Living in Las Vegas

Ok, I narrowed it down to what I think are a few of the best free events for kids on Halloween night in Las Vegas. 

Mix 94.1’s M&M Treat Street and/or Sunny 106.5’s Safe Street

I’m not sure whose annual Treat/Safe Street it is this year.  The Las Vegas Sun stated this was going to be a Mix 94.1 event, but the brochure from Town Square where it’s being held listed Sunny 106.5 as the host.  So, a little confusing, but either way, head down to Town Square on the Strip for lots of candy, contests and entertainment for the whole family.

GhostWalk and Carnival of Horrors

It’s the 3rd Annual Ghostwalk at The District at Green Valley Ranch.  Walk down main street and trick or treat at all the shops, but watch out for the ghosts!  The Carnival of Horrors is going to be a replica of an old-fashioned traveling carnival complete with sideshows.

Trick or Treating and Scary Movies at Lake Las Vegas

If watching scary movies by the lake sounds like the perfect Halloween night for your family then Montelago Village is where you want to be.  “Ghostbusters” is showing at 5:30pm and “Poltergeist” is at 7:30. And of course, the kids can trick or treat all through the village.

Happy Vegas Halloween!!

That’s right, not half off or buy one get one free, a totally free ticket to the George Wallace Show at the Flamingo in Las Vegas.  When you go to vote, make sure you get one of the “I Voted” stickers.  Each sticker is good for one free admission to the 10:00 p.m. show Tuesday through Saturday until November 11th.

His show sounds like it’s pretty cool.  His website says his show is evolving and never the same twice.  He likes audience participation and gives away prizes like CD’s, DVD’s, jewelry, cruises or cars.  And he signs autographs and takes pictures after every show.

Since I am not overly familiar with George Wallace I thought I would dig around a little bit and these are some cool things I found out about him:

1.  He is considering running for Mayor of Las Vegas.

2.  He was Jerry Seinfeld’s best man at his wedding.

3.  His brother is Steve Wallace from the Kansas City Chiefs and San Fran 49er’s.

4.  He lives at the Flamingo!? (I’m not 100% for sure on this.)

5. He is number 93 on Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Standup Comedians.

Interesting.  Anyway, being a local, I can never actually afford tickets to the shows out here and since a pair of tickets to George Wallace’s show runs $150, this may be my only chance to go, so I hope I make it!

Although I am not the biggest fan of Lifetime movies, I can’t wait to see their new movie based on the book “Murder in Sin City” by Las Vegas Sun’s writer, Jeff German.  Due to the fact that Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish were actually found not guilty of murdering Ted Binion, the movie is more generically titled “Sex & Lies in Sin City: The Ted Binion Scandal.”

Mena Suvari plays Sandy Murphy, a stripper who is put on trial for the murder of her billionaire boyfriend, Ted Binion.

Matthew Modine plays Ted Binion who is the owner of Las Vegas casino, Binion’s Horseshoe (now named Binion’s Hotel and Gambling Hall).

Rick Tabish, played by Johnathon Schaech, is Sandy Murphy’s lover and Ted Binion’s close friend, who is also put on trial for his murder.

And Becky Binion, his sister, is played by Marcia Gay Harden. She is convinced that Ted Binion was murdered.

The true story began on September 17, 1998 when Ted Binion was found dead in his home by his girlfriend Sandy Murphy. Police initially suspected an accidental drug overdose. 

Two days later, on September 19, 1998, Rick Tabish and friends were arrested while digging up $4 million of Binion’s silver in Pahrump, NV, that Tabish had actually helped Ted Binion bury there about 6 months earlier.  He claimed Binion said he could have it. From what I recall, this was a pretty big part of the whole thing.

Fast forward to May 20, 2000, Sandy Murphy and  Rick Tabish are found guilty of murder. Then, on July 15, 2003 their murder convictions are overturned and a new trial was ordered.  On November 23, 2004 the jury finally decides it was Ted Binion’s own addictions that killed him.

The movie premiers on the Lifetime channel on Saturday, October 25 at 9:00 p.m. with repeats on Sunday and Monday.  I hope it’s good!

Get set for a chance to play against some real poker pros for the price of a ticket to a Las Vegas show!  The opening of The Real Deal! is Tuesday, October 21st at the Venetian. The show is hosted by stand-up comic Paul Rodriguez and pro-player Lacey Jones.

Two members of The Real Deal’s professional poker team compete live onstage with six players randomly chosen from the audience in a tournament-style game of Texas Hold’em.  The rest of the audience members get to play as the “virtual” ninth player from their seats. All participants can win prizes ranging from merchandise and electronics, up to a $75,000 diamond bracelet and $1 million in cash.

Producer Merv Adelson stated “It’s going to bring out all sorts of people; from the very experienced player to someone who has never thrown a chip in the pot. The show will play to everyone.”

This is a first for Las Vegas and sounds like it would be a blast. How often do you get a chance to see a show and come out a winner at the same time? 

Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal passed away Monday, October 13th at the age of 79.   He died of a heart attack in his Miami Beach, Florida home.

The movie “Casino” pretty accurately depicted Rosenthal’s life and participation in Las Vegas’ up and coming years.  Rosenthal secretly ran the Stardust, Fremont and Hacienda hotel casinos for the mob during the early 70’s.  He was the first to put a sports book in a casino and the first to hire women black jack dealers. Sports Illustrated called him “the greatest living expert on sports gambling.”

