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The Jeff Does Vegas Podcast
https://www.jeffdoesvegas.com/feed.xml
Taking you to the World Famous Las Vegas Strip...and beyond! Featuring conversations with entertainers and experts as well as trip reports with reviews of hotels, casinos, restaurants, shows, attractions, and more!
Mr. Showmanship - Liberace In Las Vegas
There's no question that Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, and all through the city's history, it's played host to some of the most legendary acts of all time.
Some names come to mind instantly, like The Rat Pack...Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin & Sammy Davis Jr. There's Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton who's been headlining in Vegas since the mid-1960's. And of course, there's the King Of Rock N' Roll, Elvis Presley who sold out a record 636 shows at the International Hotel (later, the Las Vegas Hilton).
But one performer made his mark on Las Vegas before any of those people. In fact, some would say he paved the way for not only past legends but the massive residencies that would come decades later.
That performer is the one and only Liberace...
My guest for this episode of the podcast is Claire White, the Director of Education at The Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas. Before she joined the Mob Museum, Claire spent several years working at the now-closed Liberace Museum, also in Las Vegas, where she learned all about the long & storied career of "Mr. Showmanship".
If you want to check out some of the highlights of Liberace's life, check these out:
Liberace performing "Chopsticks"
Liberace live with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
Liberace's dual role as villains, "Chandell" and "Harry" on the classic TV series, Batman
Liberace's appearance on The Muppet Show
Liberace hosts on MTV in 1985
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Accessible Vegas
Did you know that approximately 2% of the world's population uses a wheelchair AND that nearly 20% of people have a disability that limits one or more activities of daily living?
If you applied that math to Las Vegas, that means that roughly 840,000 wheelchair users and almost 8.5 million people with different levels of accessibility requirements travel to Vegas every single year.
In the various Vegas-related Facebook groups I'm a part of, I often see questions from people who are apprehensive about visiting the city due to the perception that Vegas isn't very wheelchair friendly.
I wanted to break that perception...so I've called in an expert on the subject of wheelchair travel.
John Morris is the founder & creator of WheelchairTravel.org, a website & blog where he shares his own experiences of travelling as a wheelchair user. And, like me, John is also a frequent Vegas visitor.
If you want to learn more about John & get all the info you need when it comes to travelling to Las Vegas with a disability, visit WheelchairTravel.org and be sure to follow John on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
Have A Seat: My Conversation With Chris Hansen
In mid-December 2022, I was offered the opportunity to talk with the one and only Chris Hansen, formerly of Dateline NBC and perhaps best known for the famous To Catch A Predator series of investigative reports.
If you're not familiar with To Catch A Predator, allow me to explain:
A group of decoys playing the part of underage teen boys & girls enter online chatrooms and wait for adults to engage them in sexually explicit conversations. A meeting is set up, the predator comes to a house to meet who he believes is the minor he's been chatting with but instead he's greeted by Chris Hansen and local law enforcement.
But what does this have to do with Las Vegas?
As it turns out, Chris Hansen is headed to Vegas for a run of live shows at the Southpoint Hotel & Casino on February 3rd, 4th and 5th, 2022. He'll be talking about To Catch A Predator as well as his latest predator investigations, sharing behind the scenes & never-before-seen footage, and hosting an interactive Q&A session with the audience.
You can watch Chris's latest predator investigations streaming online at WatchTruBlu.com and be sure to follow Chris on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
2022 In Review - Las Vegas History
As 2022 comes to an end, I've decided to take you all on a little trip back in time to re-visit some of my favorite conversations from the last 12 months of the podcast.
For the third & final instalment of 2022 In Review, I've decided to cover what is easily one of my favorite things to talk about - and based on your reactions to these episodes, I'm betting it's yours as well:
Las Vegas History
Over the past year, I've covered some pretty cool parts of Vegas history and been very fortunate to be joined by some amazing guests for these conversations!
If you want to check out their full episodes, here they are (in order of appearance):
EP#124: Las Vegas Black History - The Rise & Fall of the Moulin Rouge
EP#103: The Best Dam Episode Ever!
EP#132: Bugsy - Fact vs. Fiction
EP#126: Dark Tourism
EP#120: "Rare" History - The Story of the Golden Steer
2022 In Review - Content Creators
This time on 2022 In Review, I'm jumping into the archives and re-sharing conversations with some of the excellent content creators I've had the pleasure of speaking with over the last year including authors, vloggers, bloggers & podcasters.
It was awesome getting them on the podcast to talk about Las Vegas and share their fantastic work with you!
EP#105: Going Through Changes
EP#127: Responsible Travel
EP#112: LIGHTS OUT! F1 On The Vegas Strip
EP#116: The Annoyed Pit Boss
EP#130: The Vegas Confessions Podcast
2022 In Review - Entertainers & Entertainment
For the first episode of 2022 In Review, I wanted to pay tribute to the amazing entertainers who took time out of their busy lives to jump on the show for a chat.
