BACK FROM VEGAS
Saturday morning, BOOMASTER and I left L.A. for Vegas. We talked the whole way up, listening to movie soundtracks and 80's dance tunes. The trip went more quickly than it ever has. We headed directly for the Venetian to have lunch at the Royal Star, which has the most delicious dim sum. After gorging ourselves, we walked around the casino and shops a bit. This was Boomaster's first time in Vegas, and he was soaking it all in.
We stopped at the gift shop for the new PHANTOM: THE LAS VEGAS SPECTACULAR show. The girl behind the counter said she'd seen it the night before and it was amazing. The chandelier comes down so fast they have to warn the audience at the beginning of the show.
Next, we drove to the MGM Grand Hotel and checked in. They asked me if I wanted a high floor or a low floor, and I can never get high enough, so our room was on the 17th floor. Nice and comfy. Nothing super-special, I thought. We then trotted down to the casino, where I promptly dropped $20 into a Monty Python and the Holy Grail slot machine and didn't get a damn thing. No bonus games, no big payouts, nothing. Boo was too nervous to gamble then, so we walked around the joint, looking at the sleeping lions in the indoor habitat before having dinner at the Studio Cafe. Afterwards, we settled into some big comfy chairs at the Centrifuge bar, which had a giant rotating webbed fin-like structure that reminded me of LOGAN'S RUN. "Welcome to Last Day," I kept purring to Boo.
The bar was fun and Boo had red wine while I sipped at my favorite drink, amaretto and coke. Every 15 minutes, all the bartenders and waitresses would climb up on the bar and the tables and dance for about 2-3 minutes, which was fun but also a little disturbing.
After checking on the lions again (still asleep), we went back to the room and laid down for about 45 minutes, waiting for the film's director, ROD ROCKHARD to call. He finally did and at 11:30, we met him downstairs so we could follow him to the theater. Now, once Rod got on the 15, he booked! We were going 80 mph and still couldn't keep up with him. Then we turned onto Sahara Blvd., and he promptly lost us. Luckily, I had Mapquested the location and found our way there, although I was fuming that he had sped on ahead, leaving us behind, presumably not knowing where we were and not calling to find out.
The theater was in the back of a leather clothing store called The Rack. There was a stand out front with a large poster of the dvd cover on it announcing the premiere. Inside the store, we met an employee who directed us back to the theater. It was very nice. There was a stage with a 6 foot screen hanging from the ceiling. The projector was mounted halfway back, so it appeared they got one (on Friday, Rod called me to tell me they didn't have a projector for the screening yet!). The seats were very professional-looking, and the place could handle 96 people. Rod was in the back, setting up snacks, cheese and wine. He hugged me, saying it was good to see me again.
Boomaster and I set up the camera and went outside to shoot the exterior of the store. A woman from a bar/sex club/whatever next door called The Red Rooster came over and asked what we were shooting. We told her it was behind the scenes footage for a dvd. You niever know what people will do when they think they're being videotaped at establishments like that, and besides, Rod DID want to include the footage on a future dvd.
Back inside, I dragged Rod (twice!) to be interviewed. He answered my questions about the premiere and his future plans, and talked WAAAAY too much about me. I mean, I was flattered, but people watching this might think it's about me and not him, and I don't want that. Next, Michael, the owner of the Onyx Theater was interviewed, and he talked about his plans for the space and his reasons for building it.
The screening was supposed to start at midnight, but because Rod was trying to greet everyone that came in, it didn't get started until 12:30. I was surprised when two of his female co-workers arrived. They DID know this was a porn film, right?
We packed everything up (we were also hoping to interview RANDY DAVIS and EARL "THE DICKSMAN", as they were supposed to be there, but Rod said they were working on "other projects" and could not attend), took another quick glass of some unidentifiable red wine, then took our seats. Michael got up and introduced Rod, who spoke a bit about the film. Then the entire group of about 30 people got settled, and it started.
Now, if you ever get a chance to sit in a room full of people watching a porn film, whatever you do...SKIP IT! "But, Jett," you're saying, "didn't you yourself have a screening of your Adonis film BONESAW?" Yes, I did, but my film had the sex condensed to 2 minutes and ran on the strength of its story and dialogue. NEVER ENOUGH III is all-sex, so nothing could have been cut out. For the next 80 minutes, people got up and down, coughed, talked, snickered and laughed. Some took a break for more wine and cheese, including Rod, who was getting progressively hammered. Toward the end of the film, he was staggering across the stage whenever he got up. But the important thing is, everyone had a good time, and the film was met with applause at its end (or maybe because it ended!).
