-by David J Lieto (aka The Squeeg)
PURE Indulgence
The Holidays were a little lonely at the Squeeg household this year. The step-kids both started new jobs and won’t have any vacation time until next year. So Mrs. Squeeg decided to visit Ohio for a few days and, in true Vegas fashion, we drew for high card to see if I was to accompany her. (Could not believe my Eight of Clubs held up!)
While she went a-visiting, I showed some friends from Jersey what Vegas is all about. My guests, however, weren’t into gambling – zoinks! I mean, I know this city’s got a lot to offer but taking me away from gambling is like letting the air out of my wheelchair’s tires during a rain storm. Be-that-as-it-may, I recalled that my friends were fond of the nightlife and one of the best clubs Vegas has to offer is PURE.
PURE, located at Caesar’s Palace, is the place to go for a great time no matter what your taste might be.  This is due, in part, to the design. There are three distinct and separate areas to the club – PURE Nightclub, the Red Room, and the Terrace. And let’s not forget the wonderful and adjacent Pussycat Doll Lounge; where one may be tantalized by the very talented and beautiful Las Vegas Pussycat Dolls.
As you enter PURE, you pass the entrance to the Red Room on your right. The Red Room is a private enclave for VIPs with a spectacular mirror-faced bar, VIP restrooms, and luxurious private booths. The rich red tones of the upholstered walls and dramatic drapery are contrasted by a warm champagne glow emanating from glittering chandeliers. This all comes together to create an unparalleled ambiance of sensual sophistication. The Red Room is the perfect balance between revelry and refinement.
The Terrace can be reached by taking the German-imported glass elevator or by ascending a twisting staircase designed for dramatic effect and offering great views of the main nightclub. Once atop the Terrace one is treated to awesome panoramic views of Sin City from four stories above The Strip. There’s nothing like partying up there below the stars. The Terrace has its own bars, dance floor, and DJ.  There are private cabanas and tables for those who love fresh air. The Terrace is open year round, with an ample supply of heaters on cool winter nights.
The PURE Nightclub is an astounding 36,000 square feet of uncomplicated sophistication. It feature three bars, oversized bed seating, and a raised VIP area which overlook the dance floor. The DJ’s selection of tunes and flawless segues brought a beat that just drew people to the dance floor.
The service at PURE was exceptional and, really, that’s the most important element to consider in my opinion. The bars were adequately staffed by courteous and attentive bartenders. As soon as I reached the bar someone was right there to see to my needs. There’s nothing worse than holding an empty glass and waiting for what seems an eternity to get a refill. I saw no evidence of this at PURE. That is because those with empty glasses received the same level of attention as those just arriving at the bar.
The bouncers were friendly and efficient. This is a far cry from what I was used to at the Jersey shore. Most of the bouncers I came across, in my clubbing days, were arrogant meatheads who were more concerned with impressing young females rather than ensuring that the patrons were having a good time. Again, this was not the case at PURE. The club’s bouncers handled any issues that arose in a timely manner, with a level of discretion that made their intervention unnoticed.
PURE is a fantastic club. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to have a great time.
Ain’t that cool?
Even while working with the Pythons, Neil continued his solo career, and it was during this period that he produced one of his most memorable compositions, the haunting (and perpetually relevant) “How Sweet To Be An Idiot.” His BBC program, Innes Book of Records, ran for 3 series and featured 90 original tunes. From torch song and ballad to rock and parody, the show featured an exceedingly wide range of styles.
Thirty years ago, Howard Shore was a recently transplanted Canadian brought to New York City – 30 Rockefeller Center, to be exact – to be the bandleader for a soon-to-premiere, upstart late night comedy show called Saturday Night Live. Within five years, he done over a hundred live broadcasts, helped Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi put together the original Blues Brothers Band, and much more.
