>> The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
>> Identity Thief
>> Gangster Squad
>> Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away
>> Lincoln
>> Zero Dark Thirty
>> Hitchcock
>> The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
>> Hyde Park on Hudson
>> Safety Not Guaranteed

Opening 5.10.13
>> The Great Gatsby (PG-13) [trailer]
>> Peeples (PG-13) [trailer]
>> Aftershock (Limited) (R) [trailer]
>> And Now a Word From Our Sponsor (Limited) (NR) [trailer]
>> Erased (Limited) (R) [trailer]
>> Sightseers (Limited) (NR) [trailer]
>> Venus and Serena (Limited) (PG-13) [trailer]

Coming To DVD/Blu-Ray 5.7.13
>> Safe Haven (2013) [buy]
>> Fringe: The Complete Fifth Season [buy]
>> Jack Reacher [buy]
>> Mama [buy]
>> Superman: Unbound [buy]

Las Vegas: Satan Vacations Here
by Victoria Alexander
January 5, 2009

Jeff McBride’s Yule be Amazed, Awesome Dinner in the Sky, Black Legends, Alexander’s Lovers, Sir Edmund Hillary and more...

Jeff McBride’s Wonderground: “Yule be Amazed”. We were invited to Abbi and Jeff McBride’s (pictured) amazing magical house for a special Wonderground “Yule be Amazed” holiday event on Saturday, Dec. 27th. All were welcomed as Jeff hosted an evening of enchantment filled with terrific food and fascinating guests. The guests were mostly magicians who were showcasing their magical skills. The magic community in Las Vegas is huge! The event went from 8PM until midnight.

Jeff also does a weekly, interactive internet show called Street of Cards and “Yule be Amazed” was a special house-hosted event that was viewed by magic aficionados all over the world. Fans participated in asking questions of guests and commenting on the magic acts. http://streetofcards.tv/

Jeff will soon be announcing a new venue on the Las Vegas Strip for his unique magic experience.

Dinner in the Sky Las Vegas. Michael Hinden (pictured), founder and president of Las Vegas Event Planner put on an impressive and awesome Industry Night introducing VIPS, Special Guests, and the media to his Dinner in the Sky Las Vegas on December 30th. Dinner in the Sky Las Vegas opened to the public on New Year’s Eve.

There were nearly 400 Industry Guests that were treated to a Red Carpet photo session (I don’t know how the photographer did it, but everyone looked fantastic!) and then guided to a heated, huge tent with a large assortment of hot hors d'oeuvre, complimentary cocktails, dancing and entertainment.

If this is any indication of what Las Vegas Event Planner can do, Michael Hinden leaves no moment to chance when designing and executing an event. Michael is Las Vegas’ go-to guy for event originality.

We were in Group 4 for our trip up 180 feet over the Las Vegas Strip. The high-flying Sky Box is gently raised by a crane. Seated in swivel chairs, the comfortable, luxurious Sky Box holds 22 guests around a dining table.

The Dinner in the Sky experience is set to last for approximately one hour per session. The center of the dining table has a walking platform that can accommodate up to 5 service personnel for the purpose of serving food, beverages, picture taking, conducting a meeting or product launch presentation.

Dinner in the Sky Las Vegas has a permanent location adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip and is also available for off-site parties based on the client's venue (or size of a client’s backyard). Dinner in the Sky Las Vegas is also available for special events, meetings, corporate retreats, employee incentive rewards, cocktail receptions, birthday parties, anniversaries and many other corporate or fun-filled party packages.

I was the only one holding tight to the edge of the table, not intentionally swirling around (as others were gleefully doing!), not dangling my feet in the air, and not looking down. And once very securely harnessed in, Michael was a gracious and friendly host. Michael has been living in Las Vegas for 11 years with his lovely wife and two children (who were happily running around in fancy party dresses). Michael took everyone’s photo (that were later presented in 5x7 framed photographs). We were then served champagne (again) and an elegant dinner prepared by a chef and served by two attendants.

Michael Hinden now securely holds bragging rights for bringing something unique, bold, and decadently expensive to Las Vegas – but definitely worth it!

Thank you again Michael for a very special evening (which happened to be our 16th Wedding Anniversary!)

Dinner in the Sky Las Vegas will become the premier destination event for wedding parties and wedding rehearsal dinners. Dinner in the Sky is located between the Palms and the Rio at the intersection of Polaris Ave. and Cavaretta Court. http://www.dinnerintheskylv.com.

Black Legends. After watching several programs during the holidays on Jesus, I emailed my dear friend, Michael Hesemann, religious scholar and Vatican insider, suggesting he address all these outright lies and distortions.

Was Emperor Constantine’s mother hoodwinked and shown the wrong place where Jesus died?

Did they show her any old cross and tell her it was the one Jesus died on?