With our gear good to go, Boo and I said goodbye to Rod, who told both of us in a throaty bedroom voice that if we needed anything...ANYTHING, to just ask him. I thought about telling him to blow us in the men's room, but damn that pledge of monogamy. lol. (Just kidding, honey!)
Boomaster and I headed back to the MGM Grand and put the equipment away, then decided to go back downstairs and gamble a bit. We checked on the lions (gone for the night), then I made $20 playing Groucho Marx's You Bet Your Life game, promptly losing it and another $40 on that damn Monty Python game. Finally, we headed back upstairs and collapsed into our beds.
The hotel phone rang at 8:30am, exactly 4 hours after my head had hit the pillow, with our wake-up call. We got up, got dressed and headed for the fabulous Grand Buffet breakfast, where I had eggs, bacon, turkey sausage, pork sausage, a biscuit with country gravy, a cheese blintz, toast with butter and honey, french toast with maple syrup, watermelon, strawberries, fat-free milk and tomato juice. There was still 30 minutes to check-out, so we hit the slots again where I lost a FURTHER $40 to Monty Python. When will I learn?? We checked on the lions once more, only to find them asleep again. What the fuck? Was this the L.A. Zoo? Give them a snort of poppers, throw in a rubber disco ball for them to play with and give the crowd something to see!
On the road back, Boo and I played Horror Trivia to pass the time. It was a lot of fun. We probably came out even, but we were also being kind. Here are a few of the questions we asked each other. How would you have done?
In WHEN A STRANGER CALLS, what was the name of the family Jill babysat for?
What was the name of the film Ellen Burstyn's character was shooting in THE EXORCIST?
In HALLOWEEN, whose house did Laurie Strode send Tommy and Lindsey to for safety?
Who wrote the screenplay for FRIDAY THE 13TH?
What color were the windshields tinted on THE CAR?
What actor appeared in both THE FURY and ROSEMARY'S BABY?
What was the name of Capt. Lucas' boat in CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON?
Before we knew it, we were home. I dropped Boo off, stopped by DREW WARNER's place to return his boom mic (thanks, Drew), then returned home to CVK, feeling like I'd been gone a week instead of overnight.
Damn lions.
JBK
We stopped at the gift shop for the new PHANTOM: THE LAS VEGAS SPECTACULAR show. The girl behind the counter said she'd seen it the night before and it was amazing. The chandelier comes down so fast they have to warn the audience at the beginning of the show.
Next, we drove to the MGM Grand Hotel and checked in. They asked me if I wanted a high floor or a low floor, and I can never get high enough, so our room was on the 17th floor. Nice and comfy. Nothing super-special, I thought. We then trotted down to the casino, where I promptly dropped $20 into a Monty Python and the Holy Grail slot machine and didn't get a damn thing. No bonus games, no big payouts, nothing. Boo was too nervous to gamble then, so we walked around the joint, looking at the sleeping lions in the indoor habitat before having dinner at the Studio Cafe. Afterwards, we settled into some big comfy chairs at the Centrifuge bar, which had a giant rotating webbed fin-like structure that reminded me of LOGAN'S RUN. "Welcome to Last Day," I kept purring to Boo.
The bar was fun and Boo had red wine while I sipped at my favorite drink, amaretto and coke. Every 15 minutes, all the bartenders and waitresses would climb up on the bar and the tables and dance for about 2-3 minutes, which was fun but also a little disturbing.
After checking on the lions again (still asleep), we went back to the room and laid down for about 45 minutes, waiting for the film's director, ROD ROCKHARD to call. He finally did and at 11:30, we met him downstairs so we could follow him to the theater. Now, once Rod got on the 15, he booked! We were going 80 mph and still couldn't keep up with him. Then we turned onto Sahara Blvd., and he promptly lost us. Luckily, I had Mapquested the location and found our way there, although I was fuming that he had sped on ahead, leaving us behind, presumably not knowing where we were and not calling to find out.
