TPBD – Pod Blog – Vegas Edition – 10/30/18

Is Hollywood Fair to Las Vegas? – S2E86

 

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Join Jamey and John as they discuss if Hollywood films give a fair depiction of Las Vegas with an emphasis on accuracy and continuity.  Also included on the show is a review of the Las Vegas restaurants that made it to the Nation’s Top 10 and a fan question.

 

Vegas Gossip

•  Diana Ross takes the stage at Wynn Las Vegas (11/2-3)
• Tim Allen does stand-up at the Mirage (11/2)
• The ever-popular Barry Manilow continues his residency at Westgate (11/2-3)
• blink-182 entertains at the Palms ((11/2-3)
• And Sunset Park brings you the Las Vegas Sangria & Beer Festival (11/3) and UNLV – Thomas & Mack hosts Lee’s 16th Annual Wine Experience (11/3)
• Hemp Is Fashion is the theme for First Friday, Downtown this weekend (11/2)
• Amy Schumer & Friends perform at the Cosmopolitan (11/2-3)
• Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life are at Planet Hollywood (11/2-3)
• Carlos Santana is center stage at Mandalay Bay (11/2-3)

DB172 opens tonight at the Rio. The 7,000-square-foot music-dining-drinking venue will occupy the space vacated by Cafe Martorano. The name represents the loudest sound ever recorded, the eruption of the volcano Krakatoa off the northwest coast of Java in 1883.

 

 (CONTENT GUIDE – HTTPS://WWW.REVIEWJOURNAL.COM/NEWS/)

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TPBD – Pod Blog – Vegas Edition – 10/23/18

The Perfect Day in Vegas…A Woman’s View – S2E85

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Join Jamey and Special Guest Carla as they discuss…Still Loving Vegas?
Topics also include what needs to change in Las Vegas, and What needs to Return as well as embarrassing moments and The Perfect Vegas Day.

 

Vegas Gossip

•  Phil Collins is center stage at the MGM Grand (10/27)
• Palms hosts blink – 182’s “Kings of the Weekend” (10/26-27)
• Toby Keith is in the spotlight at Red Rock Resort ((10/26)
• REO Speedwagon takes the stage at the Orleans (10/27-28)

• The Vegas Beer and Music Festival takes place Downtown (10/27)
• Last Friday – Just Add Water Street is at the Henderson Events Plaza (10/26)
• Night Ranger performs at the Golden Nugget (10/26)

• Planet Hollywood welcomes the Backstreet Boys – Larger Than Life (10/26-27)
• Mirage brings you Matt Goss (10/26-28) while comedian Bill Mayer does stand-up (10/26-27)

Ground was broken yesterday for a new pedestrian bridge that will span the Las Vegas Strip between Park MGM and the Showcase Mall. The bridge, which will cost nearly $17 million, is scheduled for completion next July

 

(CONTENT GUIDE – HTTPS://WWW.REVIEWJOURNAL.COM/NEWS/)

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TPBD – Pod Blog – Vegas Edition – 9/04/18

Strange and Wonderful Vegas…She’s A Survivor – S2E78

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Join Jamey and John as they discuss first exposures to Live Gaming.  Also included are talks of why people still come to Vegas, strangest experiences as concierge/consumers and the question is posed…Can Vegas survive Veganism, Technology Overload, #metoo, millennials and a Downed Economy all at the same time?

 

Vegas Gossip

New food court at the Cosmopolitan is open, with five of the six eateries operating. Cosmo is marketing Block 16 as “a culinary destination like no other on the Strip” and it has eschewed the typical chains in favor of smaller regional imports. Hattie B’s Hot Chicken hails from Nashville and serves spicy Southern food; Lardo is a sandwich shop from Portland, Oregon; Pok Pok Wing, also from Portland, is the Asian place; Las Vegas-based Tekka Bar has the sushi and sake; and District from New Orleans is all about donuts and desserts. Manhattan’s Ghost Donkey will open in the next couple of months for Mexican and tequila.

Flavor Flav is returning (again) with a new restaurant called Flavor Flav’s and Vinneys Chicken & Pizza in Henderson. Flav has had a coupla go-rounds with his chicken concept in Las Vegas.

