NBA Summer League Tickets on sale Monday

While most NBA fans have visions of Lakers and the Magic jumping around in their heads right now, there is a Summer League coming up and it takes place right here on Las Vegas.

Tickets go on sale Monday at www.unlvtickets.com.

21 teams will play 55 games over 10 days in mid July. The games will be played at the Thomas and Mack Center, and in the Cox Pavilion. The teams will have rookies taken in next month's NBA draft, rookie free agents and other prospects.

For more information here is the official link to the NBA Summer League

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/

Movie Review: "Terminator Salvation"

By Christian Toto www.whatwouldtotowatch.com

Turns out a Bat can’t replace The Governator after all.

“Terminator Salvation,” the fourth entry in the sci-fi franchise, relies on Christian Bale to offset the absence of the big robot himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. But Bale’s John Connor isn’t really the star here. Sam Worthington, chosen to anchor James Cameron’s upcoming “Avatar,” gets the meatier role as a man from the past with an uncertain future. Both Bale and Worthington take a back seat to the film’s actions sequences, which will have audiences’ jaws dropped for nearly the film’s full running time.

When the violence ebbs, we’re left with a screenplay that often gives the actors no more than a syllable or two at a time.

It’s 2018, and John Connor is leading the resistance against Skynet and its robot army. The world is in full post-apocalyptic mode - every building has been reduced to rubble and only a few humans are left. But Connor thinks he may have found the robots’ Achilles heel courtesy of a jamming device which could change the balance of power in the ongoing battle. Connor’s mission gets complicated when a stranger named Marcus (Worthington), a convicted killer who we learn from the opening scene was sent forward in time for reasons unknown, ends up in Connor’s dank headquarters.

“Salvation” is one loud, depressing movie, the kind that cries out for comic relief. The robots clank around the screen in one visually stunning action sequence after another, but after a few of these you’ll start to wonder why we should root for the human survivors.

Bale’s performance is perfunctory, and the movie needs so much more than that. Where’s the charisma that made John Connor such a pivotal player in the franchise? And why does the final battle sequence have more holes than Robert Patrick’s body in “Terminator 2?”
Even Worthington’s intriguing turn can’t make “Salvation” worthy of the franchise’s first two installments.

Those films had a sense of humor. Here, all we get is Bale robotically repeating the franchise’s signature line.

Say what you will about Schwarnegger’s acting chops. His absence is felt deeply despite an electronically manufactured cameo. Bryce Dallas Howard appears as Connor’s supposed love interest, complete with pregnancy belly, but the impending birth isn’t referenced, nor does Howard get to do anything but look concerned when appropriate.

Director McG has been talking about how “Terminator Salvation” would be his coming out party, the film that proves he’s so much more than just a highly mockable name. He got the money, the cast and the franchise to prove his point. But he’ll have to wait for another summer to prove he’s more than Michael Bay 2.0.

Movie Review-"Angels And Demons"

By Christian Toto wwwwhatwouldtotowatch.com

Expect a raft of reviews for “Angels & Demons” proclaiming “it’s better than ‘The Da Vinci Code.’”

A mild improvement over the stilted original isn’t the selling point required to vault “Angels” past the summer’s other surefire hits.
The sequel, also based on a story by novelist Dan Brown, tones down the Catholic bashing - and star Tom Hanks’ unruly locks. But it’s still exhausting at times, a talky potboiler that spends too much time explaining the thrills you’re supposed to feel organically.
Hanks returns as symbologist Robert Langdon, and this time he’s summoned to the Vatican to thwart a bomb plot in the holy city.
The Pope has died unexpectedly, and someone has snuck a vial of explosive antimatter into town. Making matters worse, four cardinals who could be next in line to become the new pope have been kidnapped.
Sounds like a job for Jason Bourne or James Bond, not an aging academic. But the wiley Langdon is smarter than your average symbologist. He quickly starts piecing together the arcane clues set before him, and every hunch seems to pay off.

All the while, the flat screenplay drones on about religious dogma and art history, topics better suited to an independent feature. That endless exposition slows the narrative to a crawl.

