My first thoughts about this event  were wrong…  Seriously. I gave this guy a listen (Robert Davi sample) and was immediately hit with the images of Old Vegas.  Listening to him, I could see it.  His voice just has that sense of the man himself.  The Rat Pack and Sinatra on stage.

Now the Vegas historian and music lover in me got excited.  A man who can pull off a Sinatra like sound.  Doing a gig in almost the very spot Sinatra probably stood to sing, fifty years ago.  The Sands was replaced by the Venetian.  Now how cool is that??

I’m actually looking forward to tonight.  if you are there, say hello!

Almost forgot….  he was actually cast opposite Frank Sinatra in the 1977 TV movie Contract on Cherry Street

• Robert Davi Live at The Venetian Showroom
• Robert Davi bio/IMDB

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Who would have thunk it?  That one day there would be a museum in Downtown Las Vegas that tells the story (the good, the bad and the ugly) of the birth, rise and fall of Organized Crime in America.  And now there is one  and it opened today, St Valentines Day, 2012.

To kick everything off,  The Mayor was there with his showgirls. After-all, this was one of his pet projects as Las Vegas Mayor,  that actually came to life!

The real Mayor (and wife of the former mayor) of Las Vegas was there with her “Showmen”  (her words).  Actually they were the men from the San Diego Police Historical Museum.  They even brought over some really cool vintage police vehicles for the occasion…

Event a few of the mobsters themselves were in attendance.  Including Andrew DiDonato and Frank Cullotta.  I also saw Henry Hill and a few others wandering in the crowd.

About the Museum

You know that mob “attraction” or “experience” or whatever it was/will be called, down at the Tropicana?  Fugetaboutit… Also, screw the critics who bitched about the cost and the idea behind a museum that “glorified” the Mob.  They are mostly local idiots who forgot what it was like to be a tourist and forgot why they wanted to come here in the first place.

You have to go see this Museum.  It’s the real thing.  And it is very well done.  It lives up to its hype and does not glorify anything except that crime really doesn’t pay.  Unless you are a paper pushing lawyer who happens to get a few of them as your clients… Than its a different story!

As Vegas attractions go, it’s also very affordable.  $18 for adults.  $10 for Nevada residents. Law enforcement, Military and teachers also get a discount.

The official title is “The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement“.  So they keep it pretty even.  Telling the good and the bad of both the law enforcement and the mobsters.

As you walk thru three floors of interactive displays, wall boards and story boards, you get the whole gritty story.  How it was formed, how it thrived and survived and how it died (or at least lost a considerable amount of its power) .  They even admit that the bad cookies were on both sides of the badge.

The whole thing is even housed in a very historic courthouse/post office.  Built in 1931 and at one point, you are sitting in the very courtroom where Senator Kefuver held one of his hearings on Organized Crime, back in the 1950′s.

I’ll add more to it later, in an actual review.  Just remember to put this on your “todo” list the next time you are in Las Vegas and want something different to do.  Go see what really made Las Vegas, Vegas.

The Mob Museum

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Imagine standing next to one of the world’s leading motorsports photographer’s as he is lining up a shot of a speeding race car coming right at you…  And learning what he is doing.  The how/why/what and when.

Well stop dreaming.  You can do it and can do it in Las Vegas!  It’s a David Allio motorsports photography workshop and it will be held in Las Vegas March 23 and 24 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Two days of intense shooting and learning motorsports photography in the real world.  On two separate tracks!

Not out of a book or from a sterile classroom. Not by some school professor or seminar leader..  You will be learning from one of the best in the business and learning it in real time on a real NASCAR track.

This opportunity doesn’t come along very often.  In fact, it rarely happens and can be life changing for some.  Now it’s going to happen in Las Vegas.  Thanks in some small part to your friend Sazzy, from The Vegas Tourist !  Sazzy and the Ace Reporter are taking this class, come and join them!

Immersion workshop

It really is Immersion.  Working with David on a live track.  Intense classroom discussions, track walks, open question and answer sessions.  Small group format to maximize the personal learning experience.

It’s not all about the track.  He will cover the back end as well.  The nuts and bolts of getting access.  Getting the shots and getting published.   He should know, he is well published as well as the chief photographer at two (or more) popular tracks in NASCAR series and shoots other tracks all over the country.

Book Now!!  Details Here

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And with this being Vegas, someone is always wanting to out do someone else in the “best” Vegas wedding. However, I do believe my wedding tale will top all others.  if you can top this “Only in Las Vegas” wedding, I want to hear about it.