Steve Wynn led the list of highest-paid casino executives in 2017, with $34.5 million in total compensation. He was followed by Sheldon Adelson ($26.1 million), CET boss Mark Frissora ($23.9 million), MRI’s Jim Murren ($14.6 million), and Boyd’s Keith Smith ($8.6 million).

(CONTENT GUIDE – HTTPS://WWW.REVIEWJOURNAL.COM/NEWS/)

 

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TPBD – Pod Blog – Vegas Edition – 8/28/18

The Vegas We Knew – S2E77

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Jamey and John reminisce about Old Las Vegas and how She shone.  Also on tap, discussions of what trends need to cycle out and how we would change the town.

 

Vegas Gossip

Home prices in Las Vegas are rising faster than in 20 other major markets in the nation, according to the S&P Case-Schiller Index. The price of houses rose 13% year over year in June, compared to 6.2% nationally. Seattle, which had topped the list for two years, was number two at 12.8% and San Francisco was number three at 10.7%. The last time Las Vegas placed number one was in July 2014.

Recreational marijuana’s first 12 months in Nevada smashed expectations by a large margin. First-year sales of $425 million were 60% higher than the $265 million the state originally predicted. They also outpaced first-year sales in all the other states where recreational pot is legal. Total cannabis sales, including medical marijuana and paraphernalia, hit $530 million between July 2017 and July 2018. Nevada collected $69.8 million in taxes, around $20 million more than projected. By comparison, in fiscal years 2016 and 2017, Nevada collected roughly $49 million in alcohol taxes; in just one year, the state’s pot industry already generates more tax revenues than booze.

A thief has become the 32nd name on Nevada’s list of Excluded Persons who are barred from entering any establishment in the state where gambling is taking place. James Whit Moody, 45, is a two-time felon convicted of burglary, petty larceny, and theft, notably from elderly casino patrons at machines and kiosks.

(content guide – https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/)

 

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TPBD – Pod Blog – Vegas Edition – 8/21/18

New Las Vegas Venues & Psycho Vegas – S2E76

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The New Novel by Julia Shupe – “Carved In Stone-A Vanessa Stone Thriller”   

 

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Jamey and John discuss the newest venue proposals coming to the Las Vegas strip and beyond.  Plus a special report and review of the Psycho Vegas concert event.

 

Vegas Gossip

A driverless-car pilot program, a joint venture between Lyft rideshare company and Aptiv mobility-tech company, has logged 5,000 paid fixed-route trips along the Las Vegas Strip since it launched three months ago. Lyft and Aptiv claim that their fleet of 30 BMWs with autonomous navigation capabilities is the “only commercial robot-taxi service in the U.S.” No other driverless pilot program is charging customers to ride in their self-driving cars. Lyft customers who book a ride online can opt in or out of the self-driving-car option; they can also provide feedback on the experience, which has received a 96% positive response thus far. A “backup” driver remains behind the wheel to take control if necessary.

The highest-priced meal in Las Vegas, as identified by BestLife.com, is the prix-fixe five-course tasting-menu dinner at the exclusive (12-seat) Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand.

The artist who designed New York-New York’s Statue of Liberty replica was awarded a $3.6 million judgment for copyright infringement after the face of the statue was used on a stamp of which 4.9 million were sold. The U.S. Postal Service didn’t realize they’d used an image that incorporated modifications to reflect the face of the artist’s mother-in-law.

 

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TPBD – Pod Blog – Vegas Edition – 8/14/18

Las Vegas in the News-Aliens, Disappearing Motels & Fried Chicken – S2E75

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The New Novel by Julia Shupe – “Carved In Stone-A Vanessa Stone Thriller”   

 

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Join Jamey and John as they discuss the current news of Las Vegas including vanishing motels, restaurant openings and new alien sightings…with a short Best & Worst list.

 

Vegas Gossip

A sign company has been awarded the $30 million contract to upgrade the light show on Fremont Street. Watchfire Signs, founded in 1932, beat out competition from around the world to install the new screen, which will be seven times brighter and four times sharper, making it vivid even during daylight hours. The nearly 50 million LEDs and 16.3 million pixels are four times more than the existing screen. The new system will be installed in eight sections starting early next year and will operate during the changeover, scheduled for completion by the end of 2019. Viva Vision’s last upgrade was in 2004 at a cost of $17 million.

