The Talk About Las Vegas Podcast | a podcast by Ira Sternberg

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Trumpeter and singer Brian Newman, back with his late-night Vegas residency, “Brian Newman: AFTER DARK, “ at the NoMAD Library (August 12-14 and August 19-21). In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Brian talks about his passion for live performing; having a good time in life and music; opening jazz to the world; why he loves the late-night hang; how he met his wife Angie Pontani, the Italian Stallionette, dancer and burlesque sensation; why he surrounds himself with people who are better than himself; when he realized he could create his own melodies; why he considers The Great American Songbook an essential part of his performances; his amazement about working with great singers and musicians; and being part of the historic Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett show at Radio City Music Hall for Bennett’s last public performance.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with caricature artist Neal Portnoy. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Portnoy talks about his move (along with his wife, Dorothy) to Las Vegas, working for the Las Vegas Review-Journal as a cartoonist; his decision to go full time as an artist, including portrait illustration; his acceptance by the Las Vegas entertainment community; how “Portnoyed” became a verb; his unique style of drawing caricatures of local and national celebrities using only felt-tip magic markers; his involvement with the Las Vegas Raiders and working with non-profit organizations; and his plans for the future.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Illusionist Bill Blagg, performing “The Magic of Bill Blagg Live!” at the South Point Casino, July 30 - August 1. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Blagg talks about his early interest in magic; his breakthrough, winning the Abbott Magic Get Together as the youngest contestant to enter the competition; his approach to magic; why this is his first time performing in Las Vegas; and why his dad is his secret weapon.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Miljenko Matijevic, lead singer and founder of Steelheart. The band is on their 30th anniversary tour and will be performing this Friday, July 23 at The Golden Nugget Las Vegas. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Miljenko talks about the fire inside of him and his work ethic; his new song for World Peace Day (with a chorus of 350 fans); his massive popularity in Asia; his hunt for a recording studio; the accident that sidelined him for months; re-recording some of the the group’s hits in an acoustic setting; and accepting who he is as an artist.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Anthony DiMaria, producer of "Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth," a feature-length documentary about his uncle, famed hair stylist Jay Sebring. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, DiMaria (born and raised in Las Vegas) talks about the the horrific murders of Sebring, Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent and the subsequent diminishing of his uncle’s reputation by the media and the glorification of the killers by pop culture; his long journey in making the documentary; the surprising material he found about his uncle’s life; his influence on what is now a multi-billion dollar industry; and why he felt it important to remind people about his uncle and bring some comfort to living family members.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Eve Golden, author of the new book, Jayne Mansfield, The Girl Couldn’t Help It, published by the University Press of Kentucky. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Golden talks about the unique life of Jayne Mansfield, the larger-than-life sex symbol and actress; her determination to succeed in films (using Broadway as a stepping stone; her starring role in “The Girl Can’t Help It ; her decision to take roles that her advisers warned her about accepting; her marriages; her relationship with Las Vegas entertainer (and resident) Nelson Sardelli; her performances in Las Vegas; and her impact on American pop culture.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Shin Lim, currently performing in “LIMITLESS” at The Mirage (Mondays & Thursdays through Sundays at 7:30). In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Lim talks about his journey from music to magic; his challenges with carpal tunnel syndrome and dyslexia; his close family ties, both in his personal life and his career; his dream to perform in a residency on the Las Vegas Strip; how he developed his magic after first being shown an illusion by his older brother; and why he continues to learn and loves performing.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Eric Gladstone, author of Anything But Nirvana: Other Heroes & Happenings From Rock's Last Great Era. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Gladstone talks about his former career as a music journalist, covering bands in the 90’s and writing about them on a national level; getting inside bands’ experiences and interviewing them on the road; his big story on Smashing Pumpkins; why he tried to interview bands he was genuinely interested in; why the project took six years to compile, organize and edit from his interviews from that time; how the bands interacted with each other; why some of the stories don’t have happy endings; his reasons for writing about the bands; how he looks back at these stories from today’s vantage point (slightly cynically, but positively) ; his Las Vegas story (it involves Imagine Dragons!), which capped his music journalism career; the bands from that era that still survive (and thrive) today and why he doesn’t trust computers!

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Oliver Lovat, a leading academic, researcher, writer and strategy consultant. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Lovat talks about the challenges facing Las Vegas coming out of the COVID era; the study he and others put together about the future of Las Vegas (see below); why Downtown Las Vegas was able to cope better than the Strip when it came to operating during COVID; one of the biggest mistakes that Las Vegas resorts made prior to COVID; the importance of knowing your customer base; and why Las Vegas always seems to win in the end.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Magician Jen Kramer, performing “The Magic of Jen Kramer” at Westgate Las Vegas (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 5 p.m.). In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Kramer talks about how she began her magical journey at the age of 10 and knew she wanted to perform in Las Vegas; graduating Yale and negotiating with Las Vegas showrooms from her dorm room; interning with magician Nathan Burton and learning the ropes; how she feels she connects with people through magic; why every show is different because every audience is different; why she likes to inspire girls and women to find a career in magic; and fulfilling her dream of a residency in Las Vegas.