice in my life; once as a wild teenager in Michigan in 1984 and most recently as a middle age woman this past weekend in sin city. 24 years has passed since I last saw Rod. I'm 24 years older. Rod's 24 years older. His new wife isn't even 24 yet, or so we're lead to believe! Just kidding!
Rod's wife, Penny Lancaster,(model-photographer and mother to their son Alastair b.2005) is at least slighly older than two-and-a-half decades.:)
I think age is a somewhat justifiable topic to discuss since Rod Stewart's age gets mentioned practically every time he's mentioned. Yes, Rod's in his sixties. But he's as lively and as hot as ever! I enjoyed his performance slightly more than in the 1980's. Rod's had more material since then. Some people say "oh the new stuff is silly cover songs."
Well "Still the Same" has got some great covers of rock songs from the 70's that Rod has made his own. His "Great American Songbook" CD's have sold more than any other ongoing series of music. He's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the US (1994) and in the UK(2006). He's got more confidence and there was more sentiment displayed with the visuals during some of the songs he performed than when I saw him in the 80's.
Despite throat problems a few years ago (thyroid cancer survivor since 2000) his voice is unaffected to my ears.
Despite his being in his sixth decade of life, I would compare his overall sexual energy to that of a man in his twenties. His persona comes across as a gentleman who is humble and appreciative of others.

I have loved Rod Stewart since I was a primary-school-age child.
The very first 45 record I bought with my allowance was Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" My mother laughed and smirked at the idea that I purchased that
sort of song with my allowance money. So when my friend and neighbor Francis called and said "I know it's last minute but I have an extra ticket for Rod Stewart tonight." It was off-to-the-closet-to-get-ready-in-a-hurry I went!

We arrived at MGM Grand arena about 8 PM, about half-way through the opening act.
Bryan Adams was the opening act and we were wishing we showed up on-time.
The stadium was filled with fans enjoying what Bryan and the boys in the band were playing.
Our group managed to catch about 45 minutes of Bryan's performance and enjoyed it.
One of my best friends' wedding song is from Bryan Adams "Everything I do.. I do it for you." You might remember it from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves movie with Kevin Costner. Bryan Adams has that type of voice that contains just the right amount of gravel and raspiness but yet it's still clear enough that when he belts out the notes you can hear the words he's singing. His music is rough enough to be considered a rock but sexy enough that he's also considered romantic. His voice is still cracklin.
His show was great. Bryan Adams is an award winning photographer in addition to the Grammy and music nominations. We caught "Summer of 69", "Everything I Do", "The Only Thing that Looks Good On Me Is You," "Cuts Like a Knife," "Run To You,", "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman," and "All For Love" a song Bryan did with Rod Stewart and Sting.
Bryan Adams has a new CD release "Bryan Adams 11." They performed a song from "Bryan Adams 11. I believe the song was titled "I thought I'd seen everything."
For more info. about Bryan, here's a link to the bands web site:


Bryan Adams.com




Bryan Adams will perform in New York's concert for Peace One on Sept. 9th and in London on Peace One day (Sept. 21st).
Peace One day is officially on Sept. 21st. One of this year's Cannes Film Festival's film darlings "The Day After Peace" by film maker and Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley is a documentary about the day's events of Peace One Day. Jude Law, Kofi Annan, Annie Lennox, The Dali Lama, Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller are featured in the documentary film. The Peace One Day is an international day of cease fire with life saving workshops and other performances surrounding the idea of at least one day of peace can possibly lead to more days of peace.
There is a web site with much more information about Peace One Day that you can refer to: Peace One Day.org



Back to the show....well the shows review that is...


Rod Stewart draws ladies in the audience from all age ranges and the women drag the men to see Rod as well. The MGM Grand theatre was packed full. The audience was singing along in their seats to a library full of Rod's songs (in somewhat random order. this list may not be complete.)


Rod Stewart MGM Grand Sat. Aug. 2nd 2008:


"Some Guys Have All the Luck," "Father & Son", "The Motown Song," "Young Turks," "The First Cut is The Deepest," "Maggie May," "You're in My Heart,"
"You're Still The Same," "It's A Heartache," "Loveshack- Rod's band and vocalists solo, "Forever Young," "Have I Told You Lately," "Downtown Train," "Hot Legs," "
Do You Think I'm Sexy?", "Rhythm Of My Heart," and another one or two that I can't remember or verify.
At any rate the show was outstanding in-my-humble-opinion.

Some of the visuals were sweet, some funny and some sentimental.
During "Father and Son" there were sweet memories of Rod's late father Robert and photos of his three sons. During "Forever Young" his youngest son, Alastair was frolicking with a soccer(football). For "The First Cut Is The Deepest" there were some illustrations splashed on the screens. Rod mentioned that he didn't mind if people took photographs of him so why should the security be so upset. And that he's going to drop trou (trousers) later so get your cameras ready! LOL! Rod was also gracious enough to thank the audience for spending their hard earned money to come to see him perform during this economic recession. That type of humor and humbleness is extremely endearing.

