John Katsilometes

Story Archive

Kats Goes Cowboy: NFR announcers talk the talk ... and talk and talk
Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010
Boyd Polhamus, Randy Corley and Bob Tallman talk a good game -- and that's what counts in their roles as announcers for this year's NFR.
Kats Goes Cowboy: Garth Brooks remains the king of the rodeo
Monday, Dec. 6, 2010
Garth Brooks used humor, his terrific voice and a boundless repertoire to show why he's still thrilling audiences at Encore Theater.
Kats Goes Cowboy: New Miss Rodeo America sweeps the competition
Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010
There were five remaining contestants, cloven from a field of 28, yet one of the lovely cowgirls stood tall above the rest.
Kats Goes Cowboy: We find the elusive $6,000 saddle
Friday, Dec. 3, 2010
From barbed wire to lavish horse trailer/recreational vehicles, Cowboy Christmas has it all. Put it down in ink, even, with a handcrafted ebony pen.
Kats Goes Cowboy: A sports book hoedown? Is this a Mirage?
Friday, Dec. 3, 2010
The Mirage transformed its sports book to a saloon Thursday night, and the result was a happy and loud party where a band played where bets are usually made.
Kats Goes Cowboy: NFR opens, but will it always be a Las Vegas event?
Friday, Dec. 3, 2010
The man who brought the NFR to Las Vegas, Shawn Davis, says that in his mind, the event is best suited for our city. What happens to the National Finals Rodeo after the last night of the 2014 NFR in Las Vegas? It’s too early to say for certain what happens in four years, other than the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s contract to hold the event in Las Vegas expires as soon as the chutes slam shut in December 2014.
Kats Goes Cowboy: Bareback riders at home in frenzied Fremont Street scene
Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010
Will Lowe and Wes Stevenson travel the country together on the pro rodeo circuit, so when they say Vegas is different, believe it.
Kats Goes Cowboy: Miss Rodeo America comfortable with strangers -- human or equine
Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010
Horsemanship, appearance and personality are the traits contestants for Miss Rodeo America will be judged on Saturday at The Orleans.
Kats Goes Cowboy: Catching up with a millionaire barrel racer
Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010
Barrel racing star Sherry Cervi played basketball for a time, but what's the fun in that?
Kats Goes Cowboy: Plowing a gala brimming with hats and love
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010
John Growney and Ryan Growney share the same surname -- obviously -- but they are not related. As far as we know.
Kats Goes Cowboy: Rodeo maverick Larry Mahan is still along for the ride
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010
Mahan just wanted to collect a paycheck. On Monday, he collected one of his sport's most prestigious awards.
Kats Goes Cowboy: To Michael Gaughan, NFR is a can't-miss event
Monday, Nov. 29, 2010
South Point owner has missed a half-dozen NFR sessions, which is not bad considering the event started in Las Vegas in 1985.
Randy Couture continues to show his reach as emcee of MMA Awards
Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010
He is expanding far beyond his MMA roots. On Wednesday, he'll be wearing a tux and swapping banter with a comely co-host.
Kats Goes Cowboy: At the NFR, you have to look the part to run with these bulls
Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010
To cover the National Finals Rodeo from the inside out, the outside should look as much like a real cowboy as possible.
Joel Robuchon: A true gourmet ... with a couple of exceptions
Friday, Nov. 26, 2010
Joel Robuchon developed a passion for cooking while preparing food with nuns as a school boy. A fondness for Coca-Cola would come later.
'Burlesque' is not burlesque, and it ain't Tempest Storm, either
Thursday, Nov. 25, 2010
Tempest Storm has been eager to see the new film "Burlesque," which was thought to be a reflection of her life. Not quite. She had never been to a midnight screening of a film, ever, until this week.
The Beatles on iTunes: Is this finally the end of 'new' music?
Monday, Nov. 22, 2010
Does it make sense to have a list of nine versions of the same song on your iPod? It does if you are a Beatles fan.
