Category Archives: Movies

And now for a word from our sponsor …

Posted on February 11, 2010 by David McKee

There are only a few opportunities remaining to catch Rainbow Company Youth Theatre‘s Unsung Heroes of Nevada’s Past. This speedy theatrical primer on the founding of Las Vegas is far more delightful than didactic (including a quintet sung by four … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Donald Trump, Entertainment, George Maloof, Movies, Steve Wynn, The Strip | Comments Off

Case Bets: Laughlin postmortem, Newton grounded, Gibbons robs problem gamblers

Posted on February 4, 2010 by David McKee

It’s an S&G Special Austerity Edition (i.e., no pictures) … Three grand. That’s the value of a human life in Nevada. The Washingtonian who crashed his car into Laughlin‘s Edgewater casino, killing two and injuring seven, is out on $6,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Architecture, Boyd Gaming, Current, Detroit, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, IGT, Laughlin, MGM Mirage, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Movies, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Reno, Transportation, TV, Wall Street, Wayne F. Newton | Comments Off

For those about to rock …

Posted on February 3, 2010 by David McKee

… there is a new tribute show at the Riviera. Having fallen out with ill-starred Rockstar: The Tribute, the Riv comes back with: Why am I getting a heavy This is Spinal Tap vibe off that poster? From the looks … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Entertainment, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Movies, Riviera, The Strip | 3 Comments

Big love

Posted on February 3, 2010 by David McKee

This latest tempest in a teaspoon has inspired a yawningly predictable reaction amongst Nevada politicians. The lone witty note was struck by Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority President Rossi Ralenkotter, who deployed irony in lieu of indignation: “While we … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Detroit, Economy, Harry Reid, LVCVA, Macau, MGM Mirage, Movies, Oscar Goodman, Pennsylvania, Politics, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip | 3 Comments

Lights, Camera, Mesquite!

Posted on January 28, 2010 by David McKee

Call me Captain Video today. After 21, with Kevin Spacey doing his rent-a-Satan act, anyone would be understandably leery of movies about card-counting … especially ones directed by someone named Delaney Dragon. (Would he be any relation to The Eiger … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Current, Downtown, Mesquite, Movies | 1 Comment

“You can’t escape CityCenter.”

Posted on December 22, 2009 by David McKee

No, but I really wish I could when I read yet another story posing the boneheaded question, “Can CityCenter save Las Vegas?” The query is as dumb as the answer is obvious: No, it can’t. No one megaresort property can. … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Economy, MGM Mirage, Movies, The Strip | 5 Comments

Earth to Adelson, Earth to Adelson …

Posted on December 21, 2009 by David McKee

Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson claims he can finish his two resuscitated Cotai Strip™ casinos (below) and build three more in the next five years. Let the record show that Adelson currently also has casinos in various states of … Continue reading →

Posted in CityCenter, Cordish Co., Current, Economy, Florida, International, Macau, Maryland, MGM Mirage, Movies, New York, Pennsylvania, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, The Strip, Tribal | 2 Comments

CityCenter: succes d’estime

Posted on December 18, 2009 by David McKee

Enough procrastination! Such is the immensity and information overload that is CityCenter, that it may be some time before this spectator can fully wrap his brain around what is — for better or worse — the Strip’s equivalent to that … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, CityCenter, Current, Detroit, Dining, Encore, IGT, International, MGM Mirage, Movies, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tourism, TV | 7 Comments

Commercial of the Month

Posted on November 20, 2009 by David McKee

Although Gr88.com has endured some S&G razzing of late, this gloss on 300 gave me a chuckle. Its only arguable drawback is that its “Leonidas” is no Gerard Butler, as I’m sure the ladies in our readership will concur.

