>> The Switch
>> Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
>> The Other Guys
>> Salt
>> Inception
>> Cyrus
>> The Last Airbender
>> Grown Ups
>> Toy Story 3
>> The Human Centipede

Opening 9.10.10
>> Resident Evil: Afterlife (R) [trailer]
>> Bran Nue Dae (Limited) (Not Rated) [trailer]
>> Heartbreaker (Limited) (Not Rated) [trailer]
>> I'm Still Here (Limited) (Not Rated) [trailer]
>> Legendary (Limited) (PG-13) [trailer]
>> Lovely, Still (Limited) (PG) [trailer]
>> The Romantics (Limited) (PG-13)
>> The Virginity Hit (Limited) (R) [trailer]

Coming To DVD/Blu-Ray 9.7.10
>> Supernatural: The Complete Fifth Season [buy]
>> The Office: Season Six [buy]
>> Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season [buy]
>> Jillian Michaels: Shred-It With Weights [buy]
>> Criminal Minds: Fifth Season [buy]

Las Vegas: Satan Vacations Here
by Victoria Alexander
August 14, 2006

Back from Brazil, TI’s Mystère Celebration, Anonymous Sex, Mad Mel, One Blind Item, Oliver Stone likes Ayahuasca, Sunset Strip at Las Vegas Hilton, Invisible Guilt, Angelina Jolie’s Nude Pregnancy Portraits, The End of the World Coming Soon, and more...

Brazil, Again! I’m back from another incredible two weeks in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro. It was my third visit to Brazil! Next time, I vow to stroll along the beach! The highlight of our stay for me was attending a Kardecismo ceremony at Templo Espirita Tupyara in Rio and our wonderful weekend at the weekend country estate of our friends Carlos and Maria Clara in Itaipava. Carlos’ passion is raising rare animals, having recently brought a new species of pony to Brazil. His newest additions are a baby lama and two emus. Carlos and Maria Clara also own part of the rain forest adjoining their property.

Carlos also has an array of rare birds, including a very rare Arara azul de Lear (pictured). According to research I did online, “around 450 still live in the wild and some in captivity." Carlos told us a Brazilian government official comes every six months to check on the bird’s care.

Trust me, these animals have a full-time staff catering to their every whim.

Carlos also raises Fox Paulistinhas – I bonded with one of the cutest blue-eyed puppies I have ever seen – and rare white pigeons. Here is a photo of Carlos’ white peacock.

We spent the first week at the five star Blue Tree Park hotel located on the banks of Lake Paranoá and next to the Alvorada Palace. President Bush stayed here on his recent trip to Brazil. And, staying again at The Excelsior in the Copacabana section of Rio, we experienced the festive Annual Gay Parade.

Mystère! Mystère celebrated its 6,000th landmark performance on Sunday, August 6th, 2006 with an unforgettable finale at the 7:30 pm show. The show that changed the face of Las Vegas entertainment celebrated a milestone of its own having sold 8,105,407 tickets. Mystère, Las Vegas’ longest running Cirque du Soleil show, is in its 13th year at the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino.

This was the 4th time I had seen the show. However, this time was a completely different experience thanks to Cirque’s Cara Luttrell. Our seats were in Section 102, Row A! What an experience from the front row! It was a breathtaking evening. And if you think I got special treatment, I did too. Although, the couple next to us had gotten their tickets online. And they were completely unaware that they had gotten front row tickets for the special 6,000th show.

Fireworks, confetti and balloons were released during the Mystère finale. As an added surprise, Artistic Director, Ria Martens, created a special ending with the “behind the scenes” crew joining the cast on stage for the final bow.

The celebration continued with an exclusive after-party for invited guests and the casts and crews of all five Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil shows at the TI pool from 9:30 pm to 12:30 am, with catering from all of Treasure Island’s restaurants, including Pure Group’s newest addition to TI — Social House, serving contemporary Pan Asian cuisine and sushi.

After that, there was a party for the devil-may-care at TI’s Tangerine Lounge and Nightclub from 11:00 pm to 3:00 am.

Mystère has captivated over ten million visitors from around the world. “Classic Cirque” at its best, Mystère is a high-energy production that combines jaw dropping acrobatics and dramatic dance with vibrant costumes and sets. And from the front row, what a near-contact experience! Still cherished as a must-see sensation, Mystère is accentuated by whimsical music and outlandish characters divinely costumed. I now want to wear costumes and hats with big plumes of feathers everywhere I go.

Mystère can be experienced Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30pm and 10:30pm and Sunday at 4:30pm and 7:30pm. Tickets for Mystère are $60 - $95 and can be purchased on-line at www.cirquedusoleil.com or by calling 800-392-1999 or 702-796-9999. Tickets can also be purchased by visiting any of the MGM-MIRAGE box offices.

