Shopping: Shoppers Clubs

Shoppers familiar with savings cards at grocery stores and loyalty cards at specialty retailers might be missing out on one of the greatest sources of shopping savings – the mall shoppers club.

These programs differ from grocery and store promotions in a few key ways. First, there aren’t any membership cards to carry. Shoppers can sign up online before heading to the mall (see a complete list of links at the end of the story). Information is usually limited to a shopper’s name, address and e-mail contact.

Once a guest has joined, he or she will receive periodic e-mails with announcements of special promotions, upcoming sales and member-only discounts. For example, members of the Las Vegas Premium Outlets’ VIP Club recently learned that they could save $50 to $100 on their purchase at Elie Tahari on Presidents Day weekend. The Premium Outlets also allow guests to choose their favorite stores and print savings passes from home.

“We recommend that shoppers join our VIP Shopper Club for added savings. It is free to join,” Michele Rothstein, spokesperson for Premium Outlets/Simon, said.

The Galleria at Sunset also has a kids club, called the Funset Kids Club, to keep parents up-to-date on upcoming events for the little ones, as well as sales and discounts parents might want to know about.

Most often, the clubs are free to join, but occasionally there is a small fee. Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas, located in nearby Primm, offers discount hunters the option of purchasing a Green Savings Card for $5, good through January of next year and free to AAA or CAA members. More than 100 stores participate in the program, offering discounts from 10 percent to $100 off purchases.

Finally, the more tech-savvy might enjoy keeping up with their favorite Las Vegas area shopping center’s news via social media or customized apps for smartphones. Most centers have profiles on either Twitter, Facebook or both, which update guests on the most up-to-the-minute deals. The Galleria at Sunset has even forgone the shopper’s club sign-up process altogether, preferring to use Facebook Connect.

The Club (which serves both Fashion Show and Meadows Mall) has a free app for both the iPhone and Android markets. In addition to listing savings, these include games shoppers can play to win additional perks, like discounts and free gifts. Town Square also has its own app, featuring an interactive property map, suggestions on where to park, event information and special discounts.

Las Vegan Ellia Sampson, a repeat visitor to Town Square, recently downloaded the app to her iPhone and said, “I discovered some stores I didn’t even know were here. Plus, the app showed me how to get a 40 percent (off) coupon to my daughter’s favorite store.”

Visitors looking to take advantage of special discounts can also print the Shop Vegas Passport on the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority website, which entitles the bearer to special savings passports at the outlet malls, Fashion Show and Town Square, as well as casino shopping centers like the Forum Shops, the Miracle Mile Shops, the Shoppes at the Palazzo, and the Grand Canal Shoppes.

Shoppers clubs in Las Vegas include: Boulevard Mall—Our Place; The District at Green Valley Ranch—The|List; Fashion Outlets Las Vegas – Green Savings Card; Fashion Show Mall—The Club; Galleria at Sunset—Shoptopia; Meadows Mall—The Club; Premium Outlets North & South—VIP Shopper’s Club; and Town Square’s Inner Square.

Published on BestOfLasVegas.com

Blu-ray: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

  For many people, the last time they saw (or read) To Kill a Mockingbird was probably in high school English class. If, as a typical teen, you spent more time passing notes or whispering conversations than paying attention, then the release of the To Kill a Mockingbird: 50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack is the perfect time to get reacquainted with the original commentary on race relations in the South.

Filmed in 1962 as the Civil Rights movement was reaching critical mass in the United States, the film brings to life Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about small-town lawyer Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) and his two children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Phillip Alford), in the fictional small town of Maycomb, Ala. Just about to start the school year, Scout and her big brother Jem are enjoying the last carefree days of summer—climbing trees, swinging in tires and spying on the town’s most mysterious figure, the reclusive Boo Radley (Robert Duvall).

As the movie opens, Atticus is assigned to defend Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), a black farmer accused of raping a white woman. Over the next three years, as Atticus prepares Tom’s defense and builds a solid case for him being wrongfully accused, Scout and Jem face scorn and worse as the town reveals their deeply ingrained racism. Indeed, the casual way these characters drop the N-bomb (including precocious little Scout) is shocking.