Many people say Rod's music has digressed since his old rocker days. Maybe that is the perception since many of the cover tunes aren't strictly rock. Or perhaps it's because there are now four females in Rod's band. And there are three lovely female vocalists accompanying Rod these days. All I know is that since the beginning of Rod's career he's always had a fondness of covering songs. His first album featured a cover of The Rolling Stones. I can remember "You Keep Me Hanging On"(Holland songwriter) back in the 70's. Practically everybody covered that song! The list could go on and on with the songs that Rod's covered that have been also used/covered by other artists. I'm sure if those critics gave it more thought they would agree that Rod's always had a way of covering other people's material out of admiration of their work and not as a gimmick or ploy to appease the masses.
While the crowd of an estimated 50,000 in Las Vegas this past Sat. night can't compete with the massive number of the world record of an estimated 3.5 million on New Year's Eve of 1994 on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janiero, Brazil that Rod Stewart performed to I must say that from what I witnessed Rod did make the majority of the crowd here stand up and applaud for someone who has earned their way into our rock n roll hall of fame's' worth of performances. Rod kicked around the soccer (football) to the crowd during "You're in My Heart" and there were people in the crowd waving the flag for Celtic F.C (football club) since the club is mentioned in the lyrics. I was wondering if there was a minor conflict of interest between Rod and Bryan Adams since Bryan's song "We're gonna win" is dedicated to Chelsea's F.C.
I'm sure those 'blokes' can put these trivial things behind them and manage to continue to tour together;) Us fans need our raspy-throated fixes you know!




Rod Stewart continues to tour in the states until late August and ends this leg of his tour with a show in Puerto Rico.

Respect, Peace and Light
Xtine on the sin city scene

विन में दिने में, लोदी विन, रॉक न रोल विन, विन इन लॉस Vegas

Las Vegas wine info.,
California wine experience educates a wino-newbie.

(wine in Las Vegas, inexpensive wine info., California
wine mention)


Wine me dine me.
By Christine A. Justice,
aka
Xtine

Freshly back from a vacation to the central and central-northern California
coast, I'm inspired by wine. I'd like to wine about wine a bit.
Over 90% of the wine that is produced in the USA is grown in California.
As soon as you drive over the state line from Nevada to California you may notice there are billboards for vineyards,
you see the farms with the vineyards of grapes everywhere the eye can see from the highways, and you note there is much media attention given to the home-grown crop in California.
Once I made it to the midway destination of our summer California trip, the in-laws, with the kiddos in tow, I decided to make a quick trip over to the Grocery Outlet to pick up a few things so I wouldn't negatively impact the 'food bank' of the family. While there I thought "Well I should probably buy some wine to go with dinner. Maybe I'll get some California wine since it's grown here." I found myself wondering if it was too good to be true that a wine that cost $3.99 could be good or award-winning like the store's signage stated, but I shrugged it off and said what the heck. Diabolique Merlot of 2007 from E2 Family wine of Lodi, California with the artistry of Chris Spencer on the label was the wine that I purchased and brought home to sip. The kids made fun of mom and her $3.99 wine.
While we were on our many cities and activities family vacation I caught a glimpse of an article in a Sacramento newspaper that reported that for a second time a wine that costs $1.99 in retail outlets won the highest awards. The article stated that there are many wines less than $30.00 that win awards. I started to think. Think about wine. Laugh out loud about the film "Sideways" where the actor Paul Giamatti says "I'm not drinking f*)k)ng Merlot!" I also thought about the stand-by wines in-case-someone-comes-for-dinner-unexpectedly, the 2 buck chuck wines from Trader Joe's that we keep on-hand. I really thought about the saying that the best wine is one that tastes good to you.
We're getting a Fresh & Easy Neighborhood market in our neighborhood to replace where the Rite Aid pharmacy has closed down. I wondered what type of store Fresh & Easy Neighborhood market is. After doing a bit of research on the "2 buck chuck" types of wine, I have learned that Fresh & Easy is like Trader Joe's. Yeah! It's going to be great to dash over to our Fresh & Easy to get some inexpensive wine. I browsed the blog for the chain, which is part of a company called Tesco. I noticed that Fresh & Easy claims to use a Master of wine to choose their wines. Apparently there are fewer than 300 Master of wines world-wide. They sell about 65 types of wine, many of which are less than $30 a bottle and two that are only $2.99 a bottle in their stores in Nevada and Arizona. In California the same wines sell for $1.99. I can only imagine that it's due to the competition from so many wineries in California that contributes to the price reduction.
While doing some research for this blog posting I ran across an interesting web site called "Appellation America." I learned that "Appellation" means "Origin."
The web site is dedicated to informing the public about the over 300 officially designated wine regions in North America. That wine may seem confusing to people because it's known in this preferred order: Appellation/ Origin, Producer, then grape.
Not to mention price and paring with cuisine. And Awards!
With many drinks dished out in the state of Nevada, something like $50 billion worth annually state-wide I wondered what the wine drinking scene is like in Las Vegas. I have had the privilege of tasting some great wines at a few local charity events such as Taste of The Nation in The Las Vegas Convention Center, a benefit for Share Our Strength food program, Splendor in the Glass, a benefit for KLVX, Las Vegas' PBS station, and UNLVino has been doing an event for scholarships and higher education philanthropy in Las Vegas for 32 years(usually in May).
For locals and tourists alike there is a valuable resource in the local media to help guide you to where the wine is by way of The Las Vegas Review-Journal's Gil Lempert-Schwarz.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/dining/wine
Mr. Lempert-Schwarz is the chairman of The Wine Institute of Las Vegas which serves to inform and educate Las Vegans about wine. I noticed that there are events on a monthly basis in Speiedini in the J.W. Marriott in Summerlin that pairs several wines with several courses of fine cuisine. Viaggio in Henderson, NV offers wine tastings with appetizers often as well. On the Las Vegas strip there are many restaurants that have earned awards from Wine Spectator for their wine selections. I noticed that the Bellagio has six restaurants that have the Wine Spectator's seal of approval. You shouldn't be afraid if you end up in a 'chain' restaurant such as Smith & Wollensky or Ruth's Chris Steakhouse while in Las Vegas if you want some great wine as they are on the award-winning list as well. There are two Asian restaurants that earned the Las Vegas wine list awards: Chinois in Caesar's Palace, and Dragon Noodle and Sushi Bar in The Monte Carlo Hotel.
The Orleans buffet will sell you a whole bottle of wine for as little as $5.00 and cork it for you. If you're not driving,i.e. taking a cab, travel van, bus, limo, etc. you can take it home or to your hotel/ motel or friends house. You can have open alcohol in Clark County if you're not the insured/ licensed driver of the vehicle that the open alcohol is in. When you consider that many times a bottle of water can set you back $5.00 it makes sense to get into drinking here!
My girlfriend and I went to a Rock N Roll wine event a few months ago in Studio 54 in MGM Grand. There were tons of people there. Jeremy Cornwall performed. I loved his sets of music! There was wine from all over. The tickets for the event are $20 or $30 in-advance. Local radio station 94.1 FM MIX sponsored the event. The headliner entertainer was the lead singer Patrick Monahan from the band Train (single "Drops of Jupiter". People often ask me while I'm out and about in the clubs especially, "Where are all the women in Vegas?" I can assure you that the local girls go to events like the Rock N Roll Wine Events.
Las Vegas women repeat after me: Wine me dine me.
Respect, Peace and Light
Xtine on the sin city scene

