April 05, 2009 Issue

Letter from the Editor

Las Vegas is the most popular vacation destination in our country. So this month...Wait, before I get into that, I need to back up.

Letters to the Editor

LIVING & LEARNING

MY LAS VEGAS

The Big Secret

"I don't say this lightly: Jerry Mack and Parry Thomas built Las Vegas."

50

T-Shirts: Details

One of the best perks to living in Los Angeles is access to its wealth of amazing vintage-clothing stores. We would like to thank the following outlets and individuals that generously lent us the clothing that comprises this "50." Whether you're looking for the freshest new fashion or the rarest originals, you'll find it on this list. Happy hunting!

GADFLY

Critical Mass

When the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded the pro-verbial "genius grant" to Dave Hickey in 2001, it noted his "original perspectives on contemporary art in essays that engage academic and general audiences equally." Many may have wondered if there was a typo in the line, for Hickey does not so much engage as enrage.

CAUSE CELEB

Eye on the Ball

Even after years of retirement, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf are tennis royalty. And the world will salute them anew on May 17, as they grace the hallowed turf of Wimbledon?this time united against Tim Henman and Kim Clijsters for A Centre Court Celebration, an exhibition match to test the stadium's new retractable roof and air-management system. "Anytime Wimbledon asks, you say yes," says Agassi, "especially when they're breaking with such a tradition."

Turn It Up

TÊTE-à-TÊTE: Who programs Air Force One? Why, L.A.’s own Tena Clark

The Road to Area 51

FEATURE STORY

Q and Me

Win 27 Grammys and one Emmy, and throw in seven Oscar nominations. Would there be anything left for you to do? Quincy Jones could have settled for being the first African-American record executive in 1964, when he was vice president at Mercury Rec-ords. He didn't. But surely, wasn't it enough to produce Michael Jackson's Off the Wall and the most successful album of all time, Thriller? No. How about teaming with Steven Spielberg to produce the Oscar-nominated Color Purple? Guess not.

FEATURE STORY

Native Wisdom

Mark Twain supposedly said, “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting over,” but in the arid terrain of Las Vegas, surprisingly only the first half holds true. And Pat Mulroy, head of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, may just be the reason. 

PHOTO ESSAY

Vegas Mon Amour

A love letter in photographs by Albert Watson

FEATURE STORY

Thoroughly Modern Mortons

If Jenna and Michael Morton had any misgivings about moving from Chicago to Las Vegas, those doubts evaporated the moment they stepped off the airplane. When the couple decamped on a frosty February morning in 2003, the temperature in the Windy City had plummeted to nine degrees. Upon arrival in Vegas, they were greeted by sunny skies and a mercury reading of 75. They knew they were home.

CITY OF ANGELS

Goodwill Guardians

New York has George Soros. L.A. has Eli Broad. Vegas? Bet you thought everyone was busy wagering. Wrong. The city,  historically known more for carnality than compassion, has a range of denizens working not only for a better city but a better world.

MY BEST STORY

Manifestly Maestro

Just two months ago, I wrote about how my obsession with Elizabeth Taylor colored my choices and changed my life. While that is certainly true, it was an “outside” manifestation, lighthearted and fun. Inside, though, at a much more profound place, it’s my relationship with Leonard Bernstein that altered—and perhaps even saved—my life.