Vegas, Graphic Artists and Michael Chabon on Vegas

March's Las Vegas Life has an article about Vegas and graphic artists. The "Drawing Inspiration" column highlights some of the city's emerging comic book/graphic novel artists, like Scott Johnson and Alex Getchell. Additionally, James Hudnall, creator of "Espers", "Age of Heroes", "Shut Up and Die", and "Stalker", calls Vegas his home.

Author Michael Chabon detailed the lives of two comic-book artists and their creations in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. The fictional duo created a collection of titles, and now Darkhorse Comics has issued Michael Chabon Presents: The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist #1, based on the fictional comic book series in the book.

But before publishing "Kavalier & Clay", Mr. Chabon made his way to our fair city, and chronicled his trip in The Casino in the Crypt, originally published in The New York Times. His personal website has that story, along with other collected thoughts, articles, and literary ephemera on his phrenologically-themed website.

His take on the Luxor, "...The great Vegas hotels have generally had great signs, have often--strung, beaded, and tattooed with bulbs and tubing--merged with their signs, been transformed into immense advertisements for themselves; but with the Luxor, the hotel-structure component has been boiled away, reduced until nothing is left but a single immense Sign--one that, as if to emphasize its radical nature, breaks with the most ancient of Las Vegas traditions and disappears completely at night. Only its apex, where the eye would be on the back of a dollar, glows in the darkness, sending a pure cool colorless beam of light into the sky."

The Apparent End to Super8Punk?

It is unclear if this means the end of future "Las Vegas Flicker" and "Brew and View" events, but it sure looks that way.

From the Super8punk Film Group, "the Film Web Group is going to be shut down on Monday night...I dont have the time anymore to run this group how i would like to...I hope in the future to have another film club when i have more time.....If  anybody has any questions please e-mail me at super8punk@hotmail.com"

Flicker Event Canceled

The Sunday 28th Flicker event has been canceled, stated an email from Super8punk Film Production mailing list.

Oh, No... Speed!

Do you own a Honda Civic with an Integra motor, low-profile radials, and more computing power than some nuclear powerplants?

Did you smoke some yuppie scum in a beemer at a green light in Summerlin?

Do you consider a third job just to buy more horsepower and body kits for your Japanese import?

Las Vegas Drag Racing, "The 'Original' Source of Las Vegas Drag Racing", is the website for you. The site is a little lean, with the "News" section just saying, "Not too much going on at the moment." But you can talk smack in the members-only forum.

And if the title of this article means nothing to you, here's what it's all about.

This Weekend: Grinding Girls + Loud Bands, and Flicker LV

Saturday the 27th, 10pm will have the Sin City Grind Kittens at the Cooler Lounge.

From Kitten "Rue La Femme"...

"The Kittens will go on at 10:00 (I will be the first girl to dance) and then two bands after we are done. Then the Kittens will dance again, followed by the last two bands.

The bands will be:

The Sin City Ghouls
The Dirty Babies
D. O. R. K.
Big Rig"

Sunday, Flicker LV will have its first Flicker Show on March 28 at the New York Cafe. This will mark the beginning of Vegas' participation in the national Flicker film group.

Ted V. Mikels Movie Premiere at The Palms Brendan Theater

You may know local horror movie director Ted V. Mikels from some of his earlier B-Horror films, including Astro Zombies, The Corpse Grinders, Girl in Gold Boots, etc. If you were at the Palms' Brendan Theaters, March 21st, you could have caught his latest flick, "The Cauldron: Baptism of Blood." This latest movie's premise is based on a talent competition that goes awry when one of the contestants receives a "lucky" amulet that helps her win the contest. She doesn't realize the price she will have to pay. The cast features a bevy of beautiful women, masked men, and lots of blood and sacrifice.

