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11 | Dialogue

12 | Seven Days

14 | The Deal

30 | Seven Nights

ON THE COVER

Photo illustration by Ryan Olbrysh

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UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian was “a figure who embodied theuntamed West,” says guest essayist Sig Rogich.

1812 | THE LATEST “Up in the Air,” by Lissa Townsend Rodgers NVPR and KUNV’s proposed partnership stalls.

14 | Politics “Hitting the Millennial Mark,” by David G. Schwartz. Casinos court the newest generation of gamblers.

18 | COVER “Gone, But Never Forgotten.” A number of legendary figures who helped shape Vegas’ past, present and future died in 2015. To honor their work, Vegas Seven

invited guest essayists to provide special insights into their personalities, accomplishments and legacies.

25 | NIGHTLIFE “Now Hear This,” by Kat Boehrer. Grammy Award nominees Galantis heads to Las Vegas for Day 2 of 2016. Plus, photos from the week’s hottest parties.

41 | DINING Al Mancini on Bella Vita. Plus, recommendations on where to splurge on cured meats, and Cocktail Culture.

47 | A&E “The Stormtrooper Next Door,” by Geoff Carter. What makes a Star Wars superfan? Ask TK-52477 of the 501st Legion. Plus, Seven’s 14, The Most Fabulous Thing, Star Wars gift guide and a look at the franchise’s most egregious cinematic knockoffs.

52 | Movies Geoff Carter on Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

62 | Seven Questions Actor/singer Erich Bergen on his backup plan, elegant performances and how he chooses his roles

PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP

Vegas Seven, 702-798-7000, 302 E. Carson Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Vegas Seven is distributed each Thursday throughout Southern Nevada

c 2015 Vegas Seven, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Vegas Seven, LLC is prohibited.

LETTERS AND STORY IDEAS Comments@VegasSeven.com

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P U B L I S H E RMichael Skenandore

E D I T O R I A LEDITORIAL DIRECTOR Nicole Ely

MANAGING EDITOR Genevie Durano

SENIOR EDITORS Paul Szydelko, Xania Woodman

SENIOR EDITOR, A&E Geoff Carter

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Camille Cannon

SENIOR WRITER Lissa Townsend Rodgers

STAFF WRITER Emmily Bristol

CALENDAR COORDINATOR Ian Caramanzana

S E N I O R C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O RMelinda Sheckells (style)

C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O R SMichael Green (politics), Al Mancini (dining),

David G. Schwartz (gaming/hospitality)

A R TCREATIVE DIRECTOR Ryan Olbrysh

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Cierra Pedro

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Anthony Mair, Krystal Ramirez

V E G A S S E V E N . C O MTECHNICAL DIRECTOR Herbert Akinyele

ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Zoneil Maharaj

SENIOR WRITER, RUNREBS.COM Mike Grimala

WEB PRODUCER Jessie O’Brien

ASSISTANT WEB PRODUCER Amber Sampson

P R O D U C T I O N / D I S T R I B U T I O NDIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION Marc Barrington

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S A L E SBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Christy Corda

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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Robyn Weiss

I N T E R N STroy Fosgate, Tia Keys, Sierra Lomprey, Mitchell Weiss

Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger

PRESIDENT Michael Skenandore

VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND EVENTS Keith White

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS Michael Uriarte

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sherwin Yumul

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Sim Salzman

CONTROLLER Jane Weigel

LAS VEGAS’ WEEKLY CITY MAGAZINE | FOUNDED FEBRUARY 2010

DOWNTOWN CLOSURES Downtown is bidding

adieu to two businesses: White Cross Market and O Face

Doughnuts. Jessie O’Brien caught up with the doughnut

shop owner on what the future holds and why the

neighborhood wasn’t a good fit at DTLV.com/Closures.

RVLTN PRESENTS

CIRCUIT: PARTY THIEVES W/ BOMBMAKERS, ANDREW STOLLE

ANTI-FLAG & LEFTOVER CRACKW/ WAR ON WOMEN, HOMELESS

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BAG RAIDERS W/ PLASTIC PLATES

W/ CONFLICT OF INTEREST & MORE

THE FIGHTER & THE KID LIVEW/ BRENDAN SCHAUB & BRYAN CALLEN

THU, DEC 17

GOSPEL CHOIR, BLACKBIRD RAUM

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FRI, MAR 18

W/ CONFLICT OF INTEREST & MORE

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DIALOGUE

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R E A D E R C O M M E N T S

THE SMASHED PIG

Had practically every starter they had and several cocktails (“Swing & Dine,” Dec. 10). The chef and owner came out to greet us and asked for honest feedback. For just opening, they al-ready have a lot right and have great potential to be a Downtown staple. —Chris Leavitt on Facebook

My new favorite spot in DTLV! Congrats, chefs! —(Chef) Natalie Young on Facebook

WINTER GETAWAYS

I see these islands as I fy from LAX to San Francisco (“Channel Islands,” Dec. 10). They do look amazing from the air. —Baron Tyher on Facebook

PROGRAMS OFFER HELP TO THE

VALLEY’S HUNGRY CHILDREN

Maybe someday we’ll get to the point where our populace reads this and asks, “But why are more than half of our district’s students’ families 130 percent below the poverty line? What is wrong with this picture?” (“Food for All,” Dec. 10). —Craig Van Ortman on Facebook

ROYAL PURPLE LAS VEGAS BOWL A rivalry between two schools

in Utah separated by only 50 miles will be renewed at the Royal Purple

Las Vegas Bowl this weekend at Sam Boyd Stadium. Mitchell Weiss has

the history of this “Holy War” and the details for activities leading up to

this weekend’s event at VegasSeven.com/RoyalPurpleBowl.

IN MEMORY

OF A SHOWGIRL

The showgirl is one of Las Vegas’ endur-ing icons, and few did more to polish her im-age than Fluff LeCoque, who died December 10 at the age of 92. Lissa Townsend Rodgers looks back at the tough but classy showgirl’s legacy at VegasSeven.com/LeCoque.

FIGHTING REBELS With the non-conference

schedule winding down, are the Rebels already

staking a claim for an invitation to the NCAA

Tournament? Mike Grimala examines UNLV’s early

bracket hopes at RunRebs.com/NCAA.

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News, gaming, deals and the best place to gamble Downtown

Any good company takes a look at itself

and tries to advance its entertainment offerings.

GREEN FELT JOURNAL | PAGE 14

THE LATEST

Have an event you want considered for Seven Days?

Email VegasSevenDays@Gmail.com.

By Bob Whitby

★ A CURATED GUIDE TO THIS WEEK IN YOUR CITY ★

➜ THERE WERE QUITE A FEW CHANGES AT UNLV

in 2015: a new president, a medical school, plans for a major land purchase. But one development that’s been put on hold is a partnership between UNLV and Nevada Public Radio to run the college’s KUNV radio station.

The motion was set for approval at the Decem-ber 4 meeting of the UNLV Board of Regents. But, when the matter was raised, university President Len Jessup asked for a delay. He cited “consider-able public comment” and requested time to fur-ther study the plan, as well as “several other alter-native suggestions, different ideas and approaches on how to take the station to the next level.”

Those who have expressed misgivings about the KNPR/KUNV deal cite concerns about the fate of community programming and the amount of student opportunities. Many stakeholders also felt they hadn’t been fully informed about the proposal. “I was surprised that the college, faculty, staff and students didn’t know a lot more about this,” says Gerry Bomotti, UNLV’s senior vice presi-dent for fnance and business. He says that many of those who commented “had some concerns about change in the status quo, some supported the proposal, and some suggested more time was needed to consider alternatives to bring the com-munity together to better support the station.”

Currently, days and evenings on KUNV are for jazz and community programming (mostly news and talk shows). “From 9 p.m. until 3 a.m., it’s all students,” John Nasshan, a daytime radio host at KUNV and student mentor, says. “On the weekends, it’s all culturally diverse and ethnically diverse pro-gramming—Hawaiian music, Spanish music, Latin, reggae, soul, blues.” He adds that “we currently have 60 or 70 kids involved with the radio program.” Running the station costs UNLV about $200,000 a year, which also includes two HD radio chan-nels, but Nasshan notes that “our fundraising has increased by 25 percent in the last year alone.”

Under the proposed agreement, NVPR would take on management and fnancial responsibility

for the KUNV FM broadcast station in exchange for programming rights. UNLV will still be permit-ted a certain number of broadcasts for sporting events, campus lectures, the “Our Metropolis” ra-dio show (totaling 70-80 hours per year) and a se-ries of promo spots. The student HD2 channel will continue to function independently of KNPR, and students currently doing news broadcasts or radio shows on FM will be switched to HD2. There will also be one graduate and several undergraduate student internships at NVPR for UNLV students.

“The number of internships is signifcantly less than currently offered in radio,” says KUNV general manager Frank Mueller. “They will be very competitive.” He also points out that online-only experience may not appeal to some journalism students: “Some students look at it from a career perspective. … It’s more attractive to be on an FM station than an HD side channel.”

But there will be other opportunities, according to president and CEO of NVPR Flo Rogers, who says the HD2 program will be her “talent pipe-line.” She is optimistic that a new KUNV can draw enough listener and corporate sponsorship to of-fer more “student opportunities—we can fund way, way more than what’s specifed in that agreement.” Rogers adds that a new station would be more than just radio and could eventually offer stu-dents experience in “digital, video, social media … the whole nine yards as well as broadcast.”

“It’s very evident that [our proposal] is a win for students, listeners and the university,” says Rogers, but she acknowledges that “if there are other ways to make KUNV sustainable, I know the university and the regents will evaluate them to make the best decision.”

Jessup’s offce has stated that “no alternatives [to the KNPR plan] have been formally vetted at this point,” but says that he “felt the need to continue discussions on this topic after listening to com-ments and options by students, volunteers and alumni.” If you know what you want to listen to on KUNV, this may be your last chance to be heard.

Up in the AirNVPR and KUNV’s proposed partnership stalls By Lissa Townsend Rodgers

Th D E C E M B E R 1 7 : New thing in town at a cool old

hangout: Decadence in the Desert is an arts,

crafts and culinary get-together every third Thursday

at the Ethel M Chocolate Factory in Henderson. This

time around, the cactus garden is decorated with about

a billion lights for the holidays, and Santa is there, too.

4-10 p.m. EthelM.com.

F D E C E M B E R 1 8 : A good time for a good cause?

Yes, please. It’s the seventh annual U.S. Marine

Corps Toys for Tots Benefit at 7 p.m. in the Orleans. The

show features David Perrico and the Pop Strings

Orchestra, along with other Las Vegas notables, and, as

the event name implies, proceeds help kids have a

merrier Christmas. Don’t be a Grinch. OrleansCasino.com.

Sa D E C E M B E R 1 9 : If you remember the Andrews

Sisters, you’re old. But you also understand

their iconic appeal, particularly at this time of the year.

The Beverly Belles bring that harmonious magic back

with their Santa Baby Holiday Show, 7 p.m., at the

Charleston Heights Arts Center. 800 S. Brush St.

TheBeverlyBelles.com.

Su D E C E M B E R 2 0 : It’s Christmas and you want to

see The Nutcracker, but hauling the entire

family to most productions is a budget buster. What to

do? Downtown Container Park has you covered with

free stagings, including one at 7 p.m. This is no

second-rate production, either: Most roles are filled by

professional dancers. DowntownContainerPark.com.

M D E C E M B E R 2 1 : If you aren’t getting enough

basketball, you’re just not trying. Example:

The Global Sports Basketball Classic is in town today,

11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., at the Cox Pavilion. It features some

of the top NCAA teams in continuous hoops action.

UNLVTickets.com.

Tu D E C E M B E R 2 2 : An empty room, bare shelves

and two artists. It doesn’t sound particularly

promising until you show up and begin collaborating

with Kate Gilmore and Franklin Evans on their Shelf

Life exhibit, through Jan. 3 at the Cosmopolitan’s

P3Studio. Bring something for the shelves and they’ll

help you make art out of it. ArtProductionFund.org.

W D E C E M B E R 2 3 : You’ve probably already been out

to see Glittering Lights at the Las Vegas Motor

Speedway, so this is just a reminder that if you haven’t,

the largest light show in the state (3 million or so lights

along a 2.5-mile drive-through display, FYI) runs through

Jan. 3. It’s also a benefit for area nonprofits, including

Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican Hospital, so there’s no

harm in going again. GlitteringLightsLasVegas.com.

News, gaming, deals and the best place to gamble Downtown

Frank Mueller hosts the Jazz

Lounge on KUNV.