SHORE: Well, I think it was just a way for your work to come out as to what you had created for the film. And the complete recordings really have their own art to them, and they can be listened to in a way that’s never really been experienced, I think, in the films. I think that they have a way… that you can listen in a way you’ve never heard before. And I think that was really part of the reason for bringing them out – and part of it was to allow the complete work to come out so that the relationships and how the piece was created could be understood. Because I don’t know if it was quite well understood in its shorter form. The original CDs that came out were only, at the very most, a third of the entire piece. So nobody had ever really heard the entire piece except in the film. But in the film, you’re also playing against dialogue and other effects, and not always the best place to listen to music.
(Las Vegas, NV)  When you think of Vegas – or at least when I think of Vegas – “shows” aren’t at the top of the list. Those kinds of things are more suited to Mrs Squeeg’s liking. Of course, I’d go to the shows with her (often times enjoying them more than I anticipated) but, in general, I rarely leave the poker pits. That is, until I heard about this new show at the Mirage.
Then, there is a burst of music and light. Costumed characters enter from runways or swoop in from above. Later in the show there are comedic interludes and a rather unique bit of audience participation.
FOR THEM, I offer the humble alternative: fake trivia, and fellowship, and also BRANDY.
Almost instantly, I got just enough praise to encourage me, and some very constructive criticism as well. So I set out to fix the problems I agreed with, and change a couple of the choices for “Choose Hero.” I replaced Ann Coulter and Charlton Heston with Tom Delay and Pat Robertson, because I realized Charlton Heston didn’t deserve to be lumped in with the rest of those jerks, and Ann Coulter is simply too vile to be used in a comedy piece.
The montage at the beginning blew my mind. Aside from the fact I can’t imagine how long it took to go through all those, come up with their favorite scenes, and edit those scenes together to produce two smooth cycles of Stephen’s entire green screen performance, there were a lot in there I had never seen that were really good. That drove it home even harder just how big a deal it was that I won over all those other great entries.
Then came the other contestant. I still fully expected it was a real contestant. As soon as Stephen said, “he joins us in the studio” I thought, “Hey, no fair, how come the other contestant got to be in the studio?” But that thought only lasted about 3 seconds. When George Lucas walked out, I laughed my head off. I realized instantly, “They tricked me!” As if this whole experience wasn’t surreal enough as it was, now part of the joke is I beat George Lucas! Not only will this episode go down in Colbert Report history, it’s going to be part of Star Wars history! It’s one of The Colbert Report‘s longest-running experiments/games, it’s being played out for the enjoyment of all, and this time I’m not just watching it on TV, I’m participating in it! Okay, it’s not as big as curing cancer, but it’s bigger than winning my middle school skateboard contest. It’s called BFD relativism.
Congratulations on extending your sphere of influence (read: stranglehold over all wikiality) to this strange realm of tubing we call the Internet. You are no doubt familiar with the deadliness that too much popularity all at once can bring a website.
Quickcast Commentary: The Venture Bros.
If you’ve purchased your copy of the complete first season of [adult swim]’s The Venture Bros. on DVD (and if not, what are you waiting for?), you’re aware that only about half the episodes have audio commentary from the two guys behind the show, Astrobase Go‘s own Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer.
As a special gift to you, our Quick Stop readers, Jackson & Doc have sent over a “lost” audio commentary that didn’t make it on to the set, for episode 1×03 ““ “Home Insecurity”. The commentary was dropped for space issues on the set, as well as a minor technical glitch in the sound.
We’ve done our best to clean things up, because (as anyone who’s heard the commentaries that did make it on to the set will attest) those Astrobase Go guys are hi-larious. I mean, they’re incredibly f***ing funny, particularly in this track (in which you’ll hear a multitude of formative childhood traumas revealed).
All you have to do is download the mp3 below, load up your copy of “Home Insecurity,” and you’ve got your very own Venture Bros. Quickcast commentary… And don’t forget to catch the premiere of Season 2 this Sunday at 10:30pm on [adult swim]…
DOWNLOAD:
“Venture Bros. Lost Commentary – 1×03 – Home Insecurity”