Shows
The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThe Finale**NOTE: It is strongly recommended you not unsubscribe from this feed after you download this episode. The regular show is over, but it is possible some additional interviews and other specials might be placed in the feed from time to time.**After six years, this is the final regular episode of The Strip. The show, which debuted on Sept. 1, 2005, was co-hosted by journalists and life partners Miles Smith and Steve Friess. In this emotional episode, the duo recount the top 10 moments of the show as voted on by listeners, talk about the changes in their lives and...2011-09-101h 36The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL REISSUE: The Very First Episode!This is a special reissue of the first episode of what would become The Strip. We called it Vegas S&M when we debuted on Sept. 1, 2005. The final episode of the program was recorded on Sept. 5, 2011.2011-09-0756 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: Steve's Valedictory Speech To LambdaSteve addressed Las Vegas' gay chamber of commerce, Lambda Business and Professional Association, on August 10, 2011. In these comments, he reflects on the progress and challenges facing Las Vegas' GLBT community.2011-08-2741 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: Steve on LVW Radio Discussing the Jockey Club StorySteve appeared on the Las Vegas Weekly's Radio Mag on KUNV 91.5 FM on Aug. 11 to discuss the Jockey Club and his LVW cover story about it. The interviewer is LVW Editor Sarah Feldberg.2011-08-2629 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: Steve's KNPR Exit InterviewSteve Friess' exit interview on KNPR on 8/10/11 as he prepares to leave for a Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University of Michigan.2011-08-2330 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: Steve On KNPR On Eureka, NVThe economy might seem mired in recession in Southern Nevada but elsewhere the sick economy is creating a boom - the gold-mining counties have little or no unemployment, construction work for those who want it and the good times are rolling. This counter-cyclical boom is the other side of the bubble that burst in 2008. Steve Friess has been up in Eureka County to experience first hand what is happening with the healthiest part of our state economy.2011-08-2224 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastEXTRA BLOOPERS!We had some extra bloopers. In this file, we fight and bitch at each other (lovingly, riiiight?) and there's lots about our studio antics. Fun stuff.2011-08-2118 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastFINALLY! BLOOPERPALOOZA!FINAL TRIVIA: What was the first major hotel-casino to open after Steve arrived in Vegas on 9/9/96 to begin working at the Review-Journal? If you know it, email us at TheStripPodcast@aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by 9/3/11. if you get it right, we send you something. Period. Everything must go.Twitter: @TheStripPodcastBlog: VegasHappensHere.ComVoicemail: 702-997-3300Open & Banter: Start to 36ishIntro/End-Show Bloopers : 36:45-44ishWordplay Bloopers: 44:30ish-50ishBanter/Midshow Bloopers: 50:50-1:07ishTrivia/Poll/Feedback: 1:07ish-1:20ishInterview-related Bloopers: 1:20:35-1:31ishCursing B...2011-08-211h 55The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThe Real George Wallace?TRIVIA Q: Who has appeared on The Strip the most times in the history of the show?Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by Aug 12. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.Blog: VegasHappensHere.ComSite: TheStripPodcast.ComE-mail: TheStripPodcast@aol.comVoicemail: 702-997-3300Twitter: @TheStripPodcastOpen & Banter: Start to 18ishGeorge Wallace Part I: 24ish--51ishTrivia/Poll/Letters: 51ish-59ishGeorge Wallace Part II: 1:00-1:26ishTSTToTW: 1:26-end2011-08-071h 34The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastCharlie Palmer, Hall of FamerTRIVIA Q: Who has appeared on The Strip the most times in the history of the show?Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by Aug 12. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.Blog: VegasHappensHere.ComSite: TheStripPodcast.ComE-mail: TheStripPodcast@aol.comVoicemail: 702-997-3300Twitter: @TheStripPodcastOpen & Banter: Start to 18ishCharlie Palmer: 18-50ishTrivia/Poll/Letters: 51ish-1:04ishHal Sparks Excerpt: 1:04-1:07ishTSTToTW: 1:08-endSYNOPSIS: The...2011-08-011h 16The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThomas & SmackTRIVIA Q: Go to TheStripPodcast.Com or VegasHappensHere.Com and listen to the 3-second clip, then tell us who the guest was for that show? Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by July 27. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com. Blog: VegasHappensHere.Com Site: TheStripPodcast.Com E-mail: TheStripPodcast@aol.com Voicemail: 702-997-3300 Twitter: @TheStripPodcast The design genius behind Mirage, Bellagio and Wynn was supposed to have stepped down from the Wynn Resorts and pursue other...2011-07-221h 54The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL VIDEO: NARRATED TOUR OF WYNN DESIGN HQRoger Thomas, chief of Wynn Resorts design, tours their new offices near McCarran Airport with Steve Friess of TheStripPodcast.Com and VegasHappensHere.Com.2011-07-2218 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastFluff LaCoque's Jubilee!This former Nevada governor's dad had mob ties and invested with the likes of Dave Berman, Gus Greenbaum and a dude nicknamed Ice Pick. Who was it?Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by July 20. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.Twitter: @TheStripPodcastBlog: VegasHappensHere.ComVoicemail: 702-997-3300 Open & Banter: Start to 41ishFluff LaCoque Part I: 41-103ishTrivia/Poll/Letters: 104ish-1:13Fluff LaCoque Part II: 1:14-1:33ishTSTToTW: 1:34ish-end2011-07-171h 40The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL REISSUE: Terry Lanni From April 2008Welcome to a special edition of The Strip. Former MGM Mirage CEO Terry Lanni has died. To commemorate the occasion, we are re-issuing our April 2008 interview with Lanni, who entered the gaming business as C.F.O. for Caesars World Inc in 1977 and went on to be president of that company before becoming president and C.E.O of what was then MGM Grand Inc in 1995. In 2000, he oversaw the buyout of Mirage Resorts, and in late 2008 he resigned his post at the helm of what by then was known as MGM Mirage. This interview was...2011-07-1536 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: INSIDE THE PLAZA RENOVATION (NORMAL EDITION)**NOTE: VISIT THESTRIPPOCAST.COM OR VEGASHAPPENSHERE.COM TO FIND THE FLICKR SLIDESHOW THAT CORRESPONDS/ILLUSTRATES THIS EPISODE. ALSO, IF YOU HAVE AN IPOD CAPABLE OF PLAYING ENHANCED FILES, CHECK THE PODCAST FEED AGAIN TO DOWNLOAD THAT VERSION OF THIS AND THERE PHOTOS WILL APPEAR TO CORRESPOND (MOSTLY) WITH THE DISCUSSION.**This is audio from that walk-around, which also includes conversations with CEO Tony Santo about the process of buying all the furnishings from the never-to-open Fontainbleau and about why they opted not to call the property the Union Plaza again. Plus, he defines what a high-roller is...2011-07-0549 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastPhil Satre Will Not Be HarrahfiedThe father of what Pulitzer Prize winning former New York Times reporter was once the entertainment director of a major Vegas resort? Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by July 6. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.Twitter: @TheStripPodcastBlog: VegasHappensHere.ComVoicemail: 702-997-3300Open & Banter: Start to 25ishPhil Satre Part I: 26-58ishTrivia/Poll/Letters: 58ish-1:06Phil Satre Part II: 1:07-1:48ishTSTToTW: 1:48-endThis fall will be the 100th a...2011-06-301h 55The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: Steve Wynn Claims He Voted For ObamaAudio of Steve Wynn on Fox News with Frank Luntz before an audience on 6/19/2011 claiming he voted for Obama.2011-06-2005 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastA Sweet Show With A Bittersweet Ending