Have I got a wedding Tale For You…

Actually, I will let the father of the bride tell the story.  Since he sent me the photos and gave me permission to tell the story… Take it away Mr Tom Donaghue

IT WAS A STORYBOOK WEDDING AT THE EXCALIBUR RESORT…..
FIRST WEDDING EVER HELD AT THE “TOURNAMENT OF KINGS”

ONCE UPON A TIME…..

My son John and his “Lady In Waiting” Kysa called from New York to inform me that they were planning to elope to Las Vegas in a month. They asked if I could plan some kind of wedding ceremony that was “Vegas” and that they’d be fine with whatever I came up with….

Whatever I can come up with ? The Nikon wheels in my head started turning !

Soon, with the aid of milady Betty, my better-half….A StoryBook Wedding was in the works….

And before I regale you with this wondrous tale, your humble servant must also beseech and bestow a special “Round Table Thanks” to Felix Rappaport, Jean George, Jill Breslaw and Ivan Caulier of the LUXOR and Excalibur, for their invaluable assistance…but now back to the story !

THE BETROTHED, Kysa and John, and their Lords and Ladies ( A wedding party of 25 ) held nary a clue to the magical Vegas evening in store for all of them…expecting only a dinner show, then off to a chapel somewhere, to get married….

That show, of course, was The Tournament Of Kings at the Excalibur ! But as that amazing show came to a close, some in the group may have begun to suspect that Tom-foolery was afoot ! Why aren’t we leaving for the chapel ??

Instead, I cajoled them all out onto the now deserted Tournament of Kings arena, for some fun photo ops… But as soon as I had talked John and Kysa into standing ATOP the “Round Table” for a great photo….

THE TRUMPETS BLARED, the lights went crazy, the gate to the castle flew open and out paraded four horsemen,

plus Merlin, The King, the Jester and….the minister..disguised as the Archbishop of Canterbury…

Everyone thought we were in trouble…Was the show starting again ? NO !

THE MAGIC HAD STARTED and everyone was in StoryBook Land…as all soon realized…

THE JOHN & KYSA TOURNAMENT OF KINGS WEDDING CEREMONY HAD BEGUN !!!!!

And A Tip Of The Hat to Derek Franceschini (Executive Pastry Chef At The Luxor) For A Great Wedding Cake That Topped-Off A Truly LAS VEGAS KINDA NIGHT……And The Most Memorable Of Weddings Ever !

And A Big Thank-You To Minister Jimmy Mac………..

HUZZAH ! HUZZAH ! HUZZAH !

Thank you Tom Donoghue for the story and the photos!! 

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As our tradition, we brought in our St Louis Office for help:  The Ace Reporter and the Chip and Dale Magnet.  Earlier in the summer, They bought their retirement house here in Las Vegas, and that’s where we did the recording. As Sazzy puts it “We live in beige-ville”

The ironic thing is the last podcast before this one was the March NASCAR race…  A lot has changed since than.  The Plaza just reopened.  Las Vegas got a new Mayor. The Mob Experience open (and now may open under new owners)

Race Weekend

What was suppose to be the start of new Vegas tradition, Indycar championship race to be ran the same weekend as NASCAR Truck Series at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  It didn’t turn out as we expected.

Other than the $5 million purse if Dan Wheldon could go from last to first, it was also Danica Patrick’s last race as a full time Indycar racer before she jumps to the more profitable NASCAR Nationwide series.

If you are into motorsports photography, you may know the name David Allio.  On top of a whole long list of sports photography credits and credentials, he is the chief photographer for the Las Vegas Track, a man with the touch and great guy to know… Well,  Sazzy worked her magic and got him to speak to the local camera club prior to the race events.  Blew the room away.  (Look for another post about him and his gift soon)

Finally we talk about the track.  the race, the fact that there are more women in Indycar, than in NASCAR.  And how it all was flowing well until Sunday afternoon and Lap 11.  Than the world of Motorsports came to a stop.

I can say that even the rock hard, veteran motorsports photographers were shedding a few tears for what we were watching unfold in front of us.  The 5 lap tribute was a moment that will stay with us all forever.  And the reason for the long delay in editing and posting…

Thank you

I wanted to thank our fans for their comments and support.  We have been very slack on our Podcasts and this one is really over due.  Enjoy and leave us your comments.

