Subject: Las Vegas

• Massively Penetrating in Vegas

  Looking for something new to do in Vegas? Something that involves breathing in massive amounts of particulate matter blown in from the desert? Something that involves watching yet another bit of idiotic Bush administration defense planning go up in smoke (literally)? Something a little mushroom cloudy? Well, you're in luck. Agence France-Presse reports that during the first week of June your tax dollars will be hard at work setting off a 700 ton explosion at the Nuclear Test Site just north of

  March 30, 2006

• The Quota System (Friendly Skies Edition)

  Everyone's heard stories, always officially denied, that you're more likely to get a traffic ticket near the end of month because the cops have a set quota of tickets they need to write each month. According to KMGH, the ABC affiliate in Denver, your traffic misery may be following you into the skies, with potentially nastier consequences than a fine. You could be on a secret government database or watch list for simply taking a picture on an airplane. Some federal air marshals say they're repor

  July 26, 2006

• Va Tech Murders Give OC Sheriff Pal Excuse

  At the insistence of John Barnett, OC 's legendary defense lawyer, a San Bernardino County judge refused to allow opening statements Monday in the jury trial of Raymond K. Yi, a former OC reserve deputy who faces six felony charges for a 2005 gun-related temper tantrum on a golf course. Barnett, famous for his defense in the Rodney King police brutality case and the Greg Haidl gang rape trials, urged a mistrial because of the potential "inflammatory nature" of the Seung-Hui Cho killing spree la

  April 24, 2007

• Tuesday's Headlines & Surprises: Poor Mike Carona

  OC's Embarrassing Buford T. Justice: Law-enforcement helicopters and ground crews normally — blatantly — tail me. You should have seen them after I revealed that local cops had planted a handgun on a DUI suspect, after I wrote about a cop who ejaculated on a female motorist in Laguna Beach, and when I published photos of Sheriff Mike Carona warmly embracing a female Russian, uh, “interpreter” in his Moscow hotel room. Anyway, the cop harassment has increased recently, and I'd wondered w

  July 17, 2007

• Wednesday's Headlines & Surprises: An OC Blog Coward

  What did the OC billionaire do when the wife was away? Computer-chip magnate Henry T. Nicholas III won big in a 1998 public stock offering for his Broadcom Corp., and to celebrate, he built an extravagant $30 million underground “personal brothel” at his Laguna Hills estate. That's according to the latest allegations discovered by E. Scott Reckard and Kim Christensen, two Los Angeles Times reporters who dug up court documents containing the dirt. Last week, newspapers disclosed FBI interes

  July 18, 2007

• Sheriff Loses Battle To End Federal Case

  A U.S. District Court in Los Angeles has refused Sheriff Michael S. Carona’s demand to dismiss a First Amendment complaint filed by former Carona challenger, ex-sheriff’s Lt. William Hunt, according to a press release issued this morning by Silver, Hadden, Silver, Wexler & Levine. Hunt attorney Richard A. Levine says it’s possible now that Carona will be “held accountable for abuse of office and for interfering with the constitutionally protected free speech of Mr. Hunt.” Hours aft

  October 5, 2007

• To Do Tonight 3/19

  Playboy Comedy , 8:30 p.m. Playboy Comedy is not your conventional comedy show. For the past 3 years it has been exclusive at The Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. It was awarded "Best Comedy Club" in 2006 by The Las Vegas Review Journal. Brea Improv, 120 S. Brea Blvd., Brea, CA, 92821 (714) 482-0700 State Symphony of Mexico , 8 p.m. Program will feature Buxtehude-Chavez's Chaconne in E minor, Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, Revuletas's Sensemaya, Turina's Danzas Fantasticas. Segerstrom

  March 19, 2008

• What's The Deal With OC Billionaires?

  We've got the George Argyros-owned apartment empire "systematically ripping off" its largely poor or lower middle class tenants by fabricating excuses for not refunding deposits to literally thousands of people. We've got Donald L. Bren--owner of the Irvine Co. using strong arm tactics on small local businesses and, in a messy child support case in Los Angeles, declaring himself exempt from law because he's so rich. And, perhaps most colorful of all, we've got Henry T. Nicholas III--a founde

  June 7, 2008

• What You Missed Over The Weekend Part XXIV

  The big news of the weekend was the OC Weekly's two wins at the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards in Philadelphia. Gustavo Arellano took home the award for Best Column with "Ask A Mexican" while R. Scott Moxley bagged second place in the prestigious public service category for his coverage of the indictment of Sheriff Mike Carona. The Ink and Iron Festival in Long Beach called out to Andrew Youssef who reviewed the Black Angel's performance and chatted up some of the tatted up ladi

  June 9, 2008

• Review: The Long Beach Lobster Fest

  Just got back from the Long Beach Lobster Fest -- officially titled "The Original Long Beach Lobster Festival," which was a bit odd, as that moniker would seem to signify some competing crustacean frenzy occurring somewhere in the general area. That, or it’s meant to herald a comeback of some sort after having been away, which could very well be true (though I can’t recall a lobster lollapalooza when I lived in the LBC from ’97 till ’03, but whatev…) My verdict? Ehhh…not that great.

