The past 11 years, CineVegas is "the" independent film festival in Las Vegas every summer at Brenden Theatres (at The Palms).

2010, however, will not have a CineVegas presence, with artistic director Trevor Groth citing the "economic climate and the pressures" as reasons. CineVegas would rather skip a year and maintain its quality than to go forth with a lackluster effort.

CineVegas events and screenings will still continue throughout the year, just not the annual festival.

One additional possible reason is the increasingly limited time that festival director Groth may have for the festival, as he signed on earlier this year as festival director of the Sundance Film Festival.

Groth has been with CineVegas since 2002, and has been almost solely responsible for growing the fest considerably.

This year's 11th CineVegas featured films such as World's Greatest Dad, The Revenant, Sea of Darkness, and Saint John of Las...

If you're like us, you're constantly at Walgreens for last-minute things. Ours across the street is 24 hours, so we know our cashiers enough that we should invite them to our next barbecue.

When staying on the Las Vegas Strip, that Walgreens next to MGM Grand and the one next to The Venetian have come in extremely handy. (Who needs to pay the upcharge on the casino gift shop, when you can walk a few feet to get regular prices. That Walgreens also has a ton of Vegas souvenirs.)

For this Tuesday and Wednesday only (Sept. 29-30), Walgreens is offering $5 off a $25 minimum purchase.

Use the coupon above, obtained from their website.

The usual items are excluded, such as prescriptions, gift cards, cigarettes, stamps, alcohol, etc. (see fine print).

And...

For those who might be taking advantage of cheap winter rates or arriving early for Aria's opening, mark December 13th on the calendar as the day Megadeth implodes Mandalay Bay in support of their latest record entitled Endgame.

Dave Mustaine's rotating cast of Megadethians (the current edition is seen in the above video) will be performing at the House of Blues. On Endgame Dave has reached back into his "Killing is My Business..." and "Peace Sells..." bag of disjointed, mathematically peculiar riffs that have less in common with speed metal than they do with pre-historic dentistry.

Should be a...

» Megadeth At Mandalay

As ARIA's December 16th grand opening rapidly approaches, the details are slowly starting to spill out. Architectural firm Lewis, Tsurumaki, Lewis (LTL Architects) published three renderings and an interior photo (whoa!) of their contribution to the resorts interior design - the oddly named The Buffet (that's a joke son.)

The description of the work goes long on CityCenter statistics, but like any good snuff film craps game, the last seconds provide all the excitement.

Museum Day is back!

Today only, for the 5th year in a row, Smithsonian magazine presents free admission to select museums around the country.

In Las Vegas, those include the Atomic Testing Museum and the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.

Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Atomic Testing Museum (755 E. Flamingo) includes all things nuclear. Normally $12 for adults and $9 for children 7-17.

Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Las Vegas Natural History Museum (900 Las Vegas Blvd.) takes visitors through the natural sciences. Normally $8 for adults and $4 for children 3-11.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Las Vegas casino owner and entrepreneur, Bob Stupak, has died at age 67 after a long battle with leukemia. The always colorful hawker was one of the characters that helped to define the Las Vegas of the seventies and eighties.

The "Polish Maverick" accomplished many things after coming to town in the early 70s. He built and operated the garish Stupak's Vegas World on the north end of the Las Vegas strip, ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Las Vegas, ran unsuccessfully for Lt Governor of Nevada, survived a near death motorcycle accident, played high stakes poker, and won a WSOP bracelet. His greatest achievement was the...

Bon Voyage, Bob Stupak. More from The Sun and LVRJ.

With the recent blitz of press for CityCenter, there have been a few noticeable changes as Aria's opening quickly approaches. For one, when you call their hotel reservations line, you won't be directed to Bellagio like before.

"Thank you for calling Bellagio room reservations." "Uh... Hi... I actually wanted to inquire about Aria."

(Long pause as if you're the first person that week to call about the place)

"Oh yes! It's the newest hotel on the Las Vegas strip. Here's a shitload of facts I'm going to read off to you that you probably already knew."

At least now when you call, it's obvious...

» Aria Now Taking Casino Marketing Reservations

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Straight out of the pages of the TV show "Beauty and the Beast," which featured tunnel dwellers beneath Manhattan, Las Vegas also has miles and miles of tunnels with people living inside.

"Nightline" aired a piece last night showing reporter Lisa Ling and Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas author Matthew O'Brien as they traversed through pitch-black tunnels.

O'Brien, who's been researching the tunnels for the past 7 years, gave a tour of the dangerous underground that has now been adopted by many who are homeless. O'Brien began exploring...