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Some people may not be aware, but Las Vegas is home to more than the bad boy of NASCAR, Kyle Busch and the Busch brothers.  We are also home to Brendon Gaughan.  Brendon has just agreed to compete in 10 races on the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule and in eight races on the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule.

That means will be able to see him on the local Las Vegas Motor Speedway track twice this year!  Go Brendan!  We’ll be cheering for you….

Now, when we say hometown boy, you really can’t get more home town than this: Brendan’s father, Michael Gaughan, owns the South Point Casino (and we interviewed).  While his grand father is Jackie Gaughan.  The legendary icon of Downtown. He bought one of his first casino’s from Mr Bugsy” Siegel.  That’s Home Town!

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Tonight we say good-bye to one of the last remaining icons of Vegas’ glory years.  From when the customer was king and the company tried to attract the customer.  To make their place something you would want to go into and explore.   That would be the MGM Grand Lion exhibit.  It’s closing tonight for the final time.  To be replaced with…  Yet, another high-end, over priced booty-call bar and restaurant.

Now this new bar is not to be confused with the new one that will replace the now defunct Studio 54.  Another hangover from the glory days that will be replaced with another trendy, over priced, over hyped, high-end booty call bar.

It just boggles the mind when you think about it.  That boardroom mentality of MGM and Caesars.  “If we make all our resorts look alike and have nothing to distinguish or to attract guests into our doors… if we tighten up the machines, lower the payouts and get rid of anything that is free, Maybe we can make more money!”  I mean, gambling is only allowed in like 30 other states, it’s not like we have competition from other places for the tourist dollar…    Do we??

The lion exhibit is the reason you wanted to go in and explore.  While you were in there, you may have spent some money and shopped or dined.  But now?? Why go in there?  You can gamble in 300 other joints in town.  Why should you go and explore this one?  To be amazed at what?  Another red velvet rope with some doorman looking for the hottest chicks and the guys willing to tip heavy to get to the head of the line??  Yea, that should bring in the tourists!!

Ok, maybe I am a bit jaded.  Or just anxious to get this winter doldrums out by inhaling fumes from burning rubber or get race car fuel into my system.  NASCAR is a little over a month away!!  I can’t wait!

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Both teams are first year expansion teams.  And both are pretty well loaded with great on-field talent and plenty of power.  I think this was more of a match of wits and one-up on coaching than of power and talent.  Who had the better plays and could execute those plays.  It was the Las Vegas Sin!

This means that Las Vegas remains undefeated going into the Western Conference Playoffs against the defending two-time champion Los Angeles Temptation.  That happens   next Sunday, Jan. 29th at Citizens Business Bank Arena in LA.

That winner meets the Eastern Conference Playoffs Champion for Lingerie Bowl IV in Las Vegas, on February 5!  The same day some other football game is being played in Indianapolis?? Hmm….

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While Las Vegas was hosting one “we’re not a beauty contest” beauty contest, Vegas was also hosting a second contest that was not hiding the fact that they are a real beauty contest.  The annual Tropic Beauty Bikini Model Search, world finals was happening just a little further down the Strip at the Tropicana.

Where your typical Miss America winner will go on to be an arm charm for some US Senator or oil man,…  Winners here have parlayed their success in TV and modeling careers.  Probabaly a few even went on to be mistresses to some US Senators who married a Miss America!!

Thanks Tom for the pics!! You Are The Best!!

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Sorry, did that sound a little harsh??  Don’t take it wrong.  I’m glad someone from my neck of the woods actually got the crown.  But having grown up watching this show, and actually looked forward to it… I was a bit taken back by the truth behind America’s oldest beauty pageant when we covered it a few years ago.  When you know the secret behind the sauce, you tend to lose your love for it.

However, Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler, actually had a heads up on the other contest.  See, when you want to be a Miss America, there are few key ingredients you must posses: The ability to look pretty.  The ability to not think.  The ability to look pretty.  The ability to toe the company line and finally, the ability to look pretty.

Toe the Line

In Miss America speak, that means to be able to convincingly talk about your dreams of world peace, using the crown to bring an end to world hunger and the desire to save the world with a great big hug. If you can’t repeat those words with a convincing smile while looking like a woman without a thought in her pretty little head, you don’t stand a chance of getting here.

In her case, Miss Wisconsin had the help of her father who did some time in the slammer for mail fraud.  So her platform about helping the youth, was already rolling with speeches to school children and other “at risk” hungry, juveniles who will now have a new idol to look up to.  The beautiful Miss America.  That should attract the little perverts to her cause.

Is NASCAR Here yet??

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