VEGASinsight Archives

Jell-O wrestling at McFadden’s has nothing to do with Halloween. We just wanted to use the picture. Good costume idea, though, huh?

It seems like mere seconds after we posted our round-up preview of concerts, parties and events that may be worth checking out this Halloween, a whole new batch of Vegas-tastic on-goings appeared. So we’ll forgo the niceties and dive right in. You only have three days left, so make your plans now.

Revolution Lounge at the Mirage: “Pretty in Pink Halloween” featuring resident DJ Minor spinning mash-ups, hip-hop and Top 40. A pretty-in-pink-themed costume contest will find the top five pink ladies walking away with P.I.N.K. vodka gift boxes worth a total of $5000 in cash and prizes. Doors at 10 p.m., complimentary P.I.N.K. vodka for the ladies until midnight. $20 cover for men, $10 for visiting ladies and free for local women.

Rok Vegas at New York-New York: Carmen Electra hosts Rok’s first Halloween bash with her fiancee, former Korn guitarist Rob Patterson spinning a special DJ set.

Adventuredome at Circus Circus: Fright Dome closing night, 7 p.m. to midnight, featuring 23 rides and attractions, Lady Diable and her Xtreme Sideshow, Scare Zones, a stunt show and acclaimed haunted houses.

New York-New York: “Screamers – The Haunted Bridge” turns the hotel and casino’s Brooklyn Bridge replica into a terrifying haunted house. Admission is $20 per person, $15 for hotel guests and open to all ages (children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult). Open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

PT’s/Sierra Gold: Second Annual Wicked Costume Contest at 7 p.m., all 36 locations, featuring Bud, Bud Light and Bacardi specials. One winner from each bar will receive $100 cash.

SushiSamba at the Palazzo: “Spooky KaBOOki” Halloween celebration featuring DJ Dracula, free Japanese candy, cocktail and desert specials, and a costume contest with a grand prize trip for two to Miami and dinner at SushiSamba.

McFadden’s at the Rio: Drink with the Devil with free admission for guests in costume, drink specials and a $1000 cash prize for overall best costume, plus bar tabs for “sexiest,” “scariest,” “most Irish” and “dirtiest Devil” winning costumes. $10 for women and $20 for men gets an open bar from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay: Haunted Reef from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Open to all ages – children under 12 in costume receive free admission. Guests 17 or older donating at the United Blood Services booth from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. receive complimentary entry as well.

Tao at the Venetian: Third annual Taolloween party hosted by Tera Patrick at 10 p.m. Music by DJs Reach and Hideo.

Big Friendly Corporation plays at Beauty Bar Oct. 25.

This week’s just about halfway over, but there are some dope events we kinda figured you shouldn’t miss, so without further adieu, here’s what’s what in Las Vegas this week:

“Bottom For Queen,” a new exhibition by UNLV graduate Daniel Samaniego, debuts this Friday, Oct. 24 at Henri & Odette (124 S. Sixth St.). A reception for the artist will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., and the show will be ony display at the gallery through Dec. 6.

IndieKrush.com and Pulsar Presents brings another edition of Say What?! to Beauty Bar (517 Fremont St.) this Saturday, Oct. 25, joining forces with Los Angeles’ Bring the Ruckus to present “Blood Orgy.” Outside, live bands The Frail, Dream Sequence, Pic Vicious, Big Friendly Corporation and Neon Facade will rock the stage along with fire mistress Jenn-o-Cide and DJ Know Well, while inside, Bul!m!atron, Dskotek, Roccanova, Grimehaus, MDY and Remy the Restless will spin dirty electro, nu-rave and indie tunes all night long. Look for free candy, a photo booth, beer pong and much more. The madness gets underway at 9 p.m., and entry is free for the bar, and only $5 for the live music.