  September 7, 2008

• Club Pick : Third Annual JJ Birthday Party with HUGE SUPRISE GUEST at Sutra Oct. 3

  Got plans this Friday night? Cancel 'em. Got a date? tell 'em your not going to make it. Planning on going to bed early that night? Wake the fuck up! Tomorrow, under the decadent strobes of Sutra, the Costa Mesa club's anticipated party of the year is going to be insane. Mak Entertainment and The Palms Casino in Las Vegas are coming together to bring you the Third Annual JJ Birthday Party. Trust me, these two titans of entertainment wouldn't waste the cash to throw an event unless it was wort

  October 1, 2008

• West Coast Wrap

  April 22, 1999

• Off the Strip

  May 13, 1999

• HERE ALREADY

  January 6, 2000

• Time to Roll Up Our Sleeves

  November 15, 2001

• ¡Ask a Mexican!®

  January 3, 2008

• Our Critics Rate the Best Movies of 2008

  December 25, 2008

• [Locals Only] The Good Fiction

  August 14, 2008

• [Trendzilla] Musicians, Fans and Fashions

  July 24, 2008

• [Moxley Confidential] Billy Joe Johnson Tries to Save Pal From Death Row. Plus, Adieu, Buffalo Jim

  May 22, 2008

• No Big Payout for the Laguna Art Museum's 'Las Vegas Diaspora'

  March 27, 2008

• Big Money

  January 10, 2008

• Play Fight

  January 10, 2008

• How (Not) to Name Your Band

  WEB EXCLUSIVE! Your Moniker Can Mean Big Money. Choose Wisely with These Tips

  November 8, 2007

• Of Mice and Mousse

  K’Ya is a slice of elegance amid Disneyland’s tourist hell

  October 4, 2007

• The Ways of Some Flesh

  April 26, 2001

• Bunny boiling

  Playboy Comedy

  August 9, 2007

• Excuse Me, but Is That Your Fist Up My Ass?

  It’s worth a trip down the I-5 to watch the fur fly on Avenue Q

  July 26, 2007

• Letters

  May 10, 2001

• Such Nice Boys!

  September 30, 1999

• Welcome to the Poorhouse: We're All in the Same Somali Boat

  One thing learned while wallowing in indebtedness, deadbeatness and utter-lack-of-hopeness is there are apparently a lot of people facing similar circumstances right now. People you've just met. People you've known for years. People you would expect to know better than to be in the same piss-poor financial shape.This was really noticeable at a recent party where an educated guess would suggest 98 percent of the people there did not vote for Obama. These are folks who as long as can be remembered

  April 16, 2009

• Letters

  August 31, 2006

• Diary of a Mad County

  July 6, 2006

• 'Dirty, Stupid or Both'

  April 27, 2006

• Before and After

  June 9, 2005

• Make the Music Go Bang

  December 2, 2004

• Blazer Of Glory

  August 26, 2004

• Surviving the Dead

  September 18, 2003

• Coming Soon to Westminsters Giant Screen

  April 10, 2003

• Surf and Destroy

  April 25, 2002

• Viva Las Vegas

  April 26, 2001

• One Hand Clapping

  February 8, 2001

• Tuna Does Vegas

  April 30, 2009

• WEDNESDAY: Burlesque Body at Continental Room

  Just the news you wanted to hear the day after Mother's Day...there's a burlesque show coming to town! But the only thing more intriguing than news of Miss Dakota's Burlesque Body show coming to The Continental Room is the question of how the hell they are gonna pull it off. And those of you who have ever seen the smoldering, half-naked acrobatics of Bronx-born performer Miss Dakota should be asking the same question. Known as a featured performer at Forty Deuce Burlesque Club in Hollywood and L

  May 11, 2009

• On Sale Saturday: The Killers at UCI's Bren Events Center

  ​Las Vegas' own the Killers are performing Sept. 15 at the not-used-very-often UCI Bren Events Center. I saw Al Gore speak there about a decade ago, but this was way before he invented global warming.Anyway, tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. and cost $47.50. Wait, what? $47.50? Am I crazy or is that a whole lot of money to see the Killers? I know they're popular and all, but is no one in their camp aware of this little thing called a recession?

  July 28, 2009

• Just Another Orange County Murder: Jasmine Fiore Car Found

  UPDATED THROUGHOUT! The final piece in the puzzle explaining how swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore was brutally murdered and mutilated, as well as whether anyone helped now dead murder suspect Ryan Alexander Jenkins kill and/or dispose of the body in a Buena Park dumpster, could have been found with the discovery of the victim's missing luxury car in West Hollywood. A Trader Joe's shopper called police Wednesday afternoon to report the white 2007 Mercedes-Benz was parked ne

  August 27, 2009

• Men of the Hollywood Strip

  August 20, 2009

• The Alley Cats: Friday Night's Barbershop Quartet

  ​In another edition of what this writer's going to call "Free Things to Do This Weekend" (it's unofficial!), So-Cal's own barbershop quartet, The Alley Cats, comes home Friday night with a free concert at Chapman University.  Formed in 1987 at Fullerton College, the group is considered as "America's Premiere Doo-Wop Group" --you may have even seen them perform at Disneyland or in Las Vegas with Jay Leno. There's just something about a bunch of guys in matching suits and top hats, sing

  August 20, 2009

• This Week in Food

  ​In the last seven days, we at SAFII blogged about:Expired KitKats. The horror! Note to Albert: You should've probably bought the whole lot and flogged them on eBay. They must surely be collectors' items?Lavish birthday bashes. Sadly, not our own.A just-opened sushi bar in Newport Beach.Awful background music restaurants insist on playing.Driving to Las Vegas with Alton Brown. In the Wienermobile. Hypothetically, that is.

  August 21, 2009

• [BEST OF OC] El DJ (the DJ): DJ Danny Love

  October 8, 2009