Posted in International, Internet gambling, Marketing, Movies | Comments Off

From the worst to the best

Posted on November 3, 2009 by David McKee

Having already polled LVA readers about the worst Vegas-themed movie (Mars Attacks! scored a stunning upset over Showgirls), we’re now going to ask them to choose the best gambling-themed film. So far, the suggested titles are: The Hustler, its sequel, … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, The Strip | 3 Comments

They lost it at the movies

Posted on October 30, 2009 by David McKee

Every so often, LVA gets a press release that deserves to be mocked. This is one of those times. In order to promote Gr88.com, the creators of the site have deigned to release a list of “Poker Films of All … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet gambling, Movies, TV | 8 Comments

In other news …

Posted on October 7, 2009 by David McKee

I am happy to report that Stella Stevens' Las Vegas Lady did not make it into our "worst Las Vegas-based movie of all time" poll. (As they say in Chicago, vote early and often.) Crazy Girls Undercover, however, was not … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Movies, The Strip, TV | Comments Off

From the mailbag #3

Posted on September 4, 2009 by David McKee

Reader Kerr_Mudgeon writes, re the case of a Columbia Sussex executive who was the victim of age discrimination: She was 67 years old, for gosh sake! She should have taken her token (socialist) Social Security checks and gone on (fascist) … Continue reading →

Posted in Columbia Sussex, Downtown, Entertainment, Movies, TV | Comments Off

Case Bets: F'bleau, Adelson, Oscar

Posted on July 17, 2009 by David McKee

Whether it's the banks or the subcontractors, somebody's going to take a big screwing at Fontainebleau. That's the nub of a new lawsuit, whereby developer Jeffrey Soffer asserts that Turnberry West Construction (which he also owns) has superior repayment rights … Continue reading →

Posted in Don Barden, Downtown, Entertainment, Fontainebleau, Macau, MGM Mirage, Movies, Oscar Goodman, Pennsylvania, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip | Comments Off

Vegas (isn't the only place that) needs Carmen Electra

Posted on July 17, 2009 by David McKee

Occasionally, S&G readers allow me to share their off-list bon mots with the general public. Such is the case with one Pacific Rim-based gentlewoman who’s familiar with the sights and sounds of Macao. Evidently, it’s a place where voluptuousness is … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Entertainment, Macau, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Movies, Planet Hollywood, Reno, The Strip, TV | Comments Off

Seven essential Web sites … and other news

Posted on June 25, 2009 by David McKee

Yes, you too can can be a gaming-industry blogger, with the help of but a few absolutely indispensable Web sites. The ones that I check Monday-Friday without fail (and, as they say on Dancing with the Stars, “in no particular … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Atlantic City, Current, Entertainment, G2E, Harrah's, International, Macau, Movies, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, TV, World Series of Poker | Comments Off

Case Bets: Colony Capital, Siegfried & Roy, Obama smacks poker players

Posted on June 15, 2009 by David McKee

“Bats hang over the doorway to the building that housed Mr. Jackson’s private arcade; guano stains the threshold.” That’s how the Wall Street Journal describes Michael Jackson‘s decaying Neverland Ranch. It gets even freakier from there, with the WSJ receiving … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Colony Capital, Entertainment, International, Internet gambling, Movies, Politics, Regulation, Station Casinos, The Strip, TV | Comments Off

Gibbons retreats, sorta

Posted on February 23, 2009 by David McKee

Gov. Jim Gibbons has scuttled away from one of his several proposals to jack up taxes on the only segment of Nevada that's carrying its own weight — the casino bidness. He's retreating from a demand that casinos pay taxes … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Colony Capital, Columbia Sussex, Donald Trump, Downtown, Economy, M Resort, Marketing, Mesquite, Movies, Politics, Station Casinos, Taxes, TV, Wall Street | Comments Off

New blogs on the block

Posted on December 4, 2008 by David McKee

A couple of new bloggers just rode into town, meaning I’m going to have raise my game a bit. Actually, they’ve been in town for quite a long time and know where many of the bodies are buried, but are … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Downtown, MGM Mirage, Movies, The Strip | Comments Off

Winners! We've got winners!

Posted on November 6, 2008 by David McKee

Yesterday’s Columbia Sussex contest produced an unprecedented flurry of responses — and I learned a lot about the bond market, too. Our S&G readership is a veritable V-8 engine of knowledge. As you’ll recall, the question concerned the “defeasance” of … Continue reading →

Posted in Columbia Sussex, Movies, Wall Street | Comments Off