>> 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
September 25, 2006

Social House at Treasure Island, Burn the Floor at Luxor, Bono Hates Paying Taxes, CineMandala, Luxor Spotlight Series, Stephen Thorburn’s CineMandala, Van Helsing’s Curse at the Hark Rock, Jack Nicholson Still Has Sex, American Exorcism, B?sendorfer Pianos, Consulate of Sweden in Las Vegas, and more...

Social House Restaurant at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas celebrates sushi, sake and socializing. We were there on Monday evening, September 18th for the special VIP opening party. Social House is designed to be fun, hip and vibrant with a live DJ and an interactive, 10-seat sushi bar. A tech-savvy restaurant, Social House can be easily converted into a lounge as dining tables are converted into cocktail tables for the late night crowd.

Social House has an outdoor patio lounge seating providing a stunning view of the Strip, and has VIP viewing of the live battle between the Sirens of TI and the pirates of the Bull Ship.

The indoor dining area features several intimate and semi-private dining areas.

Social House is huge, gorgeous, and brilliantly laid out to achieve a rare evening in Las Vegas. We were so close to Sirens of TI, John said we were part of the show.

More important than the impressive design of Social House (which flows into TI’s Tangerine nightclub), the food we sampled was spectacular. Our favorites were Citrus Peel Miso Marinated Cod and Snake River Farms’ Kobe Beef. Everyone praised the divine menu prepared by Executive Chef Joseph Elevado. Open seven days a week from 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. with late-night dining Tuesday – Saturday from 11:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m.

Bono Hates Paying Taxes. I’m not the only one who thinks U2’s Political Bully Bono is a hypocrite. UK TV talk show host Graham Norton said: "People like Bono really annoy me," rants the 43-year-old chat show host of his fellow Irishman and U2 frontman.

"He goes to hell and back to avoid paying tax. He has a special accountant. He works out Irish tax loopholes. And then he's asking me to buy a well for an African village. Tarmac the road outside your house, you tight-wad! Or pay for a school in Ireland. I've never met Bono and now I probably never will. But if I do meet him I'll ask him because I think it's a hard thing to justify."

What has sparked this furious outburst is the news that Bono - worth an estimated £440million - and the rest of U2 have moved their business empire to Holland to avoid paying high Irish taxes on royalties.

"I pay a lot of tax," adds Norton (pictured at left), who is worth £25million and has homes in London, New York, South Africa and Ireland. "By most people's standards I am rich so I should pay tax because I can afford it. When I didn't want to pay it was when I didn't have any money."

Van Helsing’s Curse at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Wednesday afternoon I attended a special press conference kicking off Hard Rock’s Halloween season with a preview of Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider’s Van Helsing's Curse concert extravagance. Van Helsing’s Curse, created and narrated by Snider, with an 18-piece gothic orchestra, launches on October 20 and 21st at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Tickets for both nights are $15.00 and $25.00.

The Hard Rock is firmly behind Dee Snider’s vision to make the property Halloween headquarters for years to come. Waitresses will be attired accordingly and the entire casino will be outfitted with a Halloween theme.

A hearse pulled up outside the HRH and six druids carried a coffin into The Joint.

Snider exited the coffin and was quite willing to answer any questions from the invited press and HRH executives. Snider is very proud of the fact that he and his wife Suzette will be renewing their vows on The Joint’s stage on September 21st. They are celebrating 25 years of marriage. (Snider married a saint or is under a spell.) We’re all invited to the champagne reception following the ceremony. Since the bride will be wearing black, all guests are requested to wear red.

Peruvian Actress Angie Jibaja on Ayahuasca. More high-profile people are admitting to experiencing ayahuasca. Peruvian actress Jibaja gave an interview recently where she discussed her experience with ayahuasca: “When I got back from France I wanted to calm down, so I went to a very quiet place called Iquitos. And there I tried Ayahuasca. I did it four times … and nothing happened. I felt like vomiting and that was all. At the beginning I was scared. But the fourth time I had a real experience. I started crying, it was very intense, because I took it all in, in one session. It was supposed to take a week but I couldn’t complete the session. The master of the ceremony does it every day. The fourth time I was very surprised by myself, because my conscience was confused. I remembered something as if I was just recently born, as if I were a little girl.” From The Santiago Times:

(Photo of Hermana Mari tending to the brewing ayahuasca (it takes days of preparation and prayers) at my first ayahuasca retreat during Christmas 2000 in the rainforest in Iquitos, Peru.)

Burn the Floor at Luxor. Tuesday night we went to see Luxor’s newest sexy show “Burn The Floor” with an after-party and meet-and-greet. The show is full of sensuous dance pyrotechnics set to electrifying, energetic music. This is the Las Vegas version of ballroom dancing with gorgeous costumes and sultry showmanship. “Burn the Floor” features 8 separate dance teams strutting their stuff and setting the Luxor Theater on fire.