After the premiere, Ted answered some questions. Also, there was Amy Carelli, ex-Jupiter Shifter bassist, playing the blood soaked witch, local Sin City Grind Kitten Elaine Kimberlain, who also did makeup for the film, Mike Monohan, who worked on production of the film, and in attendance local horror film maker Greg Parker (Lord of the Dead) who is working on his next film "Samurai Terror."

Mr. Mikels has merchandise available, everything from DVDs, VHS, posters, and t-shirts. E-mail him at TMVstudios@aol.com or check the website.

An Evening of Shorts (Movies that is)

The UNLV Short Film Archive continues its program of showcasing short-length movies by local, national, and international film makers. Their website has details of their upcoming events, and now so does this one...


"An Evening of Shorts

Wednesday, March 24, 2004

UNLV Sogg Architecture Bldg.  #127

7:30-9:30PM

UNLV's Short Film Archive will host the next screening of festival award-winning short films on Wednesday, March 24 at 7:30pm in room #127 of the Architecture Building on the campus of UNLV as part of the on-going short film screening series organized by film assistant professor and archive director David Schmoeller.

Included in this screening is the award-winning ONE DOLLAR DIFFERENCE by UNLV graduate Doug Shutte, THE REFLECTING POOL by famed video artist Bill Viola; WORMHOLE, Student Academy Award winner, best narrative about a boy struggling with a recent death in his life and THE 11TH ANNUAL RIB COOK-OFF,
an amusing and poignant documentary about good ribs & good family by Ellen Dimler.

The weekly “An Evening of Shorts” screenings are free and open to the public. Call 895-3547 for information.

Please check the NEW UNLV Short Film Archive Website:
http://shortfilmarchive.unlv.edu/

David Schmoeller, director

UNLV Short Film Archive

702-895-2535

david.schmoeller@ccmail.nevada.edu

Wednesday, March 24, 2004

(program #9)

UTILITIES  (17min) Columbia University, 2000– Sweet, poignant story about two small kids struggling to keep the electricity on in their trailer home.

STALKER GUILT SYNDROME (11:15min) by Jonah Kaplin.  Funny story of paranoia and circumstance as a man imagines himself a stalker – then becomes one.

GARDENING TIPS FOR HOUSEWIVES (16min) by Jessica Wergmain. Short Film Oscar finalist this year (top ten) about a homeless man digging a mysterious hole in the backyard of an unsuspecting couple.

WELCOME TO LIFE  by Jowan Carbin, an 11-year old loner must deal with repercussions of his actions after kissing another boy.  Columbia University.

“IN SEARCH OF THE TROLL” by UNLV student filmmaker Amber Beard.  (6min)  B/W silent.

THE REFLECTING POOL (7min) by famed video artist Bill Viola.

WORMHOLE (19min) – Student Academy Award winner, best narrative about a boy struggling to deal with a recent death in his life.

THE 11TH ANNUAL RIB COOK-OFF (19min) amusing and poignant documentary about good ribs & good family by Ellen Dimler.

The Past Might Hit Vegas, Leaving Bruises

Vegas has seen itself rewinding to the good 'ole days, and the women of the city are leading this charge. First with the formation of the Sin City Grind Kittens (Las Vegas Burlesque MSN group) work is now starting on the city's first rollerderby team. With the team just forming, the Nevada Roller Derby website promises more info in the future, but currently offers a forum and a contact email address. Vegas does not have a banked track, the usual style of track for rollerderby matches, so team spokesperson and Loud Pipes bassist Roxie says that the team will be practicing and playing on a flat track for the time being.

Rollerderby has already found a home in the desert, with Phoenix hosting an all-girls team, the Arizona Rollerderby, and L.A. is home to The Los Angeles Derby Dolls. Texas is also home to a collection of teams: Texas Rollergirls League has four teams, The Hell Marys, The Honky Tonk Heartbreakers, The Hotrod Honeys, and The Hustlers. Also, the Lonestar Rollergirls have three teams on their site as well. There is already some talk posted on the Nevada Roller Derby Forum from the L.A. Derby Dolls wishing success with the team.

