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This Issue: The Scintas
Curious about a show, restaurant, or other Las Vegas attraction that looks fun? Let us review it for you first! Suggestions are always welcome at allvegastv@aol.com
Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Scenic Southwest Tours – by plane, bus, or even helicopter! You’ve seen the glossy ads in the tourist brochures. You’ve thought about it. You come all the way to Las Vegas — why not see one of the some of the most famous landmarks in the world! Don’t by tricked by web sites & magazines that offer discount tours. Taxes, park fees, permits can almost double the price. Our prices are inclusive – no hidden charges! Best Las Vegas Tours
LAS VEGAS NEWS – of interest to tourists:
FERRIS WHEEL – A group of designers and developers plans to erect what is being billing as the world tallest freestanding carnival ride at the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip. Each luxury car will hold 16 people, and the ride once around will take about a half hour, making this a scenic ride as opposed to a thrill ride. Full story at http://news.excite.com/news/r/001122/20/life-vegaswheel
NEW YEAR’S EVE – rooms are going fast and getting scarce. Unlike last year with early price gouging (a world-wide phenomenon) and millennium computer fears deflating demand, this year is ramping up to be the biggest ever with fireworks and a record number of hotel rooms bringing in a record number of people. As of publication time, you can still get rooms on the Strip as low as $149 (The Riviera) at http://www.hoteldiscounts.com/cgi-bin/pickcity?SID=IVC&LKF=IVC but don’t delay.
C.S.I – The new “set in Las Vegas” CBS Friday night crime show has turned out to be quite the hit! The creator and principal writer is a Las Vegas resident which leads to some amazing accuracy regarding Las Vegas in the dialogue. Full story on this hot, new show at http://www.pioneerplanet.com/seven-days/5/justgo/docs/035738.htm
COMDEX – blew through town a couple of weeks ago, brining one of the biggest conventions in the world to Las Vegas. If you attended, we hope you had a great time despite the tremendous crowds. Stories at http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/11/15/comdex.hot.gadgets/index.html , http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/Nov2000/14-e35989.html , and http://www.pcworld.com/news/article.asp?aid=35143&pg=1
ALADDIN – The L.A. Times recently reviewed Las Vegas’ newest megaresort at http://www.latimes.com/travel/vegas/lat_aladdin001119.htm As noted in the article, weekday rates run as low as $69 and aren’t always posted on the hotel website. However (as noted in our last newsletter), Aladdin rates as low as $65 a night have been consistently available at http://www.accessvegas.com
HIGH TECH COMMUTE – Forget everything you may read about Las Vegas being a technological hot spot. Top level high tech jobs are so sparse here that many from this area commute to Silicon Valley, a 75 minute flight away. Full story at http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000/Nov-12-Sun-2000/news/14742460.html
MCCARRAN AIRPORT RATED #2 – A recent J.D. Power survey tied LAS with DIA as the second best large airport in the nation, based in part on the good signage and ease of getting in and out of the airport. Full story at http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000/Nov-14-Tue-2000/business/14817276.html
$25 HOTEL REBATE — you pick the hotel! Our partners at Hotel Reservations Network are giving you $25 back on any 2+ night stay in Las Vegas or any major city they reserve. Claiming your cash is simple:
1. Print out: http://www.accessvegas.com/100-rebate.htm
2. Book a room online at http://www.accessvegas.com/las-vegas-discounts.htm
3. Send in for your rebate when you get home.
It doesn’t get any easier than that, and you get their low price guarantee
to boot!