George Carlin passes & The View is in Las Vegas

Grammy award winner George Carlin passed Sunday, June 22,2008 reportedly of a heart attack at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. He's survived by his wife Sally Wade and his daughter Kelly Carlin McCall. His first wife Brenda (Hosbrook) Carlin passed from cancer of the liver in 1997. Carlin won a "Free Speech Award" in 2002. He earned a Grammy Award for his spoken words recording from his book "Brain Droppings."

He was born May 12, 1937. After dropping out of school Carlin joined the military. At the age of 19 he was a dj at an off-base radio station "KJOE" in Louisiana. He went on to dj in Boston, Ft. Worth, and Los Angeles. His first appearance on The Tonight show with host Mort Sahl was in 1967, before Johnny Carson was the host. Carlin got fired in Las Vegas both in the 1960's and in the new millennium. Despite those episodes Carlin continued to perform in Las Vegas regularly. Carlin had numerous specials on HBO, did comedy tours, and released books in paper and audio form. He has a web site www.georgecarlin.com

Lyrics to Carlin's "Seven Words That You Can Never Say On TV" caused him legal trouble ironically made him a household name. "Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, and Tits" Full lyrics found @

Lyrics.com

The View is broadcasting from Las Vegas.

Caesar's Palace is hosting the daytime Emmy nominee TV hosts. Local celebrities Penn and Teller and more will be visiting the show from June 23rd to June 27th. Barbara Walters will attend a book signing for her autobiography Audition: A Memoir while here in Las Vegas. Since it's release in May 2008, the 624-page book has been on Barnes and Noble's Top 100 list. The book signing will be in the Summerlin Barnes & Nobles located at 8915 West Charleston at 7 PM Monday, June 23rd, 2008.

10th CineVegas and Vegas Convention give 1st Vegas Icon Award

The 10th annual CineVegas Film Festival and The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority are joining forces to present the first ever Las Vegas Icon Award
to James Caan. Caan has been featured in over fifty films throughout his career.
He received an Academy Award nomination for his work as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. He portrayed Big Ed Deline, the head of security for NBC's tv show "Las Vegas" for four years. in 1992, he stared in the film "Honeymoon in Vegas" with Sarah Jessica Parker and Nick Cage. Mr. Caan has a cameo role in the film Get Smart, which had it's premiere at CineVegas last week. He's an investor in the Las Vegas high-rise project Fontainebleau. Caan is currently working on a film with Robert Duvall called La Linea. The CineVegas film festival has most of it's events in The Palms Hotel at The Brenden Theatres but also branches out to a few other hotels for it's various events. Planet Hollywood will host the Vegas Icon Award ceremony Friday, June 20th, 2008 from 8PM until 11 PM.