Why did Harrah's name the top Total Rewards tiers the Seven Stars level and put seven stars on the Harrah's logo? Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by May 11. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com. Twitter: @TheStripPodcast Blog: VegasHappensHere.Com Voicemail: 702-997-3300 Open/Banter until 21:00John Philippe Maury, Part I: 21-45Trivia/Poll/Feedback - 45-50John Philippe Maury, Part II: 50-1:13Announcement 1:13-end
As any dessert lover knows...2011-05-061h 22The Strip: Las Vegas Podcast1970s Pinups' Vegas Invasion With David Cassidy & Erik EstradaWhy did Harrah's name the top Total Rewards tiers the Seven Stars level and put seven stars on the Harrah's logo? Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by May 9. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.Twitter: @TheStripPodcastBlog: VegasHappensHere.ComVoicemail: 702-997-3300Open/Banter until 18:00Cassidy 18:30-1:14Trivia/Poll/Feedback - 1:15-1:29Estrada 1:30-1:57TSTToTW 1:57-endLas Vegas used to be a place where past-their-prime entertainers went to die. Now, in the...2011-05-012h 03The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastView From The Top Of The StratosphereTRIVIA: Prior to March 1931 when Nevada passed its six-week waiting perido for divorce, what state was known as the Divorce Capital of America? Know? E-mail us call 702/997-3300 by 4/11/11
Email: TheStripPodcast@aol.com
Twitter: @TheStripPodcast
Voicemail: 702-997-3300
The announcement of the closure of the Sahara means a lot for Vegas historians and enthusiasts, but it also will have some consequences for one of the city’s most notable landmarks, The Stratosphere. As that resort turns 15 years old this month, it finds itself increasingly isolated north of the Strip right when ne...2011-04-051h 38The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: The Good(man) WifePrior to March 1931 when Nevada passed its six-week waiting perido for divorce, what state was known as the Divorce Capital of America? Know? E-mail us call 702/997-3300 by 4/11/11Email: TheStripPodcast@aol.comTwitter: @TheStripPodcastVoicemail: 702-997-3300
Welcome to a special edition of The Strip. The race for Las Vegas mayor is heating up with the April 5 primary, and the frontrunner by all accounts is none other than Carolyn Goodman, the wife of Mayor Oscar Goodman. Steve is working on several stories related to the race, so he sat down for this lengthy, thorough...2011-04-031h 47The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastA Caveman and A Chip MonkGo to the blog (VegasHappensHere.Com) or the podcast site (TheStripPodcast.Com) and tell us what is "Vegas wrong" about the image from a stain glass window at the Guardian Angel Cathedral.
Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by March 21. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.
Email: TheStripPodcast@aol.com
Twitter: @TheStripPodcast
Voicemail: 702-997-3300
A Caveman and a Chipmonk walk into a bar. Actually, they’ve never even met, but t...2011-03-151h 47The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: A Chat With Richard MarxWeb: TheStripPodcast.ComEmail: TheStripPodcast@aol.comBlog: VegasHappensHere.ComVoicemail: 702-997-3300Twitter: @TheStripPodcastWelcome to a Strip Extra. Listeners of this show will NOT be surprised to learn that Steve is a big fan of none other than 1980s and 1990s pop balladeer Richard Marx. So when the opportunity presented itself to interview Marx today, he made it work. Since Marx plays the Orleans Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas Saturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13, we didn’t want to wait until next week’s show to post it. So here we go.2011-03-1124 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThere She Was, Miss AmericaGo to the blog (VegasHappensHere.Com) or the podcast site (TheStripPodcast.Com) and tell us what is "Vegas wrong" about the image from a stain glass window at the Guardian Angel Cathedral. Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by March 21. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com. Email: TheStripPodcast@aol.com Twitter: @TheStripPodcast Voicemail: 702-997-3300 Less than two months ago, Miss America 1943 Jean Bartel was in Las Vegas for the pageant’s 90th anniversary celebration. She was th...2011-03-091h 34The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: Gennifer Flowers' Vegas ResidencyWhat is now where the Landmark Hotel-Casino once stood?
Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by March 5. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.
Email: TheStripPodcast@aol.com
Twitter: @TheStripPodcast
Voicemail: 702-997-3300
To go along with our 1990s Tabloid Stars of Vegas theme from this week's proper episode of The Strip, we're also posting Steve's chat with Gennifer Flowers, Bill Clinton's original other woman. Flowers now splits her time between Vegas a...2011-02-2729 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThe 1990s Tabloid Stars Of VegasTRIVIA: What is now where the Landmark Hotel-Casino once stood?
Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by March 5. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.
Email: TheStripPodcast@aol.com
Twitter: @TheStripPodcast
Voicemail: 702-997-3300
We all know that Las Vegas has long been a haven for washed up show business stars, but in the past decade or so we’ve also become a mecca of sorts for 1990s tabloid fixtures, too. The list of...2011-02-241h 35
The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastVegasDelivered.Com Trailer No 2
RateVegas.Com's Hunter Hillegas and VegasHappensHere.Com's Steve Friess join forces to present VegasDelivered.Com, a subscription service that will offer special and exclusive video and audio content. This is one of two trailers for our first project, a tour of Wynn Las Vegas' new rooms and restaurant, Lakeside Grill, as explained by Wynn uber-designer Roger Thomas.
Visit VegasDelivered.Com for more information and learn how to buy the videos.
2011-02-1502 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastTRAILER 1: ROGER THOMAS TOURS WYNN (80 sec)RateVegas.Com's Hunter Hillegas and VegasHappensHere.Com's Steve Friess join forces to present VegasDelivered.Com, a subscription service that will offer special and exclusive video and audio content. This is one of two trailers for our first project, a tour of Wynn Las Vegas' new rooms and restaurant, Lakeside Grill, as explained by Wynn uber-designer Roger Thomas.
