Ryan Gosling maps a futuristic Vegas at CinemaCon
The Kats! Bureau is the CinemaCon media center (or, if you will, conference room) at Caesars Palace. The four-day film industry convention has overtaken the hotel this week, and thus far we have encountered Ryan Gosling, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Karen Gillan, John Hamm and Jack Black.
Gosling stars in “Blade Runner 2049,” a continuation of the original film from 1982. The film’s star was just 2 when the first “Blade Runner” was released. During Monday night’s Sony Pictures presentation at the Colosseum, the actor remarked, “I saw everything that stole from [“Blade Runner”] first.”
A segment of the movie, opening Oct. 6, is set in futuristic Las Vegas, at what would be Caesars Palace, but was shot in Hungary.
“It’s fun to be here. A big portion of the film was set in Las Vegas,” Gosling said. “It’s really incredible to try to re-create Las Vegas – in Budapest.”
More from the scene:
RINGO’S OCTOBER OCTET
Vegas has its first Beatle residency: Ringo Starr, who has been talking of a sit-down in the city for at least five years, is appearing with his All-Starr Band at the Planet Hollywood Showroom for eight shows from Oct. 13-28. (tickets are onsale 10 a.m. Friday). In something of a letdown, Starr is not using “The Golden Drums,” which he’d joked about a few months ago, as the title of this show.
To accommodate Starr’s merry band of musical vets, PH theater is expanding to its original 1,500-seat capacity, which it seated for the early production shows “Stomp” and “Peepshow.” Its balcony was draped off to create a 7oo-seat capacity during the Frankie Moreno and Paul Zerdin residencies.
Starr is joined by the band he built in 2012, with Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie ofSantanaandJourney, Steve Lukather of Toto, Richard Page of Mister Mister, saxophonist Warren Ham of Olivia Newton-John’s band, and Gregg Bissonette of David Lee Roth’s band in the ’80s.
Starr has been a frequent headliner in Vegas since the late-’80s. Add Planet Hollywood to a far-flung list of All-Starr Band Vegas venues that includes the Aladdin Theater for the Performing Arts, Circus Maximus at Caesars Palace, the Rio Pavilion, the original Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms, Mandalay Bay Beach and Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center.
SHECKY ON THE MEND
Shecky Greene’s wife, Marie, reports that the comic legend underwent successful surgery on his right femur, just below his artificial hip, last Friday, the day after he tumbled into the stage at the Italian American Club. It is likely he’ll require further surgery to repair the hip itself, but for now Marie says he is doing fine, resting and rehabilitating. Greene turns 91 on April 8.
SCINTAS EXTEND
As anticipated (at least, by me), “The Scintas” show at Plaza Showroom has added dates through Dec. 31. The family act headed up by Frankie Scinta has done impressive business since opening in 2016. The show performs the final two weekends of the month from April through September, and every weekend in October and November. The crew has again set its New Year’s Eve performance schedule from Dec. 29-31.
Filling a downtown showroom is no easy feat, and Plaza officials are elated. Says Plaza Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Jossel: “The Scintas pack the house for every show, and we are proud to have them call Las Vegas home.”
PILEUP AT THE COLOSSEUM
The Poop emoji looks like the breakout character in upcoming “The Emoji Movie,” which features the Smurfs along with an assortment of such emoji icons as “Meh,” “Crazy Happy,” and “Devilicious.” After the trailer of the film was shown at the Sony presentation, costumed models greeted theater-goers as they filed out of the Colossuem., The crowd descended on the Poop emoji for photos, ignoring the lonely Smurf and “Meh.” Poop is the new Caesars statue, I guess.
WHO WAS WHERE
Robert Knepper of the Fox series “Prison Break,” onstage Monday night on the Fremont Street Experience’s 3rd Street Stage, joining the Tony Marques Band. Knepper and his wife, Nadine, were also at Carlito’s Burritos and Live Fire Q in Henderson on Sunday … Cy Young Award winner and World Series champ Orel Hershiser, delivering Crown Royal shots to Moreno onstage Thursday during Moreno’s show at Golden Nugget … Brandon Flowers of the Killers and his wife, Tana, Saturday at Spago at the Forum Shops. Also Saturday at Spago, separately, Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys with his wife, Lauren, and 11-month-old son, Odin Reign.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. He also hosts “Kats! On The Radio” Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on KUNV 91.5-FM and appears Wednesdays at 11 a.m. with Dayna Roselli on KTNV Channel 13. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