➜ SIT IN AT ANY GAMING

conference and you’re bound to hear despairing talk of millenni-als and gambling. Capturing the millennial market, the thinking goes, is the key to success for Las Vegas casinos in the near future.

It’s not just faddishness that makes millennials such a com-pelling group for casino execu-tives—it’s an honest read on visi-tor behaviors. Las Vegas tourism is at an all-time high. Last year, though, 2.3 million fewer visitors gambled than in 2007. With the average age of visitors skewing younger, it doesn’t take a statisti-cian to guess that those younger visitors are doing something other than gambling here.

The Hard Rock Hotel, with its focus on music and a cool vibe over the gambling grind, understood way back in 1995 the need to di-versify. For the most part, though, 1990s megaresorts were built to host gamblers, families and wealth-ier travelers. After the post-9/11 recession, the transition to nightlife began, giving casinos a reason to reach out to younger guests; the

Great Recession and the more re-cent slowdown in Asian high-end play, as well as the natural aging-in of the group, has spurred an even more fervent desire to unlock the millennial market.

We can see the manifestation of that desire in some new approaches to tried-and-true casino gambling.

In September, the Lavo Casino Club at the Palazzo began offering blackjack and craps with “Vegas-style VIP bottle service, mixology and Italian cuisine.” Skeptics might wonder what the hype is all about; indeed, people have gambled, drank and eaten Italian food in Las Vegas for decades. What precisely makes this the advertised “modern gaming experience”? Possibly it’s the fact that this is a pre-paid, pre-packaged “experience” rather than

a night out. There is no worrying about the whims of a pit boss’ rat-ing; for $725, you and three friends can get a “VIP dinner menu,” one liter’s worth of bottle service, a VIP gaming table and admittance to the Lavo nightclub after you have fnished gambling. Guaranteed.

Just like ticketed showroom seats eliminated the need to tip the maître d’ for primo views of the action, the Lavo Casino Club lets revelers know exactly what they are getting before they au-thorize their credit cards, which appeals to customers who want a sure thing, even in a casino.

Steve Wynn, who started the ’90s boom when The Mirage opened in 1989, is the latest to tweak his ca-sino in an attempt to crack the mil-lennial code. Sean Christie, Wynn Las Vegas vice president of opera-tions, has been tasked with shaking up the casino formula to attract those next-generation dollars, and he has created the Encore Player’s Club, a 5,000-square-foot section of the Encore casino that combines traditional casino games, interac-tive table tops, lounge seating, Steve Wynn’s own billiards table and a shuffeboard table.

“Any good company takes a look at itself and tries to advance its en-tertainment offerings,” says Chris-tie, who, having guided Wynn’s and Encore’s nightlife for the past fve years, knows plenty about the market, millennial and otherwise. “Gambling, watching sports and lounging are there to entertain people. The Encore Player’s Club meets those needs.”

The club, which includes a DJ booth, will not, Christie says, change the existing vibe of the ca-sino. “It will be the same music for-mat we have now, nothing too loud or different. It will be better.”

Christie sees this new spin on gambling “complementing and enhancing” the existing casino. While it is designed to pull in new players, an older player “could come here and feel right at home,” he says. “Yes, it will be a great space for millennials, and if we do our job it won’t exclude anyone. We’re hoping to grow the pie.”

That’s a sensible approach—just as sensible as one taken by casino managers who, 40 years ago, de-cided that a few more slots wouldn’t drive off their table players and might help the bottom line. Casinos have been changing and evolving since the days that faro was a mon-eymaker; it is only natural that what they offer and who they appeal to will continue to change.

That evolution, even more than “the house always wins” truism, may be the only sure bet in Las Vegas casinos.

David G. Schwartz is the director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research.14

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Hitting the Millennial Mark

Casinos court the newest generation of gamblers

GAMBLERS WANTED AT THE PLAZA➜ On December 13 the Las Vegas Review-

Journal ran a business feature about the

resurgence of Downtown, and specifically the

Plaza. As is typical with mainstream business

stories, there were a bunch of numbers and

broad-stroke assessments that supported the

thesis, but not a whole lot in the way of detail

regarding the moves the Plaza has made to

reinvent itself. Digging deeper, here are a few

ways the Plaza is seeking gamblers.

For starters, the players club offers the best

new-member benefit in town with the $500 on

Us loss-rebate promotion. On this program, you

can have $500 in one-day losses returned. Hit

something big and you keep the winnings; lose

the $500 and get it back in free play. The losses

are returned in two installments and there

are some restrictions on which machines are

eligible to play the rebate, but this is the best

gambler’s deal in town right now.

Over the past year the Plaza has made a

tremendous transformation to become a top

video poker house. At the Omaha Bar alone,

you can play four schedules with returns above

99 percent in denominations from 25 cents to

$1, with the best being 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe

(99.64 percent). And it gets better on the floor,

with a selection of machines that pay more

than 100 percent. Slot players will find old-style

“coin-droppers,” as well as familiar games such

as Double Diamond, Triple Double Diamond,

Double Red White and Blue, and Triple Strike.

In the pit, two- and six-deck blackjack

games pay the traditional 3-2 on naturals,

and you can take up to 10X odds on craps.

A cool new street-level “party pit” with

floor-to-ceiling views looks out onto the

Fremont Street Experience. The poker room

is completely automated with machine games

(no live dealers), and the Plaza also has

Downtown’s only bingo room.

The good games are important, but a great

casino doesn’t make it on the games alone (ask

the Binions or the Gaughans). For quick bites

there’s Pop-Up Pizza, the Beer Garden and the

food court. Hash House a Go Go functions as

a coffee shop, and Oscar’s remains one of the

best-view steakhouses in the city. But the real

deal in dining is Oscar’s happy hour. From 4 to

7 p.m. daily, several of the restaurant’s top ap-

petizers are deeply discounted, including shrimp

cocktail ($8) and steak tartare ($9), but the star

of the show are the crab cakes. Normally $17,

you get two for $9, and they rank near the top of

the chart in crab-to-filler ratio. Drinks are also

discounted, and ladies drink free on Thursdays.

And while just about every place else Down-

town now charges a fee to park, the Plaza

gives you the first 90 minutes on the house,

which is just enough time to take advantage of

that happy hour.

Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas

Advisor and LasVegasAdvisor.com.

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➺ he was a hard-liner and tough as nails. He was the kind of guy who, be-cause he was so tough, could do whatev-er he thought was right without the fear of any consequence. When we went at each other, it was with a mutual respect and, on my part, a lot of admiration. I would never accuse him of committing a foul. We engaged in our respective po-sitions in fair play.

He met one of my clients one time too often at the airport. My client was Nick Civella, who was supposed to be the head of the outft in Kansas City. Nick had a love—there’s no other way to put it—for the neck bones that Angie Ruvo would cook at the Venetian. He couldn’t get those in the Midwest, so he would actu-ally put on disguises to come to Las Ve-gas. He wasn’t interested in gambling or seeing shows: He just wanted those neck bones. So the sheriff was at the airport and, sure enough, he made Nick get on the plane back to Kansas City. Nick was steaming, and he called me up. “I want to sue this guy for everything he’s worth,” Nick said. “He’s violating my civil rights.”

I had no problem suing the sheriff if it was a righteous cause. I always prepared a complaint in advance if I was going to sue somebody; I was ready to do it the day after the deadline that I gave them to correct the situation. So I had a com-plaint all prepared against the sheriff for violating Nick’s civil rights. I called him up and said, “Sheriff, this is Oscar—” He said, “I know who you are.” I said, “That’s good, because I’d like to meet with you about one of my clients.” He said, “Who?” I said, “Nick Civella.” He said, “When do you want to meet and where?” I said, “How about tomorrow at 5 in my law offce?” He said, “I’ll see you then.” Now, I’m thinking tomorrow at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, of course, but he said, “5 o’clock tomorrow morning.”

So I got there at about a quarter to fve and he was waiting for me in front of my offce. It was right out of a movie. I opened the door and he walked up to the second foor, right to my offce, right to my desk, right to my chair, sat down at my desk in my chair and started to feel un-der the desk to see if I was bugging him. I said, “Sheriff, I don’t do business that way.” He said, “What do you want?” I said, “I want my client to be able to come here and have some neck bones.” He said, “That doesn’t sound unreasonable. Sure. Have him come in and all I ask is to let me know when he comes to town and let me know when he leaves. He doesn’t have to

do anything as far as registering. He can have his neck bones, and you don’t have a lawsuit.” So that was the end of it. I tried to be reasonable. I know my reputation was such among the law enforcement people that I wasn’t, but I always thought I was being reasonable.

Lamb introduced the work card law, which required all casino and race and sportsbook workers to go through a background check. In the old days, the race and sports books weren’t in the hotels and casinos. They were basi-cally little stores on Las Vegas Boule-vard. There was a raid that took place at one of them, and I represented El-liott Paul Price, a very cordial fellow, well respected in Las Vegas. The sheriff went in and they took his work card, which precluded him from working at the race and sports book. I said, “You can’t take a person’s right to work away from them without a hearing and without notice.” He sort of gave me one of these “Pshaws” and couldn’t have cared less about what I was say-ing. I sued the sheriff, and I won. Ba-sically that began the law that gave people rights in this very privileged industry of gambling. It was one of the seminal cases of my career. From that I gained the confdence of guys such as Rosenthal and Spilotro and other people in the industry, and my prac-tice began to fourish.

The sheriff was the greatest. When we

got together at gatherings, he always used to say that he made me a rich man. I held him in the highest esteem and over the years, we developed a fondness for one other. He’d come up to Oscar’s, the restaurant I own in the Plaza, to have a drink, and I’d say, “You’d better watch yourself, Sheriff. I’m the only guy that can drink that way—you can’t do it.” And the next thing I knew, he’d disappeared.

When my wife, Carolyn, was running for mayor, he would check in with us once a week and ask her how she’s doing. I was honored that, at his funeral, Caro-lyn and I were the only nonrelatives who were invited to the room where the fam-ily was sitting before the service started.

He was the quintessential Western sheriff. He lived the part because he was the part. He never was a phony, and people knew not to mess with him. If he was wrong, just as we resolved the Civella case, he resolved it. But if he thought he was right, he would fght you tooth and nail and do what he thought was the righteous thing to do. You have to admire a guy like that.

You think of him as a tough guy, but the truth of the matter was he was a tough guy, but he was also a nice guy.

Oscar Goodman is a longtime attorney and a former mayor of Las Vegas.

‘Quintessential Western Sheriff ’RALPH LAMB

April 10, 1927–July 3, 2015

By Oscar Goodman(as told to Lissa Townsend Rodgers)

Lamb, 1978.

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➺ b.b. king gave me a surprise in the summer of 1969 that I still can’t forget. My only regret is that I never got to thank him directly.

I was at summer camp, when the camp announced a trip to Tanglewood, Massachussetts, for a concert at which The Who and Jefferson Airplane would co-headline (it was a kind of Woodstock warmup for those two bands), and B.B. King would open. I’d never heard of him until then; I was 14 years old, mud-dled up as a kid could be.

We spread blankets and the concert began. At the time, King opened with “Don’t Answer the Door,” a key track on His Best—The Electric B.B. King, as I discovered in due course. I still have

few words to describe the way it hit me. Five notes from him and I didn’t want to know anything from either The Who or the Airplane.

I couldn’t wait to get home to the cheap electric guitar my maternal grandmother bought me for my 12th birthday and start trying to play seri-ously, not to mention taking the al-lowance my mother was kind enough to save for me all summer and buy as many blues records as I could.

The haul included three King albums: the aforesaid His Best … , plus Completely Well (at the time his newest release) and Singin’ the Blues (a very early album release). I also bought choice releases by Muddy Waters, Albert King, Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf, the Butterfeld Blues Band, Sonny Boy Williamson II and others. Each told stories I was unaware could be told in music until then. Each said things nobody else had said to this damaged teenage boy.

Above them all was B.B. King, a long-time Las Vegas resident. His Lucille re-ally was a second human voice. Singing, crying, laughing, whispering, shout-ing. Saying in a few notes what guitar-ists since have tried and failed to say

with thrice the notes in half the space. Whenever I pick up my guitar, I like to think that I’m thanking King for the gift he gave me all those summers ago.

The musical diversions I made in the years to follow were enough. In-variably, the blues called me back, in due course to stay. King had most to do with that. I rarely lost track of any of King’s coming releases. They bore otherworldly brilliance and human ordinariness alike. None of the or-dinariness dimmed the depth of the man at his best, which was more than we had the right to expect.

Not even the fnal time I saw him live, at the 2014 Big Blues Bender in Las Ve-gas. I had to fght tears watching my blues father in what seemed like his fnal days. He could barely get through one verse of a song. His beloved Lucille fell out of tune, her man seemed barely aware of it. He rambled rather than told stories; and I could bear only an hour of it, if that long.

