Richard Abowitz

« Older
Newer »

Story Archive

Note to Vegas: Stop playing it safe: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009; Why saving Las Vegas will come down to entertainment that's both cheap and essential.
Big Star: Keep an Eye on the Sky; Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009; Keep an Eye on the Sky is the grail for Big Star diehards.
The fantastic journey of Angelica Bridges: To court and back to stay onstage in Vegas; Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009; To court and back to stay onstage in Vegas for Fantasy at the Luxor.
Is poetry making a comeback?: The lack of expectations has actually helped a long-ignored art form survive; Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009; The lack of expectations has actually helped a long-ignored art form survive.
Loving Leonard: The Cohen songs we’ll never get enough of: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009; Weekly editors weigh in on the Leonard Cohen selections we'd gladly keep on repeat.
George Wallace: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009; George Wallace has often been complimented for his marketing savvy, his skill as a promoter and his friends who jump up to guest with him. But lost sometimes is the amount of talent he has as a comedian.
Time to go for Wayne Newton?: Wayne Newton remains an iconic draw, but shaky vocals and a stubborn streak detract from his latest show; Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009; Newton could be a great host of a Vegas variety show. But he prefers to keep his show focused on his singing and not on his legacy. The result is sad.
Fashion Rocks: Stylish clothing meets hard rock at Hard Rock: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009; John Varvatos believed there had to be a way to mix music, fashion and commerce together and keep it interesting.
New media hits the Strip for Podcast-a-Palooza: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009; The second annual Podcast-a-Palooza brought three of Vegas’ most popular podcasts together to question Gordon Absher, a vice president at MGM Mirage, who complained about the inaccuracies of new media.
Matt Goss and Zowie Bowie try to breathe new life into a Vegas oldie—with mixed results: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009; Matt Goss and Zowie Bowie are trying to reinvent and revive lounge for Las Vegas. Neither is a total pioneer.
Le Reve: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009; Le Rêve, against the odds, is a show with a distinctive quality—more than Cirque minus the corporate brand.
Introduction to obsession: In Baker’s The Anthologist, a poet is crazy about ... poetry; Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009; If you don’t know anything about the poetry world, The Anthologist remains a fascinating if lightly plotted study in obsession, creative ambition and the quirks of the human mind.
After 23-year career, singer/dancer says farewell to the Strip: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009; Stephanie Dianna Sanchez has no hard feelings about leaving Fantasy. She understands: That's show business.
Peepshow: An erotic novelty: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009; It's not all T&A. Peepshow was created with production values and staging in mind, and from the start, compared amazingly well to a traditional Vegas topless show.
The real deal with Wayne Brady: Vegas-based performer adds another page to his resumé; Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009; He's already an actor-singer-dancer-comedian, and Wayne Brady is determined to add even more hyphens to his description.
Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009; The show has survived the collapse of the Broadway West model, a nightclub revolution that pulled people’s money away from showrooms and, now, the recession.
Hanging with the phans: A Phantom of the Opera convention brings the devoted to Vegas; Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009; Even in a recession, the first-ever Phantom convention was a moment true fans could not miss.
Staking its claim: Stratosphere’s Bite rides vampire mania into sixth year; Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009; Bite has all the elements common to Vegas shows - magic, aerialists, dancing, a singer - but it's got topless vampires, too.
The Weekly Review: Human Nature: Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009; With Smokey Robinson producing and fronting for them, Human Nature better be able to deliver the Motown goods at the Imperial Palace. And mostly, the four Australians do not disappoint.
Magical Macbeth: With a foray into Shakespeare, Teller shows what Vegas stage chops can add to the Bard; Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009; There are few opportunities to work a Las Vegas magician and Shakespeare into the same sentence—most probably involve trickery, irony or metaphor. This one doesn’t involve trickery, though there is a magician.
Poetic license: Why a new novel, set in Vegas, isn’t concerned about the real city; Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009; Novelist Ivy Pochoda doesn’t get Las Vegas literally correct in her new book, but she wasn’t trying to. It’s the latest entrant in the growing collection of literature set here.
Sin City in your hand: It took a Vegas-obsessed techie from California to create the killer LV iPhone app; Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009; It took a Vegas-obsessed techie from California to create the killer LV iPhone app.
Getting (and sometimes making) her props: Emily Jillette doesn’t need the money—note the famous last name—but she’s still working her ass off on a super-risky venture: helping open shows in this economy; Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009; Emily Jillette doesn’t need the money—note the famous last name—but she’s still working her ass off on a super-risky venture: helping open shows in this economy.
It's only money: Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009; For his recent Las Vegas cover story in Time, writer Joel Stein scored a rare sit-down with Sheldon Adelson. Stein describes the interview as one of the strangest of his career.
Who’s that girl?: Meeting the mystery woman behind the sexy courtesan blog; Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009; Meeting the mystery woman behind the sexy courtesan blog.