I'll be updating this blog post after I've attended this event with my friend Maria Shahan, whom I've worked with in local film making (The Casino Job).
Other award winners of 2008's CineVegas film festival include: Viggo Mortensen, Don Cheadle, Rosario Dawson and Anjelica Houston. I wish I was able to catch the showing of "All Together Now," the documentary of the creation of LOVE, Cirque du Soleil's show with The Beatles (at The Mirage). The CineVegas film festival features locally created films, documentaries, soon to be cult classics, independent films and premieres of films. I've noticed it's really grown in popularity to the point that most shows sell out and the lounge and club after events sell out as well. Tickets to the award ceremonies themselves are sold to the public and they sell out. People can apply to work and/or volunteer in assisting the festival by applying online. Usually the deadline is early spring. It's never too early to plan for next year.
www.cinevegas.com
www.lvcva.com

Respectfully,
Xtine on the sin city scene

Update: It's midnight on a Friday night in sin city. Usually this is the time to arrive for a happening event in clubland. Tonight I was dazzled by the dj and live percussion of DJ A+ before and after the awards ceremony of CineVegas.
I was so happy attending this event in Planet Hollywood. Planet Hollywood has been completely transformed in appearance during the last several years. It's amazing because it was imploded as The Aladdin and rebuilt with similar decor to be sold to The Planet Hollywood corp. They didn't re-implode. For a while it was like oh, just the felt on the gaming tables and the gaming chips had 'Planet Hollywood' but the place looked basically the same. After you live here a while you forget that if even a few months go by a whole new skyline can be built from the completion of a new resort or what happened with Planet Hollywood. The place is completely different looking. Chrome, crystals, marble, modern patterns, loads of new vendors, modern furniture and lighting has really made the place sweet! We were taken care of at valet and the CineVegas ushers cheerfully told us to take the elevator up to the sixth floor to the CineVegas awards ceremony. What a great time! I got a chance to catch up with my friends Dave Hawks and Mac Hale, local film makers. I got to eat, mingle and blah blah with my neighbors Judy and Steve Thorburn. Judy's 'The Queen of Las Vegas media' to me, and from the amount of traffic on her web sites
www.theflickchicks.com and www.LasVegasRoundTheClock.com in addition to her newspaper gigs and media coverage of all kinds of events including CineVegas and Show West it's a fact! Judy has "THE JUICE." There was an incredible amount of food offered at this event: mashed potatoes served in martini glasses, cheese and broccoli soup, fresh baked paninni bread sandwiches, pizza, hors d'oeuvres like fresh mozzarella and peppers, oyster cracker shells with chicken salad, crab and cream cheese petit fours, tuna bites, and a desert table that served film industry inspired snacks such as
popcorn and cotton candy along with other deserts. Grey Goose Vodka was the hard liquor sponsor for the event. Stella Artois provided the beer. Bottles of Fiji water were greatly appreciated by most since it was still over 100 degrees during the entire event.

My friend Maria Shahan took loads of fantastic photos and video. She's burning them onto a disc and is mailing it to me since the files will be too large to email them. Sure we could do a "you send it" session but I want these photo memories to last on a disc. She got great pics of all the awardees and James Caan took his picture with her! It's a great shot. Not only did she get great pics of all the awardees we were able to get some great shots of us with our friends.
I learned that Viggo Mortensen's a publisher of poetry not only his but other peoples. I learned that he paints and loves photography as well. And he speaks five languages. I learned that Steve Wynn called James Caan 'The Best Jewish Cowboy he knew of.' That Robert Duvall and James Caan have been friends for almost 39 years. Robert Duvall considers 'Jimmy' (James Caan) to be an "All State Everything":horseman, horn player, breeder of Rottweilers and Pit Bulls, Actor and that he's considerably more comically gifted than Marlon Brando.
I must say the Rosario Dawson is simply gorgeous! She's a great actor who started in her teens and humbly accepted her 'Half-life Achievement Award.' I learned that she is now working behind-the-scenes in production of films. I loved her in Grindhouses "Death Proof." I own a copy of both the films of Grindhouse. I missed the fact that she was one of the producers of the film.
Don Cheadle was honored with a 'Half-Life-Achievement-Award.' He mentioned he really appreciated film festivals like CineVegas because of the energy associated with the atmosphere of festivals helps create a better community for the enjoyment of everyone. He's amazing looking in-person!
Speaking of amazing looking Anjelica Houston looks like a babe-in-the-woods. Dressed fashionably with flawless skin she graciously accepted the CineVegas Vanguard award with an empathetic statement:"If you think the half-life award feels good you should be me tonight!" CineVegas Awards are cool. I highly recommend attending them.
I'll update this post with photos as I get them arranged and photoshoped and will add to this a review of a film or two from the festival.

Respectfully,
Xtine on the sin city scene

Tapis Rouge LOVE Cirque Du Soleil The Mirage Las Vegas

Tapis Rouge @ The Beatles Revolution Lounge and LOVE Cirque du Soleil
In The Mirage in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Earth
By Christine A. Justice, aka Xtine from Global Peace Grooves
www.myspace.com/globalpeacegrooves
www.globalpeacegrooves.org

Photographs by Julie Kasperson & Xtine as seen on side navigation bar.