RESTAURANT REVIEWS – Recent reviews appearing in the media:
* Commander’s Palace (Desert Passage) – http://www.latimes.com/travel/vegas/lat_palace001119.htm
* Napa (Rio) – http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000/Nov-03-Fri-2000/weekly/14719910.html
CONCERTS AND SHOWS:
SHOWS – See which shows are playing during your stay and book reservations EVEN if the tickets aren’t on sale yet. Let ShowVegas takes care of all your needs directly online! Search by dates at http://www.showvegas.com/svpricing.cfm?amid=3230&cscheme=1
Billboard Music Awards – at the MGM Dec. 5’th. Performing are ‘N Sync, Faith Hill, Creed, Ricky Martin, Destiny’s Child, 3 Doors Down, and Mystikal. Presenters are Britney Spears, 98 Degrees, Lil’ Bow Wow, Baha Men, Joe, Eve, Mandy Moore, BB Mak, Pink, Toni Braxton, Matt Scannell of Vertical Horizon, Dido, Brian McKnight, Jessica Simpson, Son By Four, Carnie Wilson, and skateboard hero Tony Hawk. Additionally, Don Henley will present Randy Newman with the annual Century Award, Billboard’s highest award for creative achievement. Tickets available at (800) 929-1111 and MGM discount rooms are available at http://www.accessvegas.com/las-vegas.htm (MGM link).
SHOW REVIEWS – Recent reviews appearing in the media:
* Blue Man Group – http://www.herald.com/content/tue/living/travel/digdocs/095634.htm
* De La Guarda – http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/departments/11_02_00/stage.html
CONCERTS and HEADLINERS – Our listing is available online anytime at http://www.accessvegas.com/entertainment/index.htm
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LAS VEGAS WEATHER – This 5 day forecast is courtesy of Weather.Com:
Wednesday – 69/45 Partly Cloudy
Thursday – 64/38 Partly Cloudy
Friday – 68/37 Mostly Sunny
Saturday – 68/38 Partly Cloudy
Sunday – 68/37 Partly Cloudy
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FEATURE STORY: The Scintas
What is a Scinta? That was the question when they hit town, and Las Vegas has been finding out in a pretty big way. Pronounced “Shin-tahs,” this family act came to the Las Vegas Hilton eight months ago from Buffalo, New York also making a name for themselves in Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago along the way.
It is truly a family affair. Frank Scinta is the ringleader, handling much of the vocals as well as live keyboards and guitar. (Except for a couple of numbers which they note, all music is performed live on stage.) Older brother Joe Scinta plays bass and provides the comic relief with his “almost” naughty jokes and hilarious impersonations of his own. “Little sister” Christine Scinta carries the role of a true female lead singer with a gifted voice. “Honorary Scinta” Peter O’Donnell fills out the group as the boisterous drummer, quick with an interesting quip.
This show was one part comedy, one part musical experience, and all parts talent. The three men (Christine appears later) took the stage in the intimate 375 seat Hilton Nightclub to a nice round of applause, and immediately went on a comedy tirade aimed at two separate men in the front row who gave them a less-than-rowsing welcome. It was all in good fun, and after a second entrance, the audience needed no prodding: they already had us rolling in the aisles.
Next came a series of celebrity musical impressions, including Julio Inglesias / Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin / Jerry Lewis. In both bits where they performed as a duo (and throughout much of the show), Joe played foil to “straight man” brother Frank, making up for his passable vocal impressions with a liberal dose of comedic ham in his rolls as Willie Nelson and Jerry Lewis. Frank Scinta is a very capable impressionist, both knocking down the feel of Dean Martin and Julio, and he really shined doing Sinatra’s “My Kind of Town.”
Christine came out and joined them for a medley from Phantom of the Opera, which featured a fantastic duet with brother Frank. The entire group is blessed with great stage presence and charisma, and in addition Frank and Christine both have topnotch voices. In a town where some shows rely (to a degree) on taped vocals for some of the performers, and distracting flash and dash, it was nice to see an honest performance.
Other impressions included Tom Jones, George Burns, Led Zeppelin, Kermit the Frog, Neil Diamond, Mick Jagger and more. I’ve been told that they show changes night to night, and the loose flow of the show had a nice feel to it. One minute one of the impressions would have you in a thoughtful moment and the next, another impression would have you laughing uncontrollably.