Downtown, not The Strip, wows Liane Hansen on her first Las Vegas visit
Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010
NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday" host toured The Strip and watched "Jubilee!" -- but was most taken with the burgeoning Fremont East district in downtown Las Vegas.
David Saxe adds a Diamond (well, almost) to his theater lineup
Friday, Nov. 19, 2010
Jay White has been performing as Neil Diamond since 1982, and his next stop is at Planet Hollywood.
In the long haul, Wayne Newton finally wins approval for Shenandoah attraction
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010
After several weeks of meetings and debate, Wayne Newton finally won approval from the Clark County Commission to move forward with his showroom and museum attraction.
Peter Sagal's initiation to Vegas marked by a crummy motel, too much walking and too little cash
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010
Peter Sagal did a lot of walking when visiting Las Vegas in 1992, but he did see The Mirage's volcano for the first time and enjoyed some fresh air on L.V. Boulevard en route to Fremont Street.
Mob Museum could be a haven for non-Mob events
Monday, Nov. 15, 2010
Mayor Oscar Goodman is not ruling out officiating weddings at The Mob Museum once he leaves office.
Michael Jackson recorded new song 'Hold My Hand' at Palms, but had 'artistic differences' with Playboy suite
Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
It’s all fun and games -- until Michael Jackson starts covering nude portraits in the suite you arranged for him in the Las Vegas resort that you actually own. This is what George Maloof learned in November 2007. This was the period during which Jackson was living in Las Vegas while working on a new CD featuring a few songs for which he collaborated with some of his favorite vocalists.
Larry King live @NevadaCI: ‘I love newspapers’
Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
In discussing the impact social media has had on the news media, Larry King paused and asked, “How would Edward R. Murrow do today? Or Walter Cronkite?”
McCarran's lounge act opens as USO takes over Terminal 1
Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010
USO officials, members of the military, McCarran Airport execs and Wayne Newton cut the ribbon on the USO Lounge on Thursday.
Marie Osmond tells Oprah that her son's suicide is 'the hardest thing I've been through'
Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010
In a tearful interview set to air today at 2 p.m. on CBS, Marie Osmond opens up for the first time about the suicide death of her son Michael.
Latin Grammy presenters, performers awash in gifts for tonight's show
Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010
The collection of gifts given to the talent at the Latin Grammy Awards is worth $11,000 -- and there is a reason for that figure.
How Lon Bronson turned back Wayne Brady -- before he was Wayne Brady
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010
As the Lon Bronson All-Star Band became widely known at the Riviera, a young entertainer from the MGM Grand Theme Park approached Bronson about singing. Bronson said no, regretfully.
Bronson band celebrates 20th anniversary; changes in staff at Liberace Museum
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010
Lon Bronson's All-Star Band has performed on and off The Strip for 20 years and celebrates its landmark anniversary Thursday at Green Valley Ranch.
No bones about it: Steve Wynn’s a vegan
Monday, Nov. 8, 2010
Steve Wynn is eating. He’s not merely eating, of course. Because Steve Wynn can’t just eat. He eats, and he opines. He eats, and he lectures. He eats, and while he eats he devours information about what he is eating. He digests this information, allowing it to course through his bloodstream until it permeates his brain.
Rod Stewart kicks off run at Caesars; Tao throws back a fifth
Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010
Rod Stewart rolled out his most recognizable hits at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace, kicking off an eight-show run at the hotel that might lead to a long-term engagement.
Rod Stewart to play Caesars, but is a lounge visit in the offing?
Friday, Nov. 5, 2010
Legendary rocker Rod Stewart has embraced the standards. Not everyone has been happy with that move, but his "American Songbook" releases have sold millions.
Alexander is forever Costanza, and he's OK with that -- really
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010
Maybe one day Jason Alexander and Jerry Seinfeld will be like William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, entertaining masses of devotees at "Seinfeld" conventions.