Just around the corner at Jillian’s (450 Fremont St.) that same night, the Second Annual Searchlight and Friends Halloween show kicks off at 6 p.m. This all-ages show features Lydia Vance, Almost Normal, Hang ‘Em High and Damnear Divine along with headliner Searchlight, all for $10. Plus, a $1 raffle will be held, with all proceeds going to the local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Rock out for a good cause before you shake ya ass over at Beauty Bar!

Yo! I’m Fab 5 Freddy, and I approve this dope message.

Bored in Las Vegas and looking for something to do tonight? We’ve uncovered a few diverse options for your perusal:

“The Cool” at Ice House Lounge (650 S. Main St.) at 10 p.m. Awthentix Music and Solprintz Inc. present Yo! MTV Raps Appreciation Night — late-’80s and early-’90s hip-hop, R&B and soul music including a live band playing classic breaks from 1988 to 1995. Cover is $7 until 11 p.m., $10 after and ladies are free. 21-over.

“Untold Stories” at Las Vegas Springs Preserve (333 S. Valley View Blvd.) at 7 p.m. Sen. Richard Bryan, Dina Titus and scientist Al O’Donnell present “In The Shadow of the Bomb,” featuring untold stories from the nuclear testing era in Nevada. Tickets are $12, $10 for Springs Preserve members, $8.50 for children and free for the kids under 5.

We’re back from a weekend full of sun, wind and hope, and we brought pictures. Yesterday, downtown Las Vegas saw thousands take to the (barricaded) streets, braving perilous road construction, assaults from giant children’s characters and hundreds of vicious poodles for Aid For AIDS of Nevada’s 2008 AIDS Walk Las Vegas. We don’t have the final tallies of funds raised or total walkers yet (AFAN’s site shows $368,000, but that’s online-only donations), but we do have a gallery of photos for you when you click here.

Also, if you didn’t make it to the inaugural “Hi-Fidelity” night at Beauty Bar last Tuesday featuring Trackademics and Honor Roll, well, shame on you. But at least we have a nifty gallery of pictures that can be viewed by clicking here.

Who loves ya, baby?

One of the best views in Las Vegas, now 100-percent carbon free.

N9NE Group – the dining and nightlife company behind all those clubs and restaurants at the Palms (4321 W. Flamingo Road) in which you enjoy imbibing and engaging in tomfoolery – is taking the initiative to be more environmentally responsible, as evidenced by a couple of notable events and announcements.

First, N9NE’s Moon nightclub atop the Palms’ Fantasy Tower is hosting an Earth Day fundraiser next Tuesday, April 22 at 10:30 p.m. Not only will a portion of the $20 cover charge be donated to the Nevada Conservation League, but patrons giving contributions at the donation station outside the club will receive drink tickets valid until the end of the night. Fliers for the event are being printed on Lotka paper, made from the bark of the Daphne bush, and apparently they produce flowers if planted. Seriously? Yep. How friggin’ rad is that? Every flier should be plantable! We could grow entire gardens just using the last batch of fliers left under my windshield wiper outside Beauty Bar last week.

Where were we? Oh, yeah, so on top of all that, Jack LaFleur will be spinning house music in Moon’s Satellite Bar, and body-painted dancers (are those eco-friendly paints?) will distribute 100-percent organic cotton tees from American Apparel throughout the night. (more…)

Mmm … pancakes, orange juice and human blood. Blade’s breakfast of champions.

It’s rare we get to merge two of our favorite things: breakfast food and community service. But Hash House A Go Go (6800 W. Sahara Ave.) and United Blood Services have somehow made the dream possible. Oh yes, that’s right – on Saturday, April 26, everyone’s favorite oversized portion-serving restaurant is hosting the UBS Vampire Bus (well, that’s what we call it) in its parking lot for those who wish to donate some of their precious blood to UBS’s ever-in-need blood bank.

As incentive to participate in the community blood drive, Hash House a Go Go is offering up a free pancake, T-shirt and fresh-squeezed orange juice for each donor. And to top it off, UBS will also give each donor one ticket to see The Scintas at the Hilton and two tickets to the Mega Bubble Show at Miracle Mile inside Planet Hollywood (OK, technically, they’re vouchers for tickets, whatever).