Tapis Rouge is a new event beginning June 26th, 2008.
Tapis means carpet in French. Rouge means red in French. Oh, Tapis sounds like “Happy.” 
Tapis Rouge is a Red Carpet event for LOVE Cirque du Soleil. Tapis Rouge incorporates food, drink, gifts, hosts, and a V.I.P escort from The Beatles Revolution Lounge to the LOVE theatre, a separate concession stand, the show LOVE itself with VIP seating, and free access to Revolution Lounge for one week.
___________________________________
www.CirqueDuSoleil.com
1.866.236.5652
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Two things as a disclaimer:

1) I have a pet peeve about a commonly asked question during interviews often seen in magazines like Blender or Rolling Stone or In Style (music/fashion/ lifestyle/ culture magazines):

Which you do prefer: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
For me I turn into a Swiss about it. I’m a fence sitter. I LOVE BOTH The Beatles and The Stones.
Come on! That’s like saying the hamburger or the bun. (or the veggie burger or the whole grain bun)

2) People often become jaded about all things Las Vegas after living here for a while. Heck, people often become jaded about Las Vegas after a few days visit. Furthermore, there are probably people who are jaded about Las Vegas from simply hearing about Las Vegas.

The billion dollar hotels, the barrage of billboards everywhere: in the bathrooms, on the side of the roadways, outside and inside of every hotel and in McCarran Airport. The temptations of culinary giants who call Las Vegas their stomping grounds with their installments of gourmet dining experiences. The shows, which are in such great numbers, that it leads one to believe that Las Vegas is becoming a second Broadway. Half-a-dozen Cirque du Soleil shows in one city.

When you live here you become very familiar with the ‘marketing machine’ surrounding Las Vegas because everyone you know will come to visit you after you move here. You get to know the McCarran airport very well from all the trips of picking people up and dropping them off. You see the advertisements for what Las Vegas is offering at the baggage claim area. Friends who work at the airport will tell stories about how someone won $1,000,000 on a slot machine in the airport terminal. You end up supporting all things Las Vegas because your loved ones aren’t really here to see you; they’re here to be entertained!

People often take for granted that Las Vegas is synonymous for entertainment.
’Welcome to The Entertainment Capital of The World!” Perhaps many surmise it’s the product of some cleverly orchestrated campaign of the convention authority(What Happens in Vegas… Your Vegas is showing…etc). Maybe it’s the gaming board trying to cleverly disguise gambling by calling it entertainment. Or perhaps our honorable Mayor Oscar Goodman showing up in TV programs, films and national media outlets proclaiming that Las Vegas is the most exciting city in the world. Robin Leach, since being one of the original hosts of the TV program Entertainment Tonight in the early 1980’s , which started it’s broadcast in Las Vegas, has been claiming that Las Vegas is turning into a true world class entertainment destination, including being a culinary destination.

The fact that you go to Las Vegas for food, entertainment, clubbing, shopping and Cirque du Soleil is somehow engrained in people’s common imagery and knowledge of Las Vegas. Even with declining convention attendance and wedding revenues, Las Vegas is still the marriage capital of the world and the number one convention gathering place in the states. It’s also home to the number one retail (mall) space in the USA; Simon Corps. Forum Shops @ Caesar’s Palace. Las Vegas is a place for culinary superstars such as: Daniel Boulud and Philippe Rispoli @ Daniel Boulud Brasserie @ Wynn, Joel Rubuchon @ The Mansion & L’atelier de Joel Rubuchon at MGM Grand, the only two USA restaurants of Chef Rubuchon, who has earned as many as 3 Michelin stars during his career. Wolfgang Puck has six restaurants in sin city: Spago and Chinois @ Caesar’s Palace, Trattoria del Lupo at Mandalay Bay, The Bistro @ MGM Grand,Cili @ the Four Seasons of Mandalay Bay, and CUT at The Palazzo Tower of the Venetian. Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grille is in Caesar’s Palace. Simon (Kerry Simon now in Palms Place), Nobu Matsuhia’s Nobu is in the Hard Rock Hotel, Mario Batali’s Carnevino Italian Steakhouse is @ The Palazzo Tower of The Venetian, Andre Rochat of Alize, a Michelin rated restaurant in The Palms also has Andre’s in The Monte Carlo hotel. The winner of season two of the TV show Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay Heather West has a restaurant Terra Rossa in Red Rock Station Resort in Summerlin. Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans fish house is in the MGM Grand. Certified Master Chef Gustav Mauler owns two restaurants in the J. W. Marriott in Summerlin(northwest Las Vegas) and Sazio in The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas just west of the strip. In addition to the newish culinary talent in the Las Vegas valley, there are tried and true restaurants that people often recommend such as Hugo’s Cellar in The Four Queens, Pamplemouse on E. Sahara near Paradise Road, Coachman’s Inn on Eastern road and The Peppermill is a local favorite for 24-7 old school Las Vegas style meals. Other recent restaurant darlings include Panevino on Via Antonia just off of Sunset Road, Origin India off Paradise Road, and Firefly Spanish tapas, sangria and art gatherings also on Paradise and Sands. The Las Vegas installment of Tao in The Venetian is a powerhouse of food, lounging and clubbing not rivaled by Tao in New York. Robin Leach was right. Las Vegas is a world class culinary destination.