Visit VegasDelivered.Com for more information and learn how to buy the videos.2011-02-1401 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastREISSUE: Sierra Boggess on The Strip in 2006This is a reissue of our 2006 interview with Sierra Boggess, now the star of Love Never Dies in London as featured on our Feb. 10, 2011 show. It's a fun blast from the past.Email: TheStripPodcast@aol.comTwitter: @TheStripPodcastVoicemail: 702-997-3300Blog: VegasHappensHere.ComTwo stars of Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular joined us live in the studio. Sierra Boggess (Christine Daae) and Brent Barrett (The Phantom) discuss their careers off the Strip and what it's like to be in a shortened version of history's most successful musical. Also, Steve's mom is...2011-02-091h 00The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThe Top 10 Moments of 2010TRIVIA Q: How many hotel rooms did Circus Circus open with? Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by Feb. 4. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.Twitter: @TheStripPodcastVoicemail: 702-997-3300This week on The Strip: We know we’ve been gone too long and we’re sorry. But we’re back to count down the 10 best moments of 2010 as voted on by you. And here’s a hint: there’s a dash of Oscar, a dollop of the Wynns and a whole bo...2011-01-231h 09
The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: STEVE ON KSNV ON NEW YEAR'S EVE @ PANORAMA TOWERSAn edited compilation of live hits at Panorama Towers where KSNV Channel 3 anchor Marie Mortera reported on a dinner party with her boyfriend as well as Panorama resident Amy Turner and Vegas journalist Steve Friess. Friess blogs at VegasHappensHere.Com, co-hosts TheStripPodcast.Com and Tweets from @TheStripPodcast.The quartet dined on food from LBS Burger and Hachi at Red Rock Resort and drank Champagne provided by Southern Wine & Spirits. Each segment included a kitchen visit by Marie to the chefs who prepared the food, but that was removed to stay within YouTube's allowable time. In...2011-01-0212 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastTwyla Dances With Sinatra, Wynn & VegasTRIVIA: Go to VegasHappensHere.Com and TheStripPodcast.Com, look at the trivia photo and tell us, what Vegas couple got married at that hotel. If you know, e-mail TheStripPodcast@aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by Dec. 17. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com. Twyla Tharp has been that unusual New York dance figure who has long dabbled in popular culture, largely a result of being exposed as a kid to lots of movie musicals while working at her parents’ drive-in theater in California. She studied dance with suc...2010-12-211h 13The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: Steve Guests On Vegas Gang To Rap About CosmoHunter Hillegas of RateVegas.Com graciously authorized us to put this episode of his program featuring Steve in The Strip Podcast's feed. Subscribe to The Vegas Gang in iTunes or Zune via VegasGangPodcast.Com.#55: The Cosmopolitan OpensRecorded LIVE from the 50th floor of The Cosmopolitan with Chuck Monster (VegasTripping.Com), Hunter, Dr. Dave Schwartz (DieIsCast.Com), Jeff Simpson, RateVegas.Com columnist and Steve Friess. Web: TheStripPodcast.ComEmail: TheStripPodcast@aol.comTwitter: @TheStripPodcastBlog: VegasHappensHere.ComPhone: 702-997-33002010-12-201h 14
The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: COSMO CEO UNWIN RESPONDS TO WYNN & MORE!Web: TheStripPodcast.Com Email: TheStripPodcast@aol.com Twitter: @TheStripPodcast Blog: VegasHappensHere.Com
Welcome to an interview-only edition of The Strip Podcast. We’ve been traveling this week but wanted to post Steve’s interview with John Unwin, the CEO of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, in advance of the resort’s opening on Dec. 15. In this conversation, Steve and John discuss everything from whether the city needs another megaresort to Steve Wynn’s criticism that the resort is quote “an extraordinary example of ill-conceived plans.” Also, what’s it like to now be one of Wynn’s peer...2010-12-1455 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastFoodie Fight Three WaysTRIVIA: What was the name of the first hotel that stood where the Las Vegas Club is now?If you know, e-mail TheStripPodcast@aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by Dec. 17. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.Twitter: @TheStripPodcastBlog: VegasHappensHere.ComVoicemail: 702-997-3300Email: TheStripPodcast@aol.comBy now everybody who listens to this program, reads Steve’s blog or enjoys eating out on the Strip must know about all the controversy kicked up over this little book that re...2010-12-081h 54The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastAn Andy Williams Holiday Special - With Dog FoodTRIVIA: What was the name of the first hotel that stood where the Las Vegas Club is now?If you know, e-mail TheStripPodcast@aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by Dec. 17. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.Twitter: @TheStripPodcastBlog: VegasHappensHere.ComYou think of Andy Williams, you think Christmas specials, Moon River and Branson, Missouri. You do NOT think of LSD, eating dog food or strident political commentary. Williams, the legendary crooner who’s now 83, appears in December at the Las Vegas Hilton, so...2010-11-301h 27The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThe Agony of Being Frank Sinatra Jr.What famous photographer shot the classic portrait of Siegfried & Roy that appeared on the Mirage marquee for more than a decade? E-mail TheStripPodcast [at] aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by Nov. 5. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com.