Only later was it confrmed what I had suspected quietly enough, that Alzheimer’s disease had compounded the diabetes which had long afficted him. He was human and not without

his human frailties, but inficting that upon B.B. King was an Eighth Amend-ment violation.

Then I remembered his fnal studio recording, One Kind Favor. Facing his mortality at last, he opened the record with “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean,” but he refused to brood and chose to celebrate his life—and life itself. No bluesman of my experience ever al-lowed less self-pity for his hardships or less self-congratulation for his tri-umphs and happinesses.

I suspect that his attitude, in hand with his outsize talent, is why he be-came the King of the Blues. (Justice demands the title be retired in his honor.) He may not have intended One Kind Favor as his coda. But to play that and all his recordings now is to say how fortunate we were to have had him as long as we had him.

So thank you again, Daddy B. For more than one kind favor.

A blues guitarist himself, Jeff Kallman is the president of the Las Vegas Blues Society.

‘One K i n d Favor’B.B. KING

September 16, 1925-May 14, 2015

By Jeff Kallman

King, 2002.

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➺ what exactly is it about that sign?At almost any time of day, people

are lined up on the little sliver of land between lanes on the south end of the Strip. Elvis might be there, or the oc-casional showgirl; there’s always at least one pair of newlyweds. Some-times you see them darting across the street; they risk life and limb running the gauntlet to the middle lane, all to capture a moment in photograph, an instantaneous memory starring the most famous sign in the world.

Why do I love that sign? I idolize its designer.

Betty Willis is utterly Battle Born. On May 20, 1923, she was welcomed to the world by Stephen and Gertrude White-head in Overton, the youngest of eight children. Tired of his commute to Las Vegas, Stephen—the frst appointed Clark County assessor and frst elected Clark County recorder—relocated the family to Las Vegas soon after.

She grew up in a house that once stood at Seventh Street and Mesquite Avenue, attending Fifth Street School and Las Vegas High School like so many other legends of her era. Although Ve-gas was home, interviews suggest it was the allure of Los Angeles’ neon that ignited her imagination. Occa-sional visits exposed her to California’s fashier skyline: chasing neon, scintil-lating bulbs, animation, wild lights. It’s hard to imagine Fremont Street in the late ’20s and early ’30s, a dirt road Main Street with fve-and-dimes, candy stores … and the occasional de-baucherous club. Vegas was a tiny, wild West town, and the luminous Strip wasn’t even a glimmer on the horizon. Los Angeles must have been dazzling for a little girl with hungry eyes.

Willis attended art school in Los Angeles, returning to Las Vegas to work for an advertising agency and freelance as an illustrator, designing newspaper show ads for early Strip resorts, such as the Thunderbird, El Rancho and the Flamingo. She soon joined Young Electric Sign Company, working alongside legendary design-ers such as Jack Larsen (Silver Slipper), Ben Mitchem (Dunes) and Hermon Boernge (Vegas Vic, Sands).

In 1952 she joined Western Neon, where she would have worked alongside the incomparable Brian “Buzz” Leming (Barbary Coast), who died the same day as Willis. It was here that she designed her most famous sign, and it was here that she arguably hit her stride.

Those are the stats. Now, let that sink in a moment: 1952. Betty Willis, a female designer defning herself in a male-

dominated industry in the early 1950s. In my mind, she is Peggy Olson from Mad Men: pert and saucy, ensemble perfectly on point but just conservative enough to artfully sidestep her sexual-ity, just as or more talented than her male peers, adept at killing it creatively without emasculating the men in the room. Only Mad Men starts in the 1960s; Betty had Peggy beat by about 10 years.

Willis the artist gave us bright, evoc-ative, era-defning signs. Her creative manipulation of lettering, perhaps because of years spent as a graphic de-signer, was dauntless and set her signs apart. This 2-D sensibility translated into signs that used the sky like a can-vas, day and night. The foating pink neon cursive of the Moulin Rouge (1955) is deceptively effortless: it was natural, elegant, light and airy, blithe in its carefully spontaneous script. The social signifcance of a female art-ist designing a sign for a black-owned, racially integrated casino resort in 1955 cannot be overstated. The sign is an opulent tribute to a valiant place.

Her signs suggest that Willis the de-signer had the smarts to use every tool

to her advantage. Working alongside the epic male designers at Yesco, this young graphic artist learned how to think about looking at signs, how to maximize a three-dimensional vi-sual experience. According to Willis, Hermon Boernge taught her how to estimate a sign build, and, by exten-sion, project engineering and mate-rial costs. This skill, rare among sign designers, set her apart from the rest of the boys. When it came to a sign like the Blue Angel (1956), a massive sculp-ture teetering atop a monolithic pole, Willis was able to realize the vision for the sign, understand the limits of fabrication and potential of materials, all within budget. But with Willis, you also got an unforgettable, voluptuous, Disney-esque angel holding court over gorgeous azure skies.

She was the defnition of a badass.For some, a sign is simply pop cul-

ture, alluring and entertaining but incapable of transcending its more functional purpose. For others, signs are the architecture of memories and meaning. Willis was able to articulate complex, subtle intimacies and ideas

in physical form. Through her sensi-tive, playful and enduring signs, this pioneering female artist and designer gave to Las Vegas locals a moving and unfathomable gift: an image to think of when they think of home.

Which brings us back to that sign. Why this small, relatively modest, and imperfectly designed sign? Unlike the rest of the Strip, through countless implosions, reinventions and demoli-tions, the sign has remained. It’s not for a casino or resort or motel: it’s for the city itself. When designing the sign, Betty Willis was tasked with cre-ating an emblem that might capture the spirit of Las Vegas and celebrate its endless stream of temporary resi-dents. In response, she designed a timeless sign for Las Vegas that speaks to her character and the character of the city she called home.

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas.

Danielle Kelly is the former director of the Neon Museum.

‘A Ba d a ss ’BETTY WILLIS

May 20, 1923-April 19, 2015

By Danielle Kelly

Willis, 1998.

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➺ i met kerry simon in 1998, when he and chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten were meeting with Steve Wynn and me to discuss a restaurant venture, which ended up being Prime Steakhouse in Bellagio. Kerry and Jean-Georges were two of the coolest guys, and we had a lot of great times together.

Kerry and I, New York transplants, struck up a friendship. He was one of the most genuine people that you could ever meet. A group of us had switched ZIP codes, including Grant MacPherson, Jean-Louis Palladin, Alex Stratta and Julian Serrano, and we all hung out together exploring our new home. But Kerry and I went on vaca-tions together, skied together and at-tended the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore, after which we traveled throughout Southeast Asia, a region that was like a second home to him.

After the changes in ownership at the

Bellagio, I decided it was time to go out on my own and start a consulting busi-ness. Like-minded Kerry decided it was time to open his own restaurant. We ca-sually talked about his vision for a res-taurant. Over the course of his career he had made extraordinary friendships and business contacts, from rock stars to models to celebrities, and it was time to capitalize on being the executive chef of the “hottest” steakhouse in Las Vegas and venture out on his own.

At that time, Las Vegas was still knownfor fne dining and expansive buffets. The Simon Kitchen & Bar concept was transformational for the city because it was the frst time you saw a really pro-fessional, high-level fne dining back-ground—well-executed food and great front-of-the-house service—packagedin a casual atmosphere. The waitstaff wore blue jeans and we could play our own style of music, which fulflled Ker-ry’s other passion. It was the frst time in Las Vegas that such a high-profle ce-lebrity chef was behind a concept that was approachable and meant for the people to relax and enjoy.

What made Kerry’s food so great was the simplicity and authenticity of his menus. It was comfort food with a twist. People still talk about the meatloaf, the macaroni and cheese and the junk-food platter. The signature mound of hot-pink cotton candy we served drove the play-with-your-food mindset. Cus-

tomers would take the bright fuffy confection and make fake mustaches, wigs, even put it in their martinis.

Simon Kitchen & Bar was such an ex-traordinary opportunity. Peter Morton gave us the keys to the castle. We got to select the designer, Yabu Pushelberg, and led the entire process. We were trying to choose the silverware and had narrowed it down to two patterns. Kerry always had a backpack and with two full sets of silverware that he was lugging around to show everyone. Finally, one day, I said, “Kerry, if you don’t make a decision on this silverware, we’re going to be using plastic.” We were at the deadline, getting close to opening, and so every decision was agonized over and was so personal to both of us. It was fun; the restaurant was such an overwhelming success, and it was so unbelievably embraced by the city. John Mariani of Esquire named it one of 2003’s Best New Restaurants.

Simon Kitchen in the Hard Rock Ho-tel was the seed that led to many other restaurants around the country. When Peter sold the Hard Rock, that was the turning point to venture out with George Maloof. At the time, George was building the Palms, and we decided to take advantage of that business op-portunity and move our concept from the Hard Rock to Palms Place.

Kerry’s welcome-to-my-home mind-set made an impression. It was a result of his warm, caring and gentle demean-or that so many people would come into the restaurant and dine for the frst time and leave feeling that he was their friend. Because of Kerry’s passion for music, he felt comfortable around ce-lebrities, especially rock stars. Wheth-er you were David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, Lenny Kravitz, Alice Cooper or Vince Neil, he could talk to you like you were Joe Smith. He was enamored with their music, they were enamored with his culinary abilities, and he blended in with his rock star looks. He didn’t want anything from them—he didn’t want their fame; he didn’t want free tickets; he just wanted their friendship. There was this magnetism to his personality that was very organic, and he was al-ways the favorite guest at any party.

Kerry was an avid photographer, and he had thousands of photographs. We would go on trips or be at culinary events and he would take all these amazing pho-tos, but I would never see them. I don’t know what he would do with the rolls; he either never developed them or he could never fnd them. I would constantly bug him. Like any true artist, sometimes things were a little disorganized.

It wasn’t until after he got sick and he asked me to spearhead his cook-book project that I started fnding his enormous stash of pictures, and revis-iting some of the experiences we had together. There was a dinner we did with Jean-Georges that was attended by chefs Roger Vergé, Nobu Matsuhisa, Daniel Boulud, Julian Serrano, restau-rateur Drew Nieporent and our friend Shep Gordon. There were pictures from Southeast Asia, from Singapore, from opening the frst Simon—all these

pictures that really showed the story of Kerry and all that he accomplished.

Being this handsome, outgoing, strong Rock ’n’ Roll Chef, he was ada-mant about his privacy, because he really worried about how people were going to feel when he announced that he had multiple system atrophy (MSA). What happened was the opposite of what he could have ever imagined—the outpouring of love and support was ex-traordinary and well deserved.

Within months, the Las Vegas commu-nity—as well as the rock ’n’ roll and chef communities—came together to put on a beneft for Kerry to fght MSA. With the help of Larry Ruvo, George Maloof and Robin Leach, we were able to build an amazing event. It made me very proud to be a part of this tight-knit commu-nity because from the very moment he was down, everyone rallied around him with their support. He was so very brave in this daunting fght against MSA. He never wanted to give up nor for us to give up. He wanted to make sure that we continued to raise awareness and stamp out this ugly disease. The best way to remember Kerry Simon is by continu-ing to support the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and its staff, such as Dr. Ryan Walsh.

Kerry’s attitude was incredibly admi-rable to me—he was ready to fght to the last breath and never had a woe-is-me attitude. He was always up for going out, socializing and being with friends. Every Sunday he was at brunch at Si-mon, and he never used his disease as an excuse. He was fghting MSA to the very end. That courage was something that really inspired me. First there was the friendship, which was built on light and fun times shared, and I’ll always treasure it. Then there was the busi-ness, which we shared with so many. And then, when the going got tough, it was that courage that I’ll always re-member. It is these cherished memo-ries that will brighten my spirits and make me smile when I remember my friend, Kerry Simon. #FMSA

Elizabeth Blau is a restaurateur and business partner of Kerry Simon.

‘The Favor i te Guest’KERRY SIMON

June 17, 1955-September 11, 2015

By Elizabeth Blau(As told to Paul Szydelko)

Simon, 2014.

The concept was trans-formational for the city because it was the first time you saw a really profes-sional, high-level fine dining background—well-executed food and great front-of-the-house service—packaged in a casual atmosphere.

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➺ on his passing, las vegas lost a great man, a great business leader, a great community leader and humani-tarian, an innovator and one member of our country’s Greatest Generation. Even more, Kirk Kerkorian was a great friend, a great mentor and a great coach. He combined brilliant business insight with steadfast integrity to be-come one of the most reputable and infuential entertainment and hospi-tality leaders of our time.

