Entertainment
F1 Is Bringing Thousands Of Racing Fans To Las Vegas This Weekend. Not Everyone Is Thrilled About It
The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, one of the most anticipated events on the 2023 sporting calendar, takes place this weekend, promising race cars hurtling down the famed Las Vegas Strip at 200 mph for the first time in the city’s history.
Just don’t expect most locals to be overjoyed about it.
F1 has spent more than $500 million on the three-day event, which includes lavish parties, renowned chefs, and musical performances by J Balvin, Journey, John Legend, Keith Urban, Steve Aoki, and others.
The race will take place Saturday night after two days of practice and qualifying runs, providing spectacular visuals as the cars whiz by illuminated sites such as Caesar’s Palace, the Bellagio fountains, the Paris Hotel’s false Eiffel Tower, and the new Sphere entertainment complex. The most affordable seats cost more than $800.
Besides boxing and rodeos, Las Vegas has never been associated with live sports. However, the Grand Prix is part of a larger effort to transform the desert playground into a sports mecca: in the last five years, the city has added an NHL franchise, a WNBA team, and an NFL team, and it appears ready to add an MLB team as well. Sphere intends to hold boxing and MMA contests, while the city will host the Super Bowl in February.
“(The Las Vegas Grand Prix) is set to make history as one of the largest sporting events in Las Vegas, creating unparalleled economic benefits to Southern Nevada while showcasing this incredible destination to the world,” Renee Wilm, CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, said in a statement to CNN. “We are redefining the racing experience with the world-renowned hospitality and entertainment that only Las Vegas can offer.”
The truth, however, could be clearer for locals. Residents have complained on social media and to local news sources about the event’s expensive costs, event-related traffic bottlenecks, obstacles limiting public views of the Strip, and their perception that the event is oriented toward high rollers but not the ordinary fan.
F1 Is Bringing Thousands Of Racing Fans To Las Vegas This Weekend. Not Everyone Is Thrilled About It
In an interview with CNN, Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Richard Velotta stated, “I’d say upwards of 90% or more (of Las Vegas residents) are not happy about it at all.”
This is the first Formula One race in Las Vegas in 41 years.
Formula One has seen a significant increase in popularity in the United States in recent years, mainly due to the success of the Netflix docuseries “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.” The Vegas event is expected to draw more than 100,000 spectators per day, and one Nevada analyst estimates that it will bring in more than $1 billion for the local economy, dubbing it “the single largest special event in Las Vegas history.”
That’s huge for Vegas, which has experienced a drop in international visitors due to COVID-19, according to Velotta, who has lived in the city for more than 30 years and has been watching Grand Prix preparations for months.
Some F1 drivers appear to be, as well.
“We’re now coming to America, and the fans and passion are incredible.” It’s practically overtaking these European tracks, which is incredible to witness,” driver Alex Albon told CNN affiliate KTNV. “I think it’s going to be truly a one-of-a-kind race.”
The race will be the first F1 race in Las Vegas in almost 40 years. It will also be the first time F1 vehicles have raced on the Strip. The cars raced on a track in a parking lot near Caesar’s Palace in 1982, the last time Vegas hosted a Grand Prix.
“Las Vegas will be on TV screens across the world because people will want to tune in to this F1 race on the Strip – the iconic boulevard that it is – and people will get a better understanding of what Las Vegas is all about,” Velotta said in a statement. “So initially, it looked like a pretty big deal, and a great deal, in terms of extending our international marketing.”
Some local businesses along the 3.8-mile racetrack circuit have benefited as well. Velotta mentioned the Ellis Island Hotel, a modest casino that may be unfamiliar to visitors outside the city. The Grand Prix track passes immediately past the hotel.
“They’re ecstatic,” Velotta exclaimed. “They’re going to benefit greatly because of the luck of where they’re located.”
Hotel labor unions in the city have achieved significant victories as well. The three largest hotel-worker labor unions secured an agreement with MGM, Wynn, and Caesars the week before the F1 race, preventing a workers’ strike during the F1 festivities. With the Grand Prix approaching, the unions could leverage their negotiation position better, according to Velotta, resulting in a better deal than they could have anticipated in April.
Construction of the racetrack has resulted in months of traffic delays.
However, the Las Vegas Grand Prix has already caused some inconvenience for several people.
F1 Is Bringing Thousands Of Racing Fans To Las Vegas This Weekend. Not Everyone Is Thrilled About It
Construction of the track has closed streets and clogged traffic since June, resulting in traffic bottlenecks. According to Velotta, thousands of people work along the Strip, and some have experienced delays both to and from work – sometimes for up to an hour on both ends.
