Van Pelt is a known fan of Las Vegas and frequently discusses betting on his show - rare for the family friendly ESPN. He was featured on one of those Travel Channel shows about Las Vegas a long time ago.
Showing posts with label Television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Television. Show all posts
Thursday, November 26, 2015
SportsCenter Las Vegas Themed Opening
The new SportsCenter starring Scott Van Pelt has a Las Vegas theme as part of the opening sequence.
Van Pelt is a known fan of Las Vegas and frequently discusses betting on his show - rare for the family friendly ESPN. He was featured on one of those Travel Channel shows about Las Vegas a long time ago.
Van Pelt is a known fan of Las Vegas and frequently discusses betting on his show - rare for the family friendly ESPN. He was featured on one of those Travel Channel shows about Las Vegas a long time ago.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Pawn Plaza Opens
One of the more unexpected Las Vegas development projects is Pawn Plaza. It's a mini shopping center right next to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop which was made famous by the television show Pawn Stars.
The pawn shop has become so much of a tourist attraction because of the TV show that a strip mall was essentially built to take advantage of overflow crowds.
The pawn shop is located in a non-touristy area, so building coffee shops, bars, and restaurants where people can go before or after visiting the gift, I mean pawn shop is a good idea... I guess.
I'm just wondering what's going to happen when the heat from the TV show dies down, and they're left with a (somewhat) upscale shopping center in the middle of a not-so-upscale neighborhood.
Pawn Plaza celebrated a grand opening Friday night complete with celebrity guests including presidential candidate Marco Rubio.
The pawn shop has become so much of a tourist attraction because of the TV show that a strip mall was essentially built to take advantage of overflow crowds.
The pawn shop is located in a non-touristy area, so building coffee shops, bars, and restaurants where people can go before or after visiting the gift, I mean pawn shop is a good idea... I guess.
I'm just wondering what's going to happen when the heat from the TV show dies down, and they're left with a (somewhat) upscale shopping center in the middle of a not-so-upscale neighborhood.
Pawn Plaza celebrated a grand opening Friday night complete with celebrity guests including presidential candidate Marco Rubio.
Sunday, October 04, 2015
Cody Saintgnue 1OAK Mirage Incident
There was an interesting article in the Review Journal about an incident that took place involving actor Cody Saintgnue at 1OAK nightclub at The Mirage last June.
Saintgnue is an actor on the MTV series Teen Wolf and has also had parts on Southland, House, and Criminal Minds. In a recent lawsuit he claims that he was assaulted by 1OAK and Mirage security after a dispute about his bill.
Saintgnue was allegedly invited into a VIP area but only stayed there for a few minutes. After leaving that area the nightclub tried to charge him exorbitant fees for entering that area, which Saintgnue refused to pay.
That's when he was escorted out of the club and allegedly told never to return to any MGM Resorts International property. Some of the incident can be seen in the this video:
Saintgnue is an actor on the MTV series Teen Wolf and has also had parts on Southland, House, and Criminal Minds. In a recent lawsuit he claims that he was assaulted by 1OAK and Mirage security after a dispute about his bill.
Saintgnue was allegedly invited into a VIP area but only stayed there for a few minutes. After leaving that area the nightclub tried to charge him exorbitant fees for entering that area, which Saintgnue refused to pay.
That's when he was escorted out of the club and allegedly told never to return to any MGM Resorts International property. Some of the incident can be seen in the this video:
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
The Real World at Gold Spike
The Real World is filming an upcoming season in Las Vegas. Gold Spike downtown has been reported by multiple sources as the residence for the show's participants.
The Real World was one of (maybe the first?) reality television shows when it first debuted on MTV in 1992. This upcoming season will be the show's 31st overall, and third time in Las Vegas.
The 12th season of The Real World in 2002 took place at The Palms. The popularity of that season cemented The Palms as the place to be for younger tourists to party in Las Vegas in the early to mid 2000's.
The 25th season in 2011 also took place in Las Vegas at The Hard Rock. By this time the show's popularity wasn't as high, so I don't think it gave The Hard Rock the cool factor boost they were hoping for.
Gold Spike definitely has the hip factor being owned by Downtown Project and recently removing their old-people casino in favor of millennial approved board games and live music.
It will be interesting to see if the TV show will attract any additional foot traffic to the struggling Downtown Grand across the street.
The Real World was one of (maybe the first?) reality television shows when it first debuted on MTV in 1992. This upcoming season will be the show's 31st overall, and third time in Las Vegas.
The 12th season of The Real World in 2002 took place at The Palms. The popularity of that season cemented The Palms as the place to be for younger tourists to party in Las Vegas in the early to mid 2000's.
The 25th season in 2011 also took place in Las Vegas at The Hard Rock. By this time the show's popularity wasn't as high, so I don't think it gave The Hard Rock the cool factor boost they were hoping for.
Gold Spike definitely has the hip factor being owned by Downtown Project and recently removing their old-people casino in favor of millennial approved board games and live music.
It will be interesting to see if the TV show will attract any additional foot traffic to the struggling Downtown Grand across the street.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
The Player TV Show - Fake Las Vegas Hotels
The new Las Vegas TV series "The Player" premiered earlier tonight. The show stars Wesley Snipes, Philip Winchester and Charity Wakefield. The somewhat ridiculous premise of the show is that ultra wealthy gamblers bet on whether crimes will be committed, and whether "The Player" will be able to intervene to prevent those crimes.
As I had speculated in my earlier blog post about The Player, despite the Las Vegas setting and loose gambling premise it seems this will be more of a standard action-crime drama and probably won't have much to do with Vegas itself. I'm guessing as the series goes on we'll see less and less of Las Vegas stuff, like what happened with CSI over the years.
One of the things I was looking forward to was seeing what type of artistic license the show would take with Las Vegas hotels.
Right off the bat we were presented with a fake hotel called Charlemagne located near Treasure Island:
Another fake hotel that was also in the trailer is called Occam and located right accross from Wynn where the proposed Alon Resort will be:
They even gave us a nice close up of this one:
Except seconds later there was this establishing shot where Occam was nowhere to be found. Oops.
As I had speculated in my earlier blog post about The Player, despite the Las Vegas setting and loose gambling premise it seems this will be more of a standard action-crime drama and probably won't have much to do with Vegas itself. I'm guessing as the series goes on we'll see less and less of Las Vegas stuff, like what happened with CSI over the years.
One of the things I was looking forward to was seeing what type of artistic license the show would take with Las Vegas hotels.
Right off the bat we were presented with a fake hotel called Charlemagne located near Treasure Island:
Another fake hotel that was also in the trailer is called Occam and located right accross from Wynn where the proposed Alon Resort will be:
They even gave us a nice close up of this one:
Except seconds later there was this establishing shot where Occam was nowhere to be found. Oops.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Wesley Snipes Las Vegas TV Show
Wesley Snipes is set to star in a new Las Vegas TV show called "The Player." The show will be produced by the executive producers of "The Blacklist" and will also be starring Philip Winchester.
"The Player" is set to debut September 24, 2015. It's regular time-slot will be Thursdays at 10/9c.
Despite being set in Las Vegas, it seems this will be more of a standard action-crime drama and probably won't have much to do with Vegas itself.
One interesting tidbit from the trailer is a "fake" hotel on the Strip across from Wynn - on the site where the new Alon will be. Las Vegas TV shows and movies are notorious for using creative license with the fictitious creation and placement of Vegas hotels. It looks like the fake hotel in "The Player" is called Occam.
"The Player" is set to debut September 24, 2015. It's regular time-slot will be Thursdays at 10/9c.
Despite being set in Las Vegas, it seems this will be more of a standard action-crime drama and probably won't have much to do with Vegas itself.
One interesting tidbit from the trailer is a "fake" hotel on the Strip across from Wynn - on the site where the new Alon will be. Las Vegas TV shows and movies are notorious for using creative license with the fictitious creation and placement of Vegas hotels. It looks like the fake hotel in "The Player" is called Occam.
Monday, July 06, 2015
Las Vegas Cowboy Sheriff Ralph Lamb dies at 88
Legendary Las Vegas lawman Ralph Lamb has died at the age of 88.
Lamb was known for doing battle with the mafia in the early days of Las Vegas. He was famous for his old school tactics, but part of his legacy was bringing Clark County into the modern age - ultimately helping to form the Metro Police Department.
A Nevada born Las Vegas fixture, Lamb even had a close relationship with Steve Wynn.
Lamb's life was loosely portrayed by Dennis Quaid in the CBS drama "Vegas" which ran from 2012-2013.
I watched "Vegas", and while the show had potential they focused too much on the procedural aspect and only scratched the surface of the more interesting story-lines of the mob in Las Vegas.
Bugsy, Casino and The Godfather have already touched on early mob-controlled Las Vegas - but I feel like old Las Vegas would be still be a great setting for a dramatic movie or TV show if done right.
Lamb was known for doing battle with the mafia in the early days of Las Vegas. He was famous for his old school tactics, but part of his legacy was bringing Clark County into the modern age - ultimately helping to form the Metro Police Department.
A Nevada born Las Vegas fixture, Lamb even had a close relationship with Steve Wynn.
Lamb's life was loosely portrayed by Dennis Quaid in the CBS drama "Vegas" which ran from 2012-2013.
I watched "Vegas", and while the show had potential they focused too much on the procedural aspect and only scratched the surface of the more interesting story-lines of the mob in Las Vegas.
Bugsy, Casino and The Godfather have already touched on early mob-controlled Las Vegas - but I feel like old Las Vegas would be still be a great setting for a dramatic movie or TV show if done right.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Vanessa Rousso is on Big Brother 17
Las Vegas poker pro Vanessa Rousso is on the newest season of Big Brother, which started last night - June 24, 2015.
Rousso wasn't featured on the first episode. She will enter the house on the second night which will air tonight - June 25, 2015.
Since learning Rousso will be on Big Brother I've been wondering if she will reveal that she's a professional poker player. I'm guessing that she won't - but one of the other house-guests Da'Vonne Rogers is a poker dealer, so she might recognize Rousso.
Appearing on Big Brother means Vanessa Rousso will likely miss this year's World Series of Poker Main Event which begins on July 5, 2015.
Rousso wasn't featured on the first episode. She will enter the house on the second night which will air tonight - June 25, 2015.
Since learning Rousso will be on Big Brother I've been wondering if she will reveal that she's a professional poker player. I'm guessing that she won't - but one of the other house-guests Da'Vonne Rogers is a poker dealer, so she might recognize Rousso.
Appearing on Big Brother means Vanessa Rousso will likely miss this year's World Series of Poker Main Event which begins on July 5, 2015.
Monday, February 06, 2012
Vegas Stripped on Travel Channel
Travel Channel is introducing some Las Vegas programming this week when they debut the new series Vegas Stripped.
Although they have strikingly similar names, this is a completely different show from Vegas Strip on truTV.
Vegas Stripped will document the goings on at South Point, which makes the show's title even more strange, since most people would consider South Point an off-Strip property (even though it's technically located on Las Vegas Boulevard).
Vegas Stripped looks similar to the trio of Vegas reality TV shows that aired back in 2004-05: American Casino (Green Valley Ranch), The Casino (Golden Nugget) and Caesars 24/7 (Caesars Palace).
Those shows were all entertaining, but lost steam after a few episodes. I expect the same fate for Vegas Stripped. The first two episodes will air Wednesday, February 8 at 10:00 PM and 10:30 PM ET/PT.
Although they have strikingly similar names, this is a completely different show from Vegas Strip on truTV.
Vegas Stripped will document the goings on at South Point, which makes the show's title even more strange, since most people would consider South Point an off-Strip property (even though it's technically located on Las Vegas Boulevard).
Vegas Stripped looks similar to the trio of Vegas reality TV shows that aired back in 2004-05: American Casino (Green Valley Ranch), The Casino (Golden Nugget) and Caesars 24/7 (Caesars Palace).
Those shows were all entertaining, but lost steam after a few episodes. I expect the same fate for Vegas Stripped. The first two episodes will air Wednesday, February 8 at 10:00 PM and 10:30 PM ET/PT.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Undercover Boss - Diamond Resorts International
The season premiere of Undercover Boss airing tonight features Las Vegas company Diamond Resorts International.
The company owns various timeshares around the globe including the Polo Towers on the Strip.
CEO Stephen Cloobeck will be doing the usual gimmick of dressing up as a common employee in order to get a better feel of what's going on in the company. At the end of the episode he'll probably end up giving the employees he worked with cash and prizes.
While this episode might not be as Vegas-centric as the MGM Grand episode was, it still might be worth checking out. Set your DVR for CBS at 8/7c.
The company owns various timeshares around the globe including the Polo Towers on the Strip.
CEO Stephen Cloobeck will be doing the usual gimmick of dressing up as a common employee in order to get a better feel of what's going on in the company. At the end of the episode he'll probably end up giving the employees he worked with cash and prizes.
While this episode might not be as Vegas-centric as the MGM Grand episode was, it still might be worth checking out. Set your DVR for CBS at 8/7c.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
CBS 1960's Las Vegas Crime Drama
1960's era Las Vegas might be coming to your television screen soon. CBS is developing a series based on the life and times of Ralph Lamb, the former Las Vegas sheriff (from 1961-1979) who battled the mob and helped form the Metro Police Department.
While the show is still in early stages, it looks promising. Nicholas Pileggi will be doing most of the writing. His previous work includes Goodfellas and Casino, so he knows his way around a good drama. Walk The Line director James Mangold is also attached to the project.
If the show makes it on the air, it will be fascinating to see how they re-create 1960's Las Vegas. They definitely can't use many of the current Las Vegas buildings. Maybe the Riviera and some parts of downtown. They'll most certainly need to build a large sound-stage like Boardwalk Empire did to recreate 1920's Atlantic City.
For more about the show: The Hollywood Reporter.
While the show is still in early stages, it looks promising. Nicholas Pileggi will be doing most of the writing. His previous work includes Goodfellas and Casino, so he knows his way around a good drama. Walk The Line director James Mangold is also attached to the project.
If the show makes it on the air, it will be fascinating to see how they re-create 1960's Las Vegas. They definitely can't use many of the current Las Vegas buildings. Maybe the Riviera and some parts of downtown. They'll most certainly need to build a large sound-stage like Boardwalk Empire did to recreate 1920's Atlantic City.
For more about the show: The Hollywood Reporter.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Vegas Strip on truTV
With recent violence on Las Vegas Boulevard, the new TV show Vegas Strip is somewhat timely. The COPS style show will follow police officers in Las Vegas.
Like other reality shows on truTV, some of the situations in the trailer look staged. It probably won't be great, but I'll likely catch a few episodes. There might be some good Vegas scenery if nothing else.
UPDATE: I watched the first two episodes of the show. It actually didn't look staged, although there were a couple of instances that could have been. The show is pretty much the same as COPS, just on the Vegas Strip.
Like other reality shows on truTV, some of the situations in the trailer look staged. It probably won't be great, but I'll likely catch a few episodes. There might be some good Vegas scenery if nothing else.
UPDATE: I watched the first two episodes of the show. It actually didn't look staged, although there were a couple of instances that could have been. The show is pretty much the same as COPS, just on the Vegas Strip.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Undercover Boss - MGM Grand
MGM Grand COO Scott Sibella was on the most recent episode of the CBS show Undercover Boss. If you haven't seen the show, the premise is that someone in upper management of a company goes undercover to work with the employees in order to see what's going on with the daily operations and to see if anything can be done better. Most of the time the employees are great, down-on-their-luck people and the boss ends up giving them a promotion or a raise.
In the MGM Grand episode Sibella worked on the casino floor as a blackjack and roulette dealer. He walked the slot floor trying to get people to sign up for players cards. He also worked the front desk of the hotel. All of the employees turned out to be great people (probably not a coincidence) and were rewarded for their efforts at the end of the show.
Aside from a few unique Las Vegas scenes (including a cool time-lapse of the Mirage construction) this episode was pretty much in-line with other episodes of Undercover Boss that I've seen. It gives some insight into the inner workings of a casino, but nothing that any true Vegas fan hasn't seen before.
You can watch the full episode at CBS.
In the MGM Grand episode Sibella worked on the casino floor as a blackjack and roulette dealer. He walked the slot floor trying to get people to sign up for players cards. He also worked the front desk of the hotel. All of the employees turned out to be great people (probably not a coincidence) and were rewarded for their efforts at the end of the show.
Aside from a few unique Las Vegas scenes (including a cool time-lapse of the Mirage construction) this episode was pretty much in-line with other episodes of Undercover Boss that I've seen. It gives some insight into the inner workings of a casino, but nothing that any true Vegas fan hasn't seen before.
You can watch the full episode at CBS.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Real World Returning to Las Vegas
The Real World is rumored to be returning to Las Vegas for its 25th season. This time the MTV reality show will be located at the Hard Rock.
In 2002 The Real World put the Palms on the map when the show was located in a penthouse suite at that hotel. The success of that show led to the Palms becoming a hot spot for the 20-something Vegas club crowd.
This should be a mutually beneficial relationship between MTV and the city of Las Vegas. From what I understand the show's ratings have been a bit down recently, and so having it in a city like Vegas could boost that a little. On the other side having Las Vegas in a popular TV show will definitely create some buzz and might expose Las Vegas to the younger MTV viewers.
Source: MTV Real World News Blog.
In 2002 The Real World put the Palms on the map when the show was located in a penthouse suite at that hotel. The success of that show led to the Palms becoming a hot spot for the 20-something Vegas club crowd.
This should be a mutually beneficial relationship between MTV and the city of Las Vegas. From what I understand the show's ratings have been a bit down recently, and so having it in a city like Vegas could boost that a little. On the other side having Las Vegas in a popular TV show will definitely create some buzz and might expose Las Vegas to the younger MTV viewers.
Source: MTV Real World News Blog.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Las Vegas Commercials coming to NFL Broadcasts
The National Football League is now going to allow Las Vegas advertisements on NFL TV broadcasts. Previously the league had banned Las Vegas advertising during games. The commercials will still have to fit a strict criteria though as references to gaming, specific hotels, and potentially suggestive ads (like the What Happens Here Stays Here campaign) are still banned.
The NFL gave Vegas commercials a trial run during the 2010 playoffs and it was apparently successful enough to allow the advertising to continue into this regular season.
While I can understand why the NFL wouldn't want to advertise gambling, many have pointed out that they have no problem advertising products like alcohol and Viagra (although they do ban certain other products). Either way Las Vegas is much more than gaming nowadays so I don't think the restrictions will hinder the overdue marketing of the city on NFL broadcasts. It should be a win-win for both Vegas and the NFL.
Source: Las Vegas Sun.
The NFL gave Vegas commercials a trial run during the 2010 playoffs and it was apparently successful enough to allow the advertising to continue into this regular season.
While I can understand why the NFL wouldn't want to advertise gambling, many have pointed out that they have no problem advertising products like alcohol and Viagra (although they do ban certain other products). Either way Las Vegas is much more than gaming nowadays so I don't think the restrictions will hinder the overdue marketing of the city on NFL broadcasts. It should be a win-win for both Vegas and the NFL.
Source: Las Vegas Sun.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
True Beauty - ABC Show
I stumbled upon the ABC reality show "True Beauty" last night. The contestants on the show think that they are on a show called "Face of Vegas" where they are auditioning to become a spokesperson for the city of Las Vegas. In reality they are being secretly judged on their character along with their real spokesperson skills.
The show is pretty much mindless reality fare, but it is chock full of Vegasy stuff. The majority of the show takes place at Planet Hollywood (does every Vegas show or movie take place there?), and in the episode I watched they were hanging out at some pretty noticeable landmarks, including the pool and the CHI Showroom. Penn and Teller made an appearance which is always a plus. Establishing shots of the strip were also plentiful.
The show is nothing special, but I will probably continue to watch because of the Vegas scenes alone. You can watch full episodes online at ABC.com.
The show is pretty much mindless reality fare, but it is chock full of Vegasy stuff. The majority of the show takes place at Planet Hollywood (does every Vegas show or movie take place there?), and in the episode I watched they were hanging out at some pretty noticeable landmarks, including the pool and the CHI Showroom. Penn and Teller made an appearance which is always a plus. Establishing shots of the strip were also plentiful.
The show is nothing special, but I will probably continue to watch because of the Vegas scenes alone. You can watch full episodes online at ABC.com.
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