In 1988 the Nevada Gaming Commission Board actually put Rosenthal in the infamous “Black Book” and he was banned from being in or near any casino in Nevada.  Story has it that he disguised himself and went to the casinos all the time anyway.

Rosenthal was nicknamed “Lefty” because during a court hearing he pleaded the Fifth Amendment 37 times, including not answering the question of whether or not he was left-handed (he was). 

I actually first received news of this Amber Alert via email at work. The situation is very real and very serious.  A few minutes later I heard about it on the radio and then I heard it was on MySpace.  So kudos to getting the news out there, the sooner this boy is found the better!

Ok, the details.

Name: Cole Puffinburger                    Age:  6 years                          Gender: Male

Hair:  Blond                                           Eyes: Blue                               Skin: White       

Height: 3 feet 8 inches                        Weight: 48 pounds

Kidnapped From:  His home at 6800 Cherry Grove Avenue near Hollywood and Lake Mead.

Wearing:  Black John Cena WWE wrestling shirt, dark jeans, a belt, black Vans shoes, white socks and a black, zip-up hooded sweat shirt with white, black and blue stars all over it.

Details:  The suspects are two Hispanic males.  They posed as police officers and held Cole and his mother at gunpoint while robbing their home. Then they took Cole.

Las Vegas Metro Police Department: 702-828-3111

Crime Stoppers: 702-385-5555

It’s that time of year again!  Yes, my favorite radio station, Mix 94.1 is hosting its annual Bite of Las Vegas fest on Saturday, October 18th at Desert Breeze Park. A year goes by so fast, seriously, I can’t belive it.

Be prepared for crazy parking, crazy crowds, and crazy good food and music.  They have some awesome bands coming for the $8 admission.  The lineup at the House of Blues main stage is:

Even I might have to brave the crowds again to check out these bands.

The food lineup is also going to be great.  Some of my faves include Famous Dave’s BBQ, Golden Spoon, Gorden Biersch and Zaba’s Mexican Grill.  And the cool thing is you can try everything because the “bites” only cost $1 to $5 each. 

Don’t forget to bring a canned food item to recieve $1 off your ticket, plus $1 of each ticket will be donated to the City Mission of Las Vegas.  Have fun!!

I have to admit, I have been trying to avoid the topic of the economy.  I keep thinking it can’t really be as bad they say, but I guess it’s time to face it.   Nevada’s economic activity is the lowest in the country this year.  Our unemployment rate is the highest it’s been in 23 years. 

I am thinking if everyone just keeps a positive mindset and accepts that we all may have to work a little harder these next couple years, then everybody will pull through ok.  Is a second job a topic in my household a little more frequently these days? Yes, and although we are not happy about it, I guess that’s just how it is right now.

So in an effort to do my part, I thought I would post about Opportunity Boulevard’s Career Fair at Green Valley Ranch Casino on Tuesday, October 14th.  The fair is going to be held in the Estancia Ballroom and it starts at 12:30 p.m.  There will be a resume workshop, a healthcare presentation, a sales presentation and a worship about applying for government positions.

Overall, this fair sounds really nice and hopefully will help out a few people. I will try to post more career fairs as I hear about them.  As always, dress to impress!!

Ok, so I knew about Justin Timberlake headlining the big concert at Planet Hollywood on Friday.  But I didn’t know about the charity events he is doing all this week in Las Vegas

First, at 10:00 am today, is the “Last Chance for Change” Rally and Canvass Kickoff with Justin Timberlake at the Clark County Amphitheater.  It’s sponsered by Barack Obama and the Nevada Campaign for Change, and it’s free!

Next, on Wednesday, October 15th is the first day of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which kicks off the PGA Tour. Celebs that will be teeing off with Justin at TPC Summerlin Golf Course include Amanda Beard, Josh Duhamel, Josh Kelley, Chris Kirkpatrick, George Lopez and John O’Hurley.

Finally, as if that’s not enough, the main event is the Justine Timberlake and Friends concert on Friday, October 17th at Planet Hollywood to benefit Shriners Hospital for Children also.  The concert starts at 8:00 and performing along with Justin are The Jonas Brothers, 50 Cent, Boyz II Men, Rihanna, will.i.am, Adam Levine, Esmee Denters and Leona Lewis .  It looks like tickets are still available starting at $75.

So, once again, another great weekend for spotting stars out in Las Vegas!

The Nevada State Election Integrity Task Force raided the Las Vegas office of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (”ACORN”), seizing documents and computer hard drives.  ACORN is the nation’s largest community organization of low-income families, working together for social justice and stronger communities.  The Las Vegas office was accused of submitting fraudulent voter-registration forms.

The fraud allegations include registering people multiple times and completing applications with false information.   Some of the applications may have even listed players from the Dallas Cowboys, including Tony Romo and Terrell Owens. 

Secretary of State Ross Miller stated, “This is part of an ongoing investigation by the multi-jurisdictional task force that we announced this past July.  We said then that we would work aggressively to protect the process. We’re going to do everything possible to ensure that Nevada’s voter rolls are protected and to ensure that only those who are eligible can cast a ballot.”

It sounds like that have everything under control . . . I hope!