ONE MILLION HITS!

LocalsLoveVegas.com is now officially over the 1 million hit mark! Remarkable for a web site that is relatively new (even for the web).

Check out our videos. We have tons of fun things to watch....and more are being added all the time. Check out the video from Tark's Final Year at UNLV. The 1955 show from Jimmy Durante at the Desert Inn. The Elvis and Sinatra videos from Vegas. The old, vintage videos of the Strip and Downtown.

We also have many current videos. Lake Mead, hikes at Red Rock and Mt. Charleston and unique videos of restaurants and attractions in Vegas....plus so much more.

Also, scroll down and check out the links on the site. We have just about every (clean) Vegas link that you can imagine for visitors and newcomers....and for those have been here for decades. Enjoy!


THANKS SO MUCH FOR MAKING US SO SUCCESSFUL!

Movie Review-"Halloween II"

By Christian Toto at www.whatwouldtotowatch.com

Sequels give the sense of surprise the cold shoulder.

Even the best sequels can’t replicate the shock of the new, of seeing something we haven’t seen before.

It’s one reason “Halloween II” is light years better than Rob Zombie’s 2007 horror reboot.

That film telegraphed every punch, stab and disembowelment, all the while replicating some classic “Halloween” scares from the superior original.

Here, Zombie wisely hits the dimmer switch and doesn’t show us every move Michael Myers makes.

The sequel picks up more or less where Zombie’s reboot left off. Young Laurie Stroub (Scout Taylor-Compton) is being stitched up after her vicious battle with her oversized kin (Tyler Mane).

Cue the iconic “Halloween” music. Or … don’t.

This is Zombieland now, and the ties connecting the new Myers story to the John Carpenter original are all but severed.

The action moves ahead roughly one year - just a few days before Halloween. Laurie now lives with Sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif) and his teen daughter (Danielle Harris). She’s safe, but the ghost of Michael Myers keeps haunting her. Little does she know Myers in the rotting flesh will soon be back to haunt her in person.

“Halloween II,” shot in grimy, grainy 16 MM, establishes its lurid tone from the opening moments. Sure, Zombie resurrects his hillbilly shock material, but the film feels much more like a Zombie original than his “Halloween” ever did.

Few recent horror films can match the unsettling soundtrack behind Myers’ slayings, or the awful noise coming from his newly dead victims. There’s less outright gore here than in your average slasher film, but Myers’ brutality - and willingness to bludgeon his victims beyond recognition - makes this sequel a thoroughly unpleasant experience for non-horror fans.

Zombie also sneaks in some snarky musical drops - like a video replay of The Moody Blues singing “Knights in White Satin” and a radio blasting “The Things We Do For Love.”
The film’s obvious monster remains the masked one, but Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) gives him a run for his money. The good doctor is out peddling a book based on the events from the first film, and he doesn’t mind trampling on the memories of the deceased if it means a few more copies fly off the shelves.

The weakest addition here comes in the form of the lovely Mrs. Zombie, once again playing Mama Myers. Sheri Moon Zombie appears before her son in ghostly visions, egging him on to kill a few more innocents and “reunite” their family.

For all of Zombie’s flourishes, “Halloween II” remains a slasher film, and that horror template means massive gaps in logic and few legit scares. The film ends without a lame sequel setup, so let’s hope the bloody tale of Michael Myers ends here, and that Zombie turns his twisted sight on fresh material.

California Fires Make Air Unhealthy in Las Vegas

Smoke from the California wildfires is filling the Las Vegas valley for the 3rd straight day. Local air quality officials have issued an advisory today to stay inside, if possible. To get the latest air advisory click on the link below.

http://redrock.co.clark.nv.us/forecast/

Weekend Local News Ratings

We now have the numbers for the weekend newscasts from July 2009. They show clear domantion in the weekend race by KVBC Channel 3 in most time slots. The "late news" gets a little murky because Fox 5 goes solo with their 10pm news while the other three stations go head to head at 11pm.

BTW, a rating point equals about 12-15,000 viewers.

Saturday Morning
KVBC 3.....2.3 rating
KTNV13....1.9

Saturday Evening
KVBC3.....3.2 rating
KLAS 8.....2.0
KTNV13....1.0

Saturday 10pm
Fox5.......3.3 rating

Saturday 11pm
KVBC3.....3.2 rating
KLAS8......2.9
KTNV13....1.9

Sunday Morning
KVBC3.....2.2 rating
KTNV13....1.6

Sunday Evening
KVBC3.....3.4 rating
KLAS8.....2.5
KTNV13...1.7

Sunday 10pm
Fox5.....4.0 rating

Sunday 11pm
KLAS8.....3.8 rating
KVBC3.....3.5
KTNV13....1.7

Full Recap of Local TV News Ratings

Which Local TV Station Wins at 11pm?