The story perks up midway through as the danger level finally hits red and Langdon escapes a few fiendish jams. Director Ron Howard, on full coasting mode here, realizes when its time to goose the proceedings before the audience’s faith starts to sag. The director attempts to mimic the ticking clock device used far more effectively on Fox’s “24,” but it seems silly whenever Langdon breaks into a trot.

Ewan McGregor adds some much needed texture as a conflicted priest, and Ayelet Zurer appears a sound romantic match to Hanks’ brainy Langdon. So why do they give off so few sparks while running around Vatican City?
“Angels & Demons” ends on a conciliatory note between science and spirituality, but it’s far less agreeable to those seeking a first rate summer adventure.

Integrity Chrysler Dealership To Close

118 workers will be laid off later this month when a local car dealership closes. Integrity Chrysler Jeep Dodge, a new car dealership located near Rainbow Boulevard and the I-215, is closing on May 29.

The move is part of President Obama's plan to restructure Chrysler Motors. Along with closing dealerships around the country, the Obama plan also calls for Chrysler to cut its advertising budget by at least half.

Mr President: Las Vegas Is A Real Bargain

This is a recent article taken from a radio interview that I recently did on KDOX radio mentioning the rather stormy relationship between President Obama and Las Vegas.

Excerpt:

According to local newsman Ron Futrell on a KDOX broadcast, Wells Fargo followed the President's intimidating advice and cancelled their convention in Vegas....at the cost of $600,000.00. Then they moved it to San Francisco where the prices were really jacked up since San Fran knew they had Wells Fargo by the horns. So what did it really cost?

Futrell also revealed that word has it State Farm has decided to cancel their convention later this year in Las Vegas in an effort to please the President. No place in the USA has the rooms, facilities and entertainment offerings of Las Vegas, Nevada..."The Entertainment, Trade Show and Convention Capital of the World."

See the entire article here:

http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/mr-president-vegas-real-bargain

Obama To Visit LV This Month

President Barack Obama plans a trip to Las Vegas May 26th. This news comes after Obama has had his issue with corporate executives who take junkets to Las Vegas.

Obama's purpose will be to raise funds for Senator Harry Reid at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on a night when Bette Midler and Cheryl Crow will perform.

Here is an excerpt from the Los Angeles Times story:

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is still huffing and puffing over an offhand remark in which Obama appeared to link Sin City to corporate excess. Imagine that.
Remember back in February, The Ticket had a photo of the mayor meeting with nearly naked aides and reported the even newer president was all agitated over luxury bank excursions and he said: "You can't get corporate jets, you can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime."
Well, now that they have finished the $357,012 taxpayer-funded photo op over the Statue of Liberty, Air Force One is coming to the capital of neon with the somewhat-less-new president, who'll become the fundraiser in chief at least for a night.

For more from the LA Times, click the link below:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/05/barack-obama-harry-reid.html

Is NOW The Time To Buy A House?

Seems like now is the best time to buy a house. Realtors released their numbers yesterday and more than 3,100 homes were sold in the valley, that's an increase of almost 80% from April 2008.

In fact, Las Vegas is leading the nation in the housing recovery with 13 consecutive months of increasing sales.

While sales are going up, prices are going down. Almost 40% in the last year. Yes, this seems like the right time to buy.

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For real estate information, contact Ron at ron@localslovevegas.com. Along with this web site, and other things, I am also a licensed real estate agent and can help you with your needs in this area. 26 years in Las Vegas, I know this city and its real estate market very well.

