Judy Thorburn and Debbie Hall

What a busy week we have had. Work, work, work. First, many thanks to Homer Marrs and Tom Moilanen for allowing Media Diva Debbie to guest host for Q Radio on Saturday, KLAV 1230 AM (AM on your dial) from 9 pm to 11 pm. On Saturday, February 11, Diva Debbie and Diva Judy will be guest hosting again on Q Radio, so check us out.

KUDOS to Enrico’s Italian Bistro, a fabulous new place the Media Divas have discovered nestled in the northwest section of the valley. Located in the Von’s Shopping Center on the Southwest corner of Lone Mountain and Decatur (next to Ace Hardware), this family owned restaurant features incredible food, wonderful service and a fun atmosphere. It was Bobbie Katz’ birthday celebration. She is a very accomplished entertainment writer, author and broadcaster. A group of us including Billhere, Sportsqueen Carla, our very good friend Carole and of course, staff photographer, webmaster and graphic artist extraordinaire, Stephen (Judy’s other half) attended the festivities. Owner Joanne Prieto was there to oversee everything and her nephew John Potti, the Sous Chef, prepared our meals that night and even mingled with us afterwards. Then a very good looking male guest kissed all of the ladies! Originally from New Jersey, Enrico’s Italian Bistro has been in Las Vegas for 16 months. Take the drive and enjoy an incredible meal. It will be worth it.

On Wednesday, February 1, Diva Debbie attended the Epicurean Awards. The 7th Annual Epicurean Awards, held at Rain in the Palms, honors the restaurant industry finest with an “Eppy” award. Hosted by the very talented Clint Holmes, the categories included Mexican, Best Desserts, Best Cocktails, Best Wine List and a variety of other categories. Everything offered was incredible (would you expect anything else) and for dessert, we got to make s’mores! What an evening of food, fun and glamour.

While Diva Debbie was at Rain in the Palms checking out who won the “Eppy” awards for the finest food and drink in Las Vegas, Diva Judy was in the audience experiencing “Beauty and The Beast”, the live musical theatre adaptation of Disney’s Academy award winning animated film which was presented on stage at the Aladdin Theatre of the Performing Arts. The Tony Award winning Broadway musical brought its touring company to Las Vegas for a brief engagement at the Aladdin, which ran February 1-5. One of everyone’s favorite fairy tale, “a tale as old as time” as sung in the signature title song, Beauty and the Beast tells the story of a once handsome prince who had fallen under the spell of a witch transforming him into a ghastly beast. Only through the true love of a woman will he be able transform first his cold heart than his outer appearance back to human. The colorful costume designs and sets attempt to recreate the look of the animated feature film, and at that it comes close. The spirited cast is talented and display excellent singing voices. However, at this opening night, the performance was beset with audio problems, specifically involving the mike worn by Jamison Stern, the actor portraying Lumiere. The sound emanating from his mike was inconsistent and kept going in and out, so at times he could not be heard. Sarah Darling is lovely and strong as Belle. But, Graham Rowat is not frightening or mean enough as The Beast, so his transformation back to ma at the end is not as effective as it should be. The standout and scene-stealer is tall, hunky and handsome Howard Watts as hunky, but brainless Gaston, the real villain of the tale. Perfectly cast, he is the animated character come to life, including that huge grin and muscles. At almost three hours long, including intermission this touring company of Beauty and the Beast is pleasant, just not great or up to expectation, although it is family friendly and definitely OK for the children ones, who sat with their elders. I didn’t see the original Broadway musical, but if this is an exact recreation I prefer the Disney movie any day.

On Thursday, February 2, The Media Divas were at the grand opening of Hooters, formerly the San Remo. We go into more detail in our accompanying article.

Friday, February 3 was a busy day for the Media Divas. First, there was high tea reception for the 2nd Annual Parade, The Collective, an exhibition of artworks by the employees of Cirque du Soleil. All of the wonderful pieces will be displayed at the Arts Factory through the month of February with many of them for sale to the public. This is part of PARADE, a cultural program to encourage employees of Cirque du Soleil to express themselves creatively in another genre. We got to speak with some of the artists/employees of Cirque du Soleil, which includes the productions of Mystere, O, Ka and Zumanity.

Ashia Grzesik, cellist for “O” and born in Poland, created a piece reminiscent of the 1960s with florescent day-glo pink acrylic fabric paint on black velvet. The flower design is called, “Vegas Rose,” and it is to represent the Las Vegas woman in Vegas nightlife. Ryan Byers, production coordinator for Mystere, submitted an acrylic piece, “Life’s Down,” and an oil, acrylic, and mixed media piece, “Nothing But Time.” Originally in construction, Byers loves both his work and his art. Originally from Rio De Janeiro, Fernanda Monterio, one of the swimmers in “O,” is studying photography and submitted a series of four black and white photographs of nudes discreetly displaying their derrieres called, “Bunda”, which is Portuguese for butt. The Media Divas were quite impressed with the work displayed, many of which are for sale. Come on down to the Arts Factory and see if any of these pieces belong in your home. Call Danielle Rodenirchen at 702-325-0162 for any more information on this wonderful exhibit.

Then later that evening, we were treated to the most wonderful production of Nevada Ballet Theater’s “From Mozart to Miller” at UNLV’s Ham Hall. I would advise any resident of Las Vegas who loves and supports the arts to see this talented, wonderful company of dancers next time they perform. The NBT, which is now home based in its 36,000 sq. ft. state of the art facility in Summerlin, has through the years, transformed from a small treasured dance company in the desert to a world class ballet company, gradually realized under the vision of former director, Vassili Sulich and through present artistic director Bruce Steivel, now in his ninth year.

The evening’s production was broken down into three parts, with 2 intermissions, and all sequences were magnificent. The first part, the most formal, classical ballet of the repertoire was choreographed by Roy Tobias, and inspired by impressionist painter Degas, titled Mozart Kochel 379. Accompanying the dancers was Barbara Riske on piano and Rebecca Ramsey on violin. It was simply elegant. The second part, choreographer Peter Anastos’s world premiere of Les Gems, was a three-movement sequence that brilliantly interjected comedy with dance creating a lighter, delightful piece. The evening finale “In The Mood”, choreographed by Bruce Steivel, was a segue into another time, as it transported the audience into the era of the wartime 1940’s, paying tribute to our G.I.’s and the women waiting for their return. Upbeat, energetic and lots of fun, the dancers performed to the legendary music of Glen Miller, such as In the Mood, and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, blending ballet with such dance movements as the high flying jitterbug. Male lead, Derek Townsend, especially captured my heart and attention with the way he evoked a style reminiscent of both the late great Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire - graceful dancers that were also dapper, sexy, athletic and fabulous. I have only praise for the Nevada Dance Company in its entirety. Every one of the dancers is wonderful conveying a fluidity, gracefulness, and weightless artistry that is breathtaking to watch. I also love the choreography and splendid, richly colorful costumes in gorgeous red, turquoise, white, silver, brown, and black that enhanced the performances and were well suited to the themes. How lucky are we as Las Vegas residents, to be in the company of a great company of dancers - our own the Nevada Ballet Theatre.

Until later, remember, we make the news Divalicous and Divalectible.