Jack Satin’s Calculations of the Bill from The Hangover

Posted on October 27th, 2009 • Filed under Entertainment Industry, Las Vegas • 3 Comments

When it comes to Vegas comedies, they don’t get much better than The Hangover, which follows the adventure of four friends who are desperately trying to piece together their wild night in Sin City. By the look of their Caesars Palace suite the next morning, this was a party I would have enjoyed. From stealing Mike Tyson’s tiger to marrying a stripper at a classic Vegas wedding chapel, the film certainly captures an all too familiar side of the Vegas experience.

Facing studio pressure for bigger name talent in the cast, director Todd Phillips stuck by his guns and remained true to his vision. He did this despite having his initial pay cut in exchange for a larger percentage of the back-end profits – a big gamble. Since the film is now the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time, it looks as if Todd’s rolling the dice has more than paid off, proving once again that if you’re going to gamble you should always bet on yourself.

What’s great about the movie is that any man can relate to the situation these characters find themselves in. I have had many a friend walk down that exact wedding chapel isle only to regret it the next day — and annulments don’t come cheap.

That got me thinking, if four guys were to attack Vegas as hard as the characters from The Hangover did, what would it have cost? Then, bang! It hit me. I should use this hilarious movie as a road map and see just how much coin they had to throw down. I all too often get asked, “How much does a bachelor party in Vegas cost?” Besides, it was a great excuse to visit old partners in crime. I won’t name names but you know who you are.

Below you find the actual cost of The Hangover, which I calculated with approximations. Enjoy, and use the comment section to let me know if I forgot anything.

The bill from The Hangover

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” Stolen from Paul Anka

Posted on October 14th, 2009 • Filed under Uncategorized • 2 Comments

I thought it sounded familiar. Story goes, Michael and Paul wrote a song together in the 80s called “I Never Heard.” The demo was recorded at Anka’s studio and then taken to a Hollywood session where Michael grabbed the tapes and later used the track with his voice and changed the title to “This Is [...]

Is Kanye West Really “Heartless?”

Posted on October 12th, 2009 • Filed under Entertainment Industry, Musical Legends • 1 Comment

A lot of people have been asking me lately about my thoughts on Kanye West. His decision to steal the spotlight from Taylor Swift at the VMA’s wasn’t exactly a classy move, and certainly not something I would ever do, but that doesn’t change the fact that, at the end of the day, Kanye is [...]

Jack Satin’s Las Vegas Movies Since Swingers: By The Numbers

Posted on October 12th, 2009 • Filed under Uncategorized • 8 Comments

At its core, the 1996 cult classic Swingers is much more then just a Vegas movie. The film is extremely successful in capturing the charm and many savory nuances of the City of Sin. And as a guy who has spent his entire life in Vegas, I can talk with considerable authority on the subject. [...]

25 Years of Growth in Vegas

Posted on October 9th, 2009 • Filed under Entertainment Industry, Las Vegas, Personal • 1 Comment

More than a few things have changed in Las Vegas in the past 25 years. The people, the music, and of course, the landscape, have all underdone dramatic transformations. The images below, very much an “outside looking in” perspective on Vegas, are courtesy of NASA’s Earth Observatory. For an “inside looking out” perspective, come to [...]

Britney Spears’ Real Voice

Posted on October 3rd, 2009 • Filed under Entertainment Industry, Las Vegas • 2 Comments

I was one of fortunate many who saw Britney perform when she came to Las Vegas in 2001. I say “fortunate” because the girl, love her or hate her, is a cultural phenomenon, and I believe it’s extremely important to understand one’s culture. That said, the girl’s voice isn’t exactly something I’d listen to in [...]

The Las Vegas Strip in 1954

Posted on October 1st, 2009 • Filed under Las Vegas • 4 Comments

Las Vegas has a long and storied history. When most people think of Vegas today, they think about bright lights and glitzy entertainment. But it wasn’t always that way. No, it was once a much simpler place. In the early 1900s, the completion of a railway which linked Southern California to Salt Lake City established [...]