Did the powerful Catholic Church allow Jesus’ family to be buried in a group cave only to be found 2,000 years later? Considering Jesus’ family’s place in Catholicism, you’d think the Church would find and then seal away all physical traces in the Vatican basement (where I believe the Ark of the Covenant resides).

Jesus’s mother Mary was assumed. This means by the power of God, she was lifted to heaven in the same way Moses, Elijah, and Enoch were.

There is also no mention in the Bible of her death, or burial place. There is no grave to which Christians go to pay their respects. Certainly, her burial place (if there was one) would have been made a shrine. There is none, because her body was never buried.

Mike told me he already has written a book on this subject, Black Legends, just published in Germany. Many attacks and prejudices against the Church are not based on errors, but on intended distortions of historical facts.

The most popular "myths, lies and legends” about Church history are investigated by Mike, a well-known religious historian. Included are the modern myths like the alleged "Jesus ossuary", the "Popess Joan", and the "Da Vinci Code" marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. For all who want to know what really happened, without the political intrigue and revisionist history, we should find Michael a U.S. publisher for Black Legends.

To another he said, "Come, follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But he said, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God". Another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me first say farewell to those at home." Jesus said to him, "No one who sets his hand to the plough and then looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God." (Luke 9:59-62)

Jesus would have been a hypocrite if He was married. He could not have preached what he did.

Bart D. Ehrman has written in Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet for the New Millennium: “The Jesus of history, contrary to modern "common sense"...was not a proponent of "family values." He urged his followers to abandon their homes and forsake families for the sake of the Kingdom that was soon to arrive. He didn't encourage people to pursue fulfilling careers, make a good living, and work for a just society for the long haul; for him, there wasn't going to be a long haul. The end of the world as we know it was already at hand. The Son of Man would soon arrive, bringing condemnation and judgment against those who prospered in this age, but salvation and justice to the poor, downtrodden, and oppressed. People should sacrifice everything for his coming, lest they be caught unawares and cast out of the Kingdom that was soon to arrive.” http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Apocalyptic-Prophet-New-Millennium/

What I’m Reading. After seeing every movie playing and some movies that haven’t opened yet, I delved into reading every evening. First up: “Alexander's Lovers” by Andrew Chugg. Biographies of Alexander the Great cannot dismiss the intensely erotic, obsessive love affair he had with Hephaistion. The real Hephaistion was not the feminized version as depicted in Oliver Stone’s “Alexander” (pictured, Jared Leto as Hephaistion). Apparently, Hephaistion was blond, virile, much taller than Alexander and a well-built military soldier. Not a plaything, Hephaistion won several important battles and was a respected leader in his own right. Here, we get to see a more thorough and kinder evaluation of Alexander’s life-long companion.

Alexander made a significant gesture by marrying Hephaistion to his royal wife’s sister, so his children and Alexander’s would be related. When Hephaistion died suddenly, Alexander organized, according to the author, the most expensive funeral in history! Alexander then attempted to have Hephaistion recognized as a god. Oaths were made on his name. After Alexander died, several months after Hephaistion, the idolatry of him ended.

Also, according to Chugg, it is reasonable to assume Alexander was the passive sex partner! He might have been great, conquered the known world, killed hundreds of thousands of men and sold tens of thousands into slavery, but he was a “bottom” in bed! And then there is the section on Alexander’s next prominent, influential sex partner, Bagoas the eunuch.

“Alexander's Tomb: The Two Thousand Year Obsession to Find the Lost Conqueror” by Nicholas J. Saunders. What a pleasant surprise to see that author Saunders acknowledges the work my dear friend Stephan Schwartz did in 1979. Stephan held a remote-viewing séance at the Alabaster Tomb. Most accounts of Alexander’s life end with his death, Saunders writes about what happened after Alexander's death. The book focuses on what happened to Alexander's body and its significance as a symbol of power and legitimacy for the successors of the great conqueror. It is still a mystery since his tomb was on display and then suddenly disappeared without a trace. The mystery of Alexander’s tomb and Cleopatra’s tomb are still waiting to be discovered.

“View from the Summit: The Remarkable Memoir by the First Person to Conquer Everest” by Sir Edmund Hillary. I read a lot of books about Everest. I’m surprised that Hillary, writing decades after he conquered Everest, is so frank. Did you know that there was, and still is, some question about who actually set foot on the summit first, Hillary or Tensing Norgay? After the firestorm of publicity and some questions raised, they agreed to say that they both did at the same time.

Did they lock arms and place one foot each on the summit? Hillary writes that it didn’t matter who got there first. After that famous climb in 1953, Hillary went on to accomplish many more firsts. He travelled by farm tractor to the South Pole, led an expedition of New Zealand-designed jet boats up the Ganges and was the first man to stand at both poles and the summit of Everest.

If you would like to contact me about this column, or be included on my private distribution list for a weekly reminder, just email me at Masauu@aol.com.

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