Not too many years ago, lots of people thought vinyl records were -- like rotary telephone dials and typewriters -- a thing of the past, replaced by digital recordings, CDs and MP3s, used mostly for obscure and alternative music. Then, in...

For so many of us, Thanksgiving is a special day. But, for Tiger Martina (left, executing a complicated dance move), Thanksgiving 2011 was a most special day, and an estimated 45 million people shared it with him both in person and...

If Chef Michel Richard were a drink, he'd be Champagne. Why? Because when he talks about his life and about food he absolutely sparkles, bubbling over with enthusiasm.

Richard is frequently in Las Vegas these days, commuting between there and...

It's probably a sure bet that there are few, if any, people who don't know at least one of Jimmy Webb's songs. Just consider his catalog which, among many others, includes "Up, Up and Away," "Didn't We," "Highwayman," "Wichita Lineman,"...

Octavia Spencer is one very happy, very proud woman. The source of her happiness and pride at the moment is The Help, the film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's ubiquitous book -- 100+ weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List and still very active on the paperback and e-book lists...

I've always believed that when we travel to new places our minds seek out the strange and weigh it against the familiar. To me, this is an automatic reflex. Subtleties come later. Naturally, this is what I began to do when I arrived in Adelaide.

When Americans think of Australia, we tend to think of Sydney or Melbourne, the Great Barrier Reef, the outback, kangaroos and koalas. Of course, there's a lot more to discover in this fascinating country and chance -- specifically the fact that I happen to have family there -- took me...

Yes, there were the requisite celebrity chefs. There were events large and small that ensured attendees would get up-close and personal with the culinary stars and their cuisine. And, going into Vegas Uncork'd by Bon Appétit that is what I expected -- food, wine, celebrities. Like everyone else there I...

A few of the chefs wore black jackets but the majority wore white. The crowd standing in the hot sun in front of the Bellagio Resort and Casino fountains waited patiently.

There were a few brief remarks by Adam Rapoport, editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit and publisher Pamela Drucker Mann,...

Rob O'Keefe (left) knows whereof he speaks when, speaking of Las Vegas in 2004 and 2005, he says, "We were trying to advertise our way into culinary credibility and we learned that advertising...

People who saw the movie in 1952 reported being very impressed. Reportedly they mostly talked about "the roller coaster," the Rockaway Playland ride that seemed to take the viewer along in the front car it as it climbed and swooped on...

There is no doubt that 3D movies are here to stay. The people who do such things came to CinemaCon, the annual gathering of that National Association of Theater Owners, attended by exhibitors, studios and manufacturers of movie going...

Movies are a business. Yes there are very famous, very attractive people involved in that business (more about them tomorrow) but, in the end, it's about producing movies, getting them in theaters and getting people into the theaters to see them....

CinemaCon, the annual meeting of theater owners from the U.S. and around the world, is about getting customers into their local movie theater. Billed as "A Celebration of the Moviegoing Experience," the...

With thousands of movie exhibitors and theater owners in attendance, CinemaCon -- until this year called ShoWest -- kicked off yesterday at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. This is the National Association of Theater Owners' trade show where studios come to...

"At I first thought I'd be here a few weeks, maybe a few months at most. Three years later I'm still here. The longer you stay here the harder it will be to enter back into the real world."

That's Rick...

Most of us know Tim Allen, who visited our homes each week for most of the 1990s, as Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor in the sitcom Home Improvement. There is also a string of films in which he invariably...

Name a place in North America, and it's a good bet that Megan Edwards and Mark Sedenquist have been there. Or, if they haven't, it's an equally good bet they know someone who has. That's because, 15 years ago, the couple turned their love...

When the topic is politics, Las Vegas has once again proven to be a most interesting city. Now, unlike the loooooooong campaign seasons of the recent past, the mayoral election is comparatively brief, more a sprint than a marathon. The...

Friday night I attended a service at Congregation Ner Tamid, a Reform temple. The congregation was paying tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with what they billed as a "gospel" service. It was a lovely event and,...