Twitter: @TheStripPodcast Blog: VegasHappensHere.Com Voicemail: 702-997-3300
Frank Sinatra Jr. has the voice, the stage presence and the look. So why is he not successful? Or, rather, why does HE say he’s not successful? In this conversation with Steve, the son of th...2010-11-0844 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSUPERSIZED EP: Wayne's WorldNEW TRIVIA: What famous photographer shot the classic portrait of Siegfried & Roy that appeared on the Mirage marquee for more than a decade? Know it? E-mail TheStripPodcast@aol.com or call 702-997-3300 by Nov. 5. If we draw your correct answer, you pick from the prize list at TheStripPodcast.Com. Wayne Newton is not broke. Really. Just ask him, and he’ll tell you all about it. We did so, as you’re about to hear, and Mr. Las Vegas is surprisingly forthcoming about all those recent lawsuits and much more. Steve visited Newton this week at his...2010-10-262h 01The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastA Sweeter, Thorn-Free Rose
Three years ago, Pete Rose was still pretty bitter when he spoke to Steve about his banishment from baseball and the inequity that he’s still not eligible for the Hall of Fame while the villains of baseball’s steroid era are. But these days Rose has mellowed and, as you hear, is humble and contrite about his past misdeeds as well as patient for the day when he might be reinstated. This interview was recorded in early September before Rose was honored for the 25th anniversary of breaking the all-time hit record, and he is clearly excited abou...2010-10-031h 27The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastTrue Cloris, Shining ThroughBetty White may be getting all the headlines these days as America’s elder stateswoman of comedy, but has she ever played Vegas? Another randy grandma, Cloris Leachman, hasn’t either, but at 84 she makes her debut on Sept. 18 and 19 at the Suncoast. The Academy Award winner, who has also won more Emmys than any actor ever, spoke to Steve at length in advance of that one-woman show and brace yourself because some of this is almost as sexually explicit as that Tony Curtis chat we gave you a while back. There are many highlights, including Cloris sharing her expe...2010-09-121h 46The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThe Nutty PrognosticatorThree years ago, at the height of the Vegas boom, Jerry Lewis predicted that the resorts were overbuilding and would eventually smother one another. He just didn’t expect it to happen so fast. Now, with the city in a world of hurt, the tough-talking, foul-mouthed comedy legend both commiserated with the current state of affairs and suggests some solutions. Steve spoke to the 84-year-old in advance of that much-cherished Labor Day tradition, the annual Jerry Lewis Telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the two talked about the mob, Steve Wynn and the current state of his ca...2010-09-061h 20The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastOUR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY BLOOPERPALOOZA!Fights! Celeb Outtakes! Singing! It’s been FIVE years! Five years of brilliant, revealing interviews, witty banter and… oh, who are we kidding? It’s been five years of fuckups, stumbles, confusion, arguments and a whole lot of fucking cursewords. But most of that is behind the scenes except for once a year when Steve edits together the best outtakes and we revel in how badly we do this job. If you’re in the chat room weekly, you’ve heard most of this, but if not, this is your shot. Some of this is new, though, including outtakes with Jon V...2010-08-221h 01The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSUPERSIZE EP: Mafia Wars, Vegas StyleImmediately after Mayor Oscar Goodman was elected, he got into political hot water for suggesting the city open a mob museum. And yet in the next 18 months, Vegas will be getting not one but two of them. The Las Vegas Mob Experience is set to open at the Tropicana in December and the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas is due sometime in 2011. In this supersized episode of The Strip, we’ll hear from prominent proponents of both. First, Steve speaks to Meyer Lansky II, the grandson and namesake of the legendary mob boss who first sent Bugsy Siegel to...2010-08-101h 58The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastRick Thomas Roars OnSeven years after an on-stage tiger attack ended careers of Siegfried & Roy, there’s still one magician on the Strip using the huge wild cats to stun and fascinate audiences. That’s Rick Thomas, who has bounced in his Vegas career from one resort to another and presently appears at the Sahara. Steve speaks to Thomas this hour about returning to the stage with his tigers after Roy’s injury, about what went wrong for Criss Angel, Hans Klok and Steve Wyrick and about why he hesitated before agreeing to take over the showroom at the Sahara.In Ban...2010-08-031h 31The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastNEW SHOW: The George Wallace Debacle Revisited
For years, you’ve heard Steve and Miles joke about it, for very, very few listeners have ever actually heard it: The mythical George Wallace interview of November 2005. Every now and then, when the hosts of this show need a reference to someone who treated them badly, it’s always the late-night comic at the Flamingo. But was it really as bad as we remember? We’ll replay that this hour.
In Banter: Vegas websites and analysts behaving badly, an awkward Brad Garrett experience, dinner with Vajohna & Co., and more.
2010-07-051h 07The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastHot Air In The KitchenYou know what group of Vegas notables rarely, if ever, find themselves at the center of controversy? Chefs. Normally, they just oversee their kitchens, sell their books and show up on daytime TV feeding perky anchors delicious treats. That's why it was so jarring when Rick Moonen of RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay ended up in the middle of a feud with Top Chef Masters judge Jay Rayner this month over why Moonen came in second in the Bravo series. We'll talk to Rick about that and then turn to another outspoken Vegas chef, Jet Tila of Wazuzu at Wynn...2010-06-281h 47The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastDonny Osmond's ReturnIt’s been three long, productive years for Donny Osmond
since last he joined us on this program. His first public hint that a Vegas
deal was brewing was on that 2007 episode, and now he and sister Marie are
major Strip headliners who have both also appeared on Dancing With The Stars.
Donny, of course, won the ABC reality show last year, and he talks this hour
about that triumph. He also talks about how he knew to buy the domain name
donny.com way back in the 1980s and he and Steve touch on some current news of
th...2010-06-211h 18The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: PHIL LAAK & JEN TILLY ON POKER MARATHON RECORDPoker star Phil Laak is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest poker-playing stint. He's at Bellagio from Wednesday June 2 until, assuming he does it, Saturday, June 5 at 7 p.m. PT. He's going for 80 hours; the official record is 72 hours and the unofficial one is about 79 hours.See Steve's piece at AOLNews.Com or via his blog.Blog: VegasHappensHere.ComEmail: TheStripPodcast@aol.comWeb: TheStripPodcast.ComTwitter: @TheStripPodcastVoicemail: 702-997-33002010-06-0324 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastVince Neil, Inc.For most of his life, he’s been known as the hard-partying, long-haired front man for the legendary metal band Motley Crue, but in recent years Vince Neil’s emerged as tattoo business mogul with a growing empire that includes tattoo shops, bar-restaurants and even an airline. And, to hear Neil tell it, he owes it all to Las Vegas. Hear all about it this hour in an interview recorded for Steve’s forthcoming Portfolio.Com piece.In Banter: Two Vegas mob museums, the Trop’s renaissance, Girls Night, Hispanic marketing, LVS lawsuits, Camp Vegas, Perini v MGM, Norm v R...2010-05-262h 05The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastA Smothers Brothers HourThe following is an abbreviated list of the people whose career lineage can be traced back to Tom Smothers: Bill Maher. Jon Stewart. David Letterman. Stephen Colbert. Weird Al Yankovich. Norman Lear. Steve Martin. George Carlin. Lorne Michaels. Penn & Teller. The Dixie Chicks. The Who. Simon & Garfunkel. Yeah, that’s all. All were either launched or deeply inspired by Smothers and his pioneering work as creator and co-star of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour from 1966 to 1969. That landmark show, which was yanked from the air in its third season after constant battles with CBS censors, blazed the trail and set th...2010-05-1050 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastGloria's A Vegas StarOur first interview with
Gloria Estefan back in 2006 was also the first time we ever did an episode of
this show from outside Vegas. So it’s somewhat fitting that the second time
around also is a first – the first time we ever conducted an interview for The
Strip while standing, literally, outside on the Strip itself. Steve spoke with
Estefan on Friday just steps away from where she had just unveiled her star on
the Las Vegas Walk of Stars. The Latin legend teases about an upcoming Vegas venture -- and then Steve tells us what it's really all a...2010-05-021h 01The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastAOL SPECIAL: Gehry InterviewThis interview originally was posted on April 12 as part of an episode of The Strip Podcast.You can love it or hate it, but there is no way to be indifferent to the swoopy, wacky shell over the new brain health center west of Las Vegas. That’s because it was designed by the man famous for controversial and often bizarre buildings the world over, Frank Gehry. This is the first time Gehry, 81, has designed for Vegas, and there are several reasons for that as you’ll hear this hour in a rare in-depth audio interview the architect did...2010-04-2034 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastFrank Gehry's Vegas VisionYou can love it or hate it, but there is no way to be indifferent to the swoopy, wacky shell over the new brain health center west of Las Vegas. That’s because it was designed by the man famous for controversial and often bizarre buildings the world over, Frank Gehry. This is the first time Gehry, 81, has designed for Vegas, and there are several reasons for that as you’ll hear this hour in a rare in-depth audio interview the architect did with Steve. You’ll hear who Gehry has turned down through the years and why, who he is wil...2010-04-121h 17The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastWynnterview, The PodcastIt’s become a cliché on this program to say that when our Steve sits down to chat with Steve Wynn, you never quite know what’s going to happen. But it’s a cliché because it’s true, so fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a wild ride as the Steves pick over the Wynn divorce, recent art acquisitions and a spirited political discussion over the economy and health care.In Banter: Miles – yes, Miles – goes on a Strip bender, the R-J thinks Pink’s is literally BEST, Frank Gehry thinks Excalibur is literally the BEST, Illinois and NJ...2010-04-051h 42
The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: ELAINE WYNN VIDEOHere's our special video interview with Elaine Wynn from our live March
20, 2010 show from the Wynn Las Vegas during the NCAA's March Madness
men's basketball tournament. The conversation ranges from hoops to
Obama to Aria to who may succeed Steve Wynn at Wynn Resorts.
