Food critic tastes trouble with tweet

Local food critic John Curtas is getting called out for his response after tweeting what was taken as a slur by Japanese.

Referring to a youtube.com video that features yodeling Japanese singer Takeo Ischi, Curtas tweeted, “The best Jap-German collaboration since 1941.”

That prompted a tweet from Gann Matsuda, a prominent Japanese blogger: “Hey @eatinglasvegas: don’t think you intended to offend, but you need to apologize for using ‘Jap’ in a recent tweet.’ ”

Curtas, a local attorney, responded: “@manzanarcomm and you might want to keep your sniveling, totalitarian, language policing to yourself.”

After the Manzanar group published the blog post, Curtas tweeted:

“Oh great ... now I have the hypersensitive Asian language police on my ass. #getoveryourself.”

The Manzanar Committee is dedicated to educating and raising public awareness of the incarceration and violation of persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II. Some 120,000 Japanese, of which two-thirds were American citizens, were held in 10 concentration camps.

Curtas added: “I offend people for a living. I am also something of a humorist, satirist and social commentator (as well as a restaurant critic). Political correctness is not my thing, but neither is racism.”

That could have been handled in so many better ways.

‘KA’ QUESTIONS

To their credit, Cirque du Soleil has been forthcoming in clearing up a number of questions about the fatal accident during “Ka” a week ago at the MGM Grand.

Responses came quickly about the safety harness (it didn’t come off) and airbags (they are employed throughout the show but not during the battle finale — when Sarah Guillot-Guyard fell — due to logistics).

How long “Ka” will remain closed for the OSHA investigation won’t be answered for a while.

It’s the first time a Las Vegas-based Cirque production has been closed this long due to an incident in nearly a decade, since Siegfried & Roy went dark after Roy Horn was nearly fatally mauled by one of their tigers Oct. 3, 2003.

I asked Cirque spokeswoman Renee-Claude Menard if she could address rumblings that “Ka” cast members had recently switched to new rigging.

“At this point in time, we are continuing our comprehensive review and continue to collaborate with OSHA’s investigation on this isolated accident,” she said via email.

“We are committed to providing the highest standards of safety for our performers.”

Menard added, “Any information supplied to you by other sources are speculative at this point in time.”

MEDIA UPDATE

Colleen McCarty, a member of the investigative team at KLAS-TV, Channel 8 since 2005, is leaving to join the Gordon Silver law firm. The station announced last week that McCarty, a recent graduate of the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV, is now taking an unpaid leave to study for the Nevada Bar exam.

THE SCENE AND HEARD

How talented is Bally’s headliner Veronic? Of her 50 impressions, she drew the loudest applause for Barbra Streisand’s “People” followed by Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Adele, and Madonna. That she can nail those five voices might be more impressive than the huge challenge of doing 50 of the greatest voices. ... Former Las Vegas headliner Pia Zadora has been added to the lineup for the July 23 roast of former mayor Oscar Goodman at the Stratosphere showroom. Murray Sawchuck will be the roastmaster.

SIGHTINGS

LeBron James, celebrating the Miami Heat’s back-to-back NBA titles at Tao nightclub (The Venetian) on Saturday. He’s in town to conduct the LeBron James Skills Academy, which attracts many of the nation’s elite prep players. On hand for the event: Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. ... UFC champion Jon Jones, dining at Crossroads (House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay) on Thursday. ... UFC star Anderson Silva, with friends at the Jabbawockeez (Luxor) on Thursday. It’s been part of his pre-fight ritual for the past two years. ... Actress/former cover girl Liz Hurley & fiancé/pro cricket player Shane Warne at Tao nightclub (The Venetian) on Thursday. ... UFC legend Chuck Liddell, with his family at Sugar Factory American Brasserie at Paris Las Vegas on Friday night. … At STK (Cosmopolitan) on Friday: Retired NHL star Jeremy Roenick, with friends and family. ... At the Ian Anderson concert at The Smith Center on Friday: Penn Jillette, Siegfried Fischbacher, and Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson and his wife, Jackie Glass, in separate parties.

THE PUNCH LINE

“First-run Broadway plays waive no-shirts, no-shoes, no service policy.” — From David Letterman’s “Top 10 Really Nice Things About New York in the Summer.”

Norm Clarke’s column appears Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more at normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke. “Norm Clarke’s Vegas,” airs Thursdays on the “Morning Blend” on KTNV-TV, Channel 13.