Vegas Squeezes the Juice

I know, by now, everybody must be sick of Mr. Simpson and his antics. I’m sure there are those who are ready for him to get convicted of “any crime”, so he can be locked up for a long period of time and disappear from the public conciousness. However, this is where the Las Vegas viewpoint may be a little different than most other parts of the country.

This city feeds on publicity like no other and the Simpson case is no different. For the time being, we are the center of the media universe ….. and we are eating it up like a tourist at a $2.99 buffet. Since the story broke, the Palace Station Hotel and Casino has been mentioned at least a zillion times on every outlet from TMZ.com to Fox News to CNN. Do you think that the owners of that property are upset about being associated with O.J.? 

Please …. you can’t possibly dream of “free” exposure like that !!! They can’t wait for the next Greta Van Susteren breaking news update, because they know at some point in the coverage they will be mentioned (and probably their marquis shown on camera), before Greta updates us on arraignment details, or the size of O.J.’s cell or some other innocuous detail. I personally have already seen friends, or friends of friends, on national TV numerous times since this whole thing broke. Who would have thunk it !!!

I thought the VMA’s were a nice story, what with the Britney train wreck, the Sarah Silverman rant, and the Kanye tantrums, but this is going to trump all of that by a mile. And a special thanks to “The Juice” for his ridiculously glib comment, “I thought what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas”. His apparent belief that he is indeed invincible and above the law has provided my beloved city with yet another free sound bite (advertisement) that will be trumpeted across the airwaves over and over again. 

Don’t get me wrong, I think O.J. is a deplorable human being, and perhaps, if there is such a thing as karmic payback, he will be convicted and sent away for a long, long time. Maybe he will even find love and happiness with his new cellmate Bruno, while he waits for his reserved window seat on the train to hell. But for now, he has managed to shine the spotlight of the world on my home, and we are loving it !!!

    

Welcome Aboard

Well, I guess this is one of those situations like standing next to the deep end of a swimming pool. You can’t dip your toes in slowly, you just have to jump in and see what the water is like …. so here goes.

My family moved to this “city of sin” when I was only a toddler, and I have remained here for most of my life. My hope is to not only give you an idea of what it’s been like to grow up and live here, but also a little bit of insight on how being a Las Vegan may, or may not, alter your perspective on the rest of the world.

I will try to touch on a variety of topics including, but not limited to, sports, gambling, politics, entertainment and pop culture. But, feel free to bring up topics of your own. I am rarely short of opinions.

I am very lucky to be able to live in the entertainment and gaming capital of the world, and there always seems to be something going on here that provides food for thought. I know you won’t always agree with my views, but I hope I can provide an open forum for us to discuss things that pique my interest. Please feel free to give me as much or as little feedback as you want. I will welcome all opinions, comments, criticisms, or rants.

Once again welcome aboard this Neon Train. I hope it will be an enjoyable ride for all of us.