The town forms a lynch mob intent on hanging Tom, but the quick-thinking kids, along with their new friend Dill (John Megna), are able to shame the townsfolk into disbanding.

In the end, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary and a closing argument that most likely cinched Peck’s Oscar win, Tom Robinson is convicted and sent to prison. Before Atticus can even get home, however, the farmer tries to escape and is shot to death.

Bob Ewell (James Anderson), the alleged victim’s mean drunk father, gloats over his death but also plots revenge against those who sought to have the black man exonerated or participated in what he perceives as his family’s humiliation. Ewell assaults Atticus in the streets, spitting in his face; he tries to break into the presiding judge’s house; he seeks Tom’s widow and harasses her and her family; and, ultimately, he decides to target Jem and Scout.

Saved from certain death by a mysterious stranger, the children soon realize that Boo Radley has come to their rescue…and not for the first time. Scout, in particular, comes to realize that not everyone is what they seem. Even as her childlike innocence is lost, it is replaced with a newfound sense of honor and the desire to protect Boo from the torture public scrutiny would bring.

This look at life in the Depression-era South, as filmed through the lens of the reactionary ‘60s, holds as much of a punch today as it did 50 years ago—perhaps even more. Viewers of 2011’s The Help should appreciate the volatile times in which this movie was made, and may perhaps gain a more mature appreciation for the story they once slept through in English class.

Originally released on DVD in 2000, then again as a Universal Legacy edition with special bonus features in 2005, this 50th Anniversary set (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, MSRP: $26.98) combines the best of the latter with new material and a crisp restoration of the film on Blu-ray. A movie-only DVD and digital copy complete the set.

The original audio commentary with director Robert Mulligan and producer Alan Pakula returns, featuring stories from the set and insights into making the film.

Documentary fans should enjoy the oddly named “Fearful Symmetry” (whose title comes from a line in the poem “The Tyger” by William Blake, reportedly one of Lee’s favorites). Originally released in 1998, director Charles Kiselyak (“Building Ground Zero”) tracked down several cast and crew members, including Peck, Alford, Badham and Mulligan, as well as residents of Lee’s hometown of Monroeville (reputed to be the inspiration for Maycomb). The 90-minute feature combines commentary with film clips, talk about the book and personal reflections on the dynamics of the South in the 1930s. Though it could use some editing, there is much information enthusiasts of the movie and historians alike should find fascinating.

Fans of the Oscar-winning actor will swoon over "A Conversation with Gregory Peck," 98 minutes worth of Q&A filmed in front of a live audience. Part of the PBS series “American Masters,” this 1999-aired documentary combines movie clips and video footage with a filmed talk the actor gave at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, VA. His personal stories range from the actor’s early life to embodying the role of Atticus Finch, and are relaxed, introspective and, often, funny.

Completists will enjoy Peck’s Best Actor Academy Award acceptance speech; his AFI Lifetime Achievement tribute; an Academy tribute hosted by Peck’s daughter, Cecilia; and the original theatrical trailer of the movie.

Thirty-seven years after starring as Scout, Badham recollects her first movie-making experience (and working with Peck) on the short-and-sweet “Scout Remembers,” originally aired on NBC in 1999.

The 50th Anniversary collection also contains two brand new features. Film buffs will probably find the featurette on Universal’s efforts to restore early studio releases interesting, but the subject matter can be a tad academic. Finally, there is something called a U-Control feature, where viewers can watch various movie scenes with picture-in-picture commentary by writer Horton Foote, Mary Badham, Robert Mulligan, Cecilia and Anthony Peck and others.

Lastly, for die-hard fans of the beloved movie, a Limited Edition Collector’s Series Combo Pack is also available (MSRP: $39.98), packaged in a hardcover book featuring exclusive movie memorabilia including script pages with Peck’s handwritten notes, storyboards, poster art and more.

To Kill a Mockingbird: 50th Anniversary Edition is now available on Blu-ray. 

