By: Rachel Smith
“You know, I have such a soft spot for Vegas, I have some of the fondest memories of my life there.” Josh Gad telling me about our city’s special significance & why he holds Vegas so dear. You see before Gad was Olaf, everyone’s favorite snowman from Frozen, he was burning up the Vegas desert with his very first movie role! In “21”. Gad got his big break but playing a college kid who could count cards has had its consequences when he makes return visits. “It is funny when I go to a blackjack table people will look at me like I know what I’m doing and I’m an actor, I’m terrible at math, (laughs).” You can now see Gad getting animated again in his hit show “Central Park” which just debuted Season 2 on Apple TV+.
He had a knockout good time when he called the 702 home, but now Jamie Foxx is about to portray a real Vegas heavyweight, Mike Tyson! The Oscar winner reminiscing about his Vegas days and also giving us a preview about the new project, which is so extensive, they’re changing it from a movie to a mini-series. Foxx tells me “For it now to be a mini-series we get the chance to go into the depths of him and with Scorsese and Antoine Fuqua at the helm; I mean listen, he’s lived an epic life, there’s epic failures, there’s epic triumphs and an epic redemption so we’ll be able to touch all those bases. It’s been a long time coming and I can’t wait to step into those shoes,” Foxx adds.
Vegas had to go a few rounds with zombies thanks to famed filmmaker Zack Snyder! His “Army of the Dead” set a new kind of heist thriller on the Strip, but instead of the “Oceans 11” guys, this team was led by & an all-star action crew. Even if saving our city from the undead was exhausting, Bautista told me he can’t wait to return, especially to see his favorite show! “I really want to take my girlfriend to see LOVE. I’ve seen LOVE three times now and I’m a bit obsessed and she hasn’t got the opportunity to see it so as soon as it’s back up and running I will come back and take her.”
There’s always a lot of love for our Vegas shows as the stars seem to make our popular productions a hot topic of conversation during our interviews.
•Amy Poehler told me she had a blast seeing Lady Gaga right before the shutdown and is hoping to see Kelly Clarkson when she launches her residency.
•Lin-Manuel Miranda has given us quite the show with his movie musical “In the Heights” but is also mesmerized by the Cirque du Soleil shows and once celebrated his Broadway creation with a trip to Vegas to see O!
•Iliza Shlesinger has a hit comedy, “Good on Paper” streaming now on Netflix, but she can’t wait to not only return to her residency at the Mirage but to check out one other show in particular this Summer. “I will be attending Magic Mike! I plan to make a dash from their casino to ours so I’ll be at the early show for sure!”
Shania Twain will bring her musical magic back to Vegas this December, but she is also excited to see the new headliners hitting the Strip later this year. I asked her when she’s not on stage at Zappos Theater, where would we be most likely to find her? “Riding horses in the desert, it’s just amazing! I mean I just love Vegas it’s such a great place, you’re lucky to live there.”
Yes, I am, and we’re all lucky to see Vegas shining so bright once again as even the biggest stars know no place compares to the excitement and sizzle of our amazing city of Las Vegas!
Rachel Smith is a 3-time Emmy Winning TV host who’s covered Vegas for more than 15 years.
You can see her celebrity interviews on Celebrity Page TV, celebritypage.com
Also on BEONDTV, beond.tv, where she’ll be launching a new show, “Lights, Camera, Vegas!” later this Summer.
