Are these guys cooler than you? Or just richer?

joegavinmaloof_i
Originally uploaded by becklerg.

How's this for a gross quote about the Maloofs in the Bee today, "They're in the sweet spot of the culture engine," . This is in reference to a new indian casino that the Maloofs are thinking about opening. I was looking for a picture of the scary Maloof mom, when I found this article about George Maloofs 40th birthday. In the article, George heads to the casino to spend a quiet birthday with his nephew, but there is a surprise in store," But as Maloof drove up to the Palms, it wasn't a baby who greeted the curly-haired bachelor, but sexy actress Tara Reid and boy-band heartthrob Lance Bass, who gave him a birthday present of an expensive watch. Turns out, there was a surprise party waiting at the hotel's Skin pool lounge and among the guests were Robin Leach of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" fame, supermodel Rachel Hunter, baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson and another boy-band heartthrob, JC Chasez, who teamed up with his 'N Sync buddy, Bass, to croon "Happy Birthday" to Maloof. In addition to the stars, the family turned out as well, including, yes, baby Gavin and mom, plus Maloof's three brothers, Joe, Gavin and Phil Maloof. The party continued in the hotel's lounge, where Kevin Martin of Candlebox and Puddle of Mudd were performing. OK, so if the Maloof's are really that cool, how come all they could get were C list celebrities like Tara Reid and Lance Bass (not to mention Z-listers like Robin Leach and Reggie Jackson)? And there's something really pathetic about a 40 year old man spending his birthday with Tara Reid. Doing further research, I was interested to find out that the Maloofs are the richest family in New Mexico. And of course they made their money the old-fashioned, American way: they inherited it. Well, a lot of it anyway.

There's an article in the Sac Bee today about how the city council is increasingly dismayed at the worn-down state of the downtown plaza. I really like the downtown plaza. I'm not a major-league shopper, so it's the perfect size for me. My limit is usually hitting 3-4 stores in about an hour and then I get that mall-madness feeling where you can't focus your eyes and you start thinking that ugly things like one-shoulder tank tops look good. Plus, it's cool that you can ride your bike there. In response to the bitching of the city council, Westfield has said that they might open a Target or Wal-Mart, and councilwoman Pannell was very saddened that the mall would go for something so downscale. What a snobby bitch. Most people who live at the Berry Hotel probably won't be doing much shopping at the Pottery Barn. Oh, but I forgot that part of the grand plan for that area is to bulldoze over the unsightly poor people that live in that neighborhood. Poor people are just so passe. When was the last time you saw a poor person hanging out with Tara Reid?