During the darkest days of the Great Recession, Kerkorian and I would talk almost daily. Sometimes we would talk business, but not always. He would always ask me how I was doing, was I

taking care of myself, was I exercising, how was my family, how were the em-ployees? He always cared about others.

He was one of the most contempo-rary thinkers I knew. He taught me the importance of looking forward about 85 percent of the time, and to look back only to understand how things could be done better. This approach to life, and business, was natural for him be-cause he started his career as an avia-tor. He was also a superb boxer. In both cases he had to have the discipline to look forward—to the next milestone as a pilot and to the next jab as a boxer.

His life was like a truly American screenplay. And what a legacy he left.

Kerkorian was a frst-generation U.S. citizen, born of Armenian immi-grants. Until the end, he never forgot his ancestry.

Two years before World War II, in 1939, he was installing wall furnaces around Los Angeles. He visited an air-port to watch a co-worker fy a Piper J-3 Cub. That experience led to a lifelong love of aviation. Eager to gain a pilot’s license, he found his way to Happy Bot-tom Ranch in the Mojave Desert, which

was a combination fight school and dairy farm near what is now Edwards Air Force Base. In exchange for fying lessons, he tended ranch.

After earning his pilot’s license, he joined the Royal Air Force Air Trans-port Command, whose mission was to fy Mosquito bombers from Canada to Scotland. The trip was harrowing. Each plane carried enough fuel to fy 1,400 miles, while the distance to Scot-land was 2,200 miles; only one in four pilots survived. But through gritty de-termination and calculation—charac-teristics that ran throughout his life—he innovated piloting the northern route. Ultimately Kerkorian delivered 33 Mosquitos to the front.

With his tidy nest egg, he frst visited Las Vegas as pilot of his own Cessna air-plane, for which he paid $5,000. Later, he founded a small charter airline to fy tourists. His love affair with Las Vegas had taken off literally and fguratively.

His frst foray into Las Vegas was in 1955 when he invested $50,000 into the Dunes Hotel which, ultimately, he lost. He drew knowledge from the experience and determined he would always be in

charge of his destiny. Kerkorian went on to assemble parcels of land which he sold to what is now Caesars Palace.

In the 1970s, he founded MGM Grand and grew it into MGM Resorts Interna-tional—which he said was the highlight of his career. He oversaw fve decades of deals, mergers and development proj-ects-—at one time or another, he owned the Sands, International Hotel, Flamingo and MGM Resorts’ present portfolio of more than 10 Strip resorts. His vision and business prowess helped transform Las Vegas from a modest gambling city into a world-renowned travel destination.

On three different occasions, he built and opened the world’s largest hotel, starting with the International in 1969 and then MGM Grand in its two itera-tions, in 1973 and 1993.

His boxing prowess, advocacy and leadership had him inducted into the inaugural class of the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame alongside other greats including George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard and Mike Tyson.

And to continue the screenplay, aside from fying, his other nongaming pro-fessional passion was flm. He owned MGM Studios from 1969 to 1990, and again from 1996 to 2005. Like his Las Vegas entertainment and hospitality operations, he focused on expanding his flm assets, purchasing Orion Pic-tures, the Samuel Goldwyn Company and Motion Picture Corporation of America. He also bought a majority of the pre-1996 PolyGram Filmed Enter-tainment library from its parent, Phil-ips. In 2005, he sold the MGM movie studio operations for the last time to a consortium led by Sony.

He was, in many ways, the master of the business deal. The magic to his suc-cess was simple—he cared that the other party felt that they were being treated fairly. He was in pursuit of relationships, not just transactions. He knew that “win-win” would create long-term relation-ships that were so important in busi-ness and life. Kerkorian always knew the stakes. In business and in life, he always had a keen sense of the chips on his side of the table. There was no gray area with Kerkorian when it came to ethics and probity of deals. Only deals done cor-rectly and with an eye for the other party were considered, let alone concluded.

In 2011, on his retirement from the MGM board of directors, he said, “One of the most rewarding aspects of my life has been my association with MGM Resorts and its predecessor compa-nies. I am deeply indebted to the hun-dreds of thousands of men and women who have worked for our companies through these many years. Their hard work and dedication to success created the extraordinary opportunity to share our success with others. It has been a privilege to work with them all.”

Truly, the privilege was ours.

Jim Murren is chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International.

‘Master of the Deal’KIRK KERKORIAN

June 6, 1917-June 15, 2015

By Jim Murren

Kerkorian, 1968.

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‘ T H E T H O U G H T F U L U N C L E ’By Colin Cowherd

➜ During my time as sports director at KVBC Channel 3 (now KSNV), Jerry Tarkanian’s Rebels were almost always the lead story—in good times, bad times and even during the off-season.

In 1990, I went on the 6 o’clock news the night after UNLV had clobbered Utah State. The game wasn’t the story, though. Instead, it was an incident that made na-tional news. Moses Scurry, a rugged and emotional forward, had been ruled ineli-gible for the game by the NCAA and was on the end of the bench in dress clothes when a fight broke out during the game. Scurry made his way onto the court and punched Aggies’ head coach Kohn Smith. Yes, he actually punched a coach.

I wrote a three-minute commentary rip-ping Tark and the program’s chaotic and envelope-pushing reputation. In Las Vegas at that time, criticizing Tark was tanta-mount to treason.

When my sportscast was over, a news manager rushed into the studio and as the door flung open, I could hear the phone lines ringing off the hook.

“That was fantastic,” one of my bosses said. “But I wouldn’t leave your house for several days,” he laughed.

Word of my commentary quickly got to Tark, and a few days later, he called me into his office after a practice. Expecting the worst, what transpired was actually one of his most endearing moments.

“You were really hard on me and Moses, Colin. I mean, really hard. I didn’t see it, but everyone has been telling me what you said. It sounds really unfair. He’s just a kid.” I quickly interrupted Tark and de-fended myself.

“Jerry, if I don’t give an honest opinion, what credibility do I have? I love Moses, but he shouldn’t have even been allowed on the bench. I can’t take it easy on you or your program, or I will have zero credibili-ty. I have to do my job. That’s all I’m doing.”

Tark paused and instead of firing back, he said, almost apologetically, “Yeah, you do have to do your job. I get that. I didn’t even see it, but I heard you really ripped us.” He smirked, “All the fans told me I had to yell at you, but you do have a job to do. Fans get a little crazy.”

And that was it. The legendary coach listened to the twenty-something sports-caster. No yelling. No defiant railing. He may have even asked how things were going for me afterward. Maybe he did or didn’t, but I like to remember that he did.

People thought Tark and I had an ad-versarial relationship, but we really didn’t, save a few disagreements. He was com-plex like all interesting people are.

Fifteen years later on the campus of Penn State, I was hosting a radio remote for ESPN when two young girls came up to me and introduced themselves as Jerry’s nieces.

“Our uncle Jerry says to say ‘Hi’ and hopes you are doing well,” they said.

He didn’t have to do that, just like he didn’t have to patiently listen to me, while upset, years earlier.

That moment is how I like to remember him. Jerry, the thoughtful uncle and the willing listener, not the legendary coach with an edgy reputation.

Colin Cowherd’s show airs simultaneously on FS1 and the Fox Sports Radio Network, including KRLV-AM 1340 in Las Vegas, from 9 a.m.-noon weekdays.

➺ tell people you are from las Vegas and you will get a reaction. Some good, some bad. Las Vegas is a place that holds visceral memories for people. Even those who haven’t visited have an impression of Las Vegas from a picture they saw, a story they heard or a com-mercial they remember. And at a time when news was not instantaneous and social media was in its infancy, they might even remember where they were when UNLV won a national basketball championship against Duke.

In fact, one could argue that Jerry Tarkanian and his Runnin’ Rebels cre-ated more visual impressions and de-veloped greater name recognition for the Las Vegas brand during their hey-day than people such as Frank Sinatra, Bugsy Siegel and even Steve Wynn.

For a city that spends tens of mil-lions of dollars every year to get its name before the public, how valu-able was it to see Las Vegas in every newspaper, every day of the basketball season before the Internet and social media took over? Tark’s success put Las Vegas, and the innate appeal our city’s name invokes, out into the world through daily polls, mentions, inter-views and pictures. If you calculated it in terms of dollars, the value of all that press combined would be well into the hundreds of millions.

Add Tark’s special personality and the style of play for which his UNLV teams were famous into the mix, and you couldn’t buy better publicity or place a monetary value on the expo-sure he created for Las Vegas. Such a character, in such a town, with such a team, was a story that never got old.

Tark was a Damon Runyon charac-ter. Colorful, sad-eyed, clever-as-ever with his quips during interviews, he was endearing to almost anyone who met and spent time with him.

And his teams were basketball revolutionaries. Their ability to run-and-gun and play amazing lights-out defense made them instant favorites with basketball fans the world over.

Compare what he did for this town to what other collegiate powers such as

Kansas, North Carolina or the unmen-tionable Duke did for their cities, and they just can’t match up. When Tark and his team won it all in 1990, UNLV led the nation in merchandising sales. That’s probably because his team per-sonifed everyone’s impression of the spirit of Las Vegas. People wanted a part of that, they wanted a piece of the Las Vegas brand. It was a constant remind-er of the city’s spirit, its glamour, fne dining, gaming, shopping and more.

With no major sports franchise, the Runnin’ Rebels were literally the only game in town and the people of Las Vegas gravitated to Tark’s personal-ity and success. He was a fgure that polarized views on collegiate sports outside our city, but who was made in central casting for Las Vegas.

Tark was a fgure that embodied the untamed West, who ultimately defed the odds and despite intense scru-tiny and doubt, was victorious against the establishment and the East. The people of Las Vegas embraced him and took the success and failure of his teams personally. Mention the Fi-nal Four game of 1991 and you might very well see a physical shudder at the thought of how close UNLV came to an undefeated season and back-to-back championships, something that until Tark arrived was not even a thought of a thought.

In fact, the Runnin’ Rebels exposed the reality of a collegiate existence in Las Vegas to the world. Articles in sports media still quoted the “What hotel do you live in?” cliché, but they now also talked about the local community; the university that became a world leader in the hospitality industry; and the group of staunch supporters from “Gu-cci Row” that was an entourage before Entourage the TV series. So remembered

for their fare, they are still referenced in contemporary rap songs.

The development of the Thomas & Mack Center, named after E. Parry Thomas and Jerome D. Mack, who donated the original funds for the feasibility and land studies, created a stage for the Tark era to unfold, but it was Jerry who flled the “Shark Tank.” A group of longtime residents saw the great opportunity an event center would bring to Las Vegas and asked Congress to allow slot revenues to stay local for its fnal funding. The Thomas & Mack as an events center did in fact bring world-class events to Las Vegas, but as the hometown court for UNLV, the Thomas & Mack became the rally-ing place for the community.

The allure of the job at UNLV was that before Tark signed on in 1973, it was yet to be a job. Many people had an interest in building a program, but we all knew we needed more than a coach. Tark checked all the boxes; he was a brand unto himself.

When I recruited him to Las Vegas, I knew we had to sell him on what we could become and the support the town would provide. Many coaches called me during that time and told me we didn’t have a shot at getting Tark and would I consider putting a good word in for them. That’s when I knew! I knew we had the makings of something great, and I was committed to bringing Tark to Las Vegas. The rest, as they say, is history. And Jerry Tarkanian, “Tark the Shark,” was, without question, the most signifcant part of it all.

Sig Rogich is a longtime marketing executive and political consultant.

‘A Brand Unto Himself’JERRY TARKANIAN

August 8, 1930-February 11, 2015

By Sig Rogich

Tarkanian, 1977.

Colorful, sad-eyed, clever-as-ever with his quips during interviews, he was endearing to almost anyone who met and spent time with him.

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I Now Hear ThisGrammy Award nominees Galantis heads to Las Vegas

for Day 2 of 2016 By Kat Boehrer

Galantis' Christian Karlsson and Linus Eklöw would like

your attention, please.

Your city after dark and photos from the week's hottest parties

NIGHTLIFE

➜ CHRISTIAN KARLSSON AND LINUS EKLÖW are known individually as Bloodshy and Style of Eye, respectfully. But together, they form Swedish super group Galantis, which creates electronic pop tracks with happy synth sounds and catchy melodies. The soft-spoken duo garnered two Grammy nominations for their single "Runaway (U&I)." They will begin a tour after their stop at Marquee’s Dayclub Dome on January 2.

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NIGHTLIFE

Galantis plays the final set on the Kinetic Field at

EDC 2015.

What was the concept behind the video

for “In My Head,” and how did it come

together?

