By John Przybys, Las Vegas Review-Journal

They’re not just bottles. They’re mirrors that reflect Nevada during a different time, prisms that break up the sunlight of modern-day Nevada into the earthier colors of the state’s mining tradition.

But, yeah, some of them look pretty cool, too.

Drugstore bottles from long-ago Nevada towns have been a passion of Fred N. Holabird’s since his college days at Humboldt State University in California. In his second book, “Ghost Towns & Medicines: The Nevada Bottle Book Volume II — Drug Store Bottles” (Sierra Nevada Press, $42), Holabird, a Reno mining geologist, shares his love of antique bottles, not just as collectibles but as historical relics.

Holabird’s first volume dealt with embossed soda, whiskey, beer and dairy bottles. This time, he focuses on the bottles both fancy and utilitarian that Silver State druggists used in providing medical care to miners and pioneers.

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Applications for Tahoe Women’s Community Fund’s annual allocation of grants will be accepted until Feb. 28.

The nonprofit has $29,000 to award.

Five grants of varying amounts will be given out. Categories include children and youth, mental health and wellness, poverty and housing, education and literacy, and environment and community.

For more information and criteria, go online.

By Howie Nave

Most everyone knows about the annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (also referred to as the Oscars) celebrating Hollywood’s best, but what about Hollywood’s worst movies? I mean, c’mon, how many times have you seen a movie and wished that the theater had a refund table set up in the lobby so you could get your money back if the movie you just watched was universally deplorable?

There have always been bad movies, but until John Wilson came along there was never a platform to acknowledge those movies and give out an award to show how much their work was admired. This Saturday marks the 37th annual Razzie Awards celebrating the worst that Hollywood has to offer. And just like the Oscars there are categories to highlight individual achievements (or more accurately lack of).

Howie Nave, left, with Razzie creator/producer John Wilson. Photo/Provided

The Razzies has your basic main categories such as Worst Picture, Worst Actor/Actress, Worst Supporting Actor/Actress, Worst Director and Worst Screenplay and a couple of bonus categories too such as Worst Screen Combo and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.  

Every year I look forward to chatting with Razzie creator Wilson. He’s been on my morning radio show now for 15 years. If you want, you can tune in to hear our chat this Thursday morning by going to KRLT 93-9 FM or online (in real time) at KRLTFM.com. John said the Razzie Awards (originally called the Golden Raspberry Awards) wasn’t really planned, but got its start in his living room back in 1981 with some of his friends over mocking the Oscars and his friends given ballots that they filled out with the movie, “Can’t Stop the Music” winning what would be the very first Razzie for Worst Movie. Now the event has taken on such a life all its on it has become as much of pop culture as the annual Oscars show. 

Over the years some of Hollywood’s elite has actually embraced the Razzie Awards. “Showgirls” (which received a record 13 Razzie nominations, a record that still stands) director Paul Verhoeven appeared in person to accept his Razzie for Worst Picture of 1995. Wilson said, “He sat through the entire ceremony and then got up at the end and said, ‘Obviously my film has entertained you, but not in the way I intended it to.'”

In 2005, Oscar winning actress Halle Berry made national headlines when she not only accepted her Razzie, but took it one step further when she parodied her Academy Award acceptance speech (for her Best Actress nod for “Monsters Ball”) taking home the Razzie for Worst Actress award for her performance in “Catwoman.”

My favorite though (and Wilson’s) was the year actress Sandra Bullock won a Razzie for Worst Actress in 2010 for her performance in “All About Steve” and then the following night won an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in “The Blind Side” making it a first to win a Worst and Best Actress in one weekend. What made the event more memorable (and showing she has a wicked sense of humor) not only did Bullock accept her Razzie, but came out on stage pulling a red wagon full of DVDs of “All About Steve” taking her Worst Actress trophy along with the Worst Movie award for “All About Steve.” After winning her Oscar the next night Bullock said, “You know, nothing ever lets me get too full of myself.” She promised to keep both her Razzie and Oscar trophies prominently displayed in her home. “They’ll sit side by side on a nice little shelf somewhere,” she said. “The Razzie maybe on a different shelf … lower.” 

