Review of Heape's Trail of Tears

Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy (Directors Cut)“Trail of Tears Cherokee Legacy” explores America’s darkest period: President Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation to Oklahoma in 1838. Nearly a quarter of the Cherokee National died during the Trail of Tears, arriving in Indian Territory with few elders and even fewer children. Presented by Wes Studi and narrated by James Earl Jones.

Distinguished Awards:

Silver World Medal for History, New York Festivals 2007
Silver Film Award, Telly Awards 2007
Best Documentary, American Indian Film Festival 2006
Founder’s Award, International Cherokee Film Festival 2006
Best Documentary DeadCenter Film festival
Best Feature Documentary Native American Music Awards
Platinum Best of Show Aurora Awards
Winner AEGIS Awards

James Earl Jones narrates Rich-Heape Films, Inc.'s "Trail of Tears Cherokee Legacy"

Noted actor James Earl Jones had previously provided his voice to Rich-Heape Films, Inc. award-winning documentary Black Indians: An American Story. Mr. Jones, who is of blended African and Cherokee heritage, narrates in his customary and convincing tones and will lead an already distinguished group of celebrity voices.

Wes Studi, the best known Cherokee actor, presents the documentary film, speaking on camera in his native tongue (with subtitles). Mr. Jones and Mr. Studi are supported by the celebrity voices of actor James Garner, Crystal Gayle and actor John Buttram and former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder reading diary excerpts, and a host of historical experts from major universities.

Endorsed by the Cherokee Nation and the Easter band of Cherokee Indians.

The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy (2006)“In this movie, presented like a documentary, we learn volumes about the Cherokee nation at the time of Jackson's Indian Removal Act.”

“Liked how the speaking documentaries were interspersed with the re-created scenes.”

“The movie is well screened and the documentary is vivid and accurate.”Photo album:

The Making of Trail of Tears

Comment:  I watched this documentary earlier this year. I'd say it's good, not great, on the events leading up to the forced march. For that part of the subject, the Trail of Tears segment of We Shall Remain is probably better.

Where it shines is in the description of the Trail of Tears itself. You learn a lot--maybe too much--about the deplorable conditions as people waited in camps, then moved. It's evenhanded, too. We learn that some US officials charged with organizing the march tried to delay it until the weather was better, supplies had arrived, and so forth.

Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy isn't necessarily the definitive documentary on the Trail of Tears, but it's a solid piece of work. Rob's rating: 7.5 of 10.

Indian Country Online 2013

Here's where I was Monday and Tuesday:

Online Poker Discussed at California Tribal Conference

By CharlesA tribal conference was held the past two days in California that centered on issues pertaining to tribal interests in the legalization of online poker.

Indian Country Online: The 2013 Congress touched upon many topics that are crucial to California tribes and the prospects of expanding their current online gaming operations to include Internet poker. The conference was co-presented by Pechanga.net and the Spectrum Gaming Group at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula.

Much of the discussion focused on whether state or federal legislation would be more beneficial to tribal interests. Some tribes are said to prefer an intrastate model that would keep the nation’s most populous state from forming compacts with other states. Other tribes believe that a federal scheme may prove more worthwhile in the long run.

Most tribal groups seemed to be in agreement that previous federal bills that have been drafted have not done well in fully representing the interests of tribes. This is an important matter of concern, as it may cause California to opt out of any federal online poker legislation that finds approval in the future. Naturally, the rest of the country would love to include California and its more than 38 million residents in an interstate poker model to increase liquidity and profits.Comment:  My pal Victor organized and oversaw this conference, which took place June 3-4. I attended as an employee of Pechanga.Net.

I didn't get to see much of the actual conference. I was tasked to man our booth and update the website during the day. But the conference was an unqualified success according to all reports.

Some photos of the conference:

Indian Country Online: The 2013 Congress

For more on gaming conferences, see NIGA 2013 (Day 3) and NIGA 2013 (Day 2).

NIGA 2013 (Day 3)

As we headed over to the trade show floor, Chad and I were distracted by a spectacle: public art made of tin cans. We inspected that for half an hour before heading to our booth.

Victor and Lucy were there, so Chad and I took a walk around the floor. Chad picked up some insurance literature for his new business venture. We spotted Billy Mills at his booth and chatted with him for a bit. Chad bought some Southwest jewelry for the women in his life.