Additionally, the Vegas team looks to be advised by retired rollerderby skater Loretta Behrens. Loretta "Little Iodine" Behrens has a site of her own, dedicated to her time on the track, and she has posted a lengthy and educational forum entry on the Nevada Rollerderby site on preparing for rollerderby competition. Check out Banked Track Memories to see Loretta's rollerderby card.

To see the full impact of the game on its players, check out the amazing and painful injuries page from Arizona Rollerderby.

And finally, damn you, Jarret Keene for popping out your article first, even though this was weeks of work. Okay, hissy fit is over.

Iowa: A State of Poetry

For years the Iowa Cafe has been a haven for the spoken work in Vegas. In the coming months, the Iowa will continue to be a poetry venue, and their mailing list is the best way to hear about poets and happenings. But, with permission, here is their latest announcement of events...

"UPCOMING POETRY EVENTS AT IOWA CAFÉ

March 18: LESLIE MINOT’S WEST SAHARA LIBRARY WORKSHOP
FEATURING:

Renee Christy
Ken Wanamaker
Johnny Johnson
Neva Darbe
Laurie Childers
Richard Nocilla
Tony Stewart
DeAnna Beachley
&
Leslie Minot

April is National Poetry Month and we celebrate at the
IOWA CAFÉ with three big shows:

April 1: ANDY HALL:  A SPECIAL APRIL FOOLS DAY SHOW
“IF YOU DON’T SUCCEED AT FIRST…”

Andy’s last attempt to record his cd at IOWA CAFE
failed so he’ll be trying again. He will be recording
a cd of his best material and because it’s April Fools
day, well you can just imagine. So come out and holler
and hoot and be part of the noise.


April 8: WORDBYWORD featuring:

Sheila Klein
Ken Wanamaker
Tom Fitzpatrick
Jan Ashman
Gary Ashman

APRIL 22: Dawn Carter and Mitch Kalisch celebrate
Earth Day

May 6:  Johnny Johnson’s 2nd Annual 50th BD Party
featuring a serenade of hot poetry by The Three
Sirens:

Danna Botwick
Rita Hawn
Meredith McGhan

May 20:  Double Feature:
Husbandman  (Warrick R. Roundtree II) host of Untamed
Tongues - Poetry, Soul Food & Music - Venni Mac's M&M
Soul Food - 4485 S Jones, 2nd Floor and
Mike Kiewel 2003 Slam team member and  former co-host
of Café Espresso Roma (RIP Roma)

These events and all other literary events can be
found on the Las Vegas Literary Calendar @
www.localendar.com/public/VegasPoetry.  A great site
to add to your "Favorites"."

Editing as a Criminal Act

The act of editing is a straight-forward affair. Take a submitted work, look for spelling and grammar errors, correct factual details and tailor for style. Either through traditional means of shipping a manuscript, or with technology providing a global means of exchanging text, an editor could review material created in just about any country. And, in the past, the country of origin has not been an issue when publishing material in the US. But that has changed.

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has been sending letters to publishers warning that editing material from Iran and other countries not in good standing with the US may constitute trading with the enemy.

The New York Times published an article, Treasury Department Is Warning Publishers of the Perils of Criminal Editing of the Enemy, talking about the letters sent by the Treasury Department and warning of the prohibited editing acts. "Anyone who publishes material from a country under a trade embargo is forbidden to reorder paragraphs or sentences, correct syntax or grammar, or replace 'inappropriate words,' according to several advisory letters from the Treasury Department in recent months...

...Adding illustrations is prohibited, too. To the baffled dismay of publishers, editors and translators who have been briefed about the policy, only publication of 'camera-ready copies of manuscripts' is allowed."

The Chronicle of Higher Education has published in its weekly edition the reaction of Rep. Howard L. Berman to the current reading of the law.

