The Help Desk Where we sort it all out for you Las Vegas Weekly Staff Wed, Nov 25, 2009 (midnight) Unemployment rate in Clark County drops from 13.9 percent to 13 percent. Thanks to the county reclassifying “alcoholic” as a job title. After announcing that 19 city workers will be laid off, Mayor Oscar Goodman says, “Morale can’t be good.”But, he added, a new city hall would sure make him feel better. Politico report: Attorney General Eric Holder made sure he and John Ensign did not atte... Read Full Story

[Rory Reid] Thin gray man Stacy J. Willis Wed, Nov 25, 2009 (midnight) Illustration: Bethany Acree / Photography by Beverly Poppe Perception: Rory Reid has a head for policy and a personality for, um, policy. Reality: Papa Love is in the house! Full of hope about uncovering a juicy bon vivant hiding inside this thin gray man—because what’s more important in politics than personality?—I tagged along with Rory Reid and his com... Read Full Story

Diddy Dirty Money Wherever Sean “Diddy” Combs is found. Priceless. Xania Woodman Wed, Nov 25, 2009 (midnight) Photo: Valentino Ristevski Surprise! Diddy, the self-proclaimed “black Sinatra,” is also a self-styled mixologist. In town to promote his forthcoming concept album Last Train to Paris, as well as to negotiate a possible Vegas New Year’s Eve, Diddy treated the Weekly to a few of his own eponymous creations. The hip-hop imp... Read Full Story

All about Eve. The Nightclub. Eva Longoria Parker poised to put the glitter on Crystals Xania Woodman Tue, Nov 24, 2009 (8 p.m.) Eva Longoria Parker to usher in the era of girl-power when Eve Nightclub and Beso Restaurant and Lounge open this December at CityCenter. ABC/FLORIAN SCHNEIDER This time last year I thought that by this time this year, I’d be tipping back champagne in a soignée VIP booth at Vegas’ first female-owned (not to mention female-designed... Read Full Story

Nabokov’s last, unfinished novel is finally published Chuck Twardy Tue, Nov 24, 2009 (6:20 p.m.) Reading the Original of Laura is like watching a fine old movie while fighting off sleep. As you turn through the unfinished novel’s card-stock pages, each replicating the author’s handwritten index cards with its printed counterpart below, you find yourself drifting in and out of a narrative too intricate to interrupt. Something about a book, and a painting … and Laura, and Flora … and... Read Full Story

[Pop] Lady Gaga The Fame Monster Annie Zaleski Tue, Nov 24, 2009 (5:55 p.m.) Lady Gaga’s Fame Monster Arguably, 2009 has been the year of Lady Gaga. Love her or hate her, the chameleonic diva has dominated pop culture with the futuristic techno-pop earworms “LoveGame,” “Paparazzi” and “Poker Face.” It’s hard to call the eight-song, 34-minute The Fame Monster Gaga’s sophomore album—even more so since the release has a slapped-together feel. Still, even though Monster never quite coh... Read Full Story

Old Dog days Las Vegas Weekly Staff Tue, Nov 24, 2009 (5:17 p.m.) In Old Dogs, opening this week, Robin Williams and John Travolta play a pair of aging marketing executives suddenly saddled with taking care of 7-year-old twins, while trying to put together the biggest business deal of their careers. Painful attempts at hilarity ensue. We wondered, what other over-the-hill movie stars could find themselves in similarly strained situations? • In Cold Dogs, Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson... Read Full Story

Ninja Assassin Josh Bell Tue, Nov 24, 2009 (5:07 p.m.) Ninja Assassins. Need we say more? In the grand tradition of such films as Zombie Strippers and Snakes on a Plane, Ninja Assassin has both its concept and its chief selling point encapsulated in its blunt, one-dimensional title. If you like ninjas who assassinate people, then, well, you’ll probably find something to like in this movie. And you better, because there isn’t anything else going on. Korean pop star Rain plays the t... Read Full Story

A pretty fantastic Fox Wes Anderson makes a very Wes Anderson-y animated film Mike D’Angelo Tue, Nov 24, 2009 (4:56 p.m.) The fantastically dressed Mr. Fox. What exactly is it that a film director does? Try to conjure up a stereotypical image and you’ll most likely picture somebody positioned just behind the camera, holding a bullhorn and sporting a look of intense concentration—which isn’t wrong, exactly, but can be somewhat misleading. What a director actually does is make ... Read Full Story

Bathroom Banter with Papa Roach opener After Midnight Project Laura Davis Tue, Nov 24, 2009 (3:36 p.m.) After Midnight Project, opening for Papa Roach Friday at House of Blues. Courtesy Everyone who’s been to Vegas has a story to tell. While typically it involves waking up with a pounding headache and lying next to a complete stranger, sometimes the tales are a bit more original. For example, take L.A. hard rockers After Midnight Project, opening band for Pa... Read Full Story