According to Flowhub, a cannabis compliance company, Las Vegas boasts the lowest overall price for recreational marijuana of the top eight cities where it’s legal, due to the lowest tax structure. Based on the purchase of a $35 eighth-ounce of bud, Vegas came in eighth at $41.39 with 18.2% in taxes, Boston and Portland tied for sixth at $42 (20%), and Denver ranked fifth at $43.14 (23.3%). San Francisco ($43.67/24.8%), San Diego ($45.54/30.1%), and Los Angeles ($48.48/39%) came in at fourth, third, and second, respectively, while Seattle had the most expensive pot, levying 47.1% overall and bringing the eighth-ounce bag to $51.49 — $10.10 higher than in Sin City.

Hunter S. Thompson’s personal 1973 red Chevrolet Caprice convertible, known as the “Red Shark,” has been donated to Cannabition, the marijuana museum set to open at the end of this month. Thompson drove the same model car, which he rented in L.A., to Las Vegas for the gonzo trip he recounted in Fear and Loathing. In the trunk, he had so many drugs that he described it as similar to a police “mobile narcotics lab.” This car was given to Thompson in the ’80s as a gift by friends, then donated to the museum by Thompson’s widow Anita; it’s one of two dozen large-scale art pieces at the 9,000-square-foot Cannabition, including the world’s largest bong. Cannabition will open August 30 at Neonopolis.

 

 

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TPBD – Pod Blog – Vegas Edition – 7/31/18

Brown Outs, Strippers and Cocktails – Las Vegas Q&A – S2E73

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The New Novel by Julia Shupe – “Carved In Stone-A Vanessa Stone Thriller”   

 

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Jamey and John field more fan questions including discussions of Parking updates, a look at safety in Las Vegas, legal Stripper room visits, power outage procedures and the Drink of Choice currently.

 

Vegas Gossip

MGM Resorts International has entered into an agreement with the NBA to use its game data to determine the outcomes of sports wagers. MRI will pay the NBA $25 million over a three-year term, which also includes reciprocal promotional agreements. It’s the first such deal made between a licensed sports betting operator and one of the major sports leagues.

The nonprofit Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club, owner of the Pinball Hall of Fame, has purchased a 1.76-acre property on the south Strip just south of Russell Road across from the Bali Hai Golf Club, for $4.6 million. The Club is planning a 27,000-square-foot pinball-shaped building in order to expand from 250 machines in its current location on E. Tropicana to more than 1,000 machines, 800 of which are in storage. The Hall of Fame also hopes to attract more out-of-towners to its vintage quarter games. In response to when the construction on the new building might commence, the owner of the Hall of Fame said, “I have no idea.”

Sales of marijuana in May set a new record; the $43.74 million beat the previous record of $41 million set in March. Demand for recreational marijuana in Nevada has been stronger than many industry experts initially projected and continues to grow. Wholesale prices have gone up to levels unknown in other legal-pot markets (though that has to do as much with crop failure due to stringent testing standards and extreme heat as it does with demand). In other pot news, according to one dispensary owner, 60% of recreational customers are over the age of 40. And a company called Cannabaneirs has perfected a non-alcoholic marijuana-infused craft beer, “two roots,” as an alternative to edibles. It’s expected to be available in mid-August and cost $5 a can.

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TPBD – Pod Blog – Vegas Edition – 7/24/18

Hard Hats & Dreams – Watching the Building of a Las Vegas Resort – S2E72

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Join Jamey and John as they discuss their very unique experience of watching and being a part of the construction of a Las Vegas Resort Hotel & Casino.  They briefly look at all of the phases from training through the problematic opening night.

 

Vegas Gossip

The big Mega Millions lottery jackpot was hit Tuesday by a single winner for $522 million. The winning ticket for the 11th-largest U.S. lottery prize in history was purchased in San Jose, California, with the numbers 1, 2, 4, 19, 29, and Mega Ball 20. If the lump-sum payment option is chosen, the winner will receive $303 million.