Anonymous Sex-Trolling Millionaire Pop Star. While I was in Brazil two mega-celebrities got into big trouble: Singer George Michael and Mel Gibson. Michael, 43, was caught cruising for sex with strangers in Hampstead Heath in north London, an area well-known for its free-style gay encounters.

The former Wham! star insisted that his long-term partner Kenny Goss had no problem with him being with other men.

It’s the gay lifestyle and finally someone is coming out and admitting what many of us know - gays stray, and stray often (even those in committed relationships). It’s a fact.

Speaking on a UK radio show, Michael refused to apologize for his sex romp with a 58 year old, pot-bellied unemployed van driver (Norman Kirtland, pictured). Kirtland said he and Michael “allegedly” kissed and "mutually pleasured" each other, even though he claimed to not have known who Michael was initially.

Michael, who is preparing to embark on his first tour for 15 years, said: "I have got no issue with cruising. I've talked about it many times.”

Okay, but would you have sex with Kirtland?

The pop star admitted he had no idea who the man was but insisted he was not ashamed of his actions.

"There can't be shame in a situation unless the person is ashamed and I'm certainly not that," he said.

Mad Mel. You already know what “suicidal” Gibson told the arresting deputy: "You mother f****r. I'm going to f*** you." The arresting officer’s report also said "Gibson almost continually [sic] threatened me saying he 'owns Malibu' and will spend all of his money to 'get even' with me."

It’s now been renamed “Melibu.”

The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: "F*****g Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"

The entire episode was audiotaped and videotaped! Can we fathom how much Mel will have to pay to keep these tapes from ever being heard?

The deputy became alarmed as Gibson's tirade escalated, and called ahead for a sergeant to meet them when they arrived at the station. When they arrived, a sergeant began videotaping Gibson, who noticed the camera and then said, "What the f*** do you think you're doing?"

A law enforcement source says Gibson then noticed another female sergeant and yelled, "What do you think you're looking at, sugar tits?"

Mel might be ostracized from Hollywood but he has put “Sugar Tits” on everyone’s lips. It’s the new “Hello!”

What is amazing to me is that you can drop by a neighbor bar and spend the evening drinking and chatting up superstar Mel. Where was his handler? Gibson, drinking at Malibu's Moonshadows restaurant, partied with fans and allowed digital cameras to record his behavior before being arrested for driving erratically.

If Mel is indeed “suicidal” (now “fighting for his life!”) or an alcoholic, why was he allowed out alone? Where are the people paid to keep an eye on him? If your husband was Mel Gibson and had a history of driving while drunk, or, being “suicidal,” would you let him out alone?

By the way, see what happens when you don’t spend “Passion of the Christ” money on a personal man-sitter?

How to rehabilitate Mel? I wouldn’t have made any “Forgive Me” statements – You said it. Stand by it (even if you were in an alcoholic “blackout”). I actually dread seeing Mel The Contrite on Larry King, Oprah, or Primetime Live crying about being a life-long drunk and denying he is an anti-Semite (because, if you must know, he was in an alcoholic BLACKOUT!).

I’m going to make 2 suggestions to Mel. Both are very public, which everyone demands. Short of crucifixion Mel could either do (A) or (B).

(A) Do the "El Camino de Santiago" (Saint James Way) pilgrimage. My newest friend General Alvaro de Souza Pinheiro – I’m reading his monograph “Narcoterrorism in Latin America, A Brazilian Perspective” - told us all about his incredible pilgrimage – which he and his son did in an astonishing 19 days!

In the Middle Ages, pilgrims followed a road to get to Santiago, Spain. Many institutions (hospitals, hotels) were founded to help the pilgrims in their way to the holy city. (If you want to do the entire “Camino,” which is about 900 km long (from France to Santiago, it will take about 30 days (at 30 km a day). If you just want to receive the official certificate of pilgrimage (the ‘Compostella’) you’ll have to walk at least 100km (200 km on a cycle). A network of shelters along the way offers free lodging and stamps the pilgrim’s passports which provide evidence of completion.*

(B) Do public penance like King Henry IV. When Pope Gregory VII excommunicated King Henry IV of Germany on February 22, 1076, Henry had to perform a very public penance required to lift his excommunication and ensure his continued rule. He stood for three days, January 25 to January 27, 1077, outside the gate at Canossa, Italy in the snow, begging the pope to rescind the sentence. Henry is popularly portrayed as standing there without shoes, taking no food or shelter, and wearing a hairshirt. The Pope lifted the excommunication, imposing a vow to comply with certain conditions, which Henry soon violated.

In keeping with suggestion “B”, Gibson has been asked to speak at an L.A. synagogue on Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, the holiest day of the year. Yet today, “public penance” really means Gibson has to give away a lot of money to Jewish causes and make a movie about Moses.

