Oh, the Zumanity!

Thursday, May 01, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Quick and Dirty: A notebook of news and politics

All hail the Hill

Devotees of developer Jim Rhodes and his plan to build 2,000 houses on top of Blue Diamond Hill have been heard to declare, "You won't even see the houses" from Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area "because there'll be a screen of trees."

Ah, invisible houses on a pale desert landscape screened by invisible dark trees and lighted at night by invisible lights.

Turns out, though, that Rhodes' Blue Diamond Hill development may indeed be invisible--because it might not happen at all. State Sen. Dina Titus' bill to limit Red Rock area development--putting a serious crimp in Rhodes' plan--has moved successfully from the Senate to the Assembly, and the Assembly Government Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on it in Las Vegas on May 10 at 9 a.m. at the Sawyer State Office Building.

And now U.S. Sens. John Ensign and Harry Reid have entered the fray. They propose that Clark County buy at fair market price the 2,400 acres on the hill using federal Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act funds, restore the mined portion to environmental soundness, and then add it to the conservation area for the BLM to manage. Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury plans to introduce a resolution on the proposal May 6.

If the sale happens, it'll be a real stick up the ass for the local BLM, which has consistently balked at buying the land despite public insistence that the hill's preservation is essential to the lasting integrity of Red Rock. And ultimately it would be a good deal for the BLM--though it took Congress to force the issue.--HW

Dinner theater closes

Less than six months after opening, Giocomo's Classic Dinner Playhouse has dropped its final curtain. The dinner theater, in the Red Feather Shopping Center at Decatur Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue, closed its doors April 17. Future shows have been canceled.

According to the property owner's on-site leasing agent, Jenny and Gary Giocomo removed fixtures from the premises before their April 17 scheduled performance of Fiddler on the Roof. The Giocomos told him they were reorganizing and reassessing.

The Giocomos' home phone has been disconnected and there is no listing for the couple in Las Vegas. Their website is dark and no contact information is available.

Attorney Bob Olson, who represents the owner, said the Giocomos have abandoned the property. As the first tenant in the center, they were given six months free rent upfront. Olson said no rent was due until May 1. As the Giocomos kept all ticket proceeds, Olson said "the landlord has no intention or obligation to reimburse patrons for tickets the Giocomos sold."

If you paid for your theater tickets by cash, you are probably out of luck. If you paid via credit card, contact your credit card company.--BS

Pay raises from hell

Is Assembly Bill 23, which would give some county elected officials big pay raises, "outrageous" and "despicable," as a Review-Journal editorial writer opined Sunday?

Sadly, yes. This bill is about as smart as giving weapons of mass destruction to a Middle Eastern dictator. Bad idea. It's the equivalent of providing military training to Saudi Arabian terrorists. Not a wise move.

Most will agree the Clark County sheriff and district attorney deserve raises. They are paid substantially less than many of the people who work for them. But 60 percent raises? Come on. Let's be friggin' sensible.

Frankly, there's a very long list of more pressing issues to address right now, such as increasing taxes to fund education and other vital government services. Voters won't look kindly on the Legislature fishing around in their pocketbooks for more revenue just so the sheriff and DA can get a salary windfall.

Give these important elected posts a reasonable, publicly digestible raise and phase it in over several years. And don't let this issue derail the all-important matter of expanding and stabilizing Nevada's tax base.--GS

Too hot for Vegas?

MGM Mirage and Cirque du Soleil kicked off the media feeding frenzy for the latest Cirque show at a press reception May 22 on the Brooklyn Bridge at New York-New York. The cream of Las Vegas' infotainment scene was at the event, including the R-J's Norm Clarke, KVVU Channel 5's Robin Leach, Tony Sacca, lounge singer and host of "Entuhtainmit Vegas Style," and the Mercury's James Reza, who is no doubt calling the event a sexy soirée somewhere else in this edition.

The reporters and hangers-on were treated to an assortment of tasty hors d'oeuvres and booze (the oyster shooters didn't seem to be a big hit), while cast members in costumes ranging from sexy to downright unnerving strolled among them.

The new show, Zumanity, will be a major departure for the company known locally for at Bellagio and Mystere at Treasure Island. Zumanity will feature more dance, less acrobatics and, most importantly, less clothing. The performers at the press reception included several painfully hot people and a really big transvestite, Zumanity's host, Madame. The focus will be on eroticism and intimacy, within a relatively small theater. It's set to open July 31.

Reaction was varied, including overheard comments such as "Fucking fabulous," "Hey, how 'bout bringing some more of those yummy pink drinks over here?" and, unbelievably, "The show looks too sexy for Vegas."

What price glory?

Some people think their personal artifacts are valuable to the world--maybe more valuable than others would think. Such may be the case with former U.S. Sen. Chic Hecht. The County Commission recently accepted a donation from the former ambassador to the Bahamas.

Specifically, or generally as the case may be, the donation included "one black metal clothes hook, three documents, 32 color photos, two plaques and three lithograph prints." Nothing further was said to describe the items, so "the hook" could have come from the men's washroom, the "documents" could have been pay stubs, the "color photos" probably were grip-and-grin publicity photos with constituents, and "the plaques and lithograph prints"--who knows what they were.

All this booty graciously donated by the 74-year-old former senator was valued at $3,750--for materials that collectively probably cost about $10.

Ah yes, the sentimental value, and lots of it.--FC