Published on LifeinLA.com

Tuesday 13 - Kevin Burke of Defending the Caveman

Courtesy Photo

Kevin Burke is not a caveman, but he gets to play one onstage every day. As the narrator of the one-man show “Defending The Caveman,” Burke portrays an everyman sort of character who traces the formation of his appalling behavior to the days of the cave dwellers.

With the warm and easy delivery of an old-time radio host, Burke leads both sexes on a journey to the past where, hopefully, they can gather clues to the differences between men and women. Or hunt them down, as the case may be. The show is played around the world to couples who can glean a sense of their mate’s more confusing side through humor.

Though he’s been working the prehistoric beat since 2003, Burke’s own talents are far more diverse. His resume includes acting at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, attending the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, graduating from the Players’ Workshop at Second City, being a certified stage combatant and being one of the founding members of the Improv Olympics. (Although Internet searches might imply otherwise, he does not, however, play the Irish fiddle.)

The Best of Las Vegas recently spoke to Burke about being a caveman, indulging his creative side and why Valentine’s Day is so different from the perspective of men and women.

BOLV: What makes the Las Vegas version of “Defending The Caveman” superior to others around the world?
Kevin Burke: Oh, I can’t say that it is. In each country, the show is adjusted and tweaked to fit local culture and dating customs. There’s a show in Mexico City that’s been running for 10 years. The show is huge in Germany. I don’t think necessarily that this show is superior to any other.

BOLV: Who laughs harder at the observations in your show, women or men?
KB: It’s pretty equal. Neither side is right and neither side is wrong, we’re just different, and there’s no bashing of either side, so really they both laugh equally hard.

BOLV: Does knowing the differences between the sexes help you with your own relationships?
KB: Oh, of course, of course! Because the main problem today is that (men and women) communicate differently, and that can cause us to misunderstand each other. For instance, if a woman says she’ll call you, she means when she gets home. If a man says he’ll call, he means before he dies. So you should know that, if you tell a woman you’ll call her, she’s hearing you say “when you get home.”

BOLV: Which do you think is harder: improv comedy or dating?
KB: Dating! With improv comedy, there’s a definite end to the bit. You go onstage, play an improv game and then it’s over. Then, good or bad, you just shrug your shoulders and go, “Oh, well. That was what it was.” But with dating, you really have to put the effort in.

BOLV: What is one of your favorite observations from “Defending The Caveman?”
KB: There’s a statistic in the show that women speak 7000 words per day, but men only speak 2000. And you’ll see that when we text message, because a woman will text her guy and say, “Honey, we really need a night out, so let’s have a nice, long romantic dinner and then let’s go see ‘Defending the Caveman’ starring Kevin Burke!” And he’ll reply with “K.”

BOLV: That’s a very modern reference for a show that was written in the late ‘80s! How often does the show get tweaked to reflect modern life?
KB: All the time, but it’s really just little references like that which we change to reflect what’s going on in society today. The themes of the show are timeless.

BOLV: How does the difference between men and women manifest itself during a holiday like Valentine’s Day?

KB: When men and women buy gifts for each other, women will go through all the options, they’ll touch each one, they’ll sort through them all and then they’ll find the one that they want, whereas a guy will just go out and grab the first thing that he sees that looks good and that’s it. And that’s because, back in the cave times, when men were hunters and women were gatherers, a hunter had to take down the prey that’s right in front of them, whereas a gatherer has to compare items to make sure if this is right and that is not, and make sure the food was edible. So that’s how we see that trait come out today.

BOLV: So in modern times, what gift ideas would you give a woman who is shopping for her man?
KB: Hmm, that’s a lot of pressure, because guys are going to get a whole bunch of whatever I say. OK, I’m just going to wuss out and say tickets to see “Defending the Caveman.”

BOLV: What if the guy is leery of going to the show?
KB: Tell him it’s a great Broadway show for guys because there’s no singing and dancing.

BOLV: OK, let’s flip the script. A guy is shopping for his sweetie. What gift should he avoid at all costs?
KB: Power tools.

BOLV: Though you claim to be very different than women, you do have one thing in common. As a former clown, do you find you have a better understanding of females and their need for cosmetics?
KB: Well, I certainly understand that putting on makeup is an art form all its own. And I have to say, not to toot my own horn here, that I can put my clown makeup on so thoroughly that I could go swimming in it.