Winning the 11pm newscast is what TV stations want to do more than anything else. More viewers is the main reason, but it's also where local stations put most of their resources.

Fox 5 entered this race for the first time and they have to be happy with their 3rd place showing, especially considering they also do a local newscast from 10-11pm. KLAS 8 wins this race because of their solid product, and strong lead in programming. KVBC 3 suffers from the problems with NBC's prime time programming and KTNV 13 has great lead in with the ABC shows but they cannot be happy with a 4th place finish behind the new kids on the block from
Fox.

KLAS 8..........3.0 rating
KVBC 3..........1.8 rating
KVVU 5..........1.6 rating
KTNV 13.........1.4 rating

The Local Evening News Race, Who's On Top?

From 5pm to 6:30pm is when the local stations go toe to toe to see who is king of the hill. This is clearly a two team race between Channel 3 and Channel 8. The other stations are far behind.

These are the Nielsen Media Research ratings for May 2009 with viewers ages 25-54

KVBC Ch3.......2.4 rating
KLAS Ch8.......2.2 rating
KVVU Fox5.....0.6 rating
KTNV Ch13.....0.6 rating

Fox is the new player in the early news race beginning their evening newscast in Sept. 2007 and they still have time to grow and develop an audience, while KTNV still has not been able to gain any traction and still can't beat the new kids on the block here. 3 and 8 will battle it out for viewers in this key age group. Ch 8 actually has better overall numbers in this time slot, but many of their viewers are older....which is fine, not saying that's a problem here, but advertisers buy the key age group of Adults 25-54.

Who Is Winning The Local Morning News Race?

The results are in from the local and network morning news and the results are not pretty for 3 of the 4 local stations. Fox 5 is leading the way and gaining viewers.Here are the raw numbers for Monday-Friday from 6am to 9am which is the prime time for local morning news. These are the numbers for Adults 25-54 which is the target audience.

KVVU Fox5.......3.0 rating
KVBC NBC3......1.9 rating
KLAS CBS8.......1.6 rating
KTNV ABC13.....0.7 rating

Channel 3's numbers are stronger thanks to the success of the Today Show and Channel 8 has a bit of a handicap with the CBS Morning News which struggles in nationwide numbers. ABC's Good Morning America does well nationwide, but now falls dismally short in Las Vegas, for some reason. Fox 5 does local news for the entire 3 hour block and dominates. They are up +114% since the May 2006 ratings period while KTNV Channel 13 is down -56% over the same time period.

Firefighters "Back To School" Event

Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation to Donate School Supplies to 25 Local At-risk Schools Donated items are part of citywide “Fill the Fire Truck Back to School Event” taking place throughout the month of August at participating Wal-Mart locations

What:The Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation, Wal-Mart officials and Community in Schools (CIS) will help more than 25 local schools throughout the Las Vegas valley start the year off right by providing backpacks and school supplies to at-risk children. Items collected were part of the 2009 “Fill the Fire Truck Back to School Event” raised throughout the month of August at participating Wal-Mart locations.

Locations: Wednesday, August 26 at 1 p.m.Arturo Cambiero Elementary and Robert Lunt Elementary 2701 Harris St. Las Vegas, NV 89101

Friday, August 28 at 10 a.m.Quannah McCall Elementary School800 Carey Ave. North Las Vegas, NV 89030

Who: Members of the Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation, firefighters from Las Vegas Fire & Rescue and the North Las Vegas Fire Department, Wal-Mart officials and CIS will be on hand for interview and photo opportunities.

Movie Review, "Inglourious Basterds"

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

It’s getting more and more likely we’ll never get another “Pulp Fiction” from Quentin Tarantino.

The hyper-gifted auteur, who can embrace and implode genre conventions with ease, simply lacks the discipline to corral his out-sized talents.

“Inglourious Basterds,” oh, so loosely based on the 1977 Italian actioner, is merely the latest proof. It’s an alternately brilliant and baffling World War II fantasy marked by boilerplate Tarantino excess.

You’ll swear one scene in particular runs for at least a half hour, and how can any film’s dramatic momentum survive such a detour?

“Basterds” ostensibly follows a group of Jewish Nazi hunters led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt speaking in a southern fried twang).

But the movie opens with the sequence which puts all of Tarantino’s skills on technicolor display.

An SS officer (Christoph Waltz) is interrogating a dairy farmer to see if he’s hiding any Jews in his home. Waltz announces a star is born with his first few line readings, bringing a coiled ruthlessness to the role few actors could mimic. Tarantino does the rest, expertly building tension that’s almost too draining to endure.

Then we meet the Basterds, a group of vengeance-seeking Jews out to collect as many Nazi scalps - literally - as they can.