K A RLSSON: We started working on that video before we did the “Peanut Butter Jelly” video. It's defnitely one of our favorites. We had wanted to do a [video of] a real-life dance performance. Dano [Cerny, the director] did an amazing job, and the choreographers did an amazing job. It's one of the best dance videos ever made. It sounds a little douche-y to say about your own stuff, but it's really tight dancing. You know?

Were you involved in the whole process?

K A RLSSON: Not all of it, but a lot of it. We love to be involved in all the content. The videos are really important to us. The whole imagery and brand of Galantis is something that we work on all the time.

Is the music video component as

important as the song, or more of an

accessory to the music?

KARLSSON: It depends on the song. It’s important for the brand to show who you are and what you're trying to do with your music. It's a tool that you can use.

How do you come up with creative

concepts for your videos?

K A RLSSON: It's mostly ideas that you go around having and then they grow into a fuller, bigger idea. You never know what type of music is going to ft into an idea you’ve had. Just collect a bunch of ideas, basically. It's like, "Oh, let's try this out to this song" or what-ever, and take it from there.

You mix and match different video ideas

with your songs?

K A RLSSON: Yeah.

How do you like tour life?

K A RLSSON: I mean, shit happens every day. We're a new act, and it's just genuinely amazing to see people com-ing out, singing our songs back to us. It's absolutely epic. The frst show

we did was at Coachella [in 2014], and it was about two weeks after the frst piece of music was released. That was a special one, of course—crazy. It's gone really fast and it's pretty unreal, going around the world and seeing people who already know so much about our music.

How do you deal with exhaustion?

EKLÖW: We do that in the studio, ac-tually. That makes us feel like home wherever we are in the world. K A RLSSON: You get into tour life after a while, and you have to be OK with that being a part of your life. If you think about it, it's going to be over soon, then you're going to be dead. It's like a part of what you do. It's going to be like that every day. You need to be OK with that.

How do you prepare for big shows?

K A RLSSON: We're on tour right now. We work all the time on our set, and we [practice with] something that's pretty much in between the live show and the DJ set. We bring a lot of gear from the studio, our favorite toys: some drums, pads, filters and such, and try to be creative with the live things. Here in Australia, we have tried out some bigger drums and stuff. It's been really fun.EKLÖW: It's [different] from tour to tour. Each time, we try to do some-thing different and bring something new to the table.

Do you have other musicians to assist?

K A RLSSON: We bring the tools that we use in the studio. And it's always only Linus and me.

What will your New Year's Eve show at

Marquee be like? Is it more of a DJ set?

K A RLSSON: We're bringing as much of the gear as possible. Our shows are extreme high energy.EKLÖW: It's a certain feel-good factor when Galantis plays music. That's for sure. It's a celebration.

“ You get into tour life after a while. ... If you think about it, it's going to be over soon, then you're going

to be dead. ... You need to be OK with that.”

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THU 17Christmas is just around the corner, but we’re still fnding excuses to party outdoors. If you’re like us, and are willing to brave chilly weather for a killer party, head to the roof of Commonwealth for Jack N Cake. Yeah, it’s exactly what it sounds like—enjoy complimentary shots of whiskey and free cake alongside killer tunes by 100 Tribn. The collective is known for its heavy remixes of familiar tracks including Disclosure’s “Latch.” They’ll be joined by local champions Byra Tanks, Zack the Ripper, JKL&HYD and Bad Antikz and like our boy Mike Grimala of RunRebs.com’s cooking show, things are bound to Heat Up. (525 Fremont St., 9 p.m., CommonwealthLV.com.)

FRI 18If country twang is more your thang, hit up the Sayers Club for Buckin’ Fridays. Ben Carey of Lifehouse fame

specifcally curated a playlist of the hottest country hits, so you can square dance and swing until the wee hours of morning. Bring your dancin’ shoes—er, boots; it’s gonna be a long night. (In SLS, 10 p.m., TheSayersClubLV.com.)

SAT 19Nowadays, everybody wants to talk like they’ve got something to say. Just ask Henrix. The Miami-based DJ/producer collaborated with bearded Los Angeles spinner Adrien Mezsi on a trap rendition of Dr. Dre and Eminem’s “Forgot About Dre.” The two transformed the song’s eerie, minor strings and simple drums into a club banger that’s ripe for those dark winter nights. Download the bass-heavy rendition for free on his Soundcloud, then hear him drop it at Light, where it’ll sit pretty next to his other remixes such as the progressive house reworking of Felix Cartal’s “With You”

and his bumpin’ remix of Deadmau5’s “Pets.” He’s bound to play a set we won’t forget about anytime soon. (In Mandalay Bay, 10:30 p.m., TheLightVegas.com.) Phoreyz has single-handedly turned a grade-school insult into an esteemed title in the world of party-rockin’ DJs. Since he began rockin’ the tables in 2001, the New York-born, Los Angeles-raised mix master went on to craft mixes for clients such as Undefeated, Stones Throw and Frank 151, and he’s shared the stage with greats such as DJ Jazzy Jeff, Z-Trip and Nu-Mark. You might recognize him as a frequent contributor to the monthly Get Back soul-disco parties; tonight, he’ll bring that flavor to Hakkasan’s Ling Ling Club. (In MGM Grand, 10 p.m., HakkasanLV.com.)

SUN 20Get some airtime at Ghostbar, where you’ll be rewarded for enduring the

falling temperatures in exchange for a stunning view of the Strip 55 floors high. Afraid of heights? Don’t worry; DJ Shredz will be there to comfort you with an open-format set in this (literal) next-level party. Get there early and enjoy 50 percent off drinks from 8-10 p.m. (In the Palms, 1 p.m., Palms.com.)

MON 21Tonight you can kickstart your work week and show a local boy some love at the same time. Sound good? Great. Now head to Marquee where M!ke Attack mans the decks. Since beginning his career in DTLV, he’s moved on to spin at venues such as Daylight and Lavo. That doesn’t mean he forgot where he came from, though. The “Pied Piper of DJs” still holds it down at Gold Spike. Watch his ’fro bounce as he attacks the tables in one of his signature electro-indie sets. (In the Cosmopolitan, 11 p.m., MarqueeLasVegas.com.)

TUE 22

How about a happy hour to brighten up your Tuesday? Hit up Elixir Lounge 3-6 p.m. for a plethora of food and drink specials. Enjoy $3 well drinks and $5 glasses of wine, and that’s just alcohol. In the munchie department, you can nosh on deviled eggs ($5), spinach and artichoke dip ($5), chips and salsa ($3)

and more. Tuesdays just got more delicious. (2920 N. Green Valley Pkwy., 3-6 p.m., ElixirLounge.net.)

WED 23Queen Latifah and Jermaine Dupri are bringing hip-hop to Lifetime—the television network. Yeah, you read that right. The two are spearheading The Rap Game—an unscripted, eight-episode series that follows fve Atlanta hip-hop artists in their quests to break out into the mainstream. Considering reality television produces sky-high ratings, we don’t doubt the success of the series, but we hope that neither will abandon what they do best—music. You can see the frst episode of The Rap Game on Jan. 1, but tonight, see Dupri rock the ones and twos at Surrender. Maybe you can strike an organic conversation with him, or hand him your mix tape, fam. (In Encore, 10:30 p.m., SurrenderNightclub.com.)

By IanCaramanzana

NIGHTLIFE

Jermaine Dupri.

M!ke Attack.

Byra Tanks.

PARTIES

See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com

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FOUNDATION ROOMMandalay Bay

[ UPCOMING ]

Dec. 17 DJ Seany Mac spins

Dec. 18 Sam I Am and DJ Mark Mac spin

Dec. 19 Sam I Am, DJ Greg Lopez and DJ Poun spin

NIGHTLIFE

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An off-menu special, Pizza Stella is a margherita pizza in the shape of a star.

Weathering ChangesAn unexpected chef switch-up hasn’t hurt The District’s new Italian spot By Al Mancini

Restaurant reviews, news and merlot makes its comeback

As we prepare to turn over our proverbial new leaves for 2016, maybe we should think about cutting back on salty,

fatty, smoky pork products.

FINAL FANTASY | PAGE 44

DINING➜ EUROPEANS CAN BE A BIT OBSESSIVE

about the authenticity of their native cuisines, and the pedigrees of the chefs who create them. In fact, when Bella Vita opened with much fanfare in the District at Green Valley Ranch in Octo-ber, the owners went so far as to tout it as “obsessive Italian cuisine.” Much was also made about the importation of chef Marco D’Agati, who had run London’s Aubaine chain. So I was a bit disappointed when I fnally made it into the place and was told that D’Agati was no longer with the company due to visa problems. That disappointment quickly dissipated, however, when I was informed his replacement is Nick Parker, who’s put in time at Mario Batali’s Carnevino in the Palazzo. And my server was quick to inform me that the chef making pizzas in the airy restaurant’s open kitchen was born and raised in Sicily, where he learned his craft. So I wasn’t sweating pedigree.

Those pizzas are a prominent part of Bella Vita’s menu. And the simple, thin-crusted margherita version I enjoyed made it obvious the chef knows his way around a pizza oven, with its mildly tangy sauce, well-blended cheese and large fresh basil leaves.

The rest of the menu, at least at dinnertime, is considerably more sophisticated. Higher-end specialty pizzas come topped with everything from broccoli rabe to speck and truffe oil. Appetizers include salmon and beef carpaccio and tuna tartare.

Moving on to pastas, you’ll fnd ravioli stuffed with beef cheeks. The spaghetti fra diavolo is adorned with Maine lobster. And the chef’s special fettucine features crab meat, arugula, fresh tomatoes, onions and pesto. Main course offerings include branzino, veal saltimbocca and braised lamb shank.

I began one recent meal here with a tender grilled octopus salad seasoned with mint and olives, and accompanied by cubed potatoes and rich borlotti beans. While I enjoyed that immensely, I was a bit let down by an order of pappardelle in a heavy wild boar sauce that was a touch on the bland side. But things bounced back with a delicious tiramisu with sliced fruit.

The lunch menu replicates many of the pizzas, pastas and salad selections that you’ll fnd at dinner, with slightly lower prices. But there’s also a nice se-lection of sandwiches and panini priced from $10 to $14 (including fries or a salad). They include a burger, albacore tuna salad, grilled chicken and seasoned vegetables with mozzarella and avocado.

When I dropped by to sample a pair of those panini, I was very impressed. Each came on a soft, mildly grilled and lightly grooved bread. The Romano featured

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Get the latest news on local restaurant openings and closings, interviews with top chefs, cocktail recipes, menu

previews and more in our weekly Sips and Bites newsletter. Subscribe at VegasSeven.com/SipsAndBites.

DINING

[ JUST A SIP ]

CALL IT A COMEBACK➜ Like a blockbuster talent absent from the big screen for years, we’re often left to wonder whatever happened to merlot. A superstar varietal during the 1990s, all its stardom seems to have fizzled over the years. So what happened to the generous, plush, dark fruit flavors that everyone was so proud to claim as his or her main squeeze?

One widespread urban legend claims that merlot’s spotlight was knocked sideways in 2004 by a certain movie set in Santa Barbara’s pinot noir country. But just as soon as American consumers learned to ask for a glass of merlot, wineries from California, Argentina, Australia and other countries began making mediocre—and some quite awful—wines called “merlot.” And now, people will do whatever it takes to avoid ordering merlot—even if it means ordering a bad pinot noir.

Perhaps merlot should change its name and stage a comeback? Merlot from Pomerol has no trouble getting

people’s attention. The same goes for the merlot-based Pétrus and Saint-Émilion. Some of the world’s greatest wines are made from this “noble grape,” and when it is made well, it is soft and voluptuous, yet rich and filled with complexity and nuances of spice and red and black fruits. No, it makes no sense to ignore this once-loved varietal.

Here are a few superstar merlots to get this wine back in front of an audience again:

• 2013 Markham Vineyards Merlot, Napa Valley, $16, Lee’s Discount Liquor locations.

• 2012 Frog’s Leap Merlot, Napa Valley, $36, Total Wine & More locations.

• 2011 Hitching Post Merlot, Santa Barbara County, $23, (Remember this one from that movie?) Valley Cheese & Wine, 1570 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy. –Marisa Finetti

THE EAST COAST HOLIDAY EATS EDITION➜ For many Las Vegas transplants, the holidays can be a difficult time to stay in town. Mid-westerners like me, and those who originate from the east side of the country, admit that while we may not miss the wintry weather, we definitely miss the food. I’d like to dedicate this column to those of you from the Big Apple. (No offense to my Las Vegas-based Boston, Philly, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., homies.)

