More or less the same as Jesus. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)
Lady Gaga announced that Friday night, “her religion is Las Vegas.” Which means, we’re pretty sure, she sacrificed a goat on a roulette table before her show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. We’re assuming. She also assured her fans that they weren’t freaks. It’s a bold statement to tell fans of the top-selling pop artist in the world that they’re normal. Stay strong, sister.
Channeling a little Madonna with her spikey, bullet-y bra; a little Jimi Hendrix with her flaming piano and a little hobo behind the Goodwill with her putting-on-a-pair-of-underwear-she-got-from-the-audience, Gaga did her thing at the MGM. And by “her thing” we mean “force the cleaning staff to send out for extra Lysol after Gaga dragged her chach all across the stage.”
It was part concert, part Lady Gaga’s Personal Comic-Con, with fans turning up in costumes that were marginally less stupid than people dressing up as members of the Justice League.
On Saturday, Gaga found time to hit up a performance of Ka in a floor-length black veil and then turned up later that night at Tao where she had dinner with her entourage and security, sending over a bottle of Ace of Spades to owner Noah Tepperberg.
Well, the first thing we learned about UFC is that you get showgirls with your birthday cake. (Photo by Ethan Miller)
Through a kind of ridiculous bout of good fortune, we found ourselves sitting in the second row Saturday night for UFC 116 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. We realize there are about a million hardcore UFC fans that deserved seats that good more, but we’ll just count ourselves lucky and hold the taunting to a minimum. Mostly because it doesn’t pay to alienate a fanbase that’s really into punching.
We always enjoyed the fights before, but can’t really say we followed them with regularity. As with boxing, though, being up close for a fight is worlds away from watching it on TV. Not just for the blasting soundsystem or 40 percent chance of catching a mouthguard that just got kicked out of someone’s head, either. You learn lots of things when you’re up close and personal. Here are the top six we picked up. Click for more words and pictures »
Goddammit, there is no one involved in this fight who isn’t terrifying.
Here we go. The interim heavyweight champ Shane Carwin squares off with the stalled-only-by-diverticulitis Brock Lesnar, who vacated the belt when he got sick, tonight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Naturally, this comes with requisite viewing parties at Caramel, and one hosted by Josh Joscheck at Lagasse’s Stadium; and of course, afterparties. Wanderlei Silva and Naughty by Nature host the official afterparty at Studio 54, Tapout’s postfight party is at Lavo, and the Foundation Room has Shane Carwin’s afterparty. Click for more words and pictures »
Brock Vuvuzelesnar is going to be crushed by this announcement.
Fans of both low scoring, high kicking action and punches to the face are in for a weekend of disappointment. Dana White has banned vuvuzelas from UFC 116 Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena. How the hell else are we supposed to sound our bitter rage over the U.S. defeat at the hands of Ghana now? All this does is make us now want to sneak a vuvuzela into the fight, like so bad. Click for more words and pictures »
This doesn’t look like it’s part of Hannibal’s plan.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson takes on Rashad Evans tonight in UFC 114 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and it’s not even the biggest weekend he’ll have in the next two weeks. UFC is big, but he just has to hit Evans. He doesn’t have to fill Mr. T-sized shoes like he will when The A-Team bows June 11. Punching a dude in the face should be stress-free, comparatively. Click for more words and pictures »
Like a country music Hall and Oates. Or Burt Reynolds and … Oates.
Oh, what the hell. Let’s go one more day on this thing. Brooks & Dunn, the only musical duo to feature a grown man named “Kix” will tape an all-star concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena tonight for air May 23 on CBS as part of their summer-long farewell tour, The Last Rodeo. Joining the duo are Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. But for us, there’s only one musical Kix that matters. That … that probably doesn’t speak well for us. Click for more words and pictures »
Keith Urban, seen here with Sgt. Pepper. (Photo by Scott Harrison. Additional photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)
The Academy of Country Music Awards has twanged its way through another year, with the MGM Grand Garden Arena playing home to the very best that Nashville has to offer as long as you don’t ask anyone who’s from the alt-country scene or an angry young country man like Hank Williams III. Turning out for this year’s awards were, among others, Nicole Kidman and Kieth Urban, Kristen Bell, Matthew McConaughey and girlfriend Camila Alves, LL Cool J (seriously), skier Lindsay Vonn, Jewel, Juliana Hough, Reba McEntire, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisely, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Big and Rich, Brooks & Dunn and possibly, but we’re not quite certain, Cowboy Curtis.
Last night’s big winner, other than belt buckle polish, Music Row songwriters, and those in favor of cheating on your wife with LeAnn Rimes, were Carrie Underwood, who took Entertainer of the Year for the second time; and Lady Antebellum, who they tell us is a group and not a person who’s really still pissed about the Civil War. The trio took home five awards.
Eddie Cibrian and Rimes were busy all over town — they took in dinner at N9NE Steakhouse on Friday, a showing of Love on Saturday and a stop at Lavo on Sunday. Brandi Glanville and Dean Sheremet, meanwhile, spent the evening barely subsuming rage.
There is a zero percent chance we’re not listening to ‘If You Want Blood’ right now.
Who ever would have thought schoolboy short pants and hard rock would marry so well together? This is why Angus Young is a better man than you or us. AC/DC, the band that has put out the same kick-ass album over and over again for the last 30 years, brings its time capsule of awesome to the MGM Grand Garden Arena tonight, and if you’re lucky, they’re bringing out “It’s a Long Way to the Top” Memorial Bagpipes. Click for more words and pictures »
Because of Miguel Cotto’s loss, the Philippines gets to annex San Juan. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)
Manny Pacquiao stepped up to 145 and just kept on doin’ what he does — capturing belts. Pac-Man took charge of his seventh title when he stopped Miguel Cotto in Round 12 Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena, with Cotto looking like Carrie on prom night before it was through.
Now the question is: Will Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather, Jr.? According to the AP, the crowd was chanting for Mayweather and trainer Freddie Roach wanted to see Money get in the ring.
In the meantime, Pacquiao had bigger things to worry about — he was doing a concert that night at Mandalay Bay. We’d like to see Chad Kroeger knock out a show after taking a 12-round beating. Actually, we’d just like to see Chad Kroeger take a 12-round beating.
Every pic here, drummer Frank Beard looks like he’s sleeping. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)
Some truths are immutable. Lady Gaga will always hate pants. The Jonas Brothers will be virgins forever. And ZZ Top will always look and sound exactly like ZZ Top, just like this weekend at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Somewhere in Billy Gibbons’ attic, there’s a picture of ZZ Top that ages and changes their sounds to reflect contemporary trends (painted immediately after 1983′s Eliminator) while the band itself runs around playing “La Grange” with beards unaltered by the ravages of time. But, imagine how much different things could have worked out if Dave Glaser stayed in the band.
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