The Mirage has seen a marvelous transformation during the past several years. Since the corporate takeover of MGM-Mirage for Steve Wynn’s properties, including The Mirage, a jewel of a property smack dab in the middle of the strip, many of MGM’s properties have undergone a make over. Not all buildings get imploded in Las Vegas for entertainment purposes. The Mirage, complete with a volcano, gorgeous botanical gardens, the shark tank at the check in reception desk, Dale Chilhuly’s glass art and Siegfried & Roy show. Siegfried & Roy (due to Roy’s tragic accident) are no longer at The Mirage. MGM-Mirage was willing, ready and able to refine and reassess the needs of the hotels clientele to be open and responsive to new ideas. Ideas like welcoming Jet nightclub and Stack restaurant to The Mirage (two of The Light Group’s companies- Light formerly the name of the club in Bellagio, now known as The Bank. The Light group will have its own building in MGM’s City Centre, an $8 Bill. Project on Las Vegas Blvd. and Harmon south to The Monte Carlo). The Mirage now has the second in the world installation of The Carnegie Deli (Just try to finish one of their corned beef sandwiches by yourself). Impressionist Danny Gans will soon be reunited with Steve Wynn @ The Wynn resort after signing a contract that will take him from his near five-year home of The Mirage. The Mirage has signed NBC’s America’s Got Talent winner Terry Factor. Mr. Factor, who is a ventriloquist with seven puppets, also sings, does comedy and is an impressionist. And The Mirage has LOVE and Revolution. Revolution Lounge. LOVE The Beatles show with Cirque du Soleil. And a store for THE BEATLES called Love Boutique.

For those interested in the ultimate Beatles/Cirque du Soleil experience but also expect your experience to be the caliber of Las Vegas ‘entertainment’, try getting tickets for Tapis Rouge. Dining, drinks and a show is nothing new for Las Vegas, but it’s been almost phased out with the exception of a few (Tournament of Kings at Excalibur is one I can think of). Of the six (the sixth will be Criss Angel’s Cirque du Soleil show called 'Believe' at The Luxor slated to open this September) Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, this is the only one that I know of with a V.I.P package which includes a pre-show happy hour with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, hostess’ and V.I.P ushers and a bag of swag (goodies/ mementos from the show).

People expect entertainment when they come to Las Vegas. They expect food. They expect to see some neon and/ or bright lights that resemble neon (argon, strobe lights, etc). They expect to see stores with merchandise related to their experience while traveling here. They know that Cirque du Soleil is synonymous with Las Vegas. Since the late 1980’s Las Vegas has had Mystere at T. I. (formerly known as Treasure Island), O at Bellagio, Zumanity at New York, New York, Ka at MGM Grand, soon to be Cris Angel’s Cirque du Soleil at The Luxor and LOVE at The Mirage. All these shows are in MGM properties. MGM must love the Circus.

Tapis Rouge takes place in Revolution Lounge and in the Love theatre. The Apple bar sits behind the approximately 40 feet wide, 10 feet tall letters:
R E V O L U T I O N.
Revolution is a word that interior designers used to define the space between the aisle way to the gaming floor of The Mirage and presumably as a way to let people know it’s a Beatles enterprise. Las Vegas never has a ‘closing time’ so be assured that there are patrons gathering at the Apple bar as a ‘watering hole’ 24-7. The Revolution Lounge is open 7 nights per week as a club from 11 PM till dawn (sometimes). The façade of the word Revolution actually has enough room for go go dancers to stand inside of the individual letters or for patrons of The Apple bar to sit on. Inside Revolution lounge one will see tables for patrons to sit with “European Bottle Service” during the late night activities. DJ’s entertain, people club, high energy and loud music is enjoyed.

Stacking events in lounges/ clubs is commonplace these days in Las Vegas. There are several lounges with exclusively ‘European Bottle Service’ that used to be simply a bar in the hotel. There are several restaurants that after serving food turn into a lounge and / or club. Depending on the event and evening, the difference between a lounge and a club is the amount of people and how much money you have to pay and the entertainment.

Tapis Rouge is a different type of event in a lounge in that it’s held in Revolution Lounge before the LOVE show. People can only attend this event if they purchase a package of the Tapis Rouge hors d’oeuvres, drinks, mingling and the LOVE show.
It’s held from 5 PM until 6:30 PM before the 7 PM showing of LOVE. The later set of Tapis Rouge is from 8 PM until 9:30 PM before the 10 PM showing of LOVE. The food is provided by the culinary staff of The Mirage. Passed hors d’oeuvres included seared tuna, duck comfit, carrot mouse, and edible orchids with foie gras. There were chocolate covered strawberries interlaced with the floral arrangements that adorned the tables. Servers offered chocolate truffles shaped like stuffed olives. Four signature drinks that are offered in the open bar feature of Tapis Rouge were: Bungalow Bill, a Martini with fresh blueberries, lime and vodka, Lovely Rita, a gin and vodka martini with Cointreau, Mean Mr. Mustard, a champagne, rum and vodka beverage, and a ‘shots’drink made with four different flavors of Stoli Vodka called The Fab Four. The gift bag, presented with sturdy cord handles, had a copy of the shows program, which is printed on 100% recycled paper, a set of Tapis Rouge deluxe drink coasters and the recipe for the four signature drinks for Tapis Rouge, and a LOVE martini glass. The vip passes are attached to a rope necklace and are holograms with the shows trademark artwork. The music featured for Tapis Rouge is the Beatles music and video clips are of characters of the show and The Beatles, compiled for display by the company Moment Factor. The holographic interactive images on many of the VIP tables in Revolution Lounge were designed by Moment Factors of Montreal, Canada as well.