John “Johnny World” Hennigan and Mori Eskandani have been voted the 55th and 56th members of the Poker Hall of Fame. Hennigan is a 5-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, and has racked up more than $8 million in tournament winnings.

Three restaurants at Venetian and Palazzo that are partially owned by Mario Batali have closed. Carnevino, B&B Ristorante, and Otto Enoteca e Pizzeria all closed last weekend, almost a week earlier than planned, after sexual misconduct allegations against Batali prompted Sands Corp. to part ways with owners B&B Hospitality. A new Italian restaurant out of L.A. called The Factory Kitchen is expected to take one of the spaces, while Carnevino, at least, will seek another location.

Excessive heat warning has been issued for this week, with temperatures expected reach as high as 114 degrees on Thursday. The normal high for this time of year is 105, which temperatures are expected to return to by the weekend.

A new Tiki bar has opened in an unlikely place. Tiki di Amore is located in a space behind the Casa di Amore restaurant at 2850 E. Tropicana. Billed as Las Vegas’ only outdoor Tiki, it’s open daily, except Tuesdays, from 5 to 11 p.m. The décor is highlighted by a giant octopus known as the “Tikipus.”

South Point says that in 2017 it sold 215,142 hot dogs from its sports book cart. That’s 589 per day, or more than one per minute.

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TPBD – Pod Blog – Vegas Edition – 7/17/18

Dealing in and with Las Vegas…Natives Speak – S2E71

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Join Jamey, Julia & John as they discuss the quick guide to becoming a dealer in Las Vegas, as well as, what the atmosphere and community are like as Vegas employees.  Included topics are the Tom Wolfe conspiracy, touching strippers and the #metoo locusts storming into Las Vegas.

 

Vegas Gossip

What’s Up

• Frankie Moreno is in the spotlight at the Smith Center (7/20)
• Funnyman Bill Maher does stand-up at the Mirage (7/20-21) while comedian Jim Gaffigan performs at Caesars Palace (7/20-21)
• Gwen Stefani continues her mini-residency at Planet Hollywood (7/21-22)
• Mandalay Bay welcomes One drop Redemption – Tribute to Bob Marley to the House of Blues (7/21) and country singer Kane Brown takes over the Beach (7/22)
• Barry Manilow is center stage at Westgate Las Vegas (7/20-21)
• Cannery features Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe (7/21)
• And Hermans Hermits starring Peter Noone are at the South Point (7/20-22)

 

News that MGM Resort International has filed a federal lawsuit against the victims of the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting drew immediate scorn on social media and in the court of public opinion.

Former NBA player Charles Oakley was arrested last week at the Cosmopolitan after allegedly removing a $100 chip from the betting circle on a losing hand of blackjack. It’s not uncommon for novices to handle bets improperly; however, accounts of the incident indicate that surveillance tapes were reviewed before the arrest and the action was deemed to be intentional. The matter is pending a court hearing in August. Oakley was in town to coach in the Big3 basketball tournament.

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TPBD – Pod Blog – Vegas Edition – 7/10/18

Just Ask Julia – Need to Know Las Vegas – S2E70

 

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Julia and Jamey discuss some vital information about Las Vegas as inspired by listener questions.  Included are talks of concierge assistance to the not-so-wealthy, dating players, fun casino games, the best excursions, strip club etiquette & trends, and popular Health spas.

 

Vegas Gossip 

The World Series of Poker Main Event is down to 26 players. The chip leader is Aram Zobian with 41.6 million, followed by Artem Metalidi with 30.8 million and Antoine Labat with 28.4 million. The field has some top players, including former bracelet winners Yueqi Zhu, Eric Froehlich, Ivan Luca, and Barry Hutter, but the big name is 2009 ME champion Joe Cada, who has 8.9 million. Television coverage begins at 9 p.m. PST on ESPN2 and will run till the nine final-table players have been determined.

It’s being reported that the Tropicana has agreed to a labor contract. It’s been a slow one-by-one process, but agreements have come steadily enough to avoid any major unrest thus far.

It’s being reported that the Tropicana has agreed to a labor contract. It’s been a slow one-by-one process, but agreements have come steadily enough to avoid any major unrest thus far.

 

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