Web: TheStripPodcast.Com
E-mail: TheStripPodcast@aol.com
Phone: 702-997-3300
Twitter: @TheStripPodcast
Blog: VegasHappensHere.Com 2010-03-2235 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThe (March) Madness of Queen ElaineLas Vegas is awash in March Madness, although for legal reasons nobody around here calls it that. So we’re webcasting live from the March – uh – Lunacy party in a ballroom at the Wynn in honor of the NCAA basketball tournament that even has the President of the United States going a bit bracket-crazy. And because we’re at the Wynn, who better to chat with than the property’s first lady, Elaine Wynn? Wynn, now divorced from Steve Wynn but as intimately involved in the details of the company as ever, joins us later this hour to talk about her obsess...2010-03-211h 35The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastWynn's Design Alter EgoAfter designing several of the most beautiful hotels in Las Vegas if not the world, what does Roger Thomas do for, no pun intended, an encore? Well, for one thing, this weekend the world’s most famous movie stars will lounge in a green room of his design before appearing on stage at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood for the 82nd annual Academy Awards show. Does this star turn mean that Steve Wynn’s gay alter ego is launching a new phase of his career? Maybe, but he’s still got his hands full with projects for Wynn Resorts as varied...2010-03-071h 50The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastCirque's Big Top ManThe head-scratching and bellyaching began way, way back in 2003 with Zumanity. Then came Ka, Love and Criss Angel Believe. But despite naysayers who think Cirque du Soleil is overextended in Las Vegas, here comes show No. 7, Viva Elvis at Aria, officially opening on Feb. 19. What’s the deal? Steve sat down in Montreal last month with Cirque CEO Daniel Lamarre, who says he wouldn’t mind having 50 shows on the Strip, if only they had the time and available showrooms. But the company is busy elsewhere these days, planning permanent productions at Radio City Music Hall and the Kodak Theatre, not...2010-02-072h 05The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastKenny Kerr's Hard FallHe was the longest-running solo headliner in Las Vegas history, but just a few years since the end of his last gig, he’s probably largely unknown to most of you. Kenny Kerr was the first female impersonator to go mainstream on the Strip, opening in the late 1970s at the Silver Slipper, paving the way for Frank Marino. But Kerr’s story is that of great success and constant financial problems, and when Steve spoke to him in December he had left a gig at a small Italian restaurant miles from the Strip because the owner hadn’t paid him. ...2010-01-251h 28The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastMore Celebrity, More PuckHe can hardly keep track of how many restaurants bear his name, so he’d be forgiven if he found opening yet another one in Vegas to be run-of-the-mill. And yet Wolfgang Puck, seemed as giddy as ever as he inspected the construction site that will, in one month’s time, open as Puck Brasserie at CityCenter. Amid the hullabaloo surrounding Aria’s opening day, the 60-year-old restaurateur found time to chat with Steve about his childhood food memories, what the most famous celebrity chef in the world means by his “less celebrity, more chef” advertising tagline and why he’ll never ope...2009-12-221h 19The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastMurren's Opening Aria
**Visit VegasTripping.Com and vote for us in the podcast, blog and Tweeter categories!**In case you
haven’t heard, there’s a little company opening up a few new attractions out
there on Las Vegas Boulevard this month and the guy behind all that is a fellow
named Jim Murren. The CEO of MGM Mirage was, for better or worse, the visionary
behind CityCenter, the $8.5 billion project that is finally a reality and has
already opened the hotel-condo Vdara, the Mandarin Oriental and the mammoth
Crystals shopping mall. In the interview you’ll hea...2009-12-081h 59The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastDoyle Brunson Loses A BetEven if you know or care nothing about professional poker, it is hard to imagine you’ve never come across the name Doyle Brunson. Poker’s elder statesmen was there when Texas Hold ‘Em came into being, was there when the concept of the poker tournament was invented and was there when they added hole-card cameras to poker tables to make it interesting for TV viewers to follow the action. Now, at 76, he’s published a surprisingly frank autobiography appropriately titled “The Godfather of Poker” in which he reveals the violent early days of his gambling life, his strained relationship with his fat...2009-12-011h 27The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastFrankie Goes To VegasYou may not be all that familiar with the name Frank Caliendo, but it will become hard to miss it the next time you’re on or around the Las Vegas Boulevard. The 35-year-old impressionist known for his work on MADTV and on Fox NFL Sunday just started a 10-year deal to appear nightly at the Monte Carlo, so Steve chatted with him this hour about how that happened, about how he felt about the cancellation of his TBS sketch comedy show and much more. Plus, he explains why he wasn’t at his best the night the media came to r...2009-11-231h 22The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: WYNN DESIGN TEAM SPEAKS!Audio from a panel discussion moderated by TheStripPodcast.Com host Steve Friess at the Global Gaming Expo that featured Roger Thomas, DeReuyter Butler, Andrew Kreft and Todd Avery Lenahan. Thomas is the mastermind behind several Wynn property designs going back to Mirage, Butler has been drawing up the architecture for Steve Wynn for 20+ years, Kreft oversees all the horticulture and Lenahan designed the Wynn Buffet as well as the Encore rooms and spa. The conversation includes new details of the plans for the Switch Beach Club area, some surprises about Wynn's initial intentions with both the Dunes and Desert Inn...2009-11-211h 02The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastGood Ol' BoydAt 77, William S. Boyd could just sit back, count his money and let his children carry on his family’s casino and philanthropic legacies in Nevada. But for Boyd, retirement from running the company means being active in it in other ways, and he remains very much involved in the important decisions of Boyd Gaming. Mr. Boyd speaks to Steve this hour about halting construction of Echelon, making a play for the properties of bankrupt rival Station Casinos and old versus new Vegas.In banter: Frank Caliendo opens, Steve bets on Cotto for a friend, WSOP ratings are fl...2009-11-181h 04The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastUngilding Lily