We returned to the booth and spent the rest of the abbreviated day there. Several gaming celebs and a few entertainment celebs (activist Sonny Skyhawk and filmmaker Steven Lewis Simpson, again) came by. Peter MacDonald the former Navajo chairman and Dennis Banks the AIM activist were nearby, forming a mini-celebrity row in the 1500 aisle.

We were supposed to meet someone for dinner, but everyone took off and so did we. After a long drive to Victor's house and a shorter drive to my house, the trip was over.

Pix of the day:

NIGA (Day 3)--March 27, 2013
Driving home from NIGA--March 27, 2013

And a little about the events and awards we didn't see:

National Indian Gaming Association draws crowd to Arizona

For more on NIGA, see NIGA 2013 (Day 2) and NIGA 2013 (Day 1)

NIGA 2013 (Day 2)

For once we made it to the trade show on time to see the opening ceremony. The celebrities there to cut the ribbon included Evander Holyfield, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Adam Beach, and Billy Mills.

I took an early break to meet Greg Burgas, a comic-book critic whose columns I read. We met in front of the convention center, where a "sacred lands" protest was taking place. Over Starbucks coffee, we talked about Indians and comics.

Back on the floor, I stopped by a neighboring booth to see Peter MacDonald, the former chairman of the Navajo Nation. He's now president of a codetalker foundation and was there to represent them. We talked briefly about his working at Hughes in Culver City, my home town.

With Chad and Lucy, a Facebook friend who volunteered to help us, we had people to spare at the Pechanga.net booth. Therefore, I was able to take an initial cruise around the floor with Lucy. After that, we spent most of the day in the booth.

After the show closed, we headed to the Sheraton Hotel to see Victor speak to the "Emerging Leaders of Gaming." On the way there, we met filmmaker Steven Lewis Simpson, who soon joined us.

I went with Victor to a celebration that evening at the Copper Blues bar, but soon returned to the hotel. For dinner we had a nice salad via room service.

Pix of the day:

NIGA (Day 2)--March 26, 2013

For more on NIGA, see NIGA 2013 (Day 1) and Off to NIGA 2013.

NIGA 2013 (Day 1)

Today I drove with buddies Victor and Chad to Phoenix. We reached the Hyatt Regency downtown in mid-afternoon and checked into room 857.

While Victor met with people, Chad and I walked around the downtown area. We saw a lot of statues and other public art, and toured St. Mary's Basilica, the oldest Catholic church in Phoenix.

Later we had dinner at a nearby grill and went to bed early--before midnight, which is early for us.

Pix of the day:

NIGA (Day 1)--March 25, 2013

For more on NIGA, see Off to NIGA 2013 Quapaw Tribe Wins NIGA Award.

Pix of Autry's Arts Marketplace 2012

This year I attended the Short Play Festival presented by Native Voices at the Autry. Before the event, I checked out the American Indian Arts Marketplace and the Autry Museum. Here are some photos of my day:

American Indian Arts Marketplace--November 3, 2012

For more on Native Voices, see Native Voices Presents Distant Thunder and Walking on Turtle Island at the Autry.

Below:  Actor/artist Michael Horse.

Pix of Global Gaming Expo 2012

Not much to report at this year's Global Gaming Expo. I was at our booth most of the three days. I didn't see many Indians and no celebrities.

I did see a hint of a trend toward more "ethnic" slot machines. That includes Native-themed slots. I saw about three Inca themes, two Maya themes, and one Aztec theme. Stupidly, they all used the pyramid associated with the Maya.

The main entertainment at the show was all the little people (formerly known as midgets). There were Oompa Loompas, Mini-Elvis and Mini-Marilyn, and the whole crew of Micro Championship Wrestling. I think they were advertising different things, so it may have been a big coincidence.

My photos of the trip:

Global Gaming Expo (Day 4)--October 4, 2012
Global Gaming Expo (Day 3)--October 3, 2012
Global Gaming Expo (Day 2)--October 2, 2012
Global Gaming Expo (Day 1)--October 1, 2012

For more on G2E, see Off to Las Vegas '12 and Pix of Global Gaming Expo 2011.

Pix of my South Dakota trip

I plan to write some articles about my South Dakota trip in June. Meanwhile, here are my photos of the trip. I trust the captions will explain our experiences well enough.