This is a fun show by an act that can really entertain, and people of all ages (21 plus) were having a good time. The Scintas play at 8:00 PM Tue. – Thur. and Sunday. Weekend shows are at 9:00 PM. Tickets for Scintas are $28 each and can be purchased in person at the Las Vegas Hilton box office or by phone at (702) 732-5755 or (800) 222-5361
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Teresa from Somerset, England wrote:
>I have just got back from Las Vegas and just thought I would email you
>to say, how great the people are over there, I am disabled and were
>ever I went I was treated as a VIP guest, I have never been to such a
>friendly place.á I even went on the bus with my disabled scooter.
>
>We stayed at the Imperial palace, very nice and helpful, we went to
>see the Legend concert which you have just done a review on, yes it is
>very good, well worth a visit, I must say the best place we liked was
>Paris, although all the Casinos are out of this world.
>
>We had one problem we could not eat the size of the meals, how do they
>eat so much?, we had what they call snacks for our main meals.
>
>The walk ways over to the road are a great idea, as so much traffic, I
>hired a disabled scooter to get around so the lifts across were great
>for me.á If you ever get anybody that is disabled asking about a
>holiday in Las Vegas, tell them to go for it, best place I have been,
>well done to all the people in Nevada.
>
>The only thing I would say is, there was a lot of people we spoke to
>that was complaining about the people you have out on the streets
>giving away dirty books, all over the road they were being left, shame
>as it was so clean everywhere, how come they are aloud to do that in
>the main street,??????
>
>Keep up the good work, love hearing what is going on.
Glad to hear you had such a great time! While there have been attempts by the city and county to stop the distribution of the “Escort Service” magazines, because they generally are not as graphic as a nude magazine, their distribution falls under the United States right to free speech.
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Your input is welcome. Write us a “letter to the editor” at allvegastv@aol.com While space doesn’t permit publishing every letter, we do certainly read them all and they help shape our content. Please include your name if you wish to have it published (stating your city is optional). Also, guest article submissions are welcome with full credit to you, your website, etc., if accepted.
ONLINE POLL – What is your favorite day trip from Las Vegas? Let’s hear your opinions at http://www.accessvegas.com — results will be published in two weeks!
Results from last weeks poll “How do you usually get from the airport to your hotel?”
* I drive to Las Vegas 17%
* I take a shuttle 19%
* I take a cab 40%
* I rent a car 22%
* I hire a private limo 0%
TOP 10 – These are the top ten countries we have readers in. If your country isn’t listed and you have fellow countrymen who are interested in Las Vegas, encourage them to sign up!
1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Canada
4. Australia
5. Germany
6. Belgium
7. Netherlands
8. Japan
9. New Zealand
10. Italy
FREE CONTESTS:
RULES: (unless otherwise noted or link to outside contest): You may enter every contest, but only one entry to each. The 20’th entry in each contest will be the winner. Send a blank email to the specified email address — we’ll get your mailing address from you only if you win. Also, please do not enter if you have won within the past month.
VEGAS VIDEOS – Our new sponsor VegasGifts.Com has is giving us a couple of Vegas videos to give away. If you skipped buying one at the gift shop, or want to share a little of Vegas with your friends, here is your chance. We’ll take the 20’th and 40’th entries at (contest closed). If you need a taste of Vegas to get you through to your next visit, head on over to http://www.vegasgifts.com/partner.asp?REFERER=1356
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Have a request for a review? Boggled when you come to town and see the hundreds of dining, attraction, and show opportunities? Let us know what you’d like to hear about! Unlike the tourist magazines where all of the “articles” are really paid ads, we give you the honest scoop. If you appreciate this service, please consider booking your rooms and rental cars for ALL destinations with us at http://www.accessvegas.com/las-vegas-discounts.htm You get secure ordering with the convenience and savings of booking online!
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All contents copyright MM Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.
November 29, 2000 ISSN: 1529-2770