She’s conquered
Hollywood and Broadway and won over the hearts everywhere in between so at 70,
Lily Tomlin has finally decided it’s time to become a Vegas headliner. For nine
nights, from Nov. 10-18, the comedienne brings her cast of famous characters –
Ernestine the telephone operator and bratty 5-year-old Edith Ann among them –
to the stage. Tomlin explains this hour her illustrious career never before
included the Strip and chats with Steve about her roles in Desperate
Housewives, West Wing, Damages and the X-Files. Plus, she explains why she
walked off the Dick Cavett show in 1972 in a feminist...2009-11-101h 26The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastTop Chef's Bottom Line EffectFour years ago, a San Francisco chef took a gamble and opened up his San Francisco kitchen to the first challenge of a new Bravo TV show called “Top Chef.” At the time, Hubert Keller came across as tough and grouchy but the show was a hit and his Fleur de Lys in California became a place of intrigue for its fans. Fast forward to this year when warmer, cuddlier Keller appeared first on Top Chef Masters and then in an episode of the current, Las Vegas-set season of the show. Business at Fleur de Lys – long an underperformer at Mandal...2009-10-301h 49The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastPodcastaPalooza2: Take A Chazz on UsWhen the idea first came up, nobody -- and by nobody we mean Steve -- thought it could possibly work. Chazz Palminteri was a career character actor with modest name recognition next to the likes of, say, Holly Madison, and his plan was to bring a serious autobiographical one-man play to the Strip? Fuggedaboutit. But Palminteri has faced down doubts about "A Bronx Tale" before, and here he is now in the middle of a two-week run at the Venetian that has been extended by popular demand. Palminteri joined us live at the 2009 Vegas Podcast-A-Palooza to discuss the show, his...2009-10-2333 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastCSI Interviews: The ExperienceIt’s the biggest TV show ever set in Las Vegas, but can CSI: Crime Scene Investigation succeed as a permanent Vegas attraction? The folks at MGM Grand decided to find out. On the occasion of the opening of the interactive solve-it-yourself CSI: The Experience, Steve sat down with both Vegas-raised creator Anthony Zuiker and the show’s longtime star, Marg Helgenberger and Helgenberger expressed some disappointment with her role.In Banter: Debate over the notion of a Top Chef restaurant, Miles' redux on those effing curtains at Switch, A Bronx Tale is excellent, Wynn's new flight deal, post...2009-10-131h 01The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastHal Prince: The Las Vegas Spectacular!Welcome
to a special interview edition of The Strip. The first-ever Phantom Fan Week
is coming to Las Vegas in mid-September, so Steve decided it was time to check
back in with legendary Broadway producer and director Hal Prince. That event
marks the first time Prince has returned to Vegas since the 2006 opening of “Phantom:
The Las Vegas Spectacular,” the shortened, high-tech version of the opera-house
squatter tale that is the most successful musical of all time. At that time,
Steve irked Prince by saying the “Phantom” story is “a bit of a downer,” a
debate the two comically revisit in this hour...2009-09-101h 01
The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL VIDEO: Elijah's Big BreakRaw footage courtesy of KLAS-TV in Las Vegas of Elijah "Lil Elijah J" Johnson of The Lion King performing "Dancing Machine" at the Pearl in the Palms on Aug. 29, 2009 for the "Las Vegas Celebrates The Music of Michael Jackson" benefit concert. The concert raised more than $100,000 for the Clark County Public Education Foundation earmarked for music education programs in Las Vegas-area schools.The concert was produced by Erich Bergen of Jersey Boys and Steve Friess of VegasHappensHere.Com and co-host of TheStripPodcast.Com. See VegasLovesMJ.Com for more info or contact VegasLovesMJ@yahoo.com. 2009-09-0503 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThe MJ Benefit's Breakout StarIf you were at the Palms on Saturday for the Michael Jackson tribute benefit, you might want to put your ticket stub in a safe place. Years from now, the concert may very well be remembered in the same light as Motown 25, a magical moment when the world witnessed the birth of a major talent. This time, it was Elijah Johnson, the 11-year-old star of the Lion King at Mandalay Bay, who flew onto the stage in a burst of energy and confidence and sang and danced with an exuberance that now has the Tonight Show calling. Johnson, who leaves...2009-09-0347 min
The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL VIDEO EDITION: STEVE ON THE BOULDER CITY ZIPLINEFor an upcoming story for Vegas Magazine, I had to try out the Bootleg Canyon Flightlines, a four-ride zipline attraction outside Boulder City, Nevada, near Las Vegas. Here's some video -- watch us get stuck! Check out VegasHappensHere.Com for more photos and links to Trevor's Flickr album. Also see bcflightlines.com for more info. Follow me on Twitter @TheStripPodcast!2009-08-2403 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastDaniel The Kid
You have until WEDNESDAY, AUG 26, to enter to win tickets to the
Aug. 29 concert at the Pearl, “Las Vegas Celebrates The Music of Michael
Jackson.” Here’s how: call 206-424-4737 and leave a message explaining which
Michael Jackson song is your favorite and why. You can even sing a few bars.
We’ll draw one winner and give you two tickets to the concert. But you have to
call in by noon Pacific Time on Aug. 26.