Tickets for Tapis Rouge can be purchased @
www.CirqueduSoleil.com
702.792.7777 0r 1-866-236-5652
www.mirage.com
1.800.627.6667
The price of $295 includes VIP seating and all Tapis Rouge elements.
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Tapis Rouge Continuted....

Review of LOVE show:

From the appearance of the attitudes of the staff of Revolution Lounge and The Apple Bar, the LOVE boutique and the LOVE theatre, you get the feeling that everyone loves their job. The performers of the LOVE show seem just as jazzed to sing and dance along to the show even while in the aisles while other members of the production perform their solos. Cirque du Soleil has fabulous music for all their shows, but with The Fab Four’s music the true spirit of LOVE and Revolution come to life with the world class aerialists, skaters, gymnasts, dancers and every other type of talent the Cirque du Soleil folks do expertly. The last project of George Harrison, Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Star, LOVE’s music was re-engineered by Sir George Martin and Giles Martin to include 26 different songs/ medleys. A cast of 66 in all parts of the LOVE theatre along with the screens, props, and a somewhat interactive element in the show makes you realize this show is a collective experience. Many people sing along to the songs they know by heart, and many attendees know ALL the shows songs by heart. Silhouettes of The Beatles performing and speaking to each other and the audience appear on the screens.

The show begins with an a cappella song “Because” then blasts into the explosive energy of “Get Back.” The emotional turmoil of the Blitz during W.W.II can be felt from the performance with props. You can feel how it influenced the members of The Beatles during their formative years. The child in the bed that takes us on a journey throughout their life becomes our window to the collective experiences of The Beatles and the culture that has developed from being exposed to The Beatles music and creeds over the past forty five years. The hysteria of ‘Beatle-mania’ with a screen reviewing of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show and many other multi-media scrapbook vignettes illustrates the nostalgia and history of their career.

“Something” is a number that although may seem simple in nature to some, was simply erotic and poignantly romantic. The aerialists/gymnasts/dancers performance during this part of the show helped this classic love song dig even deeper into the “butterflies” section of my heart! “Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite” is a circus of the Cirque meets The Beatles. The devilish character on the pendulous swing high in the air teases the audience into an awestruck frenzy during the climax of the song. “Yesterday” is a song that my late Grandmother said reminded her of her long lost loves and meant something to her. I will always be reminded of her when I hear the song and I know that other people become equally sentimental while listening to this song because it’s apparent in near melancholic but yet still pleasant images gestured by the performances during this section of the show: Children flying kites, a young couples energetic embrace after a period of absence from one another and people full of spring in their step.

The audience age group for LOVE is from tweens up to what marketing-wise is referred to as ‘Grey Panthers.’ Family members who have seen the show reported that they loved LOVE so much! My step-father said because there are speakers ear-level in the individual seats you hear every instrument and every vocal. He said that during “The Walrus” you could hear “ho ho ho, he he he, ha ha ha” like they were laughing right n your ear” and “every little horn going ‘phamp bump’ like they were nearby.”

During several numbers there are props that help draw the audience into the performance. “Within you without you” is one of them. The prop encroached us all. We became one with the production. Togetherness is a strong message from The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil. During “Lucy in the sky with diamonds,” the lights coming at you with the penetration of the music helped re-create some recreational experiences I’ve had in the past, but without chemicals. I’m sure that everyone loves the sweet nature of “Octopus’s Garden” compete with Octopi. During “Here comes the sun” I was thinking LOVE illustrates the range of influences The Beatles have culturally, including reflection and meditation in addition to the other subjects the show demonstrated thus far. We were actually performing group meditation!

During “Help!” there are skaters and other athletic feats being done on a genuine half-pipe. “Revolution” has people jumping on mini trampolines in frenzy. There are people from the floor to the ceiling and you wonder even if you saw the show a dozen times if you would catch everything that is going on. “A day in the life” wraps up a journey of the show, the lives of The Beatles as shown in LOVE, and gives the illusion that we’re collectively experiencing similar events together. Everyone sings “Hey Jude” together towards the end of the number. “All you need is love” is a fabulous anthem/ mantra for the ending of one of my favorite entertainment experiences. There are many Cirque du Soleil’s around the world. They each have their assets, but only LOVE has The Beatles.

There is a walkway alongside the LOVE store to the LOVE theatre in blazing neon-like underneath your feet with a neon wall with mirrored silhouettes of The Beatles. It’s one of the premiere places to take pictures in Las Vegas (see it’s me in Las Vegas)! Sure you can buy shot glasses and playing cards in the LOVE store. It IS Vegas after all. You can buy The Beatles music there in cd form and re-releases of The Beatles music on vinyl. There is new merchandise like t-shirts, backpacks, hats and socks (my daddy bought me a pair of “All you need is love” socks). You can also buy memorabilia and limited edition artwork in the store.