Sandra Bullock was a good sport about her worst actress Razzie. Photo/Copyright 2017 Razzies LLC

Wilson said he wishes Hollywood would make more original movies and not so many turkeys so he wouldn’t have to nominate so many. I not only agreed, but I’ve exalted on my radio show that Hollywood seems lazy making remakes and sequels that are just lame. Wilson piped up saying, “Howie, we created a category with that in mind.” It’s my favorite category too. In fact, there are some pretty selections in the Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel category. This year’s worst are:

“Alice Through the Looking Glass”
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
“Fifty Shades of Black”
“Independence Day: Resurgence”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”
“Zoolander No. 2.”

I’m hoping they all tie. But if I had to choose just one I’m going with “Independence Day: Resurgence.” Why an actor the caliber of Jeff Goldblum would return to be part of that horrific movie still baffles me. At least Will Smith had the dignity to pass on it so the filmmakers made it known that his character had been killed off; that’s why he couldn’t be in this vomitfest of a movie. 

There are so many hilarious stories that Razzie creator Wilson has told over the years when he’s on my radio show the week before his show, but one that I never heard before was when Donald Trump “won” a Razzie award playing himself back in 1990 starring opposite Bo Derek in the fantasy crime turkey film, “Ghosts Can’t Do It.” In one scene he tells Derek, “Be assured Mrs. Scott, that in this room there are knives sharp enough to cut you to the bone and hearts cold enough to eat yours as hors d’oeuvres.”  The movie would go on to win for Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Director and Worst Supporting Actor, Trump. 

Here are the categories for this year’s Razzie nominations:

Worst Picture

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
“Dirty Grandpa”
“Gods of Egypt”
“Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party”
“Independence Day: Resurgence”
“Zoolander No. 2”

Worst Actor

Ben Affleck, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
Gerard Butler, “Gods of Egypt” & “London Has Fallen”
Henry Cavill, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
Robert de Niro, “Dirty Grandpa”
Dinesh D’Souza, “Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party”
Ben Stiller, “Zoolander No. 2”

Worst Actress

Megan Fox, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”
Tyler Perry, “BOO! A Medea Halloween”
Julia Roberts, “Mother’s Day”
Becky Turner, “Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party”
Naomi Watts, “Divergent Series: Allegiant” & “Shut-In”
Shailene Woodley, “Divergent Series: Allegiant”

Worst Supporting Actress

Julianne Hough, “Dirty Grandpa”
Kate Hudson, “Mother’s Day”
Aubrey Plaza, “Dirty Grandpa”
Jane Seymour, “Fifty Shades of Black”
Sela Ward, “Independence Day: Resurgence”
Kristen Wiig, “Zoolander No. 2”

Worst Supporting Actor

Nicolas Cage, “Snowden”
Johnny Depp, “Alice Through the Looking Glass”
Will Ferrell, “Zoolander No. 2”
Jesse Eisenberg, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
Jared Leto, “Suicide Squad”
Owen Wilson, “Zoolander No. 2”

Worst Director

Dinesh D’Souza & Bruce Schooley, “Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party”
Roland Emmerich, “Independence Day: Resurgence”
Tyler Perry, “BOO! A Medea Halloween”
Alex Proyas, “Gods of Egypt”
Zack Snyder, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
Ben Stiller, “Zoolander  No. 2”

Worst Screenplay

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
“Dirty Grandpa”
“Gods of Egypt”
“Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party”
“Independence Day: Resurgence”
“Suicide Squad”

Worst Screen Combo

Ben Affleck & His BFF (Baddest Foe Forever) Henry Cavill, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
Any 2 Egyptian Gods or Mortals, “Gods of Egypt”
Johnny Depp & His Vomitously Vibrant Costume, “Alice Through the Looking Glass”
The Entire Cast of Once Respected Actors, “Collateral Beauty”
Tyler Perry & That Same Old Worn Out Wig, “BOO! A Medea Halloween”
Ben Stiller & His BFF (Barely Funny Friend) Owen Wilson, “Zoolander No. 2”

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off, or Sequel

“Alice Through the Looking Glass”
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
“Fifty Shades of Black”
“Independence Day: Resurgence”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”
“Zoolander No. 2.”

Howie Nave is host/emcee/manager of The Improv at Harveys. You can hear him Monday-Friday 6 to 10am on KRLT FM-93.9.

Highway 50 near Tahoe Keys Boulevard on the afternoon of Feb. 20. Photo/SLTFD

Holiday travelers and snow = congested, messy roads.