The show is steamy and sophisticated with electrifying music and thrilling pyrotechnics. This is a must-see for “Dancing With The Stars” fanatics – without the pleas for your votes. Don’t wait, “Burn the Floor” is only at the Luxor until October 26.

With Las Vegas hotels forced to compete with strip clubs, shows are getting more erotic and daring.

“Burn the Floor” should have a permanent home in Las Vegas. This is perfection!

Ticket prices are $41.00 and $29.00 (plus tax and service fees). Burn The Floor will be at the Las Vegas - Luxor from September 14 to October 26, 2006. Show times are Sundays at 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Mondays – Thursdays 7:00PM to 9:30 PM. Check for dark days.

The Semi-Mysterious Stephen Thorburn. This is the only known photo of the mastermind behind theflickchicks.com and LasVegasRoundTheClock.com’s Stephen Thorburn taken in January, 2004. Stephen’s solo projects include his experimental hypnotic DVD’s Music For Extraterrestrials and CineMandala DVD for Meditation. CineMandala - Part 1 - Google Video and UFO lands in Las Vegas (Billy Meier Wedding Cake UFO ) - Google Video are available for viewing on Google Video.

Bosendorfer Pianos of Las Vegas. Before going to see “Earth, Wind & Fire,” we stopped by for the Grand Opening Gala Celebration of Bosendorfer Pianos of Las Vegas at 1215 S. Fort Apache Rd., Las Vegas, (702) 914-4400. The gala’s co-hosts were DeLuca Liquor & Wine, appetizers from Palm Restaurant, Hawaiian Fusion appetizers from Roy’s Summerlin, and Dry Soda Co. Live music was provided by Freddie Ravel on a Bosendorfer Piano. We also viewed the extraordinary one-of-a-kind pianos including one of only two pianos – the $750,000 masterpiece, The Emperor.

Bosendorfer is the most exclusive, and slowest, piano manufacturer in the world. Each piece of wood is dried for up to seven years before the creation process of the company’s signature pianos begin. Only 200 Bosendorfer pianos are built for the U.S. market. I was hoping there would be a raffle for one but alas, we just had a very nice celebratory cocktail hour.

After you tire of your Lamborghini, you buy a bosendorfer – even if you don’t play. These pianos must be expensive since the company will fly in clients and provide five-star resort accommodations. If the client chooses a custom-designed piano, Bosendorfer will fly them directly to the factory in Vienna, Austria! Bosendorfer, you are my kind of neighbor!

“Earth, Wind & Fire” at Luxor. Remember the disco hit “Boogie Wonderland?” The Luxor Spotlight series brought EW&F to the Luxor Theater on September 21 through September 23. Earth, Wind & Fire has earned eight Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards and a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

On Thursday night the band performed their legendary hits, including “Mighty Mighty,” “Shining Star,” “Sing a Song,” “Serpentine Fire,” “September,” “Boogie Wonderland” and “Lets Groove.”

Loved the show. Hated the audience.

No matter where I sit, and I had terrific seats for EW&F, God always puts me in the busiest row. Every person in any row I’m in has to get up – during the show – and get something to drink, then leave again to go to the bathroom, and then leave for another, no doubt, VIP reason. Why? It wasn’t like there was a lull during the dynamic EW&F show.

EW&F was sensational! It was the first over-50 rave I have ever been to. I’m putting EW&F on my iPod now. I nearly had a temper tantrum when a tall bald man two rows ahead of us insisted on standing up and dancing as soon as EW&F took to the stage. He led the audience in standing for the entire nearly 2-hour show. When I finally decided – during the last number – to stand myself and actually see EW&F, John made me sit down.

The upcoming concerts in the Luxor Spotlight series are Jim Belushi & The Sacred Hearts (September 29-30), Liza Minnelli (October 12-14), The Beach Boys (October 20-21), LeAnn Rimes (October 27-28), Olivia Newton-John (November 16-18 – I’ll be keeping an eye out for Olivia’s faux-dead boyfriend Patrick McDermott), Styx (December 1-2) and The Beach Boys (December 25-31). Tickets are $90, $80 and $60 plus tax and handling fees.

Tickets for the Spotlight Series can be purchased at the Luxor Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets. To charge by phone call the Luxor Box Office at 800-557-7428 or 702-262-4400 or Ticketmaster at 702-474-4000. To order online visit Las Vegas - Luxor, Ticketmaster.com or Vegas.com.