Day 1

LAX to downtown Rapid City--June 24, 2012 (7 am-3:30 pm)

Prairie Edge Gallery--June 24, 2012 (3:30-5:30 pm)

Dinosaur Park--June 24, 2012 (5:30-6:30 pm)

Etta Mine--June 24, 2012 (6:30-7:30 pm)

Cemetery and Mt. Rushmore--June 24, 2012 (7:30-10 pm)

Day 2

Hotel and Scenic, SD--June 25, 2012 (morning)

Sheep Mountain--June 25, 2012 (morning)

Fossil-hunting--June 25, 2012 (morning)

Visitor center and Stronghold--June 25, 2012 (morning)

Red Cloud Indian School--June 25, 2012 (late morning)

Pine Ridge and Whiteclay--June 25, 2012 (early afternoon)

Wounded Knee--June 25, 2012 (afternoon)

Lakota War Pony Races--June 25, 2012 (afternoon)

Oglala Lakota College--June 25, 2012 (afternoon)

Lakota Prairie Ranch Resort--June 25, 2012 (late afternoon)

Thunderstorm--June 25, 2012 (early evening)

Day 3

Iron Mountain Road--June 26, 2012 (early morning)

Custer State Park and Wind Cave--June 26, 2012 (morning)

Into the cave--June 26, 2012 (early afternoon)

Hole in the Wall and Needles Highway--June 26, 2012 (afternoon)

Sylvan Lake and Rapid City--June 26, 2012 (late afternoon)

Day 4

Hunting geodes and finding Nemo--June 27, 2012 (morning)

Homestake Gold Mine and Terry Peak--June 27, 2012 (morning)

Spearfish Canyon and Deadwood--June 27, 2012 (early afternoon)

Bus tour and Boot Hill--June 27, 2012 (afternoon)

Walking in Deadwood--June 27, 2012 (afternoon)

Day 5

Black Hills Institute--June 28, 2012 (morning)

Gift shop and Crazy Horse Memorial--June 28, 2012 (morning)

On the Crazy Horse Memorial--June 28, 2012 (early afternoon)

Visitor center and gift shop--June 28, 2012 (afternoon)

Veranda and Lakota dancers--June 28, 2012 (afternoon)

Sculptor's studio and cultural center--June 28, 2012 (afternoon)

Nature Gates and Rapid City--June 28, 2012 (afternoon)

Day 6

Hotel and Memorial Park--June 29, 2012 (morning)

City of Presidents, part 1--June 29, 2012 (morning)

City of Presidents, part 2--June 29, 2012 (morning)

City of Presidents, part 3--June 29, 2012 (late morning)

City of Presidents, part 4--June 29, 2012 (early afternoon)

Fountains and park statues--June 29, 2012 (afternoon)

Rose garden and flight home--June 29, 2012 (afternoon)

Plus a few postings on related subjects:

Cultural center at Crazy Horse Memorial
Anti-suicide campaign at Lakota college
Hundreds of Sun Dances
Economic development on Pine Ridge

Black & Gold Gala with Misty Upham

On Saturday, Misty Upham (Native actress in Frozen River), invited me to be her plus-one at this charity event:

Tony Award Nominees & Winners Join Together for the 2012 Black & Gold Gala Live Performance and Silent Auction Benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at L.A. Center StudiosIn conjunction with TV Personality, Christian Moralde's fortieth birthday celebration, Tony Award Winner Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Tony Award Nominee Lainie Kazan, former Pussycat Doll Kaya Jones, actress/comedienne Lisa Ann Walter and Grammy Nominee Frenchie Davis all join the stage for a one-night performance event at L.A. Center Studios in Los Angeles, CA. With an extensive silent auction benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), this invitation only event is expected to be attended by Dot-Marie Jones (GLEE Emmy Award Nominee), Misty Upham (Spirit Award Nominee from FROZEN RIVER), [and] Chyna (WWE & PLAYBOY).Lainie Kazan couldn't attend, but the others were there. Misty did a turn for the cameras...we enjoyed the hour-long show...then had a light dinner in the lounge. Misty told someone's fortune...we sang "Happy Birthday" for Moralde, and gossiped about Hollywood's Natives. And that was the evening.

Here are my pix of the events:

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS--April 28, 2012

Inukshuk on U-Haul van

Here's something you don't see everyday: an inukshuk on the side of a U-Haul van.



I came across this at random when I walked around my neighborhood Saturday. It just goes to show that Native lore is everywhere if you look for it.

Here are more pix from my walk:

Walking in Culver City XVIII--April 7, 2012

For more on inuksuit (the plural of inukshuk), see Manitou Raven Was Apache Chief and Inukshuk or Totem Pole?

NIGA 2012 (Day 2)

After meeting Wes Studi, Adam Beach, and other celebrities during our first day at NIGA, there was no letup on our second day.