Sunset Strip. I’d like to strongly recommend the sexy, bold, and musically- fabulous group, Sunset Strip, playing every Tuesday through Saturday at 10pm at the Shimmer Lounge at the Las Vegas Hilton. The group, featuring strong singers Lorena Peril and Sina Foley, have been playing at the Hilton for the past two months. The other evening producer/manager Glenn Medas hosted a media night party for Sunset Strip. The members of the group were socializing with the VIP crowd and we spent some time chatting up Kip Mungin (www.blackstarr.com), who has worked with Prince and plays drums, percussion and sings. www.sunsetstriplasvegas.com

Blind Item from JanetCharlton.com. Called “Out of the Past and filed under “Hollywood Whodunit?: Long History.”

“This pretty actress has had a remarkably successful career in Hollywood - from TV to independent films. She met the man of her dreams and he happens to be one of the sexiest leading men onscreen. His chiseled physique makes all his movies memorable. She married him without realizing he changed his name to cover up his unsavory history. The guy had a drug problem, has spent time in prison, and there were child abuse charges involved. He was a hustler on Santa Monica Blvd when he arrived in Hollywood and one of the men he slept with helped him get his first break. He clicked onscreen and never looked back. His sweet actress wife knows nothing of his past, and he hopes she never finds out.”

I’m glad it’s not Thomas Jane of “The Punisher” (“all his movies memorable”?) shown above with his new wife, “Medium’s” Patricia Arquette.

Invisible Guilt. Wouldn’t you know it? Mega-American royalty Angelina Jolie has her very own psychological syndrome and it’s called “Invisible Guilt.” According to the tabloids I read religiously, Angelina is already planning another adoption, and this time according to sources who spoke to Star magazine, she wants twins. Jolie wants to adopt a child very quickly due to what sources call “Invisible Guilt” or the feeling of bringing a child into the world at the expense of all of the other parentless children. Sources told Star that Angelina has already done some investigating and may adopt from a woman whose village was basically destroyed by an earthquake, but this woman is due in August and she’s carrying twins.

Family Life of Brad and Angelina. What is it really like inside the Brad and Angelina family love circus? Angelina had three nude portraits of herself in various stages of her pregnancy painted by 72-year old artist Don Bachardy. He agreed to never exhibit the work; however, what he did have to say about his last portrait sitting with Angelina in Africa was quite revealing: "Her army of security cars were patrolling outside, the desert heat was intense, and her adopted daughter Zahara screamed every time she was parted from her nanny. On top of that Brad was standing around not really knowing what to do."

The CircuitLV.com. I have a new friend! My new friend is Xania V. Woodman, who is the nightlife columnist for the Las Vegas Weekly (www.LasVegasWeekly.com) and has a very informative, colorfully written website, www.TheCircuitLV.com. Zania knows everyone and covers the nightclub scene in Las Vegas. (Better her than me.) Her next event is on Monday, August 21st at Mist. She is hosting Gong Karaoke and says: “Everyone is welcomed to come down and make an ass of themselves!” Join her website and Zania can be reached at xania@thecircuitlv.com.

Oliver Stone Loves Ayahuasca and So Do I! Thrice-busted for marijuana and hash director Oliver Stone extols the virtues of hallucinogens in the latest issue of GQ. "I like ayahuasca. And I liked LSD, and I liked peyote," he tells reporter Chris Heath.

Ayahuasca is a major, but dangerous, spiritual upgrade from LSD.

And according to recent coverage in the New York Daily News' Rush & Molloy gossip section, "Guests this weekend at the Park Regency hotel may have been surprised to sniff some funny-smelling smoke drifting around director Oliver Stone's suite, but they shouldn't have been...The director of Platoon and JFK thinks tripping is so beneficial, he once spiked his father's wine with acid."

Stone's next movie, “World Trade Center” was released on August 9.

August 22nd Is Coming. Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid. I’ve read several books by Princeton’s Bernard Lewis. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece Lewis writes that the date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and, if necessary, of the world could be August 22nd if Iran’s Mr. Ahmadinejad chooses to herald the arrival of The Hidden Imam (pictured).

I hope this doesn’t ruin my plans to go to Peru for more work with the Goddess Ayahuasca.

Lewis writes: "In Islam as in Judaism and Christianity, there are certain beliefs concerning the cosmic struggle at the end of time - Gog and Magog, anti-Christ, Armageddon, and for Shiite Muslims, the long awaited return of the Hidden Imam** (see TDH January 23, 2006), ending in the final victory of the forces of good over evil, however these may be defined."

August 22nd corresponds "to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to 'the farthest mosque,' usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1).

"This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind."

*If you do complete the walk all the way and can provide proof, you are entitled to three free meals for three days at the magnificent Hotel de los Reyes at Santiago.

**The Twelfth Imam is Muhammad al-Mahdi (May Allah hasten his unveiling!) He was born at Samarrah in the year 255 A.H. He is the last Imam and he is alive and hidden.

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