Mario Lopez Lands the Miss America Gig

I never paid that much attention to Mario Lopez until I watched “Dancing with the Stars” last season. I was a little too old to have grown up with “Saved by the Bell” and really did not notice anything else he had done. But, I became a fan after seeing him and partner Karina go to the Dancing finals. Now, Mario has landed another job. He told the Associated Press today that he would be the new host of the Miss America pageant. The pageant will be held on January 29th live from the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las … Continue reading

Britney and Mario?

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. And in the paparazzi filled world of entertainment it usually happens sooner than later… the latest gossip: pop princess Britney Spears parties the night away with Mario “I got robbed on ‘Dancing with the Stars’” Lopez. Fresh from filing divorce from her Kevin “Fed-Ex” Federline, Spears has reportedly taken her post-breakup tour to Las Vegas. According to PEOPLE magazine, Spears hit the streets of Sin City with a group of friends including Lopez and her former manager Larry Rudolph. (Why is she hanging out with a “former” manager?) According to the … Continue reading

The End of An Era: No More Las Vegas Quickies

It really does seem like the end of an era, not to mention a plot device in dozens of television shows, soap operas and movies. The Las Vegas marriage bureau has approved a new schedule for their marriage counter eliminating a 24-hour license service on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays. Since the bureau didn’t maintain overnight hours Monday through Thursday anyway, this means if you want to get married in Vegas, you’ll have to do it between the hours of 8 a.m. and Midnight. Spontaneous No More There are a number of celebrities who have been married in hastily planned ceremonies … Continue reading

Las Vegas—No Longer A Home To Early Morning Weddings

If you are planning a trip to Las Vegas with someone you could see spending the rest of your life with, take heed: don’t expect to make a spontaneous trip to the alter in the wee hours of morning. Sin City is eliminating early morning quickie marriages. After years of approving hastily made weddings, the Las Vegas marriage bureau plans to close its all-night counter. Beginning next week a new schedule will go into effect: the counter will be open from 8 a.m.-to-midnight, eliminating 24-hour marriage license service on Fridays, Saturday and holidays. County officials said the move would “affect … Continue reading

Elvis Goes To The Circus

Memphis may be the home of Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate, but Las Vegas is home to the King himself… well, hundreds of wannabes anyway. You can’t walk a block in Sin City without passing an Elvis impersonator. Whether they can carry a tune or not, they are out there shaking, rattling, and rolling. So it comes as no surprise that Vegas would be chosen to host an Elvis Presley-themed extravaganza. Just a few days ago the legendary Cirque du Soleil announced it plans to open an Elvis-themed show on the Las Vegas strip. The Quebec-based circus troupe known for its … Continue reading

Sin City’s Card Artist

What do you get when you give an agile artist 500 decks of playing cards, 1,800 poker chips, 800 dice, dozens of tubes of Super Glue and a request to create a glitzy Las Vegas sign? If the artist is Bryan Berg, you’ll get exactly that—a life size replica of the famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign constructed of cards, dice and poker chips. Berg, who rose to stardom after he built a 25-foot castle out of playing cards, broke his no adhesive rule to build the sign for the World Series of Poker. The sign is so gigantic … Continue reading

Penn & Teller – The Bad Boys of Magic

Some people refer to Penn & Teller as magicians, but unlike many traditional magicians, they let the audience know their tricks are just illusions and sometimes even show them how they are done. They also add another element to their act that many magicians do not – comedy. Penn is the talkative one; Teller rarely says anything, but still adds a lot to the act. They like to perform tricks that can be both clever and gory and they like to expose fakes. Many of their illusions are shocking, but chances are, if you see them, you will never forget … Continue reading

Las Vegas Weddings – A Real Playground for Adults

I talked about some Las Vegas destination wedding ideas a while back and I wanted to throw out a few more ideas that have come across my desk. The following are great locations for your destination wedding and they are all available in Las Vegas. Yacht Weddings – A yacht wedding is great for those medium sized wedding parties with close friends and family in attendance. You can lease or rent 60-foot private yachts and host the wedding as it floats around Lake Las Vegas. Gondola Weddings – You don’t need to go all the way to Venice, Italy to … Continue reading

What Happens in Vegas …

As part of our Going to the Chapel month, I want to introduce a new series that I’ll be updating regularly here at our Marriage blog. The Destination Wedding series is designed to feature different destinations where you can host the wedding of your dreams, the wedding of a lifetime or just a different wedding altogether. Remember, you can always check out the Travel blog where there is plenty of great travel ideas, tips and information. But without further ado, today we’re focusing on the Destination Wedding that takes us to Las Vegas in the beautiful state of Nevada. You’ve … Continue reading

Las Vegas – Still Family Friendly?

When my husband and I first married and were still childless, we lived in San Diego. Since it was only about a six hour drive to Las Vegas, we went there several times. This was back in early 2000, when Vegas was trying to change its image from “Sin City” to “Family Friendly.” I guess the powers that be thought that was a bad idea and recently, Vegas has returned to its roots of being a less then family friendly city. My husband and I went to visit his family in Idaho last June and had the opportunity for a … Continue reading