"Star Trek" Movie Review

By Christian Toto www.whatwouldtotowatch.com


Reboot, remake, re-envisioning. Whatever label you slap on the new “Star Trek” film ultimately doesn’t matter.
What counts is that it’s a slam-bang adventure with old friends who’ve been away too long.
J.J. Abrams, the mind behind “Alias” and “Lost,” delivers summer entertainment with the right dose of nostalgia.
And that’s before Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, shows up for an extended, and poignant, cameo.
“Star Trek” opens with Captain Kirk’s father commandeering a space ship on a suicide mission to save his cast and crew. The move bides enough time for Mama Kirk to deliver a tiny James T. Kirk into the world.
It’s such a wondrous sequence, full of blistering special effects and heart, but what follows is so clunky the spell is quickly scattered.
A boy named James T. Kirk is cruising down a dusty road in a stolen car, the Beastie Boys “Sabotage” playing in the backdrop.
Yes, Abrams’ reboot has a few major flaws, and this scene ranks among the most glaring.
But we quickly flash forward, and a teen Kirk (Chris Pine) begrudgingly joins Starfleet after a barroom pitch made by Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Kirk and his classmates are barely out of training when they’re thrust into a breaking crisis.
A mad Romulan named Nero (Eric Bana) is threatening the Federation, and Kirk and his new crewmates must figure out a way to stop his fiendish plans.
That plan involves time travel, the appearance of an older, wiser Spock and an introduction to “Trek’s” old crew during their formative years.
Let’s get the performances settled first. Pine is his own Kirk, and while he gets the swagger down pat he’ll need another film to flesh out the Kirk we know and love. Quinto is near perfect as Spock, and Karl Urban’s Doctor McCoy comes the closest to being an outright imitation. Yet it works beautifully.
The secondary characters are hit and miss, with each one given a scene or two to shine.
Abrams keeps insisting hardcore “Trek” fans should stay away for fear of being disappointed, but given the current state of movie making it’s hard to imagine another reboot being as faithful, and as fun, as what we’re given with the new “Star Trek.”
In 2009, it’s cool to have pointy ears again.

X-Men Wolverine, Movie Review

By Christian Toto www.whatwouldtotowatch.com

Now we know why Logan - AKA Wolverine - is in such a cranky mood.
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” tells the backstory behind the most intriguing mutant in the “X-Men” trilogy, the man with the steel claws and the permanent scowl.

It’s the role which made Hugh Jackman a star, and the indomitable Aussie does all that’s asked of him in this caffeinated prequel.
The actual story behind Wolverine, though, is far too complicated for its own good.

“Origins” begins in the 1800s, with a young Logan and his brother, Victor, getting chased out of their home after a double killing. The credit sequence follows the mutant siblings, now young men and played by Jackman and Liev Schreiber, fighting war upon war and, somehow, never aging.

Flash forward to the present, and the brothers haven’t spoken in years. Logan found himself a construction job and a honey of a gal (Lynn Collins) while Victor is among the missing. But soon the brothers’ old boss comes a calling, a military man (Danny Huston) who once used their mutant powers to help him defeat enemies across the globe.

Exhausted yet? This only scratches the surface of the back story, the various character motivations and the crush of fellow mutants who clog the screen.

Every few minutes another action scene erupts, and while they’re mostly thrilling they often don’t connect with the rest of the story, or with the audience. And the new mutants could use a tweak or two. Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am is a snore as a teleporter, “Lost’s’ Dominic Monaghan lacks screen time as Bolt, and Taylor Kitsch’s Gambit could be intriguing if his powers weren’t so vague.

And that leaves Jackman and Schreiber, two fine actors who commit to the material - and a Gold’s Gym membership, apparently. But who knows what’s going on between them at any given moment? Ambiguity in a film, even a comic book movie, can enrich a story, but the plot strands presented here need a few more drafts.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” delivers the requisite action, a grotesquely overdeveloped Wolverine and enough “whoa,” moments to justify its existence.

But films like “Spider-Man” and “The Dark Knight” have taught us to expect so much more from comic book features.

Fight Night In Vegas

Manny Pacquaio and Ricky Hatton are making their final preps for Saturday nights fight in Vegas. They are fighting for the Junior Welterweight Title. Hatton is two pounds heavier at 140 pounds.

Pacquaio is listed at about a 2 to 1 favorite to win the title.

Entertainer Danny Gans Found Dead

Tragic news today of the death of local entertainer Danny Gans. He was found dead early this morning after complaining of breathing troubles.

Gans was one of the cities finest entertainers. As an impressionist and singer, it was in a class by all alone.

He was also quite an athlete. I hit baseballs with Gans a few times while he was a guest on one of my sports shows. As a former minor league baseball player he showed he still had his stuff. He could hit a baseball a ton. He was also big baseball fan. I recall running into him down in Anaheim one evening for an Angels game and we spend a couple innings talkin' baseball. I played in his charity golf tournament a few times and they were always some of the best in town. He donated much of his time to his various charities.

He will be missed on so many levels.

Danny Gans was 52 years old.