Gay marriage isn't legal in Nevada, although domestic partnerships were recently approved. But divas make their own law.

Plus, there's nothing to stop you from proposing while in Vegas.

In this really charming video from Saturday night at the Pearl at the Palms, Mariah Carey's views on gay marriage are apparent -- and they're nothing like those expressed by Miss California Carrie Prejean at Planet Hollywood during the Miss USA contest earlier this year.

UPDATE: I just spoke by phone to Maurie Sherman, 31, of Toronto who proposes in this video to his now-fiance, Mathew Almeida. Gay marriage is legal where they live, and so they will in fact be married. "I wish we could have married in Las Vegas. I think Las Vegas would make a lot of money from allowing [gay] marriage," Sherman said. Many locals and casino companies would agree with that assessment. But Nevada has a "Defense of Marriage Act" passed by voters from the entire state, not just Las Vegas.

Anyway, I asked Sherman what his hook-up was to arrange his on stage proposal at Saturday night's Mariah Carey concert at the Palms. He did not have one. According to Sherman, he spent six months working to arrange what you see in the clip, and he bombarded everyone from the Palms to Perez Hilton, until he finally got the ear of Mariah Carey's management company. And, even then, nothing was for sure:

"I worked as hard as I can to make it happen. Everyone loved the idea. But no one made promises. I did not find out until five minutes before the concert started. Her security came over and talked to me. 'I think we are going to do this. And, I think it will be during the show on stage.'  I did not know before that moment. But I came prepared. I dressed nicely and brought the candy ring in my pocket and made sure it didn't break. Mathew had no idea. Please let me add thanks to Mariah for doing it."

This weekend the new Joint at the Hard Rock opened. It is twice the size and more than twice as good as the old Joint. The sound is a the most obvious improvement. It is a more than respectable sounding concert venue. And, from the general admission floor to the VIP boxes, the venue is designed to maximize great sight lines. The stage is also fantastic, allowing for theatrical elements (light shows, pyrotechnics, backdrops) that would normally never fit into a stage at a venue that has a capacity of around 4,000.

The opening weekend included the Killers, Avenged Sevenfold and Paul McCartney. This continues the Joint's tradition of putting performers on stage who usually play much bigger venues.

The real debut headliner on the opening night, Friday, was the Killers. As a local band that rarely does local shows, they were a great choice. I don't argue that. But I am so sick of people seeing the Killers as a metaphor for Las Vegas. This is only partly because they are a mediocre band with some hit singles and crowd pleasers, most of which reside on their debut, "Hot Fuss," a record which they have yet to either live up to ("Day & Age") or successfully grow beyond ("Sam's Town").

Far from anything Vegas, I thought while watching them, the Killers seem closer to a British '80s band, maybe starting out as Duran Duran and currently in their Morrissey phase. Not that there are not similarities between the band and city. Yes, The Killers and Las Vegas both glory in the fake, disposable, theatrical and entertaining. But the clean living, spiritual questing and sentimental triteness of the Killers do not resonate in Vegas at all. The truth is that if My Chemical Romance (also dramatic, theatrical and over the top) were from Vegas, critics would call them quintessentially Vegas, whereas I guess the Killers would then be expressing the soul of New Jersey.

Anyone else think a woo-woo dance version of Joy Division's morbid "Shadowplay" was a good idea?

On the subject of silly questions: "Are we human or are we dancer?" What does it mean? My guess: Brandon Flowers probably just wasn't able to come up with another lyric that had a rhyme match to "answer." If only lyrics could be assisted by Pro-Tools or click tracks.

Anyway, as the biggest band to ever emerge from Vegas, the Killers were both the obvious and the perfect choice to open the new Joint. It is great to have a venue worthy of the headliners the Hard Rock has brought to Vegas in the past. The photos of those shows (the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, the Who) are proudly displayed all over the new Joint. (Photo of Brandon Flowers courtesy of the Hard Rock)

Fall Out Boy return to Vegas to play the Pearl at Palms on Sunday night.

When Patrick Stump greets me on the phone, I say, "Is this Pete?"

He is good-natured about the mistake. He is used to it.

Still, in Vegas his band's connection to celebrity culture is more visible than most stops on a Fall Out Boy tour. With bandmate Pete Wentz being married to Ashlee Simpson, Stump sees a clear line between Fall Out Boy's success and celebrity notoriety:

"I don't feel that I am part of celebrity culture, though I know I am a periphery character. I am around them sometimes."

He does not have to define who he means by "them."

"It is weird. But I don't know that it has affected us that much. The only thing I notice is the personal nature of some questions. I read interviews with bands that aren't in the celebrity sphere and I envy that. They get to talk about the mechanics of music, and that is why I am here is because of that."

Here is how Stump experiences Las Vegas:

"I am a mellow guy on tour. Vegas means a lot of hotel time and working on music. But I remember one time on my way to bed I saw our former tour manager playing at a table with a big smile on his face. When I came down in the morning he was standing at the same table with a frown on his face. One time they gave us a suite with a bowling alley. I came into the room and it was total insanity. I got my computer and left."

Since he spends so much time on the road, I wondered if he thought being part of the online generation of rock stars made touring less lonely, less "Turn the Page:"

"I wonder about that. Everyone is connected, but in this very impersonal way. No one has any mystery to their lives. They are electing not to have any secrets, because everyone goes onto whatever social networking thing. I never did any of it. All my friends are on it. I was something of a Luddite before I had my laptop. And, by modern terms I am not particularly computer savvy. I am on Wikipedia all the time. But I don't know if this makes people less lonely or more lonely. You have a couple hundred MySpace friends. But you don't know any of them personally. There is an idea of connection but it is a flimsy connection between yourself in the rest of the world when you are just Twittering people. I am not saying those things aren't cool. But you can't rely exclusively on that."

I was curious about how Fall Out Boy, a band he has been in since a teen, has attempted to capture growing up in its music:

"I think it [our music] got a lot more honest. Not that it wasn't honest before. But when you start out you are emulating people. When I started singing I was trying to sing like other people. As a guitar player, I was just trying to play. But as time goes on you find out who you are, and you find your place. You also find out what  has really influenced your stuff. I was surprised what an influence as a guitar player Prince and the Time were on me, and as a singer Sam Cooke. I am not saying I am anywhere near as good as them, but that is where I get it from. And, what makes you more honest is you lose your fear of showing yourself. " (Courtesy photo)

Johansen opened with, "Give me a little background. First off, where am I?" All I knew was the singer was somewhere on tour with the Dolls. "No, really, I am trying to figure it out myself. I am looking and it says Cleveland Water Division across the street. So, I guess I am in Cleveland. So, we are playing where?"

On March 8, the New York Dolls will be playing the reunited band's second show in Las Vegas. In the surreal world of today's Vegas, the first gig was a private party to celebrate Blue Man Group's move to the Venetian. So, the Saturday appearance at downtown venue Jillian's will be the band's first public show in Vegas since re-forming in 2004.

As for if the original New York Dolls (when members like guitarist Johnny Thunders, drummer Billy Murcia, his replacement on drums Jerry Nolan and bassist Arthur Kane were alive) ever made it to Vegas during their glory years in the '70s?

According to Johansen, "No, I don't think so. But God knows."

Goes to show, you can't wrap your arms round a memory; don't try.