Author: Mike Weatherford
Publisher: Huntington Press Inc
ISBN: 0929712714
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 264
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Book Description
Mike Weatherford resurrects the mystique of Vegas's Golden Age--the '60s of history and legend--bringing the hipster legacy to new Vegasphiles. Meet '50s and '60s lounge greats the Treniers, the Mary Kaye Trio, and Louis Prima and Keely Smith; comedy legends Joe E. Lewis, Shecky Greene, and Don Rickles; and Vegas babes Vampira, Lili St. Cyr, Ann-Margret, and Tempest Storm. Weatherford also covers nearly every offbeat movie ever made about Las Vegas, as well as Elvis and Frank's impact on the town. This gorgeous entertainment retrospective is packed with showroom esoterica, descriptions of near-forgotten corners of Vegas cult musicology, odd trivia, and unsung heroes of a bygone era. Cult Vegas chronicles the major moments--the camp, the extreme, the awful--in short, the magic of Las Vegas' half-century run as an entertainment mecca.
Author: Richard Zoglin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1501151207
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 304
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Book Description
“Outstanding pop-culture history.” —Newsday The “smart and zippy account” (The Wall Street Journal) of how Las Vegas saved Elvis and Elvis saved Las Vegas in the greatest musical comeback of all time. Elvis’s 1969 opening night in Vegas was his first time back on a live stage in more than eight years. His career had gone sour—bad movies, mediocre pop songs that no longer made the charts—and he’d been dismissed by most critics as over-the-hill. But in Vegas he played the biggest showroom in the biggest hotel in the city, drawing more people for his four-week engagement than any other show in Vegas history. His performance got rave reviews; “Suspicious Minds,” the song he introduced there, gave him his first number-one hit in seven years; and Elvis became Vegas’s biggest star. Over the next seven years, he performed more than 600 shows there, and sold out every one. Las Vegas was changed, too. By the end of the ‘60s, Vegas’ golden age—when the Rat Pack led a glittering array of stars who made it the nation’s premier live-entertainment center—was losing its luster. Elvis created a new kind of Vegas show: an over-the-top, rock-concert extravaganza. He set a new bar for Vegas performers, with the biggest salary, the biggest musical production, and the biggest promotion campaign the city had ever seen. He opened the door to a new generation of pop/rock artists and brought a new audience to Vegas—not the traditional well-heeled older gamblers, but a mass audience from Middle America that Vegas depends on for its success to this day. At once “a fascinating history of Vegas as gambling capital, celebrity playground, mob hangout, [and] entertainment Valhalla” (Rolling Stone) and the incredible “tale of how the King got his groove back” (Associated Press), Elvis in Vegas is a classic feel-good story for the ages.
Author: Sarah Sper
Publisher: Fodors Travel Publications
ISBN: 1400017092
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 322
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Book Description
Presents a travel guide to Las Vegas, providing recommendations on hotels, restaurants, shopping, local transportation, sights of interest, and nightlife.
Author: Kelly Kessler
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190674032
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 352
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Book Description
It was as if American television audiences discovered the musical in the early 21st century. In 2009 Glee took the Fox Network and American television by storm with the unexpected unification of primetime programming, awkward teens, and powerful voices spontaneously bursting into song. After raking in the highest rating for a new show in the 2009-2010 season, Glee would continue to cultivate rabid fans, tie-in soundtracks and merchandising, and a spinoff reality competition show until its conclusion in 2015. Alongside Glee, NBC and Fox would crank up musical visibility with the nighttime drama Smash and a string of live musical productions. Then came ABC's comedic fantasy musical series Galavant and the CW's surprise Golden Globe darling Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Television and the musical appeared to be a perfect match. But, as author Kelly Kessler illustrates, television had at that point been carrying on a sixty-year, symbiotic love affair with the musical. From Rodgers and Hammerstein's appearance on the first Toast of the Town telecast and Mary Martin's iconic Peter Pan airings to Barbra Streisand's 1960s CBS specials, The Carol Burnett Show, Cop Rock, Great Performances, and a string of one-off musical episodes of sitcoms, nighttime soaps, fantasy shows, and soap operas, television has always embraced the musical. Kessler shows how the form is written across the history of American television and how its various incarnations tell the stories of shifting American culture and changing television, film, and theatrical landscapes. She recounts and explores this rich, decades-long history by traversing musicals, stars, and sounds from film, Broadway, and Las Vegas to the small screen.
Author: Stephen Singular
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
ISBN: 1454939435
Category : True Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 279
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Book Description
What’s scarier than a murderer? Someone with the charisma to compel others to kill for them . . . or to kill themselves. Meet these cult leaders—and get an inside look at their beliefs and how they controlled others. Some cults, led by leaders like Charlie Manson, Jim Jones, and David Koresh, are notorious. But others are less well known, such as Shoko Asahara and his doomsday cult, Aum Shinrikyo, who orchestrated the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. Or Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret, who founded the Order of the Solar Temple, a doomsday cult that led to the death of 51 members by murder or suicide. Then there is Marshall Applewhite, leader of Heaven’s Gate, who, along with 38 followers, killed themselves in the belief that the Hale-Bopp comet signaled the arrival of a spaceship that would transport them to a higher plane of existence. What makes cult leaders so compelling is their often-unfathomable power over their adherents. Why do people kill others or themselves for a questionable set of beliefs? Killer Cults tells the stories behind both famous and unfamiliar cults, and the people behind them. Across a series of profiles, we learn the jaw-dropping truth behind some of the most mystifying and deadly cults, and their leaders, all of whom led their followers down a dark, murderous path.