According to Rodney Hicks, an Uber driver in Las Vegas, the construction delays have turned five-minute journeys along the Strip into 30-minute slogs.
“They’re going to get the money (from the race) because they’re doing it, but the time that we spend letting you guys do this is taking away from our pockets,” Hicks told the crowd. “In that sense, no, it’s not worth it to me.”
Sharif Green, another Las Vegas resident, said he got up an hour or two earlier to accommodate construction delays but was still late for work. He had only one word to describe the traffic: “horrendous.”
The primary difficulty isn’t traffic. The temporary grandstands, which house stadium seats and luxury suites for F1 ticket holders to watch the race, have obscured views of some Strip attractions, notably the Bellagio’s dancing fountains.
Tourists and neighbors have also expressed dissatisfaction with the screens and barriers installed on the pedestrian bridges that traverse the Strip and nearby streets. Critics claim that the barricades were erected to prevent spectators from viewing the race.
However, Formula One organizers and Las Vegas police said the barricades were put up for safety reasons and to prevent gawkers from crowding the track.
“Safety both on and off the track is always the number one priority at every Formula 1 race,” F1 said in a statement, adding that the barriers are there “to ensure that drivers are safe from objects from above, and pedestrians on all bridges are safe from any errant track debris.”
F1 Is Bringing Thousands Of Racing Fans To Las Vegas This Weekend. Not Everyone Is Thrilled About It
The cost of resurfacing Vegas’ roadways for the Grand Prix course and constructing related infrastructure is anticipated to be $80 million. But determining who is bearing the bill – Formula One or Clark County and its citizens – has been more difficult. The Las Vegas Grand Prix is asking the county for $40 million to assist cover the costs.
The county has hosted free viewing parties for Saturday night’s showpiece race to include the community.
During last month’s one-day sale, Formula One also provided reduced race tickets to Las Vegas locals. However, some homeowners were disappointed to hear that the cheap resident tickets ($200 plus fees) were only valid for Thursday’s practice race rather than Saturday’s major event.
According to Velotta, the Review-Journal reporter, many Vegas residents believe the Grand Prix is only held to benefit the city’s casinos and resorts. For example, Bellagio’s three-day luxury F1 package, which included VIP tickets, food and wine from celebrity chefs, and access to special observation decks overlooking the race, was completely sold out. The cost was $12,000 per person.
“That has irritated a lot of local people that say, ‘OK, resorts get richer, but what happens with us?'” he told me.
F1 Is Bringing Thousands Of Racing Fans To Las Vegas This Weekend. Not Everyone Is Thrilled About It
“We’re the ones who have to live here and get around town,” Michael Galloni, who has resided in Las Vegas since 1978, told KTNV. “I believe the race should be free for us.”
After driver Max Verstappen won this year’s F1 title last month in Qatar, ticket prices and hotel costs in Vegas have decreased recently, depriving the Vegas Grand Prix of any drama for die-hard racing fans.
Verstappen has also expressed reservations about the flashy Vegas F1 event.
“I think it is 99% show, 1% sport,” he told reporters on Wednesday, according to Reuters. “It’s just not my thing.” Some folks enjoy a performance, but I do not.”
Despite the setbacks, the Las Vegas Grand Prix could become an annual event. The arrangement between Formula One and Las Vegas officials is for three F1 races spread over three years, although both parties want it extended beyond 2025.
“We’re going to learn from our first year,” Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said earlier this month. “We’re going to learn from a logistical and financial standpoint.” We were all aware that the first race would be the most difficult.
“We recognize how disruptive this first year has been on the community, the workers here, and our visitors,” he said. “This is a game-changing week for Las Vegas, and it will be for years to come.”
SOURCE – (CNN)
Fans of the Marvel world should not expect Robert Downey Jr. to resume his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Despite claims to the contrary, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in an interview with Vanity Fair that there are no plans to renew the character following Downey Jr.’s last appearance in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.”
“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” she stated. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”
According to co-director Joe Russo, Downey Jr. was apprehensive about performing reshoots for “Endgame.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/rexfeatures_5886260f-2000-de8249503e254e76ac284383c40751b2.jpg "Robert Downey Jr. Won’t Be Returning To The Marvel Cinematic Universe As Tony Stark")
Robert Downey Jr. Won’t Be Returning To The Marvel Cinematic Universe As Tony Stark
“On the last day of shooting, we’d already said tearful goodbyes.” “Emotionally, everyone had moved on,” Russo told the publication. “We promised him it would be the last time we made him do it — ever.”