BOLV: With “Caveman” doing such steady business, why open a second show at Fitzgeralds?
KB: Well, “Defending the Caveman” is what we call a book show. The script is what it is and I’m the actor that plays the role. “Fitz of Laughter” over at Fitzgeralds is my show. I wrote it, and it’s whatever I say it is on any given night. The Fitzgeralds show gives me some artistic freedom and a chance to indulge my own creative side.

BOLV: How often do you get confused with the Kevin Burke who plays the Irish fiddle?
KB: Only when people do Internet searches. You have to put “comedian” after “Kevin Burke” and then you’ll get all me.

“Defending The Caveman” plays at 7 p.m. nightly and at 4 p.m. Sunday-Monday at The Improv in Harrah’s. Tickets start at $39.95. Call 702-369-5111. “Fitz of Laughter” plays nightly at 9:15 p.m. inside the Fitzgeralds. Tickets start at $26. Call 702-388-2111.

Shopping: The Guy's Guide to Valentine Shopping

Courtesy photo

Dave Smith is worried. It’s getting close to Valentine’s Day and he’s decided that his girlfriend of three years (let’s call her Jane) is The One. He can’t decide if he should pop the question with the stunning 1.5-carat diamond engagement ring he’s picking up from The Jewelers of Las Vegas’ Henderson location or if he should purchase another piece of jewelry and hold the proposal for a less-expected time.

“My guy friends all think I should just ask her on Valentine’s Day, but that seems so cheesy,” Smith, whose name has been changed to keep the surprise intact, admitted. “But my female friends are divided. A few think it is romantic, but the others think she’ll hate it.”

Mordechai Yerushalmi, owner of The Jewelers of Las Vegas, a perennial Best of Las Vegas winner, said proposing on Feb. 14 is “very nice. It keeps our town busy!”

The Jewelers’ stores have been helping guys surprise their sweethearts with the perfect jewelry gift for more than 35 years, and Yerushalmi pointed out that no budget is too small…or too big.

“I have some customers spend just $200 to $300, and some customers spend a few hundred thousand for a Valentine,” he said.

Smith is still leaning toward waiting and presenting “Jane” with another gift on Tuesday.

In that case, Yerushalmi, who works out of the company’s Western location, had a few suggestions.

“The most popular, of course, are the hearts, then after that is the diamond studs,” he said. “They are extremely popular. Any lady would love to have diamond studs.”

With prices ranging from a budget-friendly $150 to hundreds of thousands of dollars, studs can also make an impression. “They go from a quarter carat in each ear to two to three carats in each ear, to even bigger than that,” Yerushalmi said. “If you want to make a big impression, go with big studs. We have some that are about eight carats in each ear.”

Yerushalmi pointed out that the diamond studs “have a few advantages. If (a customer’s) budget is very low, like $200 or $300, they are able to find something for that price. Then, anytime they want to trade it, they can get 100 percent credit for what they paid for it, then just pay the difference and go for bigger ones later.”

This is an appealing idea for Smith, who has narrowed his choice to a pair of half-carat studs and a simple diamond heart pendant. When told of the trade-in policy, he said he felt much better about the gift he had in mind. Pondering the choice between yellow or white gold, he is counseled by
Yerushalmi to steer toward the white, which has been the most popular color for nearly a decade.\

When asked what gifts guys should avoid, Yerushalmi’s answer was immediate. “Gentlemen should avoid not purchasing anything for Valentine’s, because otherwise the girl will get very upset,” he warned.

Smith still isn’t certain he’ll spring for either the earrings or the pendant, but of his intended bride-to-be, he is very sure.

“She’s the love of my life, so deciding to propose was pretty easy,” he said. “Valentine’s Day, or any other time of the year, she is the one for me.”

Published on BestofLasVegas.com

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Movies: Cinema Verite meets superhero drama in "Chronicle"

  It’s probably not necessary to say, but real life rarely resembles the movies. People aren’t as good-looking, conversations are rarely witty or easy and alien objects never bestow superpowers on unsuspecting kids.