But that’s only part of the story Tarantino wants to tell. We also meet a Jewish theater owner (Melanie Laurent) planning to draw as many Nazis into her movie house as possible so she can bring it down around them.

Add a beautiful actress (Diane Kruger) also working for the Allied forces and you have a gaggle of intriguing characters within a fantastical Nazi setting.

Action junkies will be sorely tested by Tarantino’s inability to reign in his dialogue, much of it sharper than what he punished us with in “Death Proof.” Yes, some scalps get detached, but the bulk of “Basterds” involves Nazis trying to get our heroes to fess up about one plot or another.

It’s a device that quickly grows stale, even if it’s suffused with occasionally sharp dialogue. That means you’ll initially be drawn in and, soon after, yawning while glancing at your watch. It’s hard to remember why we should care about the various characters here when so much time goes by without them on screen.

Pitt’s first scene makes it feel as if he’s wiping the slate clean on every role he played before meeting Tarantino. Soon his southern tics become just that, an actorly card game fooling no one.

By the final scene he’s become a caricature of himself.

The film’s score isn’t a pastiche of priceless pop ditties but a puree of scores from past war movies. Naturally, the musical bed is one of the film’s strengths, and Tarantino’s ear has never been in question.

His reliance on pulpy elements, like having Samuel L. Jackson serve up some pointless narration and identifying specific Nazi leaders with on-screen shout outs, doesn’t fit the overall mood.

“Inglourious Basterds” clearly needs a thorough editing, an outside visionary who can distill Tarantino’s best instincts and bring some snap back to his narratives.

5th Annual Las Vegas Ride for Kids

5th Annual Las Vegas Ride for Kids

Benefits the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation

The 5th Annual Las Vegas Ride for Kids, a motorcycle road ride benefiting the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, will be held Sunday, October 4, 2009. Registration is $35 per bike and runs from 8 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The ride begins at 10 a.m. sharp, rain or shine with riders rolling south on I-215, through the Red Rock Scenic Loop and continuing on to Blue Diamond Park for lunch and a Celebration of Life ceremony. Several sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are available. For more information call Carter Powersports at 795-2000 or log on to www.lvrideforkids.org.

###
About Ride for Kids

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to finding the cause and cure of childhood brain tumors. As the world's largest non-governmental source of funding for childhood brain tumor research, we're dedicated to not only eradicating this disease, but to providing support to families. Our educational resources deliver comfort and hope to families in need of information, and our college scholarship program gives brain tumor survivors a boost for the future.

John Ensign, "I did nothing legally wrong"

From the Associated Press:

FERNLEY, Nev. – Sen. John Ensign told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his affair with a friend's wife was different from former President Bill Clinton's relationship with a White House intern because he didn't lie about it under oath.

"I haven't done anything legally wrong," the Nevada Republican said.

"President Clinton stood right before the American people and he lied to the American people," Ensign said. "You remember that famous day he lied to the American people, plus the fact I thought he committed perjury. That's why I voted for the articles of impeachment."

Ensign made the remarks before being introduced to a standing ovation from about 100 people at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon in rural Fernley, about 40 miles east of Reno.

Ensign opened his speech by acknowledging what he called a "distraction."

"I think it would be inappropriate to start any other way than to say I'm sorry," he said. "I've said I'm sorry. I can't say I'm sorry enough. I made a big mistake in my life and I apologize once again to all of you."


To read more, click YahooNews below:


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090820/ap_on_re_us/us_ensign_affair

Which Local TV Station Wins at 11pm?

Winning the 11pm newscast is what TV stations want to do more than anything else. More viewers is the main reason, but it's also where local stations put most of their resources.

Fox 5 entered this race for the first time and they have to be happy with their 3rd place showing, especially considering they also do a local newscast from 10-11pm. KLAS 8 wins this race because of their solid product, and strong lead in programming. KVBC 3 suffers from the problems with NBC's prime time programming and KTNV 13 has great lead in with the ABC shows but they cannot be happy with a 4th place finish behind the new kids on the block from Fox.

KLAS 8..........3.0 rating
KVBC 3..........1.8 rating
KVVU 5..........1.6 rating
KTNV 13.........1.4 rating

United Football Leage Announces Vegas Team Details

The United Football League (UFL) announced today the signing of 19 players for its Las Vegas franchise including quarterback Tim Rattay and linebackers Teddy Lehman and Brandon Moore.

The United Football League previously announced the signing of former NFL first-round draft pick JP Losman to the Las Vegas franchise.

There will be more players for the Las Vegas franchise announced over the next few weeks.“The players who have signed with the Las Vegas franchise thus far are a top-notch line-up of former NFL veterans and skilled players who have the experience to produce on the field,” said Las Vegas Head Coach Jim Fassel. “I am anxious to complete my roster and begin training camp in September.”The United Football League is a new professional football league that will kick-off its “Premiere” season this October. Featuring high-quality traditional football played by world-class athletes and former NFL coaches, the UFL will host four teams in seven cities.