Well, those may not be the greatest shows on Earth, but face it – other people need your blood more than you do. All you’ll do is increase its alcohol content anyway. Schedule an appointment for the event, which runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., by calling 702-228-8400 or hit up www.bloodhero.com, code word “HASHHOUSE” (that sounds kind of subversive – we like it!).

Blue is the official color of bathrooms in communist Romania.

Things you should care about: Nevada Public Radio. The CineVegas Film Festival. The last days of communism in Romania. Support all three of these concepts this Thursday night, April 3, at the Galaxy Neonopolis Theatres on Fremont Street when CineVegas hosts a screening of Golden Palm Award-winning 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days at 7 p.m.

The film, which dazzled judges and audiences at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, takes place during the final days of communism in Romania as two college roommates make arrangements for an illegal abortion.

All proceeds from the $10 ticket price benefit Nevada Public Radio, so not only will you get to see a poignant foreign film, but you also get to feel good about it as you wash your bucket of popcorn down with a gallon of Coke. Pre-order tickets by clicking here.

It is never OK for a rock band member to wear a pastel-striped polo shirt. NEVER.

Say what you will about North Carolina-spawned pop-rock band Daughtry’s music – OK, we’ll say it for you: bland, uninspired, maudlin – you can’t deny that the ONE Campaign is a worthy cause, combating global crises such as AIDS and poverty. So we’ll give Daughtry a little bit of credit for its upcoming acoustic performance at The Beatles Revolution Lounge inside the Mirage on Sunday, April 13, because all ticket proceeds will benefit the ONE Campaign.

Tickets are being auctioned on eBay now through Monday, March 31, at www.ebay.com/daughtry. If there are actually fans of the band out there reading this (heaven help you), you might be interested to know that parts of the performance will be made available at www.rhapsody.com/daughtry should you not nab one of the 200 tickets, do not live in Las Vegas or are not 21 years or older.

Lead singer and ego-tripping band namesake Chris Daughtry had something deep and insightful to say about the benefit. Oh – no he didn’t. Just something his record company told him to say: “We are really excited about this acoustic show at the Revolution Lounge. It is a chance to share a special evening with our fans and raise money for a great cause, ONE.org.”

Sierra Pacific Resources, the parent company of Nevada Power Company, added its name to the elite Founders circle of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts with a $1 million donation to the future Union Park resident’s capital campaign. Sierra Pacific joins a number of other $1 million-plus Founders, including Beverly and Jim Rogers, Cirque du Soleil, the Fertitta Family, MGM Mirage, and the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, which pledged a windfall of $100 million last fall.

The Smith Center is scheduled to break ground late this year, providing the $470 million dollars it needs is raised. With the campaign already tallying more than $400 million, it looks like things should be right on track for the performing arts center, just one piece of downtown Las Vegas’ Union Park master plan that also includes the Frank Gehry-designed Lou Ruvo Brain Institute.

“We applaud Sierra Pacific Resources’ commitment to making Nevada a better place to live,” said Smith Center President Myron Martin, “and appreciate their leadership in helping us make the Smith Center a LEED certified performing arts complex.” (more…)

Mayor Goodman — making Las Vegas safe for lowbrow art yet again! 

Remember that news about First Friday losing half its annual funding from the City of Las Vegas and the subsequent donation stands now set up at the entrance to the street festival? Well, apparently Mayor Oscar Goodman — who hasn’t been up to much lately, near as we can tell — has ponied up $10,000 for Whirlygig, Inc., the non-profit that runs the annual art walk. It came from his own political action committee, as reported in today’s Las Vegas Sun.

Though it won’t make up for the $80,000 or so the organization lost annually, it will do more than the returns on the optional $2 donation requested each month by First Friday visitors.

“While it’s helpful, it certainly is not enough to support the event at this time,” Cindy Funkhouser, founder of First Friday, told the Sun of the trickling-in walk-up donations.