If it ever did, however, the results would probably look a lot like the movie Chronicle.

The latest entry in the “found footage” genre, Chronicle begins as high school senior Andrew (Dane DeHaan) shoots the first frames of a sort of autobiographical documentary. The moments he captures on film—starting with casual bullying at school, then a solitary lunch in the bleachers, followed by harassment by the local thugs after class—paint a portrait of a kid on the fringes of high school society (a position that isn’t improved by toting around a clunky, old-fashioned video camera). His home life is not much rosier, as he is caught between an abusive, alcoholic father and a gravely ill mother.

Andrew’s only real social contact is with his cousin, Matt (Alex Russell), but that seems more an obligation than a friendship. Matt clearly feels Andrew needs to step up his game, so he urges him to attend the big senior class party—sans camera—and try to have some fun.

Naturally, Andrew ignores this suggestion and, as a result, narrowly avoids being beaten by a jealous boyfriend. Just when it looks like the night will be a total bust, however, he and his camera are called into service to document a strange “something” found in the woods by Matt and the popular, soon-to-be class president Steve (the charismatic Michael B. Jordan).

What the boys have discovered is a crater, a sort of tunnel burrowing into the earth. Strange sounds emit from the mouth of the cavern, its walls like molten rock that had hardened, but for some reason this serves as an invitation to explore rather than a clue to run as fast as they can in the opposite direction. At the other end of the tunnel lies a mysterious object, but just as the viewer catches sight of it, the camera goes black.

Cut to an unspecified time later. The boys are in a backyard tossing a ball around, so it is safe to presume that they’ve all made it out alive despite their reckless curiosity. However, as they each take turns throwing things at each other they reveal their newfound power to control objects with their minds.

The boys become inseparable, documenting their developing skills with telekinesis on Andrew’s new camera and spurring each other on to try ever more daring stunts, as teenage boys will do. They vow to keep their nascent powers a secret (lest the men in black suits come to take them away for observation), but their experiments soon begin to flirt with public exposure.

It is here that the movie’s format brings a fresh perspective to the average-guy-turned-superhero storyline, as viewers start to feel like co-conspirators. The things Andrew, Matt and Steve choose to do with their new abilities smack of the truth—what teen boy could resist animating a stuffed bear to scare the bejesus out of a little kid?—as does their sense of wonder and camaraderie. There is a real sense that, should an unidentified object bestow powers on some kids tomorrow, this is exactly how they would behave. There is never any talk of battling evil, stopping global warming or even attempting world peace. These kids are every bit as narcissistic and self-centered as real high schoolers, and it is curiously refreshing.

The style begins to falter, however, when the boys start to experience real consequences to their actions. As people start getting hurt and Matt tries to impose rules on the use of their powers, Andrew grows ever more erratic. Oddly, though he was an open book at the beginning of the film, his motivations become much more murky and inexplicable toward the climax, despite a few confessional-style vignettes that are meant to offer insight into his warped mindset.

There are attempts made to fill gaps in the story by editing in perspective from other cameras, but for the most part, the audience is left to piece the story behind the story together on their own. Details from Andrew’s mother’s illness to the origin of the extraterrestrial object are left unexplored, and the characters’ relationships outside their circle are hazy and indistinct.

Although the interaction between the actors maintains a highly realistic feel throughout the movie, the same cannot be said for the effects. It’s clear that many stunts were aided by harnesses and cables, to the extent that the mind’s eye can easily recreate what’s been digitally removed. This only gets more pronounced as the FX becomes grander in scale, to the point that the climactic battle on the streets of Seattle seem as false as Andrew’s promises to follow Matt’s self-imposed rules.

What begins as a promising character study of what happens after a life-changing event soon devolves into a low-budget actioner with B-movie effects and an ending that simply feels hollow. Chronicle is far from the worst movie of its type, but, much like its three central characters, there is a definite failure to live up to its potential.

Chronicle is now playing in theaters everywhere.

For more information, visit the film’s official Facebook site.

Published on SoCal.com