The theater was in the back of a leather clothing store called The Rack. There was a stand out front with a large poster of the dvd cover on it announcing the premiere. Inside the store, we met an employee who directed us back to the theater. It was very nice. There was a stage with a 6 foot screen hanging from the ceiling. The projector was mounted halfway back, so it appeared they got one (on Friday, Rod called me to tell me they didn't have a projector for the screening yet!). The seats were very professional-looking, and the place could handle 96 people. Rod was in the back, setting up snacks, cheese and wine. He hugged me, saying it was good to see me again.
Boomaster and I set up the camera and went outside to shoot the exterior of the store. A woman from a bar/sex club/whatever next door called The Red Rooster came over and asked what we were shooting. We told her it was behind the scenes footage for a dvd. You niever know what people will do when they think they're being videotaped at establishments like that, and besides, Rod DID want to include the footage on a future dvd.
Back inside, I dragged Rod (twice!) to be interviewed. He answered my questions about the premiere and his future plans, and talked WAAAAY too much about me. I mean, I was flattered, but people watching this might think it's about me and not him, and I don't want that. Next, Michael, the owner of the Onyx Theater was interviewed, and he talked about his plans for the space and his reasons for building it.
The screening was supposed to start at midnight, but because Rod was trying to greet everyone that came in, it didn't get started until 12:30. I was surprised when two of his female co-workers arrived. They DID know this was a porn film, right?
We packed everything up (we were also hoping to interview RANDY DAVIS and EARL "THE DICKSMAN", as they were supposed to be there, but Rod said they were working on "other projects" and could not attend), took another quick glass of some unidentifiable red wine, then took our seats. Michael got up and introduced Rod, who spoke a bit about the film. Then the entire group of about 30 people got settled, and it started.
Now, if you ever get a chance to sit in a room full of people watching a porn film, whatever you do...SKIP IT! "But, Jett," you're saying, "didn't you yourself have a screening of your Adonis film BONESAW?" Yes, I did, but my film had the sex condensed to 2 minutes and ran on the strength of its story and dialogue. NEVER ENOUGH III is all-sex, so nothing could have been cut out. For the next 80 minutes, people got up and down, coughed, talked, snickered and laughed. Some took a break for more wine and cheese, including Rod, who was getting progressively hammered. Toward the end of the film, he was staggering across the stage whenever he got up. But the important thing is, everyone had a good time, and the film was met with applause at its end (or maybe because it ended!).
With our gear good to go, Boo and I said goodbye to Rod, who told both of us in a throaty bedroom voice that if we needed anything...ANYTHING, to just ask him. I thought about telling him to blow us in the men's room, but damn that pledge of monogamy. lol. (Just kidding, honey!)
Boomaster and I headed back to the MGM Grand and put the equipment away, then decided to go back downstairs and gamble a bit. We checked on the lions (gone for the night), then I made $20 playing Groucho Marx's You Bet Your Life game, promptly losing it and another $40 on that damn Monty Python game. Finally, we headed back upstairs and collapsed into our beds.
The hotel phone rang at 8:30am, exactly 4 hours after my head had hit the pillow, with our wake-up call. We got up, got dressed and headed for the fabulous Grand Buffet breakfast, where I had eggs, bacon, turkey sausage, pork sausage, a biscuit with country gravy, a cheese blintz, toast with butter and honey, french toast with maple syrup, watermelon, strawberries, fat-free milk and tomato juice. There was still 30 minutes to check-out, so we hit the slots again where I lost a FURTHER $40 to Monty Python. When will I learn?? We checked on the lions once more, only to find them asleep again. What the fuck? Was this the L.A. Zoo? Give them a snort of poppers, throw in a rubber disco ball for them to play with and give the crowd something to see!
On the road back, Boo and I played Horror Trivia to pass the time. It was a lot of fun. We probably came out even, but we were also being kind. Here are a few of the questions we asked each other. How would you have done?
In WHEN A STRANGER CALLS, what was the name of the family Jill babysat for?
What was the name of the film Ellen Burstyn's character was shooting in THE EXORCIST?
In HALLOWEEN, whose house did Laurie Strode send Tommy and Lindsey to for safety?
Who wrote the screenplay for FRIDAY THE 13TH?
What color were the windshields tinted on THE CAR?
What actor appeared in both THE FURY and ROSEMARY'S BABY?
What was the name of Capt. Lucas' boat in CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON?
Before we knew it, we were home. I dropped Boo off, stopped by DREW WARNER's place to return his boom mic (thanks, Drew), then returned home to CVK, feeling like I'd been gone a week instead of overnight.
Damn lions.
JBK
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