How was the finale of Viva Las Vegan served? With cheese
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010
The idea was to spend the summer eating vegan, and that was accomplished. But Steve Wynn is in it for life.
From Victory to 'Dangerous' to Cirque, King is a Jackson devotee
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010
Jamie King attended a Jacksons tour stop at Chicago's Comiskey Park in 1984. Today, he's been entrusted with directing the Cirque du Soleil production paying tribute to the late King of Pop.
A snapshot of my neighborhood: 'Anti' votes, a Titus(!) voter and a concerned government employee
Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010
Most of us live near Boca Park and Summerlin, and we have few chances to learn what we honestly believe in -- Election Day gives us a chance to do just that.
Fetish & Fantasy Halloween Ball at The Joint is more than just fetish and fantasy
Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010
A man in a President Obama costume danced with an attractive blonde, dressed as an attractive blonde, at the Fetish & Fantasy Halloween Ball at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel.
A schedule break and an old acquaintance show Donny & Marie the Great White Way
Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010
A figure from one of the less-successful moments of Donny Osmond's career made "Donny & Marie -- A Broadway Christmas" possible.
'The Lion King' to go quiet at Mandalay Bay in December 2011
Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010
Disney's "The Lion King" at Mandalay Bay will have played more than 1,000 shows when it leaves the theater in December 2011.
Teller's act away from the stage not nearly so clean
Thursday, Oct. 28, 2010
Teller, the silent half of the comic-magic team Penn & Teller, says the fact that he and Penn Jillette are not required to live together might have saved the act.
Bon Jovi set for March 19 stop at MGM Grand Garden Arena
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010
Bon Jovi is performing at MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 19 as a newly announced set of dates for its 2011 world tour has been released. The most recent appearance by Bon Jovi was March 6, also at MGM Grand.
As 'Burlesque' release approaches, Tempest Storm seeks answers
Monday, Oct. 25, 2010
Still recovering from a fractured left hip she suffered during a fall onstage at the Plaza in June, Tempest Storm has sought an attorney in case she takes legal action against the film "Burlesque."
At all-star show, Justin Timberlake spells it out, and so do we
Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010
Justin Timberlake was omnipresent Saturday night at Planet Hollywood's Theater for the Performing Arts, keeping the energy high during a 4-hour show.
With Yahoo recognition, it's high times for Grand Canyon Skywalk
Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010
Grand Canyon Skywalk opened in March 2007, and has since become one of the world's "coolest" observation decks.
Donny & Marie billboard speaks volumes for what it conceals
Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010
The billboard promoting Donny and Marie's hit stage show at Flamingo Las Vegas has been altered, and not in any sort of graffiti-art way.
Hugh Hefner on Sarah Palin posing for Playboy: 'I wouldn't turn her down'
Friday, Oct. 22, 2010
Hugh Hefner did not dismiss the idea of using Sarah Palin as a cover model for his magazine, owing to his penchant for using pop-culture icons in Playboy.
In golf terms, Justin Timberlake is almost too laid back to lay up
Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010
Justin Timberlake loves golf and hosts the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, but hardly has time to pull out the sticks.
Playboy subjects Claire Sinclair, Arianny Celeste show they are no mere posers
Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010
Even in the face of record unemployment figures, the Playboy magazine job-placement program remains alive and well in Las Vegas. The past two issues have produced one Strip headliner and given a former model and current UFC octagon girl an important entry on her entertainment resume.
Sadness, disbelief — and a sign from above — mark closing of Liberace Museum
Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010
The Liberace Museum opened April 15, 1979. For a time it was one of the city's most popular tourist attractions, but a loss of visitors and high expenses have forced it to close. Hundreds of visitors began lining up at the entrance of the museum’s main exhibit hall about 30 minutes before the announced noon opening time.
Amid apathy and dwindling revenue, the jewel box that is the Liberace Museum closes Sunday
Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010
A massive, passionate effort by museum supporters might have prevented the closing of Liberace Museum, but such an effort never materialized.