‘Jason Bourne’ boosts Las Vegas’ film cred, while Francis bids farewell to Channel 8

The rest of 2016 may have been a raging dumpster fire doused with toxic waste, but there was at least one category in which the year was better than its predecessor: local ties to movies.

In 2015, Kevin James drove his Segway throughout Wynn Las Vegas in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2.”

In 2016, Matt Damon drove his Dodge Charger up, down and across the Strip, toward oncoming traffic and, ultimately, onto the casino floor at the Riviera in “Jason Bourne.”

Score one for 2016!

Here are your top 10 movie- and television-related stories for 2016:

1. “Jason Bourne” — “It’s probably one of the most significant productions we’ve ever had here in Nevada,” Eric Preiss, director of the Nevada Film Office, said of the six weeks the summer blockbuster spent filming in Las Vegas. A portion of the Strip was closed for three nights for a wild car chase that served as the movie’s centerpiece. “I think it’s gonna turn out to be one of those iconic (stunts) with those cars flying right in front of the Bellagio,” said Jason Bourne himself, Matt Damon. “I’ll never do anything that big again,” he added. “It was really special.”

2. Paula Francis retires — The newscaster’s 30-year career on the valley’s airwaves was very nearly over before it began. After moving to Las Vegas in 1985, she was fired from KTNV-TV, Channel 13, before the end of her three-year contract. She was scooped up almost immediately by KLAS-TV, Channel 8, where she remained a fixture until her retirement April 1. “I never thought I would have a career on-air this long,” Francis said in announcing her departure. “And I think that says a lot about the viewers more than me. It says that they want someone who knows something about the town they live in, and that a few wrinkles don’t bother them, which is great.”

3. A legal stir — “Las Vegas Law,” an Investigation Discovery docuseries, chronicled the inner workings of the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. “I always told the lawyers in my office that the integrity of the office and the integrity of the case is first and foremost,” said District Attorney Steve Wolfson. “And nothing should be decided based on the fact … that a television crew was following the story.” Local defense attorneys disagreed, asking the Nevada Supreme Court to prevent the series from filming trials.

4. Shark attack — In “Sharknado: The 4th Awakens,” a sandstorm ripped through Las Vegas’ new Shark World casino and its 25-story aquarium. The casino’s sharks devoured passengers on the rides atop the Stratosphere tower and made their way into the Fountains at Bellagio. And Ian Ziering’s Fin Shepard sailed the Treasure Island pirate ship down a flooded Strip in the cheesy sequel that featured cameos from Las Vegans Wayne Newton, Vince Neil, Carrot Top, UFC fighters Frank Mir and Roy Nelson, Frank Marino and his Divas, Susan Anton and the Chippendales.

5. “Millionaire” on the move — For its 15th season, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” relocated its production from Stamford, Connecticut, into the old Jubilee Theater at Bally’s. “It gives the show a little more of an identity,” said executive producer James Rowley.

6. Movie theater upgrades — Downtown’s Eclipse Theaters opened in November with recliner-side service offering everything from $18 Maine lobster rolls to $395 bottles of Cristal. The AMC Theaters at Town Square opened the nation’s second ScreenX auditorium, which uses side screens for a 270-degree viewing experience, as well as an Imax theater and one of only a handful of Dolby Cinema setups — featuring premium sound, projection and seats — in the country. And by year’s end, seemingly more valley theaters than not had alcohol, recliners or both.

7. “The Real World” returns — Following in the footsteps of the Palms (2002) and Hard Rock Hotel (2011), downtown’s renovated Gold Spike got to see what happens when seven strangers stop being polite and start getting real. With Las Vegas hosting the 31st season, it joined New York as the only three-time setting of the MTV reality staple.

8. Louie’s Emmy — Longtime Las Vegan Louie Anderson had won Daytime Emmys in 1997 and 1998 for voicing the animated series “Life With Louie.” But it took playing Zach Galifianakis’ mother, Christine, on FX’s “Baskets” to score an upset win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmys.

9. The Dice Man cometh — again — Andrew Dice Clay, who’s called the valley home for a dozen years, blew the doors off the Martin Scorsese-directed pilot for HBO’s ill-fated “Vinyl” with an epic rant about Donny Osmond. He continued his career resurgence by starring in the semi-autobiographical, Vegas-based Showtime comedy, “Dice,” in which he plays a down-on-his-luck version of himself.

10. Shining at Sundance — New York-based writer-director Matthew Ross struggled for eight years to get his feature film, “Frank & Lola,” made. Then Bishop Gorman graduate Chris Ramirez persuaded him to relocate the dark love story between a chef (Oscar nominee Michael Shannon) and a much younger clothing designer (Imogen Poots) from Brooklyn to downtown Las Vegas, where the bulk of the movie was filmed. In February, Universal bought “Frank & Lola” at the Sundance Film Festival for more than $2 million.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com. Follow @life_onthecouch on Twitter