Local roads and Sierra highways are full of people trying to leave Lake Tahoe and Truckee. Traffic is inching along on Monday afternoon.

Highway 50 through the American River Canyon has been closed intermittently for avalanche control

Highway 89 around Emerald Bay is closed.

Alpine Meadows Road has been closed part of Monday for avalanche control.

Check the Caltrans and NDOT websites for current conditions, or click on the state icons on the home page of Lake Tahoe News.

A flood watch is in effect through Tuesday morning for the Reno-Carson-City-Minden areas.

Snow is in the forecast for Tahoe through Thursday.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

On a split vote last week, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors said no to the 605-house Dixon Ranch subdivision.

Only Supervisors Sue Novasel and Brian Veerkamp were in favor to the El Dorado Hills development. They would have liked the project to be revised, while the others were completely against the project.

This 280-acre development off Green Valley Road has been a contentious issue on the West Slope for at least four years.

Opponents who filled the meeting room on Feb. 14 were most vocal about traffic and safety. Roads in the county are already clogged; more housing would exacerbate the issue. The county can’t maintain the roads it has, so adding more pavement would compound that problem.

Plus, Sue Taylor with Save Our County questioned if traffic from the project would violate voter approved measures Y and E.

CAO Don Ashton also had reservations about the plan, citing the financial agreement as being less than iron clad. Traffic mitigation fees were going to be reduced.

Supervisor John Hidahl said the county should be looking at affordable housing to help the residents who live here now, and not be approving projects that worsen county conditions.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Sierra-at-Tahoe and other area ski resorts could be impacted if fewer tourists come to the United States. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

By Christopher Muther, Boston Globe

 President Trump’s travel ban targeting nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries may not have held up in court, but it appears quite successful at keeping plenty of other people out of the United States.

Trump’s order brought with it a swift decline in the number of worldwide tourists and travelers looking to visit the United States, say people in the tourism industry. Some say it could be as damaging to the U.S. tourism sector as the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Online booking websites reported that flight searches from international points of origin to the United States were down anywhere from 6 percent to 17 percent since Trump signed the executive order on Jan. 27. But experts say what’s more alarming is the icy message it sends to the world.

Read the whole story

Holiday traffic on westbound Interstate 80 is gridlocked through Truckee. Side streets are not a better alternative, according to Truckee officials.

“If you are trying to get over the summit to Sacramento or Bay Area, please do not try to use your GPS to find side streets, they are clogged or closed. Old Highway 40 (Donner Pass Road) from Donner Lake to Sugar Bowl is closed with no estimated time for reopening and is not a way over the summit,” Truckee police officers warn.

Donner Pass Road from Highway 89 south to the Donnergate area is gridlocked with westbound traffic. There is not alternative route. 

Traffic issues on town streets may be reported to 530.550.2320.

Starting March 1, Eldorado National Forest will begin selling personal use fuelwood permits for $5 per cord. 

Today permits are $15.

The minimum charge for a permit is $20, which will permittees four cords.

 “The reduction in price will allow the public to obtain fuelwood for heating their homes at a lower cost,” Forest Supervisor Laurence Crabtree said in a statement, “and has the added benefit of reducing fuels in the forest. “

The Sutcliffe Highway along Pyramid Lake in mid-January. Photo/NDOT

Pyramid Lake opened to fishing and other activities on Saturday after being closed since Jan. 11.

The Pauite Tribe’s land in Northern Nevada was cut off because the highway sustained massive damage.

The tribe is estimated to have lost $1 million between repairing its roads and loss in fishing license revenue, which is one of its main sources of income.

Roads by the lake have not all been repaired so people are asked to drive with caution.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Sean Whaley, Las Vegas Review-Journal

CARSON CITY — Caesars Entertainment Corp. has reached agreement to pay a $44 million “exit fee” to leave as a retail customer of Nevada Power and purchase its own power supplies on the wholesale market.

In a stipulation filed last week with the Public Utilities Commission, Caesars has also agreed to pay $3.5 million to Sierra Pacific, NV Energy’s Northern Nevada company, to exit as a retail customer.

Caesars would become the third large gaming company in the state to leave in recent months if the exit agreement is approved. The company said it is prepared to leave NV Energy as soon as Sept. 1. This would include Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and Harveys at Stateline.

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