While obvious, it’s a must-do: Carnegie Deli (in The Mirage, 702-791-7310, Mirage.com). Here, one of the quintessential New York sandwiches is named for the quintessential New Yorker: the Woody Allen, who used the original Carnegie Deli for a scene in Broadway Danny

Rose. The behemoth pairs smoky pastrami with thinly sliced corned beef, all precariously stuffed between two slices of soft rye bread. It’s an architectural feat to get a sandwich to stand this tall; it’s even more of a feat to deconstruct it so you can actually take a bite of the tender cured meats. You also have to make room for at least a few bites of the giant potato knish—fluffy mashed potatoes in a dough wrapper.

With the right resources, an East Coast feast can always be re-created at home. Head to the west side for a trip to Glaziers Food

Marketplace (8525 W. Warm Springs Rd., 702-614-1111). To be fair, I did discover Glaziers while hunting for Chicago hot dog ingredients, but the independent grocery store has a little bit of New York in it as well. Sure, it’s got Nathan’s Hot Dogs and all the accoutrements you need to perfect your Coney Island dog, but dig a little deeper for some hard-to-find regional items. The bialys may be boxed, but Glazier’s does import delightfully chewy bagels (toasting not even necessary!), as well as Junior’s New York cheesecake and the festive little cookies you buy by the pound from bakeries in Little Italy.

The Cosmopolitan isn’t the only spot with a legit New York-style slice in town. The guys who brought you the not-so-secret-anymore pizza have set up a new shop—and this one is out in the open. Inna Gadda di Pizza (in Pawn Plaza, 702-998-0776, InnaGaddaDiPizza.com) nails the most important part of the pizza—the chewy, blistered crust—and then builds it up from there. The Sunday Gravy specialty pie is the winner, rich with tangy red sauce, sliced meatballs and big hunks of ricotta. Then follow it up with a cannoli filled to order. It’s enough to hold you over until you can get on a plane for the real thing. –Grace Bascos

semi-thick, well-seasoned porchetta with a beautiful rustic touch supplied by roasted red peppers. And those same peppers, alongside slightly bit-ter greens and other quality ingredi-ents, gave the veggie option a bright freshness that reminded me more of a well-executed Caprese salad than an obligatory nod to vegetarians.

Bella Vita occupies a large corner space on the District’s main drag, a bright, welcoming spot decorated with murals inspired by ancient Italy. Patio seating outdoors, even as the weather gets cooler, is still

used to accommodate spillover crowds. Fortunately, plenty of heat-ers are on hand to keep guests from getting too chilly. Those seats have the added beneft of allowing you to take in the sights and sounds of the shopping center.

From 3 to 6 p.m. daily, the restau-rant offers a happy hour, which will likely become a favorite among the Green Valley crowd. In addition to craft cocktails, the chef has also cre-ated a special menu for the after-work munchies. Dishes including arancini, penne, tuna bruschetta, charcuterie and meatballs are all available for just $7 apiece.

Despite the changes in the kitchen, the front of the house

seems pretty solid. Everyone greets you with a smile. The bartenders remember your drink. Managers make it a point to circulate and say hello. Given Las Vegas’ reputation for being a service-driven city, may-be that’s what the place should have been promoting from the start.

BELLA VITA

The District at Green Valley

Ranch, 702-560-6500,

BellaVitaLasVegas.com.

Open for lunch and dinner,

11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.

Lunch for two, $25-$40.

Tiramisu, a literal “pick-me-up.”

Al’s Menu Picks

Grilled octopus ($15),

margherita pizza ($11) and

tiramisu (TK).

Inna Gadda di Pizza.

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Final FantasyIf your New Year’s resolution eschews cured meats,

here’s where to go whole hog for your last supper By Al Mancini

Double Barrel’s Pig Candy.

➜ LEAVE IT TO DOCTORS TO RUIN EVERYTHING FUN. Remember the old (and admittedly overused) ex-pression that “everything goes better with bacon”? Well, in October, the World Health Organization decided to rain on your breakfast by declaring ba-con—along with sausage, hot dogs and other cured meats—a cancer risk (colorectal cancer to be ex-

act). In fact, they’ve put these products in the same category as asbestos and cigarette smoke. So as we prepare to turn over our proverbial new leaves for 2016, maybe we should think about cutting back on the salty, fatty, smoky pork products. But may I sug-gest we send them out in style—with a giant end-of-the-year piggy blowout. Here’s where I’d start.

PIG CANDY

Is it bacon? Is it candy? Who cares

when it blends salty, sugary and

spicy all in one snack? Chef David

Mangual, who smokes his meats in

house, coats his bacon with sugar.

Then, for a bit of kick, he serves it

over a bed of jalapeño and apple

coleslaw. The trick is, you can only

get it during happy hour, which runs

9 to 11 p.m. Sun-Thu. $4, Double

Barrel Roadhouse in Monte Carlo,

702-222-7735, MonteCarlo.com.

WOOD-GRILLED THICK-CUT BACON

The immensely popular Andiron

scored another feather in its cap

with the recent introduction of its

Sunday brunch. And Michelin Bib

Gourmand-winning chef Jeffrey

Mauro isn’t skimping on the pork.

There are actually two types of

bacon on the menu: a crispy apple-

smoked variety ($10) and this one,

which is glazed with maple syrup

and chili powder for a blend of sweet

and heat. And they sit just below the

house-made pork sausage ($6) on

the menu. Sure, each of the three is

intended as a side dish. But this is

your last hurrah, right? $6, Andiron

Steak & Sea in Downtown Summerlin,

702-685-8002, AndironSteak.com.

DELUXE CHILI CHEESE DOG

So if bacon is about to be off limits

and hot dogs are bound to join them,

you might as well get them both in

a single sandwich. Just to really

aggravate your cardiologist, this

bacon-topped bad boy also comes

loaded with chili, cheddar cheese,

onions and jalapeños. A final bonus,

the menu has a nice selection of

sausages as well, not to mention

some great beers. $5.49, Great Links

Brewhouse & Grill, 6010 W. Craig Rd.,

Suite 110, 702-877-3647, GreatLinks-

BrewhouseAndGrill.com.

PORK BUTT

It starts with a whole pork butt that

has been brushed with a mixture

of pickle juice, yellow mustard and

white vinegar. The meat is then

tossed in a blend of kosher salt, dry

spices and brown sugar, placed on a

rack and left uncovered in the walk-in

cooler overnight. The next day, chefs

smoke the pork over peach wood

for 12 hours, before adding it to the

restaurants’ “dirty” mac and cheese

($7.50) or serving it as a pulled pork

sandwich ($13). Made L.V. in Tivoli Vil-

lage, 702-722-2000, Made-LV.com.

HOT LINK SANDWICH

Sorry, but if you’re gonna have a sau-

sage fest (yeah, I said it), you simply

can’t do it without a good hot link

from a solid barbecue joint. And Rol-

lin’ Smoke ranks among the best in

town. As a traditionalist, I would stick

with the original location. But you can

send the year out with just as meaty a

time at Pawn Plaza. $9, Rollin’ Smoke

BBQ, 3185 S. Highland Dr., 702-836-

3621, RollinSmokeBarbecue.com.

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➜ A MELTY SCOOP of vanilla gelato bobbing like a buoy in a sea of espresso. Few things feel so deservedly decadent as an affogato. But I’ll see your coffee and raise you a luxury Cognac. Francesco Lafranconi is a betting man, and the Southern Wine & Spirits executive director of mixology and spirits education thinks you’ll see the Saison 1738 the way he does, as a “sophisticated yet simple cocktail that embraces the season.” The drink was created for a recent midwinter night’s tasting, The Heart of Cognac Experience in the Skylofts at MGM Grand.

Lafranconi begins with for di latte gelato studded

with fresh fgs and sliced almonds in a cocktail glass. Around this, he pours a mixture of 2002 vintage Florio

Marsala and Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal Cognac. Created specifcally for the American palate

(read: sweet), the 1738 is redolent of fgs and dates, candied oranges and chocolate

with a hint of cinnamon, and is only available in the U.S. Just add a “mistle-toe” of dried fg and star anise, and

whether you say “Joyeux Noël” or “Buon Natale,” have a happy, delicious holidays!

Get the recipe at VegasSeven.com/

Cocktail-Culture.

Affogato ’Bout It

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[ ON THE SHELF ]

SCOTCH AND BOURBON AND RYE—OH, MY!➜ The holidays are the perfect time

to stock up on prestige brown spirits.

GLENFIDDICH 1978

Each year, Glenfiddich releases

three single barrel Scotches. The

U.S. brand team selected barrel No.

28122 from 1978. “It holds up amaz-

ingly well in cask,” national brand

ambassador Mitch Bechard says,

meaning it’s still putting forth the

distillery’s characteristic fresh fruit,

even after all these years. Senior

brand manager Michael Giardina

gets “big vanilla” on the nose. And

Bechard finds orange zest and figs.

The barrel yielded 150 bottles,

110-115 of which will be released. Five

bottles have already arrived at Total

Wine & More in Las Vegas, and retail

for $4,000 each. If that’s a touch too

steep, the only place in town where

you can get a drop of this juice with-

out going all in on a bottle is Atomic

Liquors (AtomicVegas.com), where the

1978 will be served in 1½-ounce pours

for around $300 each—a low, low

markup! The bottle arrives this week.

KAVALAN

In celebration of its 10-year an-

niversary in the Forum Shops at

Caesars, Casa Fuente (CasaFuente.

com) added more than 50 whiskeys

to its offerings this fall, including its

third single barrel of Jack Daniel’s.

The cigar bar also made history in

October, becoming the first drinking

establishment in North America to

have its own barrel of Asian whisky.

Hailing from Taiwan’s Kavalan

(named Distillery of the Year at the

2015 San Francisco World Spirits

Competition), this whiskey matured

in a Spanish ex-Oloroso sherry cask

for five years and seven months.

The result is a robust 56.3 percent

ABV. Casa Fuente has 489 individu-

ally numbered bottles available for

$165 each.

HUDSON

Our Baby is all grown up! That’s

right: Hudson Baby Bourbon and

Manhattan Rye from Tuthilltown Dis-

tillery in New Paltz, New York, are

both now available in 750-milliliter

bottles at Total Wine & More for $53.

(For comparison, the 375ml sells for

$42; yeah, I can’t figure it out either.)

In addition, five cases of Hudson’s

new Maple Cask Rye finish have

made their way west. You can find it

at Bellagio, the Venetian and Oak &

Ivy in Downtown Container Park or

at Lee’s Discount Liquor on Sunset

Road for $50. –X.W.

DRINKINGDRINKING

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Art, music and the droids you’ve been looking forA&E PAGE 52

➜ JESSE NABERS IS A GOOD GUY. He’s a professional photographer; is charming and easygoing; has some fairly rad punk rock tattoos. And yet, when needed, this good guy can become a good bad guy. He can become one of Darth Vader’s enforcers.

Nabers belongs to the Neon City Garrison, the Southern Nevada chapter of the 501st Legion.

(Colloquially, the 501st Legion is known as “Vader’s Fist.”) Formed in 1997, the 501st Legion (501st.com) is a costuming organization composed of Star Wars fans from around the world who dress as Stormtroopers and try do some good in the community while they’re at it. From visiting children’s hospitals to escorting student

flagbearers into school assemblies, the 501st has done a lot of light-side work while keeping up dark-side appearances.

On the eve of the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Nabers—whose Stormtrooper “operating number” is TK-52477, his birthday—explained what compels a Star Wars fan to go that extra distance.

The Stormtrooper Next DoorWhat makes a Star Wars superfan? Ask TK-52477 of the 501st Legion By Geoff Carter

Jesse Nabers shows off the latest fashions from the runways of Coruscant.

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➜ THIS IS IT. Today’s the day we

all find out why in the sweet name

of The Force that Luke Skywalker is

missing from all the Star Wars promo

materials. Has he gone to the Dark

Side? What is going on, J.J. Abrams?

What have you done? After I’ve bubbled

tonight I’ll be off to the IMAX along

with the rest of Vegas’ geek tribe, and I

can’t freaking wait.

Although I have every intention of

chatting about The Force Awakens,

something else has managed to catch

my attention over the past few weeks.

Probably for the best, since I believe

C-3PO Coffee Creamer to be the tide

line for sickening levels of Star Wars

saturation. (The Tauntaun sleeping

bag, however, is a win. It would make

a welcome Christmas gift for this

nerdy showgirl.)

My most uttered question this

month: Have you heard Hamilton

yet? Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash

hit Broadway musical is the

methamphetamine of theater. One

listen and you’re hooked. When

first I heard about the “hip-hop

Founding Fathers musical,” I was a

tad skeptical, despite having loved

Miranda’s In The Heights when I saw

it in London last summer. When

Hamilton’s original cast recording

came to me, I was expecting to hear

a desperate history teacher trying

to reach an unruly class out of a

1990s movie, but I decided

to give it a listen anyway.