As always, our website is
theStripPodcast.Com, email us at TheStrippodcast@aol.com,
visit Steve’s blog, VegasHappensHere.Com, and leave us an...2009-08-2035 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastUnder A. Cools' Spell (AAC version)Whether you buy hypnotism or not, there's no denying that Anthony Cools has Las Vegas under his spell. The Paris Las Vegas headliner has become a somehwat unlikely Strip entrepreneur, responsible for four shows besides his own including Bobby Slayton and Penny Lane at the Tropicana and Mental and Freaks at O'Sheas. Cools explains how he became the king of middle-brow and why he thinks some of the more disgusting acts that take place at Freaks are really "quite romantic."In Banter: Amy and Steve discuss Mental and Freaks, another MJ raid, Laughlin sees an uptick, Steve's Steve-O...2009-08-1300 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastUnder A. Cools' SpellWhether you buy hypnotism or not, there's no denying that Anthony Cools has Las Vegas under his spell. The Paris Las Vegas headliner has become a somehwat unlikely Strip entrepreneur, responsible for four shows besides his own including Bobby Slayton and Penny Lane at the Tropicana and Mental and Freaks at O'Sheas. Cools explains how he became the king of middle-brow and why he thinks some of the more disgusting acts that take place at Freaks are really "quite romantic."In Banter: Amy and Steve discuss Mental and Freaks, another MJ raid, Laughlin sees an uptick, Steve's Steve-O...2009-08-131h 17The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: BOB SAGET INTERVIEWHey everyone! We couldn’t pull off a regular show this past week because both Steve and I had to work overtime on Tuesday, so instead we’re posting this interview with comic actor Bob Saget. The Saget interview was recorded back in April and never ran because Saget’s dates at the Pearl Theater at the Palms were canceled, but it’s actually a pretty interesting discussion. Saget became famous as a wholesome TV sitcom dad from 1987 to 1995 on “Full House” but more recently turned his own image inside out by being the filthiest, raunchiest comic to appear in the 2005 doc...2009-08-0332 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastCuchi Cuchi For CharoYou think she's just a blond, air-headed, surgically enhanced... oh, wait. That's last week's guest. This week, we've got Charo the giggly, jiggly Spanish singer and guitarist, who in the early 1970s was making as much as Sinatra for shows on the Strip, is back in town with a new headliner show at the Riviera. Steve chatted with Charo this week about plastic surgery, her affection for RuPaul and where her signature “cuchi cuchi” line came from.In banter: A weird WSOP interview story, a weird Panorama Towers ad, a weird Caesars Palace sign, a baffling Monte Carlo strat...2009-07-231h 09The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastG-Force WindsOn stage and on your stereo, he is laid back and comfortable. But in tonight’s interview, saxophonist Kenny G shows other sides of his persona: arrogant, vain, opinionated and controversial. The musician, who has sold 75 million albums worldwide, also provides a fascinate behind-the-scenes story about his first time on Johnny Carson, discusses Bill Clinton’s influence on the popularity of the sax and has some terse words for audience-scolding showstoppers like Patti LuPone.
Plus, a special INTERVIEW edition of the Trivia Question featuring Anthony Curtis, aka Curtis Flowers speaking for the first time about his alias.
In Banter: Michael Jack...2009-07-081h 16The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastRolling With DiceHide the kiddies, brace yourself and, if you’re easily offended, you may want to skip at least the second half of this week’s show. Andrew Dice Clay is coming to Vegas in July for another set of shows on the Strip that may portend a headliner residency, so the controversial and foul-mouthed comic is our guest tonight. Is he, as he likes to say, the Elvis of comedy, or is he, as Steve put it in their conversation much to Dice’s annoyance, an overgrown Fonzie? Judge for yourself this hour as they go at it about the 51-year...2009-07-011h 23The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastA Tony Winner And An OscarThis week, on the Strip: We spoke to her nearly two years ago and she was hinting at a comeback she didn’t want to jinx. And, in fact, Broadway legend – and Steve’s gayest obsession – Patti Lupone did have a trick up her sleeve: A few months later, she returned to the Great White Way in the title role of “Gypsy” and walked off with her first Tony award since her 1981 triumph for “Evita.” Lupone is back in Vegas on June 20 and 21 for shows at the Orleans, so Steve got her back on the line to see how her life has changed...2009-06-181h 24The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastEngelbert The EngagingIn our quest to cover all the classic old-timers of Vegas lore, one fixture we hadn’t yet caught up with was Englebert Humperdinck, the British chart-topper who was first brought to the Strip in 1968 by none other than Dean Martin. Humperdinck, now 73, talks about everything from Liberace to Lambert, recalls Howard Stern's playing with his hair, explains why James Blunt fits in the canon with Clapton and McCartney and discusses the fact that his rival, Tom Jones, has received a knighthood while he has not. Humperdinck performs in Vegas at the Orleans on June 11-14 playing his hits as we...2009-06-111h 08The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastJon Voight Likes To TalkActor Jon Voight ‘s roles in Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance and Coming Home made him one of the most iconic movie stars of the 1970s. He’s also the father of one of the most iconic movie stars of this era, Angelina Jolie. Voight is being honored with the Marquee Award at Cinevegas at a ceremony where an overhauled version of his 1982 Vegas-set comedy “Lookin’ To Get Out” will be screened. The film, a critical and box office bomb when it first came out, also stars Ann-Margret and was Angelina Jolie’s first film role.
In this conversation, Steve and Jon Voight discu...2009-06-041h 20The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSmooth Like SantanaIt may be one heckuva a recession, but the Hard Rock Hotel has pulled out all the stops on its new version of The Joint, spending $60 million on the posh new concert venue and signing modern Las Vegas’ first resident rock ‘n roll act in Carlos Santana. The 61-year-old guitar legend granted Steve one of only a few interviews in advance of his first set of shows, which begin Wednesday night. Santana talks to Steve about playing the old Joint on the millennial New Year’s Eve, about his views about Vegas and about which athlete he thinks is more impres...2009-05-281h 10The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastVIDEO SPECIAL: OPENING OF SANDS BETHLEHEMSpecial coverage of the May 22, 2009 opening of the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem. For Steve's NYT piece and KNPR appearance as well as lots of photos, search "sands" at VegasHappensHere.Com.
Web: TheStripPodcast.Com
E-mail: TheStripPodcast@aol.com
Voicemail: 206-424-47372009-05-2310 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastIt's Cranky Miller TimeComic and political commentator Dennis Miller has a reputation for being cantankerous and on this week’s show, he lives up to that image to the fullest. More than three years after he came on this show and complimented us as erudite and astute, he’s back in a tense conversation that he ends abruptly because it’s, well, “too deep.” That’s coming up. Plus, news from Vegas, the trivia question, a new poll and, as always, the Top Secret Tourist Tip of the Week. You’re on the Strip, brought to you by.
In Banter: No news on Danny Gans yet...2009-05-2147 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: STEVE ON KNPR, MAY 15, 2009Steve appears on KNPR to rap with host Dave Berns and R-J columnist Doug Elfman on May 15, 2009.