Walking into the convention center, we met Cedric Cromwell, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag, and his entourage.

Comedy duo Williams and Ree, aka the Indian and the White Guy, stopped by our booth. My pal Victor cracked them up so much that they thought he might be a comedian too.

I saw Gray "Litefoot" Davis, new president of NCAIED, talking business with some attendees.

Dennis Banks, co-founder of AIM, was there for some reason--perhaps to tout his documentary. Victor thanked Banks for inspiring him at a school assembly 33 years ago.

Sonny Skyhawk pigeonholed me for some talk about Hollywood's failure to cast Native actors to play Natives. He doesn't think Johnny Depp should play Tonto in the Lone Ranger movie.

In fact, his committee investigated Depp to see if he has any enrolled Cherokees in his family tree. Apparently not. That doesn't mean Depp is fibbing about having a Cherokee great-grandmother, but it casts more doubt on his worthiness to play a Native.

Walking to our car through the Gaslamp Quarter, we saw Irene Bedard eating at a sidewalk cafe.

We had a late lunch at Lou & Mickey's in the Gaslamp Quarter. From our table, we saw Adam Beach walking by, talking on his cellphone. Victor called him over and he joined us for a few minutes.

More photos: NIGA (Day 2)--April 4, 2012

For more on NIGA, see Pix of NIGA 2011 and Report on NIGA 2011.

Below:  Sonny Skyhawk and Dennis Banks.

NIGA 2012 (Day 1)

My pal Victor and I headed to San Diego for the National Indian Gaming Association's annual convention Tuesday. For some reason, Native celebrities were thick on the ground this year.

We had several people at our Pechanga.net booth, so I was free to wander around. Here are some of my sightings:

I said hello briefly to Hollywood activist Sonny Skyhawk, who was wandering the floor like me.

Wes Studi was at the FNX booth to tout its nascent TV channel.

Nearby, Joanelle Romero attended NIGA for the first time to tout her nascent TV channel. Awkward!

The Crooked Arrows people had a booth to tout their upcoming lacrosse movie starring non-Native Brandon Routh.

Comedian Charlie Hill was eating in a lounge area.

Adam Beach stopped by our booth to tout Pechanga.net and pose for pictures.

Guitarist Steve Salas also stopped by and talked music with Victor.

I talked to Studi briefly, telling him I worked for the NativeCelebs page on Facebook. He was vaguely aware of its existence.

I followed Joanelle's progress because I helped rewrite her press release and lent her my old laptop computer and monitor cable for her display. Alas, the laptop couldn't pick up the site's Wi-Fi for some reason.

I got to test my new iPod Touch, taking photos and posting them to Facebook with it. It worked fine, though the picture quality left something to be desired.

After a long day on the floor, Victor was anxious to get back to work. So we skipped the Wendell Chino dinner and performance by Dwight Yoakum. Someone said Yoakum's songs all sounded the same, which goes without saying because he's a country singer.

Here's a brief report on the opening ceremony, which we missed:

Records Break at NIGA Tradeshow Ribbon Cutting

By Michael WoestehoffWith the organization’s Chairman Ernie Stevens Jr. presiding the ribbon cutting, he shared that over 5,500 people have registered for the convention, a record-breaking number.

“Today, we have filled the 90,000 square foot floor with over 450 world-class exhibits, who are our friends in the gaming industry and Native-owned businesses who are eager to build their brands. There is a $26 billion industry behind these doors, and we welcome you,” Stevens said.

And my photos: NIGA (Day 1)--April 3, 2012

For more on NIGA, see Pix of NIGA 2011 and Report on NIGA 2011.

Walking on Turtle Island at the Autry

On Sunday I saw Walking on Turtle Island, Robert Greygrass-Owens's one-man play, at the Autry Museum. I wouldn't say it was stunningly great, but it was good.

Here are some pix I took of the museum's exterior before the show:

"Walking on Turtle Island"--March 18, 2012

For more on the subject, see Greygrass's One-Man Plays.

Lake Mead and Hoover Dam

Over Christmas I visited my brother's family in Las Vegas. On the way back I stopped at Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, which are a few miles to the southeast.

As always, I looked for evidence that the land once belonged to Indians. There was basically nothing: no ruins, no place names, no signs noting points of interest.

