The black and bold Luxor opened in 1993 as an architectural tour de force - the tallest structure on the Strip, attracting camera-toting tourists as well as design intellectuals who would write books and teach college courses discussing the building's commercial and psychological appeal.
It wasn't the first theme hotel in Las Vegas (its closest neighbor: a medieval castle), but was still an instant icon, what with a 10-story sphinx guarding the entrance and the Earth's strongest flashlight beaming into space from the pyramid's apex. Inside, the Egyptian theme was executed to extreme and comical limits even by Las Vegas standards. Talking mechanical camels greeted guests entering a cavernous atrium accented with statues of pharaohs, images of King Tut and bazaars selling papyrus artwork and scarab beetle jewelry. Tour guides gave commentary along the faux Nile River as miniature barges carried guests down a slow-moving water ride - past blackjack and craps tables.
And then, as Las Vegas cooled on architectural themes, the Luxor seemed as stale as yesterday's mummy. So now they're throwing millions of dollars into a major renovation. The goal: take the Egypt out of the pyramid to make it even more compelling for today's tourists. Over the next year, the new Luxor will look decidedly more contemporary - or at least less Egyptian.
Nile - a band with an Egyptian theme
Tulsa World
Nile’s Karl Sanders sings about mummies, the secrets to eternal life, pyramids and other things drawn from his research into Egyptology. . . . His band, which pairs images steeped in Egyptian mythology with the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, brings its mind-numbingly complex music, chock full of breakneck starts, stops and dive-bomb guitar solos, to Cain’s Ballroom’s second stage Tuesday . . . .
Nile’s fifth album, “Ithyphallic,” released July 17, shows the band continuing an epic style and musicianship first showcased in 1998’s “Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka.” “Ithyphallic,” with songs from “As He Creates So He Destroys” to “Eat of the Dead,” refers to a symbol common in Egyptian statuary depicting gods with exaggerated parts of their bodies, something said to denote virility, creativity and strength, Sanders said.
Tomb Raider Chronicles
Tomb Raider Chronicles
Eidos has released a new collection of conceptual artwork and illustrations showcasing the Cat Mummies, Lara Croft's more than able adversaries in Tomb Raider Anniversary. Developed by Crystal Dynamics, Tomb Raider Anniversary is out now for Sony PS2 and Windows PC, with versions for Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP and Xbox 360 in the pipeline. The game is based on a realisation of the original 1996 adventure and depicts a global search for a mystical artifact known only as the Scion. The Tomb Raider series is still one of the best selling videogame franchises of all time with over 32 million copies sold and two major feature films released, starring Angelina Jolie. Follow the below hyperlink to collect our latest offering of polygon-rich media, and stay tuned as we mobilise our Tomb Raider 8 content in the very near future.
The Professor's Daughter
Bookslut
Set in Victorian London, Sfar and Guibert's story rather matter-of-factly sets up a romance between Lillian, the beautiful and freedom-yearning daughter of a wealthy professor, and Imhotep, an Egyptian mummy who's been dead (in a way) for about 32 centuries. The professor, you see, keeps a number of mummies in his collection and doesn't like to let them out of his sight. But the regal Imhotep is no more fond of following orders than Lillian, and so they find trouble strolling about London in the daylight, she in her Sunday finest and he in one of the Professor's suits and all his bandages like The Invisible Man going promenading. It's all rather grand and romantic in a light, Anne Rice sort of way, and about as logical. Trouble follows, and the lovers must hit the road, much to the professor's dismay at losing his daughter to a mummy ("You are the property of the British Museum. You are dead. Stay out of this.").
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