His brother Anthony Russo, who co-directed “Endgame,” adds, “That was a difficult thing for him to do, to come back and pick up that line.”
“When he (Downey Jr.) did come back, we were shooting on a stage directly opposite where he auditioned for Tony Stark,” Anthony Russo, the director, stated. “So his last line as Tony Stark was shot literally a couple hundred feet from his original audition that got him the role.”
According to Feige, he had to campaign for Downey Jr. to be cast as Stark in the Marvel universe due to his previous difficulties with substance abuse, which resulted in him serving 15 months in prison.
Robert Downey Jr. Won’t Be Returning To The Marvel Cinematic Universe As Tony Stark
“It purely came down to the Marvel board being nervous at putting all of their chips in their future films on somebody who famously had those legal troubles in the past,” Feige stated. “I wasn’t very good — and still am not — at taking no for an answer. But I also don’t beat my chest to get my way. I try to think of ways to make it plain to others why we should go in a certain direction. And that’s when the concept of a screen test arose.”
Susan Downey, Downey Jr.’s wife, stated that her husband had turned down jobs similar to Stark. In 2018, Downey Jr. told Vanity Fair writer Anthony Breznican that he is his own man despite comparisons to the role.
Robert Downey Jr. Won’t Be Returning To The Marvel Cinematic Universe As Tony Stark
“I ain’t him, I’ll tell you that flat out,” Downey Jr. stated.
Downey Jr is an American actor widely known for his roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Tony Stark/Iron Man. He has also appeared in various other films, receiving critical acclaim for his performances.
He has had a successful career marked by his versatility and ability to portray a wide range of characters. His work has earned him several awards and nominations, solidifying his status as one of the most influential figures in the entertainment industry.
SOURCE – CNN
Entertainment
Wikipedia, Wrapped. Here Are 2023’S Most-Viewed Articles On The Internet’s Encyclopedia
NEW YORK – Remember what you were looking for in 2023? Wikipedia, on the other hand, has the receipts.
According to data provided Tuesday by the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit behind the free, openly edited online encyclopedia, English Wikipedia received more than 84 billion views this year. The most popular piece was on ChatGPT (the AI chatbot that appears to be everywhere these days).
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has flown into the public eye since its inception just over a year ago, as the technology makes its way into schools, health care, legislation, and even religious preaching. The chatbot has also contributed to developing arguments regarding the possible benefits and risks of generative AI, most of which are detailed on its Wikipedia page.
Here Are 2023’S Most-Viewed Articles On The Internet’s Encyclopedia
The annual list of fatalities was the second most-read article on Wikipedia in 2023, after taking the #4 and #1 rankings in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Individual entries for important figures who died this year drew much attention, notably those for Matthew Perry and Lisa Marie Presley.
Meanwhile, the highly anticipated 2023 Cricket World Cup came in third place — along with three other cricket-related entries in Wikipedia’s top 25 this year, including the Indian Premier League at #4, marking the first time cricket content has made the list since the Wikimedia Foundation began tracking in 2015.
“Barbenheimer,” Taylor Swift and others also appeared to influence our internet-reading habits in 2023. Here are this year’s top 25 English Wikipedia articles.
According to the Wikimedia Foundation, this top 25 ranking was constructed using English Wikipedia statistics as of November 28. The charity plans to update full-year figures on January 3, 2024.
The United States (33.2 billion) and the United Kingdom (9 billion), along with India (8.48 billion), Canada (3.95 billion), and Australia (2.56 billion), are the top countries that accessed English Wikipedia globally in 2023, according to Wikimedia Foundation data shared with The Associated Press.
Here Are 2023’S Most-Viewed Articles On The Internet’s Encyclopedia
1. ChatGPT: 49,490,406 pageviews
2. Deaths in 2023: 42,666,860 pageviews
3. 2023 Cricket World Cup: 38,171,653 pageviews
4. Indian Premier League: 32,012,810 pageviews
5. Oppenheimer (film): 28,348,248 pageviews
6. Cricket World Cup: 25,961,417 pageviews
7. J. Robert Oppenheimer: 25,672,469 pageviews
8. Jawan (film): 21,791,126 pageviews
9. 2023 Indian Premier League: 20,694,974 pageviews
10. Pathaan (film): 19,932,509 pageviews
11. The Last of Us (TV series): 19,791,789 pageviews
12. Taylor Swift, 19,418,385: pageviews
13. Barbie (film): 18,051,077 pageviews
14. Cristiano Ronaldo: 17,492,537 pageviews
15. Lionel Messi: 16,623,630 pageviews
16. Premier League: 16,604,669 pageviews
17. Matthew Perry: 16,454,666 pageviews
18. United States: 16,240,461 pageviews
19. Elon Musk: 14,370,395 pageviews
20. Avatar: The Way of Water: 14,303,116 pageviews
21. India: 13,850,178 pageviews
22. Lisa Marie Presley: 13,764,007 pageviews
23. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: 13,392,917 pageviews
24. Russian invasion of Ukraine: 12,798,866 pageviews
25. Andrew Tate: 12,728,616 pageviews
According to the Wikimedia Foundation, this top 25 ranking was constructed using English Wikipedia statistics as of November 28. The charity plans to update full-year figures on January 3, 2024.
