Living in Las Vegas

The 2009 Las Vegas Film Festival begins Friday, April 9th.  It being held at one of my favorite new hotel casinos, the Eastside Cannery.  The festival will show a variety of film screenings including world premiers and Oscar-winning films.

The mission of the Las Vegas Film Festival is to bridge the gap between independent film audiences and filmmakers, as well as to connect emerging filmmakers with established industry professionals.  The 2009 Festival will showcase Feature Files, Shorts, Foreign Films, Documentaries, Animation, Music Videos, Television Pilots, A Nevada Filmmakers Showcase, Experimental Films, a Screenplay Competition and more.

The results are in! Here’s a quick run down of the staff and reader picks for Best of Las Vegas 2009.  To get the complete list, head on over to the Las Vegas Review Journal and click on the Best of Las Vegas.

Best Nightclubs: Pure and Prive

Best Family Attractions: Adventuredome and Bonnie Springs Old Nevada

Best Local Rock Bands:  The Killers and The Black Jets

Best Steakhouses: Outback and Capital Grille

Best Performers: Danny Gans and Bette Midler

Best Comedians: Rita Rudner and Craig Ferguson

Best Magicians:  Lance Burton and Keith Barry

Best Singers: Bette Midler and Rick Faugno

Best Strip Hotels: Bellagio and Paris

Best Downtown Hotels: Golden Nugget and El Cortez

Best Locals Hotels: Red Rock Resort and Eastside Cannery

Best Buffets: Bellagio and Wynn

Best Malls: Fashion Show and Town Square

Best Places to take out-of-town guests: Red Rock Canyon and Mount Charleston

Best Celebrity Residents: Andre Agassi and Vince Neil

Best Local TV Anchors: Paula Francis (KLAS-8) and Jim Snyder (KVBC-3)

Best Local Radio Personalities: Mark & Mercedes (KMXB-94.1) and Dave Berns (KNPR-88.9)

Best Local Politicians: Mayor Oscar Goodman and Senator Steven Horsford

Attorney Glen Lerner won the most annoying local TV commercial, beating out John Barr from last year. I have to disagree with this because John Barr’s commercials are beyond annoying, but at least Glen Lerner’s are somewhat catchy, and effective. 

And a special congrats to Paris Hilton who uniquely managed to win top pick as both best and worst celebrity tourist!

The Eastside Cannery officially opened its doors for business on Thursday.  The place was packed, you couldn’t even get a parking spot.  There were lines outside of all the restaurants and a waiting list to get on a slot machine.  Although there were some concerns about opening a new casino during these hard times, apparently things are looking up for the Eastside Cannery.

The Eastside Cannery is located at the site of the old Nevada Palace on Boulder Highway and Harmon. The hotel is 16 stories tall with 307 rooms, including 5 executive suites.  The casino has 2,100 slot machines, 26 table games, a 450-seat bingo hall, a keno lounge, poker room and race and sports book. 

Of course, being in Las Vegas, there is no shortage of dining and entertainment.  The Eastside Cannery features three restaurants, along with a deli and 24-hour cafe.  Sweet Lucy’s tableside buffet is different than your average buffet because instead of getting your own food, they serve your meal family style, all for one price.  Pin-Up’s bar sounds fun and Marylin’s lounge can seat up to 300 people for a concert. They even have a 2,000 seat boxing arena.

I am definitely looking forward to checking out the Eastside Cannery!!