CASINO ROYALE WHO ARE THESE GUYS? MORE THAN SKIN DEEP BANKER'S HOURS OPEN PALMS THE ARTISTS WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS?

CASINO ROYALE The Palms Casino, made famous by MTV's Real World, is now home to the Hart & Harrington Tattoo Company. The shop opened on February 25th with performances by Good Charlotte and Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys. The event was earmarked by a fashion show featuring designs from Jaime Pressly. This is the first time a Las Vegas casino has housed a tattoo parlor and is the first official location of Hart & Huntington.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS? Who are Hart & Huntington anyway? Well the idea falls to a masterminding venture with Palms owner, George Maloof and a couple guys with the last names of Hart and Huntington. Carey Hart is an extreme sports freestyle motocross legend and John Huntington is one of the country's premier nightclub promoters. Huntington is responsible for creating big parties, including two of the largest in the country - Club Rubber and the Pimp ?n Ho Costume Ball.

MORE THAN SKIN DEEP Behind the scenes, the tattoo company has three state-of-the-art tattoo stations. Guests are free to choose from the "flash" (pre-drawn artwork on the walls) or they can customize their own designs to fit their personalities. A private guest station for VIPs is also available. The entire place feels like a lounge complete with antique leather-covered walls, a custom surround sound stereo system and luxurious seating. Djs are regularly featured in the shop as are some of the countries premier tattoo artists.

BANKER'S HOURS Casino banker's hours that is. You can get a Hart & Huntington tat between the hours of noon and midnight Sunday through Wednesday. Noon and 3 AM, Thursday through Saturday.

OPEN PALMS The Palms Casino is heralded as one of Las Vegas? hippest resorts. A 95,000 square foot casino, spa, salon and 14-theatre Cineplex are just part of the $265 million dollar resort. A lavish, "Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome" styled night club dubbed, Rain in the Desert or just Rain for those in the know, boasts a dance floor with shooting fire. The Skin Pool Lounge gives you more than one reason to take a break from the gambling and the Ghostbar on the roof will give you the swankiest view Las Vegas has to offer.

QUIVERING HANDS WANT TO KNOW: THE TAT ARTISTS AS FOLLOWS? THOMAS PENDELTON At the ripe age of 20, Thomas Pendelton began an apprenticeship with the world famous, Bert Grimm?s tattoo parlor under the wing of well known artist, Rick Walters. From their he as worked in several of the most popular and respected shops in the industry, including - Kari

Optimism Revs Up At GM, Chrysler Plants
President Obama visits GM and Chrysler auto plants in Detroit on Friday to call attention to the successes -- so far -- of the bailed-out companies. A White House report says the industry has added 55,000 jobs, GM will stay open during its usual two-week summer shutdown and Chrysler added another production shift.

After A Son's Injury, A New Life Begins
Tom Davis grew up in Pensacola, Fla., enjoying everything the seaside town has to offer. But in the summer of 2000, when he was 21, a surfing accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. Tom recently sat down with his parents, Connie and Robert, to talk about his injury -- and their life together.

BEN CORN Ben Corn has been doing this for more than seven years now, he got his start apprenticing with Roger Blankenship at Almost Brothers Tattoo shop. Since then he has been with Big Bear Tattoo and Body Graphics. He specializes in bold Japanese tattoos and has had the privilege of tattooing several celebrities and professional athletes with taste for his style.

CLARK NORTH Clark has been through some tough times during his career, in the space of about three weeks his mother passed away and he lost his left eye. Emerging from the trauma with gray hair he is now continuing his life long art of decorating the body's largest organism with intricate style and design.

BIG E Eric Pele is Big E. He's known for his bold tattoos, both in color and black and grey. His ready made designs, known as "flash" are extremely popular choices. His melting Superman logo is sure to gain you some attention. If you're looking for something cool, then Big E is your guy.

"Art is a very personal thing. It's ultimately up to each individual to express his or her personality on their body, I just help bring what's in someone's mind out for the world to see!" - Eric Pele

DEJAH NOT A DJ Dejah studied with Jason Grant at Trust Tattoo in Arizona and has been at this for over half a decade. She's worked for O.C. Ink, Sick & Twisted and Skinworks. Certified to do permanent cosmetics under Susan Church, Dejah is also a master in color and realism with her work.

LACEY Even though her mother and grandmother are both artists, 28 year old Lacey came into tattooing more from the lifestyle cultural angle. It was a kind of retaliation and liberation from her stodgy upbringing in a small Utah town. For her tattooing is a creative and holistic endeavor. As she says, "A blending of some physical pain with the desire of your soul to be permanently marked, along with some mental control, makes you feel very alive".

INK?D AE now runs a hidden camera at the shop, called "Ink'd". A reality show that records conversations between the customers and artists as well as documenting the ongoing dramas with the staff operating Hart & Harrington Tattoo Company.
About the Author

To read more articles by Chad, visit the American Pop Culture Encyclopedia at: http://www.americanpopcultureencyclopedia.com. If you would like to read this article, or others like it, on American Pop Culture Encyclopedia: http://www.americanpopcultureencyclopedia.com/HART%20AND%20HUNTINGTON.htm