Author: James Roman
Publisher: Museyon
ISBN: 1938450027
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 240
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Book Description
Discover one of !--?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /--America's most fascinating cities through 30 dramatic true stories spanning Las Vegas's 150-year history. James Roman takes readers on a tour through the glamorous and sometimes sordid history of Las Vegas and explains how a railroad town transformed itself into "the Entertainment Capital of the World." Essays explore the major historic events from the founding of Sin City and the building of the Hoover Dam to the rise of the Rat Pack at the Sands and the establishment of the Mafia-controlled casinos. Also included are intriguing tales of Vegas celebrities from Frank Sinatra and Liberace to Siegfried and Roy, as well as numerous historical photos and full-color maps.
Author: Fodor's Travel Guides
Publisher: Fodor's Travel
ISBN: 1640971963
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 418
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Book Description
Ready to experience Las Vegas? The experts at Fodor’s are here to help. Fodor’s Las Vegas travel guide is packed with customizable itineraries with top recommendations, detailed maps of Las Vegas, and exclusive tips from locals. Whether you want to gamble in a glitzy casino on the Strip, party at a happening club, or take a side-trip to Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon, this user-friendly guidebook will help you plan it all out. Our local writers vet every recommendation to ensure that you not only make the most of your time, but that you also have all the most up-to-date and essential information you need to plan the perfect trip. This new edition has been FULLY-REDESIGNED with a new layout and beautiful images for more intuitive travel planning! Fodor’s Las Vegas includes: • AN ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE GUIDE that visually captures the top highlights of Las Vegas. • SPECTACULAR COLOR PHOTOS AND FEATURES throughout, including special features on Las Vegas history, the Colorado River, and all the top Las Vegas shows. • INSPIRATIONAL “BEST OF” LISTS identify the best things to see, do, eat, drink, and more. • GREAT ITINERARIES for various trip lengths help you maximize your time. • MORE THAN 12 DETAILED MAPS help you plot your itinerary and navigate confidently. • EXPERT RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS offer options for every taste. • TRIP PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS include: guides to getting around, saving money and time, beating the crowds; and a calendar of festivals and events. • LOCAL INSIDER ADVICE tells you where to find under-the-radar gems, along with the best out-of-the-way restaurants. • HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL OVERVIEWS add perspective and enrich your travels. • A SPECIAL CHAPTER devoted to Las Vegas casinos with a gambling primer. • COVERS: Every major hotel on and off the Strip, Henderson, Paradise Road, Downtown, Fremont Street, Summerlin, Red Rock Canyon, Aria, MGM Grand, Cirque du Soleil, the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Area 51, and more. ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. Planning on visiting other destinations in the Southwest? Check out Fodor’s California, Fodor's Utah, Fodor's Arizona & the Grand Canyon, and Fodor's In Focus Santa Fe. Cover Photography by SquareShooting.com
Author: Janis L. McKay
Publisher: University of Nevada Press
ISBN: 1943859035
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 232
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Book Description
From 1940 to 1989, nearly every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip employed a full-time band or orchestra. After the late 1980s, when control of the casinos changed hands from independent owners to corporations, almost all of these musicians found themselves unemployed. Played Out on the Strip traces this major shift in the music industry through extensive interviews with former musicians. In 1989, these soon-to-be unemployed musicians went on strike. Janis McKay charts the factors behind this strike, which was precipitated by several corporate hotel owners moving to replace live musicians with synthesizers and taped music, a strategic decision made in order to save money. The results of this transitional period in Las Vegas history were both long-lasting and far-reaching for the entertainment industry. With its numerous oral history interviews and personal perspectives from the era, this book will appeal to readers interested in Las Vegas history, music history, and labor issues.
Author: Alexis C. Kelly
Publisher: Fodors Travel Publications
ISBN: 1400018145
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 322
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Book Description
Detailed and timely information on accommodations, restaurants, and local attractions highlight these updated travel guides, which feature all-new covers, a two-color interior design, symbols to indicate budget options, must-see ratings, multi-day itineraries, Smart Travel Tips, helpful bulleted maps, tips on transportation, guidelines for shopping excursions, and other valuable features. Original.
Author: Greg Ward
Publisher: Rough Guides
ISBN: 9781858288901
Category : Las Vegas (Nev.)
Languages : en
Pages : 344
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Book Description
This handbook to the neon oasis incorporates tips on blackjack and other gaming options to give you the chance to leave Las Vegas without losing the lot. It includes coverage of the area's other sights, from watersports at Lake Mead to the Hoover Dam and the Valley of Fire, plus an account of the Strip's 100 year history.