The UFL’s goal is to provide fans with affordable, innovative and entertaining game-day experiences.

The UFL’s games, which will be broadcast live on VERSUS in HD and on HDNet, will culminate with a Championship Game over Thanksgiving weekend in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas franchise will formally announce its team name and unveil its uniforms next week

To see the entire roster check out the UFL web site at:

http://www.ufl-football.com/press/2009/08/06/united_football_league_signs_19_players_to_las_vegas_roster

The Local Evening News Race, Who's On Top?

From 5pm to 6:30pm is when the local stations go toe to toe to see who is king of the hill. This is clearly a two team race between Channel 3 and Channel 8. The other stations are far behind. These are the Nielsen Media Research ratings for May 2009 with viewers ages 25-54

KVBC Ch3.......2.4 rating
KLAS Ch8.......2.2 rating
KVVU Fox5.....0.6 rating
KTNV Ch13.....0.6 rating

Fox is the new player in the early news race beginning their evening newscast in Sept. 2007 and they still have time to grow and develop an audience, while KTNV still has not been able to gain any traction and still can't beat the new kids on the block here. 3 and 8 will battle it out for viewers in this key age group. Ch 8 actually has better overall numbers in this time slot, but many of their viewers are older....which is fine, not saying that's a problem here, but advertisers buy the key age group of Adults 25-54.

Who Is Winning The Local Morning News Race?

The results are in from the local and network morning news and the results are not pretty for 3 of the 4 local stations. Fox 5 is leading the way and gaining viewers.

Here are the raw numbers for Monday-Friday from 6am to 9am which is the prime time for local morning news. These are the numbers for Adults 25-54 which is the target audience.

KVVU Fox5.......3.0 rating
KVBC NBC3......1.9 rating
KLAS CBS8.......1.6 rating
KTNV ABC13.....0.7 rating

Channel 3's numbers are stronger thanks to the success of the Today Show and Channel 8 has a bit of a handicap with the CBS Morning News which struggles in nationwide numbers. ABC's Good Morning America does well nationwide, but now falls dismally short in Las Vegas, for some reason. Fox 5 does local news for the entire 3 hour block and dominates. They are up +114% since the May 2006 ratings period while KTNV Channel 13 is down -56% over the same time period.

Evening and 11pm news ratings to come in later posts....stay tuned!

"Funny People" Movie Review

by Christian Toto www.whatwouldtotowatch.com

Ater two hours and 20-odd minutes of Judd Apatow’s “Funny People” it’s hard not to ask, ” … and your point is?”

Apatow, the comic maestro behind “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” injects a deadly serious note into his third comedy.

Adam Sandler plays a famous movie star who beats back a potentially fatal disease and tries to win back the girl who got away.

But the character is a tough sell, a tag that equally applies to Apatow’s latest comedy.

“Funny People” stars Sandler as George Simmons, a stand-up comic turned blockbuster star who seems to have it all, except he’s dying. Not at the box office or with the ladies. He’s doing great with those. He’s diagnosed with a fatal blood disease leaving him speechless - for a moment.

But the show, and the laughs, must go on, so he hires an unknown comedy writer named Ira (Seth Rogen) to flesh out his act.

George is understandably distraught by his condition, but his biggest fear is that he’ll never reunite with his former flame (Leslie Mann).

“Funny People” feels like a self-loathing project, a commentary on how dead the comic soul tends to be in modern Hollywood. It’s the tale of a clown making money hand over fist on the outside but weeping on the inside, intensified by a robust performance by Sandler.

So why don’t we care about George’s life and death battle, let alone his fractured love life?

The meandering story doesn’t help. The film’s first half concentrates on the George/Ira dynamic, but the rest of the movie details George’s attempt to win back Mann’s character, a lovely woman who seems to ignore the fact that she has two little girls with her current husband (a whacked out Eric Bana).

Rogen, freed from his surly “Observe and Report” role and that of the stoner action hero, is immensely appealing here as the audience’s surrogate, a fly on the wall watching how a megastar like George lives.

The film packs plenty of gut-busting lines as well as comic cameos, including a revealing scene featuring Eminem as himself, and Apatow delivers a crush of great comic lines. Yet for every truth telling moment, like George describing why his generation of comics will always outperform the new cut-ups on the block, we get ham-fisted ones which telegraph the emotions we’re meant to feel.

Much of “Funny People” feels fresh and bold, and it never takes the maudlin turn you feel from the opening sequence. But Apatow’s latest ultimately can’t decide if it’s a warm and wise dramedy or a cynical look at the modern showbiz mindset.