The curse of Elvis: Forty years on, looking back at a Vegas residency that spawned a stigma; Thursday, July 30, 2009; Forty years on, looking back at a Vegas residency that spawned a stigma.
Palms production: Matt Goss set to become hotel’s first resident performer, whether you’ve heard of him or not; Thursday, July 23, 2009; Since opening in November 2001, the Palms has never featured a regular headliner. In September 2009, that changes, with the arrival of English singer Matt Goss.
A few minutes with Lance Burton: On retirement, magic and the Vegas audience; Thursday, July 23, 2009; After months of speculation that he would retire following the expiration of his contract, Burton recently announced a multiyear extension of his contract at the Monte Carlo.
Not in the cards: Celebrity Tarot Lounge makes for iffy improv; Thursday, July 23, 2009; For two nights recently, an interesting and confusing group of celebrities was brought together at Town Square’s Shear Madness theater to create an interesting and confusing entertainment experiment.
Hot, wired: By chronicling their sex life online, can a local couple beat the recession?; Thursday, July 16, 2009; At the time, Amaryllis was 17, Matt 28. The two began to post their sex life on a website available to subscribers for $19.95. Matt and Amaryllis do not see themselves as pornographers.
Topless, yes; crazy, not so much: Thursday, July 16, 2009; Crazy Horse’s stars are more natural than the silicone- and saline-sacked showgirls elsewhere. Otherwise, though, Crazy Horse Paris has not aged well.
Cocaine, porn stars and dissing Mariah: Weekly writer Richard Abowitz looks back at 10 years of Sin City memories; Thursday, July 9, 2009; From my dating life to my friendships, covering strippers, hookers and porn stars has changed me. Here, in chapters, is a look back at my decade working for the Weekly.
Dude hooks like a lady: Can male prostitutes legally work in Nevada? We may soon find out.; Thursday, July 9, 2009; Can male prostitutes legally work in Nevada? We may soon find out.
Interview Issue: Dave Kirvin: Thursday, July 2, 2009; The Kirvin Doak Communications partner's firm handles some of the biggest accounts in town, but do his kids know the marathon runner has "juice"?
Interview Issue: Scott Zeiger: Thursday, July 2, 2009; Scott Zeiger, the co-chief executive officer of BASE Entertainment, chats about building a brand with Peepshow, compares Vegas audiences to Broadway, and why he has no need for a house.
Don’t stop till you get enough: What does it mean to grieve for a celebrity?; Thursday, July 2, 2009; There was a time when Michael Jackson’s statue at Madame Tussauds wax museum, in the Venetian, wore a red-and-black outfit and black loafers. No more; wax Jackson now wears a militaristic spacesuit of white and gold.
Interview Issue: Sunset Thomas: Thursday, July 2, 2009; The adult entertainer and reality-TV star spills the beans one her personal life, as well as her children's.
Red-carpet blues: The star-studded event in Las Vegas isn’t what it used to be; Thursday, June 25, 2009; To many in the press, what started as the media using the Vegas clubs for celebrity material quickly twisted into the clubs using the media to attract patrons.
Roll over, Ginsberg: At a local poetry reading, Howl returns to its roots, sort of; Thursday, June 18, 2009; When Allen Ginsberg first performed parts of his Howl manuscript in San Francisco on October 7, 1955, the rhapsodically incoherent poem was clear in one way: the announcement that the taboos and hidden things of American life were eating the nation’s soul.
Elvis Costello: Secret, Profane & Sugarcane; Thursday, June 11, 2009; Even at his worst, Elvis Costello is pretty competent.
A genius play: The World Series of Poker proves to be a smart investment for the Rio; Thursday, June 11, 2009; Whoever bought Binion’s to get the World Series of Poker for Harrah’s, and then dumped the casino, still looks like a genius—even in this economy.
Smartly, Supernatural aims to please casual Santana fan: Thursday, June 4, 2009; Legendary hippie rocker Carlos Santana and the Vegas tourist are on different wavelengths.
Final encore: A fleeting Roy, a key to the city, a fond farewell: at the Danny Gans memorial; Thursday, May 28, 2009; For years the Siegried & Roy shared a home with Danny Gans at the Mirage; now both of their shows have come to shocking and unexpected ends.
Is a promise a contract?: One high-profile nonprofit claims it is—to the tune of $11 million; Thursday, May 21, 2009; Developer Jim Rhodes and his wife, Glynda, probably count the past couple of months as one of the worst periods in their lives.
Two fantasies: Comparing the two most notorious documents connected to our city: Jay Bybee’s torture memos and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; Thursday, May 14, 2009; Comparing the two most notorious documents connected to our city: Jay Bybee’s torture memos and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Bob Dylan: Together Through Time; Thursday, May 7, 2009; Of course, it should not matter that Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter co-wrote all but one song on the new Bob Dylan record. But there is something unsettling about the greatest lyricist of all time going to the hippie Diane Warren.
Always bet on black and white: Anthony Curtis can gamble, but prefers to make his living writing about it; Thursday, May 7, 2009; Anthony Curtis can gamble, but prefers to make his living writing about it.
A hound dog in a bear market: Elvis impersonator Trent Carlini hopes the King’s appeal is impervious to the economy; Thursday, April 30, 2009; I just can’t help believing,” Elvis once famously sang. And that is how Trent Carlini is approaching launching his new show, Elvolution.
Rhinestones, pianos and Bicentennial short shorts: 30 years later, the Liberace Museum's celebration of the gaudy still brings the crowds.; Friday, April 24, 2009; Long before Criss Angel called flying on a Vegas stage a magic trick, Liberace did it as showmanship.
If you build it, will they record?: Musicians have one more option in town with the opening of the latest recording studio; Thursday, April 23, 2009; When you enter the studio, everything is new and shiny except for the collection of vintage amplifiers from manufacturers like Marshall, which date back to classic rock.