The United States (33.2 billion) and the United Kingdom (9 billion), along with India (8.48 billion), Canada (3.95 billion), and Australia (2.56 billion), are the top countries that accessed English Wikipedia globally in 2023, according to Wikimedia Foundation data shared with The Associated Press.
SOURCE – (AP)
GTA 6 ANNOUNCEMENT: Will the Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer smash viewing records? Given the huge interest even now, 24 hours before it’s scheduled to go live, it appears feasible.
Rockstar Games has released a video premiere for “Trailer 1” on YouTube, which includes a countdown to the game’s release on December 5 at 6 a.m. Pacific / 9 a.m. Eastern / 2 p.m. UK.
However, astute watchers observed the GTA 6 Trailer 1 length was released to expose a YouTube flaw. View the mobile video preview while unsubscribing from the Rockstar Games channel using the YouTube app’s search. Notice the “upcoming” tag on the bottom right; the runtime should appear over it.
There might be some spoilers ahead!
Tens Of Thousands Of People Are Already Waiting To Watch The GTA 6 Trailer
The GTA 6 Trailer 1 lasts one minute and 31 seconds. That should give you plenty of time to look at the game. We’ll even get a release date and platform information.
Surprisingly, tens of thousands have already lined up to watch Trailer 1. At the time of writing, about 24 hours before launch, 43,172 individuals were waiting to witness what could be the largest video game trailer of all time.
If you want to join in on the fun, roughly 2,000 people are watching IGN’s own GTA 6 trailer countdown and actively chatting right now.
When Rockstar announced a December release date for the GTA 6 trailer in November, it added, “We are very excited to let you know that in early December, we will release the first trailer for the next Grand Theft Auto.” We look forward to sharing these experiences with you all for many years.
“We have had the opportunity to create games we are truly passionate about thanks to the incredible support of our players worldwide — none of this would be possible without you, and we are so grateful to all of you for sharing this journey with us.”
Tens Of Thousands Of People Are Already Waiting To Watch The GTA 6 Trailer
“In 1998, Rockstar Games was founded on the idea that video games could come to be as essential to culture as any other form of entertainment, and we hope that we have created games you love in our efforts to be part of that evolution.”With anticipation at an all-time high, IGN reports that Rockstar appears to have revealed the GTA 6 Trailer 1 release date on a GTA Online T-shirt sold nearly a year ago.
GTA 6 has been rumored since the release of Grand Theft Auto 5 a little more than a decade ago. It was mentioned in passing in a 2020 Kotaku article on Rockstar’s efforts to combat crunch culture at the company, and it was confirmed in a press release in 2022, with the studio stating that development was “well underway.” Later that year, in-development footage from the game was leaked in a large breach, leading to the arrest of a British teenage hacker in connection with the crime.
Since early in 2023, when publisher Take-Two Interactive expected large financial gains in that fiscal year that would be difficult to achieve without the boost from the enormously profitable series, a release window between April 2024 and March 2025 has been speculated.
Tens Of Thousands Of People Are Already Waiting To Watch The GTA 6 Trailer
“GTA 6” is the next installment in the Grand Theft Auto series. Rockstar Games are developing it, and it is highly anticipated by gamers all around the world. The game is expected to have a large open environment, intense gameplay, and cutting-edge graphics.
While there are few specifics about the game, rumors say it will be set in a fictionalized depiction of a modern-day metropolis. “GTA 6” has garnered great enthusiasm and intrigue among fans and the gaming world as one of the most anticipated releases in the gaming industry.
SOURCE (IGN)
Robert Downey Jr. Won’t Be Returning To The Marvel Cinematic Universe As Tony Stark
Wikipedia, Wrapped. Here Are 2023’S Most-Viewed Articles On The Internet’s Encyclopedia
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