Saturday, January 14, 2017

Raiders Relocation Announcement Imminent

The Oakland Raiders are set to file relocation paperwork officially announcing their intention to move to Las Vegas according to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The move would need to be approved by a vote of 24/32 league owners which would take place in March. It's not clear how the owners would react to a move to Las Vegas, but it seems like previous concerns of gambling might be lessened now that casinos are present in many of the leagues cities.

Financing of a new stadium appears to still be up in the air. Original plans would call for a new room tax in combination with funds from Sheldon Adelson, but the Raiders have been looking to secure alternate financing as well. With the decision to file relocation papers it looks like they're confident financing for the stadium will come through someway, somehow.

In addition to the Raiders playing in the new stadium, being in Las Vegas opens it up to entertainment like music festivals and concerts. I could also see large conventions taking place on the domed stadium floor. Other sporting events like UNLV football, Soccer, and the Final Four could be possibilities as well.

With Las Vegas looking to expand and diversify their entertainment portfolio, having pro sports teams and the accompanying stadiums would seem to fit into those plans perfectly.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Sleepless - Las Vegas Movie - The Luxus

I'm always on the lookout for Las Vegas movies and TV shows, so when I heard one was opening this weekend I thought I'd check it out.

Sleepless stars Jamie Foxx as a Las Vegas cop with a connection to the criminal underground that puts his son's life in danger. It also features Michelle Monaghan, Dermot Mulroney, Scoot McNairy, and Gabrielle Union.

The movie is under the radar with a modest 1800 theater release. I just happened to see a commercial for it which had a throwaway line about Foxx being "one of Nevada's finest" which led me to do some research revealing the Las Vegas setting.

Sleepless opens with a wide shot of the Las Vegas valley and several high quality aerial photography establishing shots of the Las Vegas Strip are seen throughout the movie. Other scenes feature cars driving on the Strip and Downtown (or "Old Downtown" as one of the cops calls it).

Much of the movie takes place at a fictional Las Vegas hotel resort - The Luxus.

The fake hotel is located in the middle of CityCenter crammed in-between Aria and Mandarin Oriental. Seeing a completely fictional resort reminded me of the 2015 TV show The Player which featured a few fake Las Vegas hotels.

Made-up hotels in Las Vegas movies and TV shows tend to move around though. When the characters are inside The Luxus overlooking the Strip the location looks to be closer to The Mirage with views of The Palazzo across the street.

The Las Vegas scenery continuity in Sleepless isn't terrible though. There weren't many obvious gaffes of a character being at one end of the Strip only to be at another end of the strip seconds later. The 2010 movie Get Him To The Greek and last year's Jason Bourne both suffered from these types of mistakes.

Sleepless
isn't a great (or even good) movie, but if you're someone like me who likes to watch anything Las Vegas related you might want to check it out sometime.