"...Rep. Howard L. Berman, a California Democrat, wrote to the U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday decrying its position that simple editing represents a prohibited service to authors in embargoed countries...

...Mr. Berman wrote to OFAC's director, R. Richard Newcomb, that the office's interpretations of the Berman Amendment 'are clearly inconsistent with both the letter and spirit of the law' and called the restriction on editing 'patently absurd.'"

If the Treasury Department does change its stand, Breman may introduce new legislation.

Amber Withycombe, Associate Director of the International Institute of Modern Letters at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, provided a response to the news: "We find the Treasury Department regulations very distressing, and are monitoring legal challenges to them. While the regulations do not affect any of our current or upcoming publishing projects, an organization that we help fund, Words Without Borders (www.wordswithoutborders.org), is hoping to publish an anthology of "Literature from the 'Axis of Evil.'" We are very anxious to learn if this project will be affected. WWB featured excerpts from the proposed anthology in the September issue of their online magazine.

Recently, some Bush Administration officials have taken some criticism for suggesting that the US economy benefits by shipping jobs offshore. But that just may be one solution to new regulations. In order to have material for their publications without risking sanctions from the Treasury Department, American publications could be forced to use foreign editors to create their "camera-ready copies of manuscripts".

Pinball Heaven in Sin City

Las Vegas' Pinball Hall of Fame Home is hosting an arcade night, Friday the 12th. Tim Arnold (see Sun article) will be letting the public play with his collection of machines. Bring quarters for the games, and some extra cash to help fund his continuing efforts for a permanent museum to house these machines.

Additional info comes courtesy of Poizen Ivy's Sin City Sounds mailing list...

"Friday, March 12
Pin Ball Fun Night - Over 400 pin ball machines to play, plus raffles (at 10pm) and maybe even Elvis. Big Hit Shed (5625 Gateway [Mapquest Map]), 2 blocks E of Sandhill and Russell, park in vacant lot next door and come thru gate in the fence) - 6pm-midnight, AA (BYOB), FREE, e-mail pinballhalloffame@msn.com or call 434-9746 for more info"

More Family Fun at Dirk Vermin's Gallery Au Go-Go

According to this Wired Magazine article, "The most-read webloggers aren't necessarily the ones with the most original ideas, say researchers at Hewlett-Packard Labs. Using newly developed techniques for graphing the flow of information between blogs, the researchers have discovered that authors of popular blog sites regularly borrow topics from lesser-known bloggers -- and they often do so without attribution. " So, from now on, this website will just be reprinting other people's good material. But attributed, of course!

Gallery Au Go-Go Owner Dirk Vermin set out an email...
Amy Carrelli, ex-Jupiter Shifter member, reposted it on her mailing list, (which you can join by emailing her at atomicfury68@hotmail.com)...
and now the love chain continues...

"Dirk Vermin presents:

"MONDO EROTICA" the art show!

Sat. March 13 8 pm -12 am
Gallery Au Go-Go 4972 So. Maryland Pkwy #11
Las Vegas
Adults Only! No one under 18 admitted
Limited edition show posters available
This is a sequel to last years controversial "Adults Only" art show.
All local artists are invited to participate as long as the art is of an
"adult" or "erotic" nature. This show is not for the faint of heart. If you
are easily offended please stay home. Gallery Au Go-Go is here to push the
boundaries of what an art gallery in Las Vegas is supposed to be and makes
no apology for offense.
for info on submission call Dirk at 419-5681"

The Bard at Nellis?

The U.S. Department of Defense and the National Endowment for the Arts have joined up to bring the works of William Shakespeare to military bases across the country. The program is Shakespeare in American Communities. So does that mean that Nellis Air Force Base will be competing with the Utah Shakespearean Festival for patrons of the theater? It remains to be seen, as Nevada has no scheduled performances at this time.