I remember when I saw a copy of The Beatles The Anthology book at C.S.N’s bookstore (C.S.N = College of Southern Nevada). I bought it because I wanted to get it along with the required textbooks for my classes that semester. I then found out there is a class “The Beatles” offered at college! I was pleasantly surprised to see The Beatles The Anthology book in the LOVE store. The film Across The Universe released last year featuring music from The Beatles is a favorite of mine. I remember learning to sing while listening to Meet The Beatles, Revolver, Help!, and St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band albums on the family’s stereo console encased in wood. My twelve-year-old daughter picked out a t-shirt for her to wear to school @ Wal-Mart that said “All You Need Is Love.” The Beatles have influenced so much in our lives.

So now you know, you can have food, drinks and a show at Revolution and LOVE in The Mirage. The package is called Tapis Rouge. You can still go to Revolution for clubbin’ from 11 PM onwards for the seven-nights-per-week events. You can walk up and shop at the LOVE boutique. Tapis Rouge including food, drinks and LOVE show
Starting at 5 PM & 8 PM
Love is dark Tuesday and Wednesday. There are 476 shows per year. Love opened June 30, 2006. They expect the show to run a total of ten years.
Spotted @ Tapis Rouge June 19th were Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Norm Clarke of Norms Confidential (page two)  and Robin Leach, of Entertainment Tonight, Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous and loads of TV events that promote Las Vegas.
Thanks to everyone who made our evening so special from the pr personnel, the hosts and hostesses, the culinary and beverage servers, the usher staff, the shows performers and the umbrella of executives both at Cirque du Soleil and MGM-Mirage

I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m really awake and aware that a show like this is here in ‘sin city.’ I’m considerably less jaded because of the changes of attitude that LOVE has created here in Las Vegas.


Respect, Peace and Light
Xtine on the sin city scene

Las Vegas to host 9th annual film festival June 6-16

Las Vegas to host 9th annual film festival CineVegas June 6-16



Las Vegas will host the ninth annual CineVegaas film festival June 6th - 16th.

Most screenings will take place at The Brenden Theaters in The Palms hotel.

The premiere of Ocean's 13 will be on Wednesday, June 6th with the cast members present followed by a party in Moon nightclub in the Playboy tower of the Palms hotel. Tickets for this special screening can be purchased for $250 and include entrance fee to the official after party at Moon.. The proceeds will fund the "Not On Our Watch" charitable campaign for victims of Darfur, Sudan. Ocean's 13's producer Jerry Weintraub will receive the festivals Vanguard Award.

Sir Anthony Hopkins will receive CineVegas' Marquee Award at the premiere of Slipstream on Friday, June 15 @ 6:00 PM. Mr. Hopkins is a producer of this film starring Christian Slayter, John Turturro, Stella Arroyave, Jeffery Tambor and himself. Mr. Hopkins will engage in live conversation following the premiere of Slipstream.

Oscar winning actress Charlize Theron will receive the "Half-Life Award' on Friday, June 15th, @ 3:00 PM.

Ms. Theron will engage in live conversation about her acting career in such films as Monster, the movie about serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

Attendees of the film festival will have the opportunity to see the already critically acclaimed La Vie En Rose, the life story of singer Edith Piaf on Wednesday, June 13th, @ 1:00 PM and Thursday, June 14th @ 12:30 PM.

Other films being shown at CineVegas are:

Mr. Untouchable, the story of the Harlem heroin kingpin Nicky Barnes, Penelope starring Christina Ricci,

Kurt Cobain About A Son, with narration from the late Mr. Cobain himself, The Devil Came On Horseback, a film about what an African Union monitor has witnessed in Darfur, Sudan, and Look, a film created from actual surveillance footage. David Lynch's cult classic Blue Velvet, starring Dennis Hopper, Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern and Hope Lange will be shown on Thursday, June 14th @ 10:00 PM.

Mexican film is being celebrated in this years event with films such as Chavez, a documentary about the life of Mexican boxer Julio Caesar Chavez, Bad Habits, a film about eating habits, Never On A Sunday, a film about death, and Once Upon A Time Maria, a film about memories, erotic adventures and experiences.

Several short films will be shown prior to screenings of full-length features including the film which won their short features slot in the festival from the online ballots cast on MySpace. Nevada film makers will be included in the festival with features from UNLV, CCSN, and the Arts Institute. The Grand, a comedy about professional poker players starring Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, Cheryl Hines, David Cross, Werner Herzog, Dennis Farina, Michael McKean, Richard Kind, Hank Azaria, Chris Parnell, Brett Ratner, and Judy Greer will show at The Golden Nugget Hotel (downtown) on Thursday, June 7th @ 7 PM and Friday, June 8th at 3:00 PM at The Brenden Theater in The Palms.

CineVegas's closing night feature is You Kill Me, starring Ben Kingsley, Tea Leoni, Luke Wilson, Dennis Farina, Philip Baker Hall and Bill Pullman on Saturday, June 16h @ 7 PM.

For the full schedule of this years CineVegas, please visit: www.cinevegas.com

Persons interested in attending CineVegas can purchase tickets online at www.cinevegas.com,

by phone by calling 1 888 8 Vegas 8, or in-person at The Brenden Theaters box office.

Individual tickets are $10.00. Inclusive packages for the festival range in price.