Email: TheStripPodcast@aol.com
Web: TheStripPodcast.com
Blog: VegasHappensHere.Com
Voicemail: 206-424-47372009-05-1642 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastTop Chef's Top ChefSome chefs are TV stars first, then Vegas restaurateurs. Tom Colicchio did it the other way around. The five-time James Beard Award winner already owned Craftsteak and ‘wichcraft at the MGM Grand when he was tapped to become the chief judge for the hit Bravo reality competition Top Chef. The show began filming its sixth season in Las Vegas this week, although this interview took place a day before that was confirmed. Still, Steve spoke to Colicchio at length about everything from his criticism of the show’s finale format to the late Natasha Richardson’s stint as a guest judge...2009-04-301h 28The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastShecky's ComplaintWhen Steve makes a joke that’s so awful it’s funny, Miles refers to him as Shecky Friess. That’s because long before Steve was hamming it up badly, comic Shecky Greene was one of the legendary comedians who made Las Vegas what it is today. Greene, now 83, is back in town for a three-show gig at the Suncoast next month, so Shecky Friess chatted him up about being tackled by Buddy Hackett in the middle of Paradise Road, about crashing his car in the Caesars Palace fountains and about which of the current crop of comics he loves and wh...2009-04-2333 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastHeavy Metal's Sweetest StarIn retrospect, Dee Snider was born to play Vegas. And finally, thanks to Monster Circus at the Las Vegas Hilton, that time has come for the long-haired, gravel-throated, lingerie-wearing front man for the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. The former choir boy from Long Island speaks this hour to Steve about the show, about just how subversive all that hard-rocking crossdressing was back in the day and about Barry Manilow’s reaction to sharing his showroom with this bunch. Plus, is Gene Simmons of Kiss really is as big a jerk as he seems? Snider has some interesting thoughts on th...2009-04-161h 27The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastFIXED: 4/1 SPECIAL: Friess v Elfman on KNPRSteve appeared with the R-J's Doug Elfman for an hour on KNPR's State of Nevada with host Dave Berns. Fun, wide-ranging discussion.2009-04-0558 min
The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastM Is For MoneyHis father built the Mirage, Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas, Sam’s Town, the Rio, Caesars Forum Shops and countless other iconic structures. But now is 35-year-old Anthony Marnell III’s time, with the surprisingly successful opening of the $1 billion M Resort way, way, WAY south on Las Vegas Boulevard. Marnell the younger talks this hour about the future of his famous M Blimp, about growing up on Vegas construction sites and about why the new resort is in some ways a way for his father to receive the recognition he deserves. Plus, Steve confronts him about whether putting a pharmacy in a...2009-03-251h 26The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSPECIAL: Steve on Vegas Entertainment on KNPRSteve appeared on KNPR's State of Nevada on March 19 to chat about all things Vegas entertainment and business. Fun stuff.
2009-03-2211 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastSupersized Ep: The Race To Trump MountainThis week, on the Strip: He’s bold, he’s brash, he’s arrogant. And he’s on this show tonight. Donald Trump spoke to Steve last month for a New York Times piece on the Vegas real estate crash that appears in the Friday, March 6, issue. You get to hear that conversation in full this hour, including Mr. Trump’s conclusion that the American economy is in a depression and his mockery of the stalled condo development at the Venetian. Also, we hear from the director of the new Disney adventure “Race To Witch Mountain� as he explains how a Vegas cab ca...2009-03-111h 45The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastDino's BoyBefore there was Shake-Your-Bon-Bon Ricky Martin, there was another singer by the same name, albeit spelled a little differently. Dean Martin's son Ricci joins Steve for a fun walk down memory lane, with some great anecdotes about Sinatra and Old Vegas and some thoughts on the children of celebrities. This is an interview-only episode while we await the return of the LVRocks studio. And there will be a return! Stay tuned! Email: TheStripPodcast@aol.com Site: TheStripPodcast.com Blog: VegasHappensHere.com Phone: 206-424-4737
2009-02-2542 minThe Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThe Impressionist Era of Las VegasCall it the impressionist period of Las Vegas. This month, three major impersonator acts open – or reopen. Danny Gans relocated to Encore, Terry Fator took Gans’ space at the Mirage and Gordie Brown, late of the Venetian, has returned to his old Golden Nugget haunts. Fator and Brown both join us this hour. Find out what Fator’s new Mirage-appropriate puppet will be and hear all about Brown’s early years as a celebrity stalker. Plus, Steve grills Brown on parts of his act he didn’t like. In Banter: Behind the scenes at Cirque dance auditions, Oscar v Obama, C...2009-02-161h 35The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastThe Top 10 Moments of 2008Steve, Steve, Steve. Wynn, that is. We’ve tallied up the Top 10 moments of 2008 as voted on by you and, surprise surprise, Mr. Wynn is involved in some way in six of them. But, still, a few others made outrageously memorable remarks on this program during the year that was, and we take our annual look back at all of it tonight. For good measure, though, we’ve got some never-before-heard bits to keep it fresh. Plus, news from Vegas, a new trivia question and a poll. You’re on the Strip, brought to you by Priceline.Com and Hotels...2009-01-151h 02The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastMamma Mia Exit InterviewsThe skeptics – including Steve -- said it would never work. A two-act, full-length musical scored by decades-old pop songs telling a convoluted story about parenthood and spandex could never, possibly succeed in Las Vegas. But succeed “Mamma Mia!� did, emboldening another half-dozen or so musicals to believe they, too, were Strip-worthy, only to find out that what Mamma Mia did so effortlessly was actually quite a feat. But all good things must come to an end, and on Sunday, Mandalay Bay said goodbye to Donna, Sophie, her three possible dads and the rest of the cast. We, however, aren’t done ye...2009-01-081h 02The Strip: Las Vegas Podcast...And A Wynning New YearWe’ve walked through Encore with him and chatted him up about everything from that damaged Picasso to the exact curvature of his resort towers. So what’s left to talk about with Steve Wynn? Well, it’s Steve Wynn, so there’s always more. We finish playing our pre-Encore interview tonight with discussion of Wynn’s athletic prowess, his concerns about the economy and a little Gandhi chit-chat, too. In Banter: Switch at Encore, the view from Capital Grille, Criss Angel on Larry King, Danny Gans’ Encore poster and free coffee at Silverton. Web; TheStripPodcast.com Em...2008-12-311h 00The Strip: Las Vegas PodcastA Very Wynning XmasThis is Steve Wynn’s week, no doubt about it. On what is traditionally one of the slowest nights in Las Vegas and in the middle of the worst recession in generations, he opened the doors to his $2.3 billion expansion, Encore. The results were a flood of curious explorers that led to bumper to bumper traffic on the Strip as far south as the Mandalay Bay and a line all the way into the Wynn casino. In honor of that milestone, over the next two weeks we’re presenting our interview earlier this month with Wynn in which he talk...2008-12-251h 29