(It’s available on Spotify, if

you’d like to join me.)

Just ... wow. All my

subsequent attempts

to listen to, watch or

read anything that

isn’t in some way

connected to

Hamilton have been

futile. This has now

been going on for

more than a month. If I

didn’t think all the beatnut

history I’ve picked up

from Hamilton might

someday become useful

if I decide to apply for

citizenship, I might be

begging for help. Per-

haps it’s the genius of

Hamilton’s music and

lyrics; perhaps it’s the

show’s strong women

and nuanced relationships;

perhaps it’s the Easter eggs—

enough to give the Marvel Cinematic

Universe a run for its money. Or per-

haps it’s the unparalleled badassery

of having a cabinet meeting rap battle

MC’d by George Washington. The end

result is that I need It in my ears. All

the time. (You know you have a prob-

lem when the new season of Serial

drops and all you can think is, “Sure,

I’ll listen to it. After Hamilton.”)

As it stands, I find myself swirling

in a vortex of PBS articles, HBO

documentaries and Genius.com lyric

annotations at least once a day. Also,

I think I can rap now. Thanks, Lin-

Manuel! I’m sure that the rest of the

cast of Absinthe is just thrilled with

this new development.

Hamilton has transcended the

musical theater crowd. The cast

album reached No. 1 on the Billboard

rap chart on November 28, which

happened to be the week I was in New

York freezing my tatas off standing in

line with 600 other hopefuls, trying

to get front row seats to Hamilton. I

was unsuccessful. Looks like it’ll be

July before I park my unbubble’d butt

in the Richard Rodgers Theatre but,

goddamn it, I’m willing to wait for it.

Your Obedient Servant, C. Star.

Well, hey, it looks like I’m not going

to talk about Star Wars after all. In true

Rebel fashion, I guess I’ll save it for

when you least expect it. What I will

do is tell you all about the outfit I plan

to wear to the Fremont Awakens

party, pictured at left. (Because

Fabulous.) The skirt is HerUni-

verse.com, the best source for

Lady Geekwear; the petticoat

is Rockin’ Bettie; and the

Millennium Falcon hat

and Alliance brooch

are handmade with

materials and rhine-

stones from Williams

Costume and Toy Shack.

Shop local and support

small businesses, y’all.

And May the Force Be

With You.

See Charlie Starling

in and out of her

giant bubble in

Absinthe, twice

nightly in the Spie-

geltent at Caesars

Palace, 8 p.m. and

10 p.m. Wed-Sun. Visit

AbsintheVegas.com for tickets

and information.

came to me, I was expecting to hear

a desperate history teacher trying

to reach an unruly class out of a

1990s movie, but I decided

to give it a listen anyway.

(It’s available on Spotify, if

you’d like to join me.)

. All my

subsequent attempts

to listen to, watch or

more than a month. If I

didn’t think all the beatnut

history I’ve picked up

might

someday become useful

if I decide to apply for

citizenship, I might be

begging for help. Per-

haps it’s the genius of

music and

lyrics; perhaps it’s the

show’s strong women

and nuanced relationships;

perhaps it’s the Easter eggs—

Rebel fashion, I guess I’ll save it for

when you least expect it. What I

do is tell you all about the outfit I plan

to wear to the Fremont Awakens

party, pictured at left. (Because

Fabulous.) The skirt is HerUni-

verse.com, the best source for

Lady Geekwear; the petticoat

is Rockin’ Bettie; and the

Millennium Falcon hat

and Alliance brooch

are handmade with

materials and rhine-

stones from Williams

Costume and Toy Shack.

Shop local and support

small businesses, y’all.

And May the Force Be

With You.

See Charlie Starling

in and out of her

giant bubble in

geltent at Caesars

Palace, 8 p.m. and

10 p.m. Wed-Sun. Visit

AbsintheVegas.com for tickets

and information.

[ THE MOST FABULOUS THING ]

WAIT FOR ITA long time ago, in a theater far, far away,

a beat was dropped By Charlie Starling

I have to ask about the Aurebesh in the Neon City Garrison’s insignia. (Aurebesh is a Star Wars-specific alphabet, first seen in Return of the

Jedi.) How does it translate?I think it says, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

How did you get involved with the 501st?Back in 1999 I was working at a Gui-tar Center down in Phoenix, and one of the guys who worked the drum department was a ’Trooper. Back then, very few people were into this stuff. I’ve always been a Star Wars fan, because I was born the day before the frst movie opened.

Do you remember the first time you saw the original Star Wars?I remember sitting around the house watching it on VHS when I was a kid. This would have been about the same time that The Empire Strikes Back came out, because I saw Empire and A New Hope together, and I saw Return of the Jedi in the theater. I must have been 3 or 4 years old, but that’s some of my earliest memories, running down-stairs to play with my Star Wars toys and watch the movies.

What about Star Wars spoke to you?I’ve always been a huge sci-f fan. It was always about being in space plus the struggle of good versus evil. I’ve always liked an underdog story, and that’s what the Rebellion is: the underdogs, going up against the monster. That became more and more personal to me, because I grew up in punk rock. If that’s not a punk rock story, too, what is?

Tell me about some of the things you do with the 501st.It’s about bad guys doing good. We try give back to the community through our love of Star Wars. Last month a couple of our guys went to one of the local hospitals to visit with the kids there. And recently, a little boy wanted to meet Darth Vader at

Disneyland, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation had us come out to invite him. That was just incredible. When we walk in and people see these hard characters, the rest of the world just melts away. These sick kids are so vibrant for the few minutes that we’re with them. It’s powerful.

The 501st also supports victims of bullying. I like that.Yeah. The Legion is very involved in anti-bullying campaigns, because we all remember what it was like. We remember being told “quit being a nerd and play a sport.” Now, being a nerd has become chic.

So, let’s nerd up. What’s your favorite of the Star Wars films? Your least favorite?Empire. The Empire Strikes Back is one of the greatest films of all time. You have real character develop-ment. You feel the struggle and the hardship that all these characters are going through. That’s what speaks to me.

I have a love/hate relationship with the prequels. I do like Epi-sode III (Revenge of the Sith). I mean, they’re fun flms. Not a fan of Jar Jar Binks, but I get why he’s there. I still watch the movies. I marathon all of them, every May.

When are you seeing The Force Awakens?Opening night, and then once a day for a few days. This is bigger than Christmas.

It’s a great time to be a fan, isn’t it?No better time. And Lucasflm always takes such great care of its fans. We have a wonderful relationship with them. They have been nothing but encouraging of the various fan groups, because we’ve helped keep the brand alive for so many years. We’re very honored, and lucky, that they’re passionate about the work that we do, as well.

Got anything to say in closing, TK-52477?Long live the Empire!

TK-52477 (center) and the Neon City Garrison march in Summerlin’s July 4th parade.

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[ ART ]

Unleashing the Force at Spectral Gallery➜ Star Wars warrants appreciation for many things—a solid plot, interesting lore—but

it’s the characters that breathe life into the venerable series. Throughout December and

January, Spectral Gallery treasures the characters and settings you’ve come to love

in a Star Wars group art show. All its works were created by locals, and the show in-

cludes everything from a bloody portrait of “Carrie” Fisher to acrylic canvases of Yoda.

Artist Jska Priebe—one of Spectral’s co-owners—contributed one of the show’s

standout pieces (not counting an adorable Ewok), a portrait of Leia Organa Solo. “I

love her character because she’s kind of a smartass,” Priebe says. “She knows what

she wants.” Stylistically, Priebe’s portrait of Leia could have been part of the artist’s

2012 series Stellar: The Women of Science Fiction,

which featured such sci-fi icons as Alien’s Ellen Rip-

ley and Firefly’s River Tam, but Priebe purposely left

the popular heroine out of that series; in her mind, it

came off “too obvious.” But in Spectral’s Star Wars

show, Leia shines—just as brightly as she continues

to do in the saga. —Amber Sampson

STAR WARS

GROUP ART SHOW

Through Jan. 31,

Spectral Art Gallery,

1800 Industrial Rd., Suite 104 D,

SpectralArtGallery.com.

Rebel Heart: Jska Priebe's portrait of Leia Organa Solo.

[ GALACTIC SWAG ]

MAY THE GIFTS BE WITH YOUCoverGirl Limited Edition Colorlicious Lipstick Three

“light side” shades and three “dark side” shades of

lipstick allow you to seal the deal with a good or evil kiss,

depending on your mood. Also available: 10 limited-edition

Supersizer mascaras, each with a different movie quote,

and three nail polishes with names such as Speed of Light

and Nemesis. ($7, Covergirl.com)

Nixon Star Wars 51-30 Stormtrooper White The only

thing better than having a watch designed in the Storm-

trooper aesthetic is having the matching backpack, wallet

and belt. If white and black isn’t your thing, shop the Boba

Fett, Imperial Pilot or Darth Vader suites of accessories

from youth-lifestyle brand Nixon. ($550, Nixon.com)

Sphero BB-8 App-Enabled Droid Explore the galaxy with

your own personal Droid. Take control of this little guy from

your phone or tablet as his personality adapts and evolves

through interaction, or set him to autonomous mode and

see what kind of trouble he gets into. ($149, Sphero.com)

Santa Cruz Star Wars Kylo Ren Pintail Cruzer Skateboard

Perfect for cruising the street or the galaxy at lightning

speed, Kylo Ren takes riders on a trip with the dark

warrior acting as co-pilot. ($182, SantaCruz.com)

Stance Star Wars Socks And, of course, there are

socks! You can choose from 12 different characters,

but Leia’s our favorite. Those buns never get old. ($20,

StanceSocks.com)

Loungefly Star Wars: The Force Awakens Captain

Phasma Embossed Mini Dome Bag Hit the town with this

eye-catching metallic handbag. Accessorize the fan-girl

look from head-to-toe with the collection’s scarves, bean-

ies, wallets and backpacks. ($70, LoungeFly.com)

—Justin Alexander

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T H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 7Love, Sex and the IRS

Declare your love for this play

about homosexual men, hetero-

sexual women and tenants’ rights.

$24, Las Vegas Little Theatre, 8

p.m., 702-362-7996; LVLT.org.

Metropolis Experience Fritz

Lang’s silent sci-fi epic with a

live musical score. $10, The Sci

Fi Center, 8 p.m., 855-501-4335;

TheSciFiCenter.com.

F R I D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 8End of the Affair The Writ-

er’s Block hosts a discussion on

Graham Greene’s novel about

love, faith and the struggles that

arise from both. Free, the Writ-

er’s Block, 6-8 p.m., 702-550-

6399; TheWritersBlock.org.

Fat Chance Comedy Tour

featuring Preston Lacy of Jack-

ass The self-harming, larger-

than-life character tries his

hand at stand-up. $15, The Dive

Bar, 8 p.m., 702-586-3483;

Facebook.com/DiveBarLV.

Downtown Cultural Series:

Holiday Favorites Laraine Kaiz-

er-Viazovtsev, Joe Lano and

Alex Stopa put a jazzy swing on

the damn thing. Free, Jury As-

sembly Room in the Lloyd D.

George Federal Courthouse,

12 p.m., 702-388-6444;

LasVegasNevada.gov.

Edgar Winter The venerable

rocker brings “Godzilla” to

Fremont Street. $29, Gordie

Brown Showroom in Golden

Nugget, 8 p.m., 702-385-7111;

GoldenNugget.com.

S AT U R D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 9Santa Baby Holiday Show

with the Beverly Belles

Hear holiday classics such as

“Silent Night” done in a “vintage”

girl group sound. $15,

Charleston Heights Arts Center,

7 p.m., 702-229-6383;

ArtsLasVegas.org.

A Christmas Story Pizza,

snacks and “triple-dog dares.”

$15, Springs Preserve, 5 p.m., 702-

822-7700, SpringsPreserve.org.

11th Street Records Christ-

mas Party Hungry Cloud, Has-

san, James and Tsvent of Same

Sex Mary, Special-K and Snail-

mate get festive. Free, 11th

Street Records, 7 p.m., 702-527-

7990; 11thStreetRecords.com.

The Eight: Reindeer Mono-

logues Santa’s noble steeds

turn on him in this dark comedy.

$15, Onyx Theatre, 10 p.m., 702-

732-7225; OnyxTheatre.com.

S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 0Avenues, Mercy Music and

War Called Home Beer-soaked

punk rock comes in threes. Free,

Beauty Bar, 9 p.m., 702-598-

3757; BeautyBarLV.com.