Singers, musicians, showgirls, comedians and even an exotic dancer all made it on the podcast this year. We covered a ton of great topics and it was a blast talking to all these incredibly talented people!
EP#125: Showgirls - Fact vs. Fiction
EP#102: My Special Guest - Enoch Augustus Scott
EP#115: Interview With A Dancer
EP#131: My Special Guest - Dennis Blair
EP#133: My Special Guest - Anne Martinez
EP#109: My Special Guest - Carrot Top
My Special Guest - John Katsilometes
When you really want to know what's going on in the Las Vegas entertainment scene, there's only one guy you need to turn to...and he's my guest for this episode of the podcast!
John Katsilometes is the writer of "Kats!", a daily column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal that covers everything & anything to do with entertainment in Vegas, both on and off the Vegas Strip.
John was kind enough to join me to chat about his beginnings in the world of journalism, how me moved from writing about sports to writing about entertainment, some of the big stories he's broken during his career, and much more!
Check out "Kats!" on the Las Vegas Review-Journal's website, follow John on Twitter & Instagram for all the latest happenings in Vegas, and check out his podcast, "Podkats!"
My Special Guest: Anne Martinez
October 21, 1977 saw the release of what would eventually become one of the best selling albums of all time:
Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell
The idea for the album came from a musical that writer/composer Jim Steinman had conceived back in 1974. Meat Loaf & Jim spent most of 1975 re-writing & recording the album, then close to 2 years auditioning the record - and getting rejected by every single record company they presented it to.
After a concert video of the title track aired on BBC Television in the UK, the album gained A LOT of traction...and the rest, as they say, is history.
Bat Out Hell has sold 43 million copies worldwide, it's certified 14x Platinum in the US, and it's spent a record 530 weeks on the UK Album Charts.
Flash forward to the late 90's, when word of a new musical based on the album (and it's sequel, "Bat Out Of Hell II") begins to surface. The show was officially announced in 2008, workshopped in New York City in 2015, and finally hit the stage in the UK in 2017. After spending time in London's West End, Toronto, and touring around the world, it was revealed in early 2022 that the Paris Theater in the Paris Hotel & Casino would be home to a new resident production of Bat Out Hell: The Musical.
Joining me for this episode of the podcast is veteran Vegas performer, Anne Martinez, who plays the role of "Sloane" in the show.
Anne & I chatted about what initially brought her to Las Vegas a decade ago, we talked about her love for the music of Jim Steinman & Meat Loaf, and what makes Bat Out Of Hell such a special show.
For more info on Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical at the Paris Hotel & Casino, visit the show's website for showtimes/days & ticket info. For exclusive pics & videos, be sure to follow Bat Out Of Hell on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
Bugsy: Fact vs. Fiction
In 1991, Warren Beatty jumped onto the big screen to portray one the most feared and most famous mobsters of all time...Bugsy.
The film, directed by Barry Levinson and co-starring Annette Bening (as Bugsy's longtime girlfriend, Virginia Hill) tells the story of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and his role in the creation of The Flamingo and the building of Las Vegas as an "oasis in the desert".
Bugsy was minor hit, grossing just over $49 Million at the box office, receiving high praise from critics, and garnering several Academy Award & Golden Globe nominations including a Golden Globe win for "Best Picture - Drama". But despite all these accolades, just how historically accurate was the film?
My guest for this episode of the podcast is here to tell us.
Making his FOURTH appearance on the podcast is Geoff Schumacher, the Vice President of Exhibits and Programs at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. Geoff was kind enough to join me once again to help separate fact from fiction when it comes to the story of Bugsy Siegel.
Did Bugsy actually try to get into acting during his time in Hollywood? Who actually came up with the idea for The Flamingo? And was opening night at the casino really a total flop?
If you want to learn more about Bugsy & his associates and their place in Las Vegas history, plan a visit to the Mob Museum on your next Vegas vacation. You can also follow the Mob Museum on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
And be sure to check out Geoff's previous appearances on the podcast including:
Episode #22: Mob Rules
Episode #62: Howard Hughes - Aviator, Innovator & Las Vegas Legend
And Episode #87: Casino - Fact vs. Fiction
Podcast Flashback: Viva SCARE Vegas
For this Podcast Flashback, I've decided to take a deep dive into the archives and, being that it's Halloween, I thought it might be fun to re-share something spooky. And it all starts with a simple question:
With Vegas's somewhat shady past & tales of tragedy, it should come as no surprise that Sin City has more than its fair share of creepiness floating around. A quick search on Google reveals several spots both on and off The Strip that are believed to be haunted by the spirits of the infamous, the famous, and the not-so-famous.
Way back on Episode #41 of the podcast, I was joined by Josef Kruger of Las Vegas Ghost Tours for a conversation about some of the creepiest & strangest stories of Las Vegas spooks & spectres!
If you want to learn more about Vegas Ghost Tours and book yourself on an upcoming tour, be sure to visit their website. Also, follow US Ghost Adventures on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all kinds of cool ghost stories not just from Vegas, but from all over the United States!
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