The main aim of the program is to bring "Shakespeare productions and related educational activities to 100 small and mid-sized communities in all 50 states," which may mean Vegas won't be getting a visit from the NEA/DOD-based program.

However, the troubled Jaguars strip club could fill the void and make up lost revenue due to its revoked liquor license by staging a titillating stage version of Live Nude Shakespeare.

Artists Asked to Expose Themselves to the Public

A March 1st press release from the City of Las Vegas Arts Commission announced the city is looking for artists for the new Percent for Arts Program. Artists participating in the city's Artist Directory will particularly benefit. An application (PDF File) for the Artist Directory can be found at the bottom of the Arts Commission website.

And now, the press release...

The City of Las Vegas Arts Commission is seeking artists to participate on design teams for upcoming art in public places projects through their new Percent for the Arts Program.

The first projects will be fast-tracked. Qualified artists will be short listed and/or direct selected from our Artist Registry. These projects include participating on the design teams for two new City buildings during 2004 & 2005. To be considered for these initial public art projects, please send a letter of interest and Artist Registry information no later than March 16, 2004 to...

City of Las Vegas Arts Commission
Artist Registry - Design Team
749 Veterans Memorial Drive
Las Vegas, Nevada 89101

Please note: the City of Las Vegas Artist Registry is an on-going program and all artists are encouraged to apply throughout the year.  By participating in the registry, artists will be placed on the mailing list for upcoming projects and events in your area.

To verify whether you are in the LVAC registry or to update information,
please email Gayle Jones at: gjones@lasvegasnevada.gov

Lisa E. Stamanis
Project Coordinator, City of Las Vegas Arts Commission
749 Veterans Memorial Drive - Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
702-229-4631 Office 702-383-6306 Fax
www.artslasvegas.org - www.lasvegasnevada.gov/LVAC

Rise Robots! Rise and Take Las Vegas!

Large, evil robots will eventually enslave us all, bending us to their will and making a wasteland of all around us. Just replace "large, evil robots" with "slot machines" and you have just described Las Vegas. And while slot machines are already here, it looks as though robots will be decending on Las Vegas soon, or to be more exact at 4626 South Maryland Parkway on Wednesday the 3rd... 7pm... Starbucks... Ground Zero!

Artist Shan Michael (yes, no 's') will be presenting his new works in "RISE ROBOTS, RISE!!!", a collection of hell-bent robot-wreaking havoc, making a mess of things and just menacing everyone with their silent gaze. Just like the cappuccino machine. While highly graphic in look, each piece is lovingly crafted, with layers of hand-cut paper composing the elements that make up the works. Currently, none of his work is accessible online, so go to the Starbucks, order a Mocca Nutta Neutrino Atomic Roast and gaze lovingly into the eyes of your new masters.

But before science can provide us with the robotic armageddon that is the Matrix and the Terminator, there is much progress to be made. The Pentagon is trying to make all that happen, and it looks as if Vegas is in the crosshairs again. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has developed the Grand Darpa Challenge to encourage the evolution of autonomous robots. The intention is to have robots not only navigate unfamiliar and undocumented terrain, but do it quickly. Wired Magazine's article The Great Robot Race not only details the specifics of the contest and its goals; it has pictures of some of the teams' entries, ranging from a self-balancing motocross motorcycle to the driverless Hummer. It looks like the robots will be taking their speedy journey from California to Nevada. Vegas will be spared the impending doom though, with robots ending their journey near Primm. Then the locals will have to fend off the robots' attempts to steal their women and crowd in line at the buffets. That is, if any of them can make it. The problematic nature of the contest may mean that the desert will be littered with the carcasses of broken robots. And we will be safe for another day.

Darpa's Spectators section say that Buffalo Bill's will be providing a venue for watching the contest on Saturday, March 13, 2004 and their site states that, "...Arena seating will be open to the public beginning at 6 am. Live satellite feed will provide coverage from the Start Line for two hours. In addition, exhibits will be open from 9 am until 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday."