Plans For High Speed Vegas Train Unveiled

DesertXpress Enterprises has a plan. Build a high-speed train between Las Vegas and Victorville, California and people will ride it. This would be a private project, not the government funded project that Senator Harry Reid is pushing. Cost would be about $55 for a one way trip. They are looking at having the project completed in 4 years.

More details in this story in the Las Vegas Sun

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/28/high-speed-vegas-victorville-train-line-be-unveile/

Former Rebel Glen Gondrezick Dies Of Heart Troubles

Former Rebel basketball star Glen Gondrezick died this morning in a Las Vegas hospital of complications from a recent heart transplant.

"Gondo" played on the 1977 Rebel team that went to the Final Four in Atlanta. He had worked the last decade as the color man on the UNLV basketball broadcasts. After a career in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, Gondo returned to Las Vegas to become a broadcaster and work in the casino industry.

I considered "Gondo" a great friend. The irony here is that he had a heart as kind as could be, but also carried with it a congenital disease that ultimately took his life.

Glen Gondrezick was 53 years old.

Editors note: You can watch Gondo in the 1976 game vs. Iowa State here on this web site. Go to the SPORTS tab and it is under the BASKETBALL section.

"Summer of 69: Vegas or Bust"

Get out your tie dye!

The Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas is planning a summer of fun in the sun to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Summer of '69.

The celebration offers tourists and residents a summer full of free concerts by major iconic bands from 1969, including The Guess Who, Blood Sweat & Tears, Rare Earth, Janis Joplin’s Original Band Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Grass Roots, Jefferson Starship, The 5th Dimension, Canned Heat and Three Dog Night.

Fremont Street Experience will transform itself for the 40th anniversary of 1969 by taking visitors back to the legendary year. The “Summer of ’69: Vegas or Bust” event series kicks off Memorial Day weekend and continues 108 days through Labor Day weekend. All summer long, themed nightly entertainment will also include cover bands and tribute artists, theatrical performances with costumed entertainers, new Viva Vision shows paying tribute to the year 1969 and special guest appearances. All concerts and entertainment are free to the public.

Movie Review "The Soloist"

By Christian Toto http://whatwouldtotowatch.com/


"The Soloist” oozes with obvious Oscar potential.

Two terrific leads. A Brit director coming off the highly regarded, albeit overrated, “Atonement.” And a subject - mental illness - that’s often irresistible to Academy voters. So why did it get bumped from December 2008 to April 24, a decidedly un-Oscar friendly release date? You might still be wondering that question mid-film, because the movie’s innumerable flaws, mostly minor with one glaring exception, haven’t come into focus quite yet.

Robert Downey, Jr. is Steve Lopez, an LA Times reporter - that’s someone who works at an old-fangled place called a newspaper, kids - who meets a homeless man with a remarkable back story.

Nathaniel (Jamie Foxx) once attended Julliard, but now he lives on the street, spending his days filling the City of Angels with heavenly music.
It’s the notes in his head that are all off key. Mental illness derailed a once promising career, but Steve thinks he can help Nathaniel rebuild his life.
“The Soloist,” based on a true story, doesn’t succumb to the usual cliches concerning mental illness. Expect no miracle cures or amazing bouts of sanity at just the right time.

The film’s real problem involves the reporter, not the mental patient. We simply don’t get to know him well enough to care. Is he a jerk? A selfless man looking out for others? A combustible combination of the two?
The film can’t decide, and as good as Downey, Jr. is here he can’t make the decision for us. Squandered support from Catherine Keener as his ex-wife doesn’t help, nor do several intrusive scenes in which we learn what a wonderful, caring mayor LA has. And the film could ease up on the U.S. flag imagery. At one point, Nathaniel goes so far as to sport an Uncle Sam hat, another prop from his Homeless ‘09 collection.

“The Soloist” is occasionally moving, and it reminds us of the vibrant role the arts can play in all our lives. The musical sequences, although often overwrought, can’t help but move us. But given the talent on board and the fascinating true tale behind it, it’s no wonder the film morphed from Oscar bait to a sporadically engaging spring release.

Ice Cream Social Saturday to Celebrate Family Week

Ice Cream Social
Saturday, April 25th from 2pm to 6pm
Town Square
Olive Crest presents Our Town 2009 with Celebrate Family week being held April 19-25. Wrap-up Celebrate Family Week with an Ice Cream social at Town Square. Bring the family for a day in the sun and cool off with an ice cream sandwich!! Entertainment provided and opportunities to purchase raffle tickets for fabulous prizes will be available at the event. Come out to support Olive Crest and Town Square during Child Abuse Prevention month!

So Cal Man Wins $2.5 Mil at North Las Vegas Casino

It's a nice day to hit it big in Vegas. Enoch Flowers of Compton, California won nearly 2.5 million dollars playing at the Opera House casino this afternoon. Flowers used to live in Las Vegas and he used to work at the Opera House in North Las Vegas.

Flowers is a truck driver who makes 2 runs each night between Los Angeles and San Diego. He says his plans are to be at work for his shift on Sunday, but as soon as they can find a replacement for him he plans in leaving his job.

More details to come....this story is developing this afternoon. You can see the video on localslovevegas.com. You are welcome to use the video with Enoch Flowers being interviewed by Ron Futrell, but you must give courtesy to "localslovevegas.com

City Councilman Wants To Raise Ticket Fines

Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Wolfson wants to raise the fines that people pay when they get parking tickets. Right now you would pay anywhere from $20 for a meter that expires, to $250 for parking in a fire lane Wolfson says the City may double those fines. Times are tough and they need more money. Last year the city collected nearly $7 million in parking fines. Double that, and you just might double that.....or else people will just be more careful and not park in those places. Hey, that's a novel concept! Stay tuned. Lots of stuff has to happen before this would ever become law, but they are looking at it right now.

NASCAR, Dec 4th At Wynn Las Vegas

It's official! NASCAR announced today that its annual awards ceremony will be held Dec. 4th, 2009 at Wynn Las Vegas.

This is something Las Vegas has been working to get for years. The ceremony had been held in New York city for the last 24 years because NASCAR wanted to attract the marketing gurus of Madison Avenue, now they are going after the glitz and glamor of Americans most exciting city.

Now, let's work on getting a Cup race for Las Vegas. Perhaps in the fall, during The Chase.

More details here:

http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/opinion/04/11/inside.line.dcaraviello.vegas.banquet.recap/index.html

Rankings For Local Media Web Sites

A fun place to go on the web is http://www.alexa.com/. It's a simple place where web sites are ranked according to number of hits and number of visitors. These are no-nonsense numbers, they are what they are. If you're getting the hits, you get the ranking. This is not like newspaper subscription numbers and TV ratings numbers which are easily manipulated.

So here goes. Checking today's rankings it will not surprise you that the Las Vegas Review Journal and the Las Vegas Sun are at the top of the heap, by a long shot. Local TV stations are far behind but bring with them some interesting numbers. KLAS TV, Channel 8 is the king of the hill there, followed by Fox 5, KVBC and KTNV, in that order. So here goes, today's numbers (rounded off), just for fun, but this is big business out there folks. The first number is the media outlets USA RANKING, the second number is the WORLD RANKING amongst all web sites. The lower the number the better, for example, Google is #1, Yahoo is #2.....

Media

LVRJ..................2,600---10,700
LV Sun...............3,900---17,600

KLAS................12,100---50,500
Fox 5................14,300---80,500
KVBC...............22,500---98,800
KTNV..............29,600--102,500

As for Las Vegas radio statons, Mix 91.4 is king of the hill. Hand it to Mark and Mercedes. Ranked 76,300 in the USA and 357,100 around the world.

Hey, as for localslovevegas.com. We have a staff of one and we are barely 3 months old. I feel pretty good about being in the top 500,000 web sites in the USA out of more than 10 million web sites out there. It's just little ol' me putting this stuff together, and people are beginning to notice and they are spreading the word and keep coming back for more. Thanks!

Time To Get A New Baseball Stadium?

With the economic recession, it is probably not the best time to be talking about a new baseball stadium for Las Vegas, but if Reno can do it.....

Reno did it and it is beautiful. Of course, they started the planning on this years ago when they added a rental car tax to foot the bill. Get tourists to buy your baseball stadium? Heck of an idea if you can get it done. It seems Las Vegas just can't seem to get it done, or doesn't see the need to get it done.

Cashman Field was one of minor league baseball's finest when it was built in 1983.....but that was then.

Check out the full story from Ron Kantowski in the Las Vegas Sun

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/22/grass-greener-reno-really/

Local Concert For Youngest Poltical Prisoner

Concert For "The Youngest Political Prisoner"

Local musicians will play a Benefit concert on April 25, 2009, at the Spiritual Life Center, 1420 E. Harmon Ave, Las Vegas NV. 89119, from 7:30 PM - 9:00.

This benefit concert is for The Panchen Lama – Tashi Lhunpo Project Inc. which supports the monastery in exile of the Panchen Lama as recognized by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Donations are welcome. Musicians include: Guitarist Robby LeBlanc, Jazz Pianist Melvin Macias, Classical Pianist Master Gavin Bader, Violonist Virtuoso Judith Pinkerton, Bassist Justine Vogel.

April 25 marks the 20th birthday of the missing Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima,once known as “The World’s Youngest Political Prisoner". In 2006, His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, appointed Khen Rinpoche Geshe Tsetan to be the Abbot of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in exile, India. This appointment is in the absence of the Panchen Lama’s leadership. This monastery needs significant work and updating. There are only 300 monks, about half of whom are children, with inadequate facilities. The assembly hall/temple needs to be rebuilt to accommodate up 1,500 monks. This monasatery is one of the oldest in the Tibetan tradition. All money collected will go to the Panchen Lama - Tashi Lhunpo Project, Inc, a 501(c)3 public charity organization. April 25, 2009 there will be a free/benefit concert to help the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in exile.

The website is: http://www.stringsfortibet.com/ If you have any questions about this event please contact Robby LeBlanc at 702-798-1750 or by email at robbyleblanc@cox.net.

Nevada Assembly Defies U.S. Constitution

Interesting things going on in Carson City right now.

The State Assembly passed a bill that basically says that Nevada's Presidential Electors will cast their ballot for the candidate that wins the popular vote in the national Presidential election, instead of who gets the most votes in Nevada. Basically, Legislators have now said that Nevada will defer to the candidate who gets the most votes in the national election, and that's where Nevada's 5 Electoral Votes would go.

Assembly Bill 413 passed today on a strict party line vote. 27 Democrats for, 14 Republicans against. The bill would still have to pass the Senate, then the governor would have to sign it for it to become law in Nevada.

Las Vegas Sun Wins Pulitzer Prize

The Las Vegas Sun won a Pulitzer Prize for public service for construction worker death stories. According to the Pulitzer Web site, the honor was "awarded to the Las Vegas Sun, and notably the courageous reporting by Alexandra Berzon, for the exposure of the high death rate among construction workers on the Las Vegas Strip amid lax enforcement of regulations, leading to changes in policy and improved safety conditions." The Pulitzers are the most prestigious award in journalism.

Congrats! More info on the Sun web site.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/20/las-vegas-sun-wins-pulitzer-prize/

High Ranking for LocalsLoveVegas.com

Some big news for LocalsLoveVegas.com this week. Okay, this follows on the heels that we passed the HALF A MILLION mark for hits! We're a little over 3 months old and feel pretty good about that.

The news this week, we are now ranked 469,909 in the nation according to Alexa.com. Okay, I know there aren't enough people in a full stadium to hold up that many foam fingers, but there are more than 10 million web sites in the USA, so to get a ranking in the top 500,000 this soon is pretty exciting.

Also, another goal we had was to get high on the search sites. If you google "locals vegas" we are usually the first or second site that comes up. Anybody above us, usually pays for that privilege, which we have not done. We earned it through hits.

We are adding regular news updates and plenty of new videos all the time. Check out the new videos on the HISTORY page. Some great old stuff there from casinos long gone.

Thanks for checking us out. More fun stuff to come!

Crank: High Voltage Movie Review

By Christian Toto http://whatwouldtotowatch.com/

Remember that trailer for the “Crank” sequel, the one that made you feel like you’d fail a drug test after watching it?

“Crank: High Voltage” is even more frenetic than you expect. Dumber than dumb. Crazier than crazy. And chock full of fun before it, ironically, runs out out juice. “Shoot ‘em Up” looks like “The Remains of the Day” by comparison. Jason Statham returns as Chev Chelios, who starts the movie by dropping from the sky, landing on top of a car and, of course, surviving.
He’s captured by Chinese thugs who remove his heart and leave him with an artificial ticker. Seems his organs are in demand given his ability to withstand all sorts of punishment - and walk away without a scratch.
Chelios escapes before doctors can snip away any more vital parts, and the chase is officially on to reclaim his “strawberry tart.”

Yes, the movie stops cold to explain Chelios-speak.

But Chelios needs to keep recharging his fake heart in order to stay alive … and pummel the guys who took it. “Crank: High Voltage” is so over the top in so many ways you’ll need an abacus just to keep score. It’s doesn’t just dabble in racial stereotypes, it implodes them until they litter the screen.
Co-star Amy Smart doesn’t simply bare her breasts, she has sex with Chelios in the middle of a race track - and that’s before her stripping scene and grrrl power fight with a mulleted ex-beau. Her wardrobe for the film could fit on a single hanger.

Country crooner Dwight Yoakam somehow fares worse, especially when he’s asked to emote while sitting on the commode. He’s either a good sport, or he lost a really embarrassing bet.

Writer/directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor slice and dice the footage, use split screens when the mood strikes and cobble together the action sequences as if they were just as juiced as Chelios. It’s not for the squeamish - or for those with even a smidge of moral righteousness. Everyone else will enjoy roughly 50 minutes of sheer adrenaline. But Neveldine and Taylor run out of card tricks long before Chelios and his tart can be reunited, and the final moments are ugly without the benefit of wit, humor or even the kind of excess that made the preceding scenes feel so liberating.

Pool Season Opens In LV

Tis the season for pool parties in Las Vegas. Funny thing, it happens every year about this time. The weekends become a time for folks to hang out poolside and enjoy the sights and the sunshine. Just a warning, if you think it's a place to take the kids to show them your latest new dive/cannonball, think again. Pool season is party season in Las Vegas. It all began a few years back with "Rehab" at the Hard Rock and hasn't slowed down. $150 a pop to get in at some places (that's a party for the hotel/casinos).

Check out the latest from the Las Vegas Sun (and congrats on the Pulitzer Prize-not for this article, but on one much more significant).

http://lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/19/pool-season-opens-las-vegas-splash-celebrities/

Has The Obit For LV Been Written?

Great article online in the Las Vegas Sun about how national publications are writting Las Vegas off. The tough economy has made times difficult for Las Vegas, but this is certainly not the first time and won't be the last that the obit has been written for our city. Here's a short read of some headlines from the past about Las Vegas:

• “Both Las Vegas and Reno are ‘flops’ as Monte Carlos” — The New York Times, 1931
• “Snake Eyes in Las Vegas” — Time, 1955
• “Economy deals Vegas a losing hand” — Chicago Tribune, 1982
And yet, somehow, Las Vegas escaped the reaper’s scythe to become a metropolitan area of almost 2 million people. So, in times of woe, it might help to look back on our past.

Read the full article by Brendan Buhler here:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/19/vegas-good-news-always-trails-bad-press/

The Battle Over Federal Funds

Most states are taking the funds from the federal government being sent to the states for the so-called "stimulus" program being instituted by the Obama Administration. A few, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Alaska have resisted saying that they don't want the strings that are attatched to federal dollars.

Looks like Nevada is falling in line to take the Federal dollars. Governor Gibbons plans to sign the paperwork next week to bring an additional $400 billion to Nevada with most of that money being spent on education.

(Remember when Kenny Guinn had a $300 million dollar surplus and returned that money via the auto registration program?)

One wonders how much better off the states would be if they were able to keep their own money to spend as they see fit, instead of sending that money to D.C. only to have a portion of it returned and with mandates on how it must be spent. This news is creating a bit of a battle in Carson City, but with Democrats in control right now, it looks like this battle is pretty much over and the money (that remember, was once ours) is being returned with rules on how it must be spent.

LVCVA Wants To Attract Locals

Las Vegas casinos have fallen for their first love.

Las Vegas casinos are making a push to get the local customers to their properties. If you look at the last 25 years or so of marketing casinos in Las Vegas it has been an interesting study.

There was a time when locals showed up at casinos and virtually everything was free. You knew somebody, or somebody knew you, and you were let in for free. Locals rarely paid for anything. If you didn't know somebody, you just showed your Nevada drivers license, and chances are you were "comped".

Then, when Las Vegas casinos got bigger and better the locals were an afterthought and marketing dollars were spent heavily in Southern California and big cities in the eastern United States, and then eventually, to a world wide audience. While marketing there will still be strong, the push is also to get deals for locals.

The reason for this is a combination of things. With a struggling economy, why not go after the people who are already here? Also, the Valley has grown to 2 million people, so we are now one of those big cities that Las Vegas can market to, while we are just down the street.

A return to Old School Vegas, sort of. We certainly applaud this at LocalsLoveVegas.com

Here's the link to the new LVCVA web site. An announcement to be made on Thursday.

http://www.stayandplayhere.com/index.jsp

Observe And Report-Movie Review

By Christian Toto http://www.whatwouldtotowatch.com/

"Observe and Report"

The fledgling mall cop movie genre just got ugly.

“Observe and Report” might seem, at a hurried glance, a kissing cousin to Kevin James’ recent smash “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.” But the two couldn’t be more different beyond disposable similarities. They both star husky leading men who love their job.Think “Paul Blart” meets “Bad Santa.” But worse.Seth Rogen stars as Ronnie, a mall security guard out to stop a flasher who keeps startling people in and around the mall. Ronnie takes the new threat a bit too seriously. He’s a loner and a loser, and he just may be psychotic. But you never wanna let a serious crisis go to waste, so he uses the flasher threat to romance a fellow mall employee (Anna Faris) who works as a makeup technician. Somehow, Faris’ character is nearly as ugly as everything else in the film, and it goes without saying “Observe” wastes her comic greatness. “Observe” bravely attempts to walk the black comedy line, but it keeps falling off the wire. Rogen, teetering on over exposure, gives a nuanced, full bodied performance here, arguably the best of his career. But the material serves him poorly.

He’s a psychopath, but one we should rally around, a delusional fool cast as a hero in this muddy morality tale.

A few shock laughs work, including some significant frontal nudity that’s the best gag in the whole film. And Celia Weston, the hardest working older character actress in the biz, nails her scenes as Ronnie’s drunk ma. But while recent comedies sported great supporting players - and performances - “Observe” makes do with only a few decent ones.

Michael Pena is funny, all right, as Ronnie’s lisping second in command, but Pena’s story arc is where the film flies straight off the rails.“Observe and Report” has guts. It doesn’t have a commercial bone in its body, and it dares to cast the likable Rogen in his most challenging role to date. Writer/director Jody Hill could be a major talent, but films like this show he hasn’t flashed us his best material yet.

Two out of Four Stars

Vegas U2 Tickets on Sale

Oct 23rd U2 will perform at Sam Boyd Stadium here in Las Vegas. They put on a great show, I will probably head out to see them once again, but....and here's the big BUT, to get the first tickets you need to log on to the U2 web site and register there. It costs $50 to register on the web site for the right to THEN BUY the tickets for the concert. Come on Bono. Lighten up just a bit there, bud.

APRIL 4TH RACES NOW UP!

Check em out, the April 4th races are now up. We have the full race schedule from that weekend, including the USAC Midgets and the Legends cars from that weekend. Also, check out the NHRA guys in the roadster cars.

Go to the SPORTS page and you will find them there.

Spread the word. Enjoy!

Steve Wynn To Appear On 60Mins.

This Sunday local casino owner Steve Wynn will make an appearance on the CBS magazine show 60 Minutes. Wynn hasn't said much about what the this weekends appearance will be about, but let's take a wild guess that the economy and Las Vegas will be discussed just a bit. Here is a few lines from Wynn's news release about his appearance:

"Steve Wynn--The casino mogul most responsible for taking Las Vegas to new heights of gaming and glitter talks to Charlie Rose about his spectacular success and the eye disease that's slowly robbing him of his ability to see the fruits of his labor."

Yes, his vision loss will also be discussed. It will be interesting to see if 60 Minutes asks Wynn about President Obama's singling out of Las Vegas as a city that tourists should not go to if their company gets bailout money. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who is a Democrat and supported Obama in his Presidential Campaign has been critical of Obama's statements about Las Vegas.

Nevada Works Hard To Count People

It's Census time once again. Every 10 years as mandated by the U.S. Constitution.

Nevada is in the same position as every state in the Union, count as many people as you can to get increased representation in Congress and more federal dollars. Illegal or not, count the people who live there and they give the state more power at the federal level. Right or wrong, them's the rules.

It wasn't always like that, in fact it was never designed by the Constitution to be like this where states are rewarded for having more residents than another state. When the Census was established under the Constitution there were two purposes, in no particular order:

1) Count people for representation and the Electoral College system. Individuals were important in this new government and that mattered deeply to the Founders (we still have this).

2) Taxation (this is long gone).

The second is the main topic of this column. Taxation. At the time the new united states were deep in dept from the Revolution and the new federal government needed the cash to pay the bill. States were taxed based on their population. If you had more people, you paid more money. Fewer people, less money. It was a very simple system and provided perfect BALANCE for the states.

Balance is the key word here. The Founders were brilliant in knowing that this would provide a system where by the states would have no motivation to count as many people as possible. More people meant you paid more taxes, but got more representation in Congress. Balance.

1913 changed everything. The federal government changed from the system of state taxation to individual taxation (you know, the April 15th thing). Not sure if these consequences were intended, or even known at the time, but it doesn't really matter, those folks are all gone now, we are living it right here, right now. Now the balance is gone. There is only motivation to count as many people as possible and get more representatives in Congress and more Electoral power in the 2012 presidential election.

The Founders were brilliant in their understanding of the balance the Census would bring, but those days are long gone, we are now in an era where the state that does the best job to bring as many people in from Who-Knows-Where, becomes the winner. Citizenship is not an issue, count people once, count people again, and count them again, just to make sure. Somehow I think we all become the losers in the long run with the balance being a thing of the distant past.

Movie Review-The Fast & The Furious

By Christian Toto http://whatwouldtotowatch.com/


The opening sequence in “Fast & Furious” justifies not only the franchise but the whole idea of a fourth installment of the guilty pleasure series.
Vin Diesel and co. race to swipe the oil right from under a trucker’s nose. It’s the kind of jaw-dropping, logic-breaking scene that epitomizes the franchise at its best.

If only the rest of the movie was a fraction as good.

The new “Furious” brings back Diesel and Paul Walker from the 2001 original, putting them through some pretty similar paces.
Diesel’s Dominic Toretto is still walking the fine line between rogue and rascal, and Walker’s conflicted cop just can’t find it in his heart to slap the cuffs on him. They’re both wrapped up in a drug smuggling operation using fast cars to bring dope from Mexico to the U.S. Dominic is involved out of revenge - you’ll have to see for yourself. Walker wants to infiltrate the drug cartel to bring it down, but he doesn’t have the full support of his superiors.
He’s also the most obvious undercover cop we’ve seen in a while, looking as clean cut as a GQ model. A four-year-old could look at him and bellow, “he’s a cop, for cryin’ out loud!”

It all leads to some underground car chases and the standard shootout sequences.

Yeah, underground racing is just as yawn inducing as it sounds. The newest “Furious” feature serves up some leering shots of the ladies, and Diesel graciously wears as little as possible to show off his Popeye-sized physique. But where’s the fun, the sense of a franchise running all all cylinders like the surprisingly effective “Tokyo Drift?”

Oh, yeah, it’s all in the opening sequence.

“Fast & Furious” feels slower and less intense than a film in this franchise deserves.

Casino Gambling Revenue Falls, is this bad news?

The evening news made it sound dark and dismal, "Gaming revenue continues to fall in Nevada". In February the numbers fell 18% in Nevada and 23% on the Strip. Presumably they are falling from previous profits, which rarely, if ever gets mentioned. Let's say you made a million dollars one month and the profits fall 25%, then you ONLY made $750,000.

That's just one issue, the other is that some may question whether it's good or bad that gaming (gaming sounds so much more comfortable than GAMBLING) revenues fall. So, what this means is that the people are keeping more of their money instead of giving it to the casinos? Is that what this means? And this is a bad thing....because......? Certainly you have to look at the business aspect of all this, and the casinos are the biggest business in the state by far. But we don't produce widgets here. We produce fun, games, shows, dining and gambling. Most times the casinos win, rarely they lose. They are in the gambling business the same as the customer who walks in the door is in the gambling business. Difference is, the house has the edge, and everybody knows that. Sometimes that edge goes the way of the players more one month than the last.

The media like to tout that they are representative of the people. Average Jane and Joe. Well, okay then, next time there's a story about "gaming" revenue being down one month from the previous month, why not try this headline: "A great month for the little guys out there, gamblers win big (or at least didn't lose as much as they did last month". Probably doesn't have the same ring to it, but if the media touts itself as being populist (which it does), then why do the news stories talk gloom and doom when the big corporations make more money and the little guy loses?

Adventureland-Movie Review

By Christian Toto http://whatwouldtotowatch.com/

3 out of 4 Stars

From the director of “Superbad” … declares the ads for the new comedy “Adventureland.” But you won’t see McLovin, or a fraction of the raunch that ruled that comedy smash, in Greg Mottola’s latest. Instead, Mottola delivers a winning tale of young, awkward love and the baby steps we make before entering the Real World. Oh, and there’s a character whose signature move is punching the protagonist in the nads.

Mottola can’t entirely abandon the base, right?

“The Squid and the Whale’s” Jesse Eisenberg stars as James, a college grad desperate to raise money before embarking on this post-grad career. He takes a menial job at Adventureland, a Pittsburgh amusement park that requires workers to wear a goofy T-shirt and take abuse from snotty customers. He meets some of the park’s regulars, including Em (Kristen Stewart), and quickly falls for her. She’s beautiful and aloof - how could a young intellectual resist? But she’s having an affair with an older park employee, a handsome cad given texture by Ryan Reynolds.

When did Van Wilder become such an intriguing screen actor?

“Adventureland” is set in 1987, which allows for some goofy period fashions and an endless loop of “Rock Me, Amadeus” gags. The period doesn’t play into any other factor of the film, though, but audiences will be too amused to care.

The film brims with smart humor, touching remembrances of courtships past and a thoroughly detailed workplace that will resonate even with those who never mopped up vomit at a fun palace. Stewart is so much better here than in “Twilight.” She’s tortured but grounded, a young woman scrambling to assemble a version of herself for which she can be proud. Eisenberg does his best Michael Cera - the two could literally be interchangeable - but he’s just sensitive enough to carry the film. He gets plenty of assistance from “SNL” regulars Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, who delight as the park’s Mom ‘n’ Pop owners. And then there’s Frigo (Matt Bush) the latest in the fine line of Stifler standouts.

“Adventureland” loses inspiration in the final 20 minutes, falling back on formula to wrap an otherwise charming tale. It’s still the best comic ride of the year.

Bullring Races Now Up On The Site!

The races from the weekend of March 21st are now up on the web site. The easiest way to locate them is to go to the SPORTS tab and you will find them easily there.

Enjoy!

Final Four Mania Hits Vegas

It's been a fun Final Four for Las Vegas, in spite of the fact that there has not been a local team to root for in the NCAA Tournament this year. Monday night it's North Carolina taking on Michigan State. Tar Heels are favored by 6 and a half points. Most sports books say the betting has been solid on this years three week long tournament.

I've covered 3 Final Fours throughout the years and they have been some of the most enjoyable events I have ever covered. I'm covered Super Bowls, World Series', boxing, Indy 500, major NASCAR races, and the Final Four has always been my favorite. The passion of the fans makes this event what it is. The college atmosphere (while jaded in it's own right) is what makes this event enjoyable and unique. You think there might be a few Michigan St. fans there tonight in Detroit?

LV Mayor Reaches Out To Limbaugh

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has given conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh a proposition. Come to Las Vegas and you can forget about paying all those New York taxes. Limbaugh has been complaining for a while about the possibility of the tax rates in New York going up. Limbaugh does approximately a dozen shows a year in New York and said he is considering moving those shows to another state. That's where the Democrat mayor steps in and offers Rush a deal to move his show to tax friendly Nevada.

Limbaugh lives in Florida and does his show from that state, but occasionally moves his show to New York when hurricanes threaten to cut off the power. No deal has been made, but from the sounds of things, Limbaugh is considering the mayors offer. Whatever happens, Oscar found this as a good way to spread the word to the rest of the nation about how Nevada reaches out to businesses with its policy of no state income taxes.

Plus, and this may be the kicker, President Barack Obama said recently that he did not want employees of companies that took bailout money to go to Las Vegas. Goodman and Obama have been at odds over that statement. Goodman supported Obama during the Presidential election, but asked the president to apologize to Las Vegas for singling out the city. If Limbaugh was leaning towards Las Vegas as a part-time site for his show, perhaps the president gave him the best reason to come here......oh, and the cigar bars and golf courses.