M O N D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 1Public Employee Art Exhibit

That cop who gave you a speed-

ing ticket can draw, too. Free,

Las Vegas City Hall Chamber Gal-

lery, 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 702-229-

1012; ArtsLasVegas.org.

T U E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 2Frankie Moreno: Under the

Influence One part Rat Pack, one

part funk and one part soul makes

for a great holiday cocktail. $25,

The Smith Center, 8 p.m., 702-749-

2012, TheSmithCenter.com.

W E D N E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 3Wednesday Industry Skate

Night Get off your ass and glide.

$15, The Ice Rink at Boulevard Pool,

3-10 p.m. 702-698-7000,

CosmopolitanLasVegas.com.

Seven’s 14This week’s must-see A&E events

By I A N C A R A M A N Z A N A

[ VIDEOGRAPHY ]

Clone Wars➜ THE MOVIE INDUSTRY has been ripping itself off since Cecil B. DeMille jacked D.W. Griffth for the close-up, but no flm spawned a greater spasm of “Me toos!” than Star Wars. After George Lucas’ space opera bowed in 1977, every clown with access to model spaceships (or just fashlights and egg cartons) rushed to get in on the act.

Among the quickest to the screen was the Japanese epic, Message From Space (1978), in which trippy visuals compensate for utter incoherence. It’s the tale of a galactic princess who recruits a ragtag squad of space adven-turers to rescue her planet from doom.But instead of ’droids with holograms,they send glowing walnuts: Find one and you have to go help save Jillucia.

Among the chosen: Sonny Chiba as a prince named “Hans” and Vic Morrow in Father Guido Sarducci drag (except when he dresses up as a pirate to fght a duel of honor with laser pistols), along with a pair of hotshot Partridge Family pilots, a spoiled rich girl and, of course, a robot. Decent effects and images like a galleon in full sail gliding through a feld of stars or a cantina scene that’s a Barbarella-meets-Danger: Diabolik fever dream raise Message From Space above its ilk.

Starcrash (1979) has a Texan C-3P0 and Han Solo as a hot chick in a patent leather bikini. Saving the universe are former Bond girl Caroline Munro as pilot Stella Starr, with former child evangelist Marjoe Gortner as her well-permed sidekick. Then there’s Elle, the robot—a guy in a jumpsuit with a plastic helmet. Our heroes are recruited by holographic overlord Christopher Plummer (just here for the mortgage payment, thanks) to fnd his missing son, galactic prince David Hasselhoff, wearing enough eyeliner

and mousse to join Depeche Mode. Starcrash has plot holes you could

drive a star destroyer through, along with a deluge of deus ex machina—“Hey, I didn’t know you could see the future/could control the weather/were im-mortal!” The space battles are between spray-painted plastic models in front of a Lite-Brite, while the climactic “light saber” duel betrays the movie’s cheapness, not only in the bad matting of the “light,” but also with its “I’m a’ hit you with a stick” fghting style.

The Man Who Saves the World (1982) makes Starcrash look like 2001. It’s known as the “Turkish Star Wars” be-cause much of the opening sequence is appropriated from Star Wars. (Meaning: They literally lifted footage from Star Wars and edited it in alongside the card-board robots, carpet-remnant mon-sters and “blood” obviously squirted out of a ketchup bottle.) Instead of “Use the Force,” the heroic directive here is “Pull your stomach in and your shoul-ders back.” And yes, there is a cantina scene, which features werewolf masks, devil masks and—no shit—a guy with a colander on his head. The Man Who Saves the World goes beyond schlock, past incompetence, straight into hilarity.

It doesn’t stop there. Exploitation auteur Roger Corman got into the act with Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), where the universe is saved by John-Boy Walton, Sybil Danning in a paper- mache bikini, George Peppard in full cowboy regalia and a spaceship with tits. Star Odyssey (1979) spent most of its tiny budget on hairspray and has an R2-D2 made out of a painted oil drum. Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985) is the animated version of an idealistic young man and his companions vs. evil asshole and his robot army with lots of lasers and spaceships.

See also: Jason of Star Command, Krull, The Last Starfghter, and Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone. Deriva-tive crap, all of ’em … and every one of ’em better than The Phantom Menace. —Lissa Townsend Rodgers

Starcrash strives for giant-

robot realism.

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ArtsLasVegas.org.

“Silent Night” done in a “vintage”

girl group sound. $15,

Charleston Heights Arts Center,

7 p.m., 702-229-6383;

ArtsLasVegas.org.ArtsLasVegas.org.ArtsLasVegas.org.

This Week: Preston Lacy, A Christmas Carol, Edgar Winter.

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A&E

➜ THIS REVIEW CONTAINS no major spoilers. I’m avoiding them because I want you to feel the way I feel right now. I came into the press screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens knowing next to nothing about the J.J. Abrams flm save for what we’ve been able to glean from the trailers, and I’m glad of it. Freed from that burden and encumbered only by my expectations, The Force Awakens was free to do what I suspect it’s going to do to a lot of us: It made me feel 10 years old all over again.

Like you, I had my doubts. Abrams is a talented flmmaker—everything he’s had a hand in, up to and including The Force Awakens, looks like a mil-lion bucks—but his storytelling falters sometimes. (See: the third acts of Star Trek Into Darkness and Super 8, and the entire last season of Fringe.) But with the help of screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan—writer of The Empire Strikes Back, the series’ high-water mark—The Force Awakens succeeds in grabbing your attention in its frst few seconds and keeping it until the end credits.

Here is a story you follow greedily,

trying to learn as much about the char-acters and the worlds they inhabit as you possibly can. The Force Awakens re-wards these efforts by providing clues, infections, nuances. There’s a larger story underneath this flm—a much bigger story than the one George Lucas told with the prequels. You want to know everything. And for the frst time since The Empire Strikes Back, a Star Wars flm ends with you wanting more—not because you weren’t given enough to begin with, but because you’re caught up in the wonder and excitement.

The series’ newcomers deliver icon-worthy turns. It saddens me that a whole generation had to grow up with the characters from the prequels—characters who either possessed no personality worth the mention (Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu) or had too much of the wrong kind (Jar Jar Binks, Anakin Skywalker). John Boyega’s Finn, Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron and Daisy Ridley’s Rey step into the narrative completely made; they crack jokes, they show fear, they rejoice in victory.

Kids will want to pretend they’re Rey

and Finn and Poe, and they have solid-ly, emotionally engaged performances upon which to base their playacting. That in itself is exciting stuff: Did any character from the prequels commit to their actions convincingly enough to rate an action fgure?

As for the returning class, they’re just what you want them to be. Har-rison Ford, in particular, plays Han Solo as if he were resuming the role after a 10-minute break. He hasn’t appeared to have this much fun in a role since he bantered with Sean Con-nery in 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Ford plays Solo as every bit the reckless, likable rogue he was 30 years ago, but adds a warm, avuncular layer to the old pirate. The way he regards his young charges speaks not only to Kasdan’s script, but to Abrams’ deft hand with the actors: he created an en-vironment where Ridley, Boyega and Ford were free to become friendly with each other, and that chemistry shows in their performances.

It says something about Abrams’ craftsmanship that I’ve gotten this

far into the review and haven’t said a word about the production design, the visual and practical effects and the camera work. Dan Mindel, who was Abrams’ cinematographer on Mission Impossible III and both of his Star Trek flms, shot The Force Awakens and did a frst-class job of it. Here, the director and cinematographer cut back on their previous excesses—there are few of the deliberate lens fares and crazy Dutch angles that marked the Star Trek mov-ies—and deliver a flm that looks like a Star Wars picture, only better. The only Star Wars movie that comes close to this one in terms of visual richness is Em-pire, and The Force Awakens surpasses it.

What else? The John Williams score is magnifcent. The action beats are terrifcally well paced. And that’s it. I don’t want to tell you any more. In fact, if this is the only review you’ve read before seeing Star Wars: The Force Awak-ens, I suggest you quit now: close your browser, get off Twitter and Facebook, the whole deal. Abrams and Lucas-flm have gone to a great effort to give you a Star Wars flm that restores your faith and cuts through your cynicism. It’ll still work on you if you seek out spoilers and the like, but you’ll only be cheating yourself of a chance to feel 10 years old again. Who doesn’t want that, just for a moment in time?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (PG-13) ★★★★★

A New HopeStar Wars: The Force Awakens is a splendidly crafted, rollicking wonder By Geoff Carter

Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega)

and BB-8 make a hasty retreat.

T I C K E T S & V I P R E S E R V A T I O N S | O M N I A N I G H T C L U B . C O M | 7 0 2 . 7 8 5 . 6 2 0 0 |

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You are on Madam Secretary, performed in the stage

and movie versions of Jersey Boys and getting ready

to sing at The Smith Center on New Year’s Eve. How

do you see yourself—as an actor or a singer?

I still don’t think of myself as anything other than really wanting to be involved in the per-formance arts. I was born and raised in New York City. All I knew was that I loved perform-ing and singing and dancing. I guess the music

came frst. When I was growing up, MTV and Michael Jackson were very important to me. Those were the things a child of the ’80s found when they turned on the TV. And we couldn’t get away from them.

Did you ever think of any other profession?

I didn’t understand other professions. … I thought the dentist, the doctor, well, they

Erich BergenThe actor/singer on his backup plan, elegant performances

and how he chooses his roles By Nancy Dunham

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did that, but they also put on a show at the end of the day. I thought everyone performed. … I was about 9 or 10 when my parents intro-duced me to Broadway and musical theater. I also went to [an after-school theater program, Children’s Aid Society,] when I was 9. That’s when I realized you could put the two together, music and acting. In New York, even the school-theater programs are scouted by talent agents. I was scouted by the woman who became my manager for 20 years. I wasn’t a famous child actor. I did attend the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Center (in Loch Sheldrake, New York), but I was just an occasional working child actor. That’s how I spent my teen years. I eventually went to North Carolina School of the Arts [Winston-Salem, North Carolina] and then left and came home to New York, because I wanted to start performing.

Did you have a backup plan

in case the performing arts

didn’t work out?

It never struck me that it wouldn’t work out. My goal was never to be a Broadway leading man or a pop star. I was just desperate to be involved. When I was in high school and college, I was sell-ing T-shirts for the original Broadway production of Wicked and The Color Purple. Even when I was doing that, I was just so happy to be in-volved. I was lucky to become an actor, but I am ready to be an usher at any time!

Your parents weren’t performers,

but they sent you for training

at Stagedoor Manor. Were they

resistant when you broached

the idea with them?

Stagedoor Manor was their idea. I was not pushed to perform, but I wasn’t held back, either. They knew I wanted to perform … and they wanted to find people who understood what I wanted to do in my life. … I spent seven years there and when I say that group of friends is still my closest group of confidants, that’s no exaggeration. My voice sounds a little deeper than usual today because I was with them until just a few hours ago. We met when we were about 10 years old, most of us still live here, and I know we’ll be friends the rest of our lives.

Was it difficult to decide what

songs you wanted to perform

at your concerts, which are

described as cabaret?

Not really. I co-wrote the majority of them. I have three albums out, but I mix it up. I just want to perform the best songs possible. I’m still a nov-ice songwriter, but I work a lot with Victoria Shaw (Garth Brooks, Faith Hill) and Marty Panzer (Barry Manilow).

Your show sounds very posh,

sort of like the days when

everyone would dress up to

attend a Frank Sinatra show

at the Sands.

Absolutely. I want these shows to be occasions where couples dress up and have fun and do romantic things. I want them to feel they look fabulous, have a blast and stay out on the town a bit longer than usual. And I dress up every time. This is show business, and I want it to be elegant.

What keeps you moving

among such diverse projects—

from Jersey Boys and Madam

Secretary to small plays

and cabaret?

In the beginning I was just taking the opportunities that were presented. That’s how it starts as you go after the things you really, really want. I really went after the movie Jersey Boys and then Madam Secretary. I had read the script and … knowing Téa Leoni was in it, I thought “This isn’t not going to end up on TV.” I really worked on getting that job. I knew it would be on for a long run and, plus, the job sounded like fun.

Enjoying the work is very important to me. There was this little musical, Hero, they were doing at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, a suburb of Chicago. I told my agent I wanted it, and he said, “Are you out of your mind? Why?” The reason is that it is a brilliant show, and it is some of the most creative work I’ve ever gotten to do. I had a blast doing it. And now I’m having a blast doing this. I am always excited for the next great thing.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

AT THE SMITH CENTER

Hosted by Erich Bergen

with Norm Lewis, Capathia

Jenkins, Clint Holmes

and Patina Miller,

7 p.m., $39-$125,

TheSmithCenter.com.