My son's birthday is December 26 and since he moved to Australia, he likes the idea that his birthday is a national holiday. I mentioned that to a friend and, in response, he asked what holiday it is. "Boxing Day," I replied. "Huh?" came...

When I was growing up in New York, the City Center was a theater, the place where one could go to see opera, ballet, special shows like the Encores! series that begat several Broadway revivals, Gilbert and Sullivan, Alvin Ailey and so many more...

The fact that Garth Brooks is playing at Steve Wynn's Encore Theatre here in Las Vegas became public in October and it was big news. Of course, whenever someone signs a five-year deal to do about 300 shows in this city, it's news. Even...

As always, Las Vegas is an interesting place to live. If one were to take snapshots of life here today, there would be some interesting pictures.

For example, the couture floor of a very high-end department store a few weeks ago featured the display...

I wasn't going to say anything but I have been thinking about it all day -- I agree with Elisabeth Hasselbeck and that bothers me. And, while I know it's what she's saying that is important, rather than the fact that it is she...

After thinking about it for awhile, I've come to the conclusion that I am naive. Or, at least, naive about my chosen profession, journalism. You see, I believe that journalism is a higher calling that exists-- if not to correct them -- to point out the wrongs perpetrated on our...

Quickly! What's the first thing that comes into your mind when I say, "Jerry Springer?"

If you're like most people, it'll be that talk show he's hosted since September 1991. If you possess more arcane information, you might also think of Jerry Springer: The...

It is an odd -- almost surreal -- experience sitting no more than one foot away from a man many women consider a major league sex symbol....and knowing that any one of them might pay a large sum of money to be where I...

We've heard about the Deadheads who followed the Grateful Dead hither and yon. We've seen people line up for days before the opening of a new Star Wars film, before tickets to the World Series or Super Bowl go on sale or show up at...

Note: I don't work for the Palazzo and only tend to go there either to see a show or take visitors to the shops. I am not a regular at all. But what I describe below is very impressive.

In case you didn't recognize...

Because I really didn't know and I like the metaphor, I looked it up and there are twelve Pearly Gates into heaven. And since just about everyone I've ever taken to eat in Raku says it's "heavenly" (except the guys who say some variation of "great"), I thought I'd tell...

OK, I'll confess. After being (quite gently) "accused" of writing mostly about entertainment here and spending a weekend immersed in the best theater has to offer anywhere in the world (more about that another time) I've changed my bio here to confess to having...

I went to a forum here in Las Vegas on health care reform last night. I didn't walk in without knowing who'd invited me (local Clark County Democratic Party activists because I'm not on any GOP mailing lists), or who was sponsoring...

Lior Suchard says it's all about focus. "It's the difference between a flashlight and a laser beam. Both are light, but the laser beam is much more focused so you can see more. If you can focus your mind, you can do the same."

First, some background: I came to Nevada from New York, with certain expectations. And, because my life back east had included political involvement, those expectations included the same out west. I quickly learned that I -- to...

One of the best things about being a writer is that you get to meet people and see places to which you might not ordinarily have access. For an April article in Luxury Las Vegas I wrote about the Clark County, Nev.,...

[Disclaimer: Despite research and a pretty good memory, some of the quotes below may not be exact, but the spirit of the words is clear and intact.]

It started last month at the opening night of the Stony Brook Film Festival, the university-based bash...

Having been surrounded by protofeminists when I was growing up -- professional women who were way ahead of their times -- I've always been drawn to women who are talented, who are out...

Las Vegas is a city of all sorts of wonders. And I mean that. Some are natural -- Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire -- and some were created by people -- The Strip and Hoover Dam. Falling into the latter group are museums.

The thing about the...

When you see as many shows as I do as a reviewer, you naturally become aware of all sorts of facets of shows that others may not. This particular facet goes back to my high school days when I was assigned to see a...