Nip/Tuck Goes Gay. I started watching FX Networks Nip/Tuck this season, the shows fourth. Thankfully, I missed all “The Carver” nonsense and weird young Matt’s trans-gendered girlfriend from past seasons. The new season opener (Cindy Plumb) was overtly gay. I kept thinking: Plastic surgeons Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and promiscuous Christian Troy (Julian Online) are filmed a tad too close. Why is Christian gazing into Sean’s eyes? Then Christian’s therapist suggests he doesn’t have solid relationships because he was already taken. Did he ever consider he was in love with his partner?

In the next episode (Blu Mondae) Christian befriends a young rent-boy who then visits him while he is just coming out of the shower. Christian is all wet and just wearing a towel. The young stud disrobes and offers Christian his sexual specialty. Christian looks like he’s thinking it over then punches him in the face. Julia, Dr. Sean’s wife, tells him the baby they are having will be severely deformed. Matt, the creepiest future serial-killer on TV, has become a Scientologist. In episode three (Monica Wilder), Christian and a young plastic surgeon (Mario Lopez, pictured) are naked in the health club showers. Christian looks him over admirably and then decides he needs liposuction. So far, every episode has Christian walking around naked showing off his buttocks.

Julian McMahon, forget Dr. McDreamy, is the sexiest man on TV. Nip/Tuck must have a major gay fan base and, if the writers were honest, Christian’s sexual appetites demands that he engage in gay sex. This type of character experiences everything!

Tit for Tat. Venezuelan President Hugo “We Have Oil” Chavez, speaking his mind on President George W. Bush on the floor of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, called President Bush "the devil." "Yesterday, the devil came here," Chavez said, referring to Bush's address before the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. "Right here. Right here. And it smells of sulfur still today, this table that I am now standing in front of."

He then made the sign of the cross, brought his hands together as if praying and looked up at the ceiling.

Chavez continued: "Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world".

President Bush used the term “axis of evil” in his State of the Union Address on January 29, 2002 to describe countries that purportedly sponsor terror and seek weapons of mass destruction. Bush named Iraq, Iran, and North Korea in his speech.

Someone who read my review of “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” recommended a book for me to read. I’m now reading “American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty” by Michael W. Cuneo. I am amazed at how many Americans have embraced exorcism or “deliverance.” Having a “deliverance ministry” is a money-maker and you don’t need to waste years at seminary school.

Cuneo says: “…exorcism was converted from a rare and forbidding procedure into a kind of suburban home remedy.” In the 1970’s and 1980’s, having a personal demon expelled was a badge of honor. The entire field of “exorcism” has taken another turn with those in charismatic congregations, as well as just “in the field”, believing they have another special power – the power of discernment. They can tell who is possessed! Because, as President Chavez knows from first-hand experience, demons smell!

Cuneo says this new form of personal growth exorcism “is a booming business.”

Has the demon-affliction stampede run its course? Absolutely not! Ordinary Americans were and are getting exorcisms in record numbers. And with world leaders grappling with each other through religious name calling, I would say that we are in the throes of an old-fashioned tent revival.

The Consulate of Sweden in Las Vegas. On Friday evening we had the pleasure of attending the cocktail reception inaugurating our friend Lena D. I. Walther (pictured, in blue) as Honorary Consul to The Consulate of Sweden in Las Vegas.

Officiating was the Hon. Tomas Rosander, Consul General of Sweden, and his wife, Dr. Christina Rosander. I’m thrilled that Lena is being recognized for all her work as a representative of her native Sweden in Las Vegas. The evening began with Swedish appetizers and harpist Kathy Kavanaugh. After the inaugural ceremony, with many Las Vegas political dignitaries in attendance, there was an evening of entertainment.

Las Vegas has 18 Honorary Consuls of various countries. In attendance were several Las Vegas Honorary Consuls, including the Honorary Consuls of Mexico and Chile.

Jack Nicholson Still Has Wild Sex. And wants you to know it. Jack Nicholson, 69, is making a pathetic last-breath stand as an elderly, but still virile, swordsman in his interview in the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine. In a cover story called “Secrets of a Great Seducer,” Nicholson talks about his dating habits, his lack of protection (he claims to have never bought a condom) and his sexual partners (He says they have ranged in age from 21 to 69 in the last year). Had enough?

TDH wants to know: What 69 year old woman would have sex with Jack Nicholson?

Nicholson also told Rolling Stone that he convinced director Martin Scorsese to include a sex scene featuring himself, two hot women and a sex toy in "The Departed." "I thought it would be more frightening if my character had a sexual component . . . so I called Marty up and said, 'Look, I just thought of what would be an interesting scene of [my character] having wild sex. And in this scene with two girls, one of the girls is wearing a strap-on' . . . This was my idea and improvisational, and Marty went for it."

Nicholson has a fabulous art collection of masterpieces, enormous wealth, and a life of fame and women, but he doesn’t have dignity.

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