Here's what you won't learn on a casual drive through the area:

Lake Mead--History & CultureBefore the existence of Lake Mead, Lake Mohave, and Hoover Dam, the area encompassing the one and a half million acres of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area was occupied by early desert Indian cultures, adventurous explorers, ambitious pioneers looking for cheap land and religious freedom, and prospectors seeking riches.

Based on archaeological evidence, several Native American cultures have been identified as having existed 8,000 to 10,000 years ago in an environment wetter and cooler than it is today. These cultures hunted game, gathered local edible plants and practiced farming. In a cave near present-day Lake Mead, the remains of large mammals were discovered by archaeologist Mark R.Harrington and paleontologist James Thurston including: ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis), horse (Equus sp.), camel (Camelops sp.) and mountain sheep (Ovis canadensis). Notches found on the bones of animals located in that primitive dwelling show evidence that they were prepared and eaten by humans.

Various prehistoric culture groups made the Colorado River region their home. Archaeological investigations have provided evidence that some were hunter/gatherers and lived in caves; other groups lived in pit houses and Puebloan-type structures, and practiced early farming. Ranging from present day Davis Dam north to the Virgin and Muddy Rivers, these early farming groups grew corn, beans, squash and cotton.

Their technology included pottery of the reddish-brown and gray-brown buff ware with simple black and red decoration. They ground corn and seeds with manos and metate and hunted game with spears, bows & arrows made from local or traded materials.Comment:  Here's all I learned from the trip itself:

The first panel in the Hoover Dam visitor center's exhibits notes that Indians and Spaniards inhabited the region before the white man. It calls the land "parched and desolate" until Americans made it flourish with water. This is misleading since the region was cooler and wetter before (see above) and Indians probably had no trouble then.

The Hoover Dam "Reclamation: Managing Water in the West" brochure describes the Colorado River: "As early as 600 A.D. humans worked to harness its water for their use." Humans? You mean Indians. I don't know if they tried to harness the water before 600 AD, but they lived in the area at least ten times longer.

The brochure briefly mentions the conflict over water rights. It says the dispute was between seven states, ignoring the tribes who also claimed water rights.

The effect is that Hoover Dam seems to be minimizing the regional role of Natives. I wonder why?

The official NPS handout for Lake Mead has three sentences on Natives and a photo of rock art.

The park newsletter mentions Native coyote trickster tales before warning people not to feed the animals.

Anyway, here are the photos from my day trip:

Lake Mead and O'Callaghan-Tillman Bridge--Dec. 27, 2011 (morning)

Hoover Dam and underground tour--Dec. 27, 2011 (early afternoon)

Visitor center and heading home--Dec. 27, 2011 (late afternoon)

For some previous photo galleries, see Pumpkin Patch in Culver City and 2010 Christmas Pix.

Below:  Elevator with a smidgen of Southwest Indian style.

Pumpkin patch in Culver City

For Halloween, it's good to remember that pumpkins are a Native product:

Pumpkins Are Native However You Carve ItAmerican Indians first introduced pumpkin as a food to immigrants when they encountered the Spanish at the Rio Grande River in the late 1500s, offering the Spaniards pumpkin seeds as part of a peace offering, according to LocalHarvest.org.

American Indians roasted, baked, parched, boiled and dried the flesh in numerous ways. Each tribe developed its own ways to prepare and enjoy the pumpkin. Diné cooks fry it with mutton, while Taos Pueblo cooks make a succotash by cooking unripe pumpkin with corn kernels and onion. In Woodland areas, pumpkin is eaten similarly to winter squash, occasionally cut into rings to dry and be reconstituted when needed. Read Indian Country Today Media Network’s food writer Dale Carson’s article about how Indigenous peoples have enjoyed the sunset-colored gourd for centuries.

As a medicine, American Indians used pumpkins as a remedy for snake bites. Pumpkin had other practical uses—many tribes flattened strips of pumpkins, dried them and made mats, especially for trading purposes. They also dried out the pumpkins’ shells, turning them into bowls and containers to store grain, beans and seeds, states allaboutpumpkins.com.For a couple of weeks, my town hosted a "pumpkin patch" in a supermarket parking lot. I went there last week and took pictures:

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Facebook!"--October 27-28, 2011



Not only is the pumpkin a Native product, but the indigenous people of the Andes domesticated the llama and alpaca in the petting zoo. So the whole place was infused with a Native background, though no one realized it.



For more on the subject, see Indians in Culver City.

Columbus Day at the Westfield Mall

On Columbus Day I headed to the nearby mall to see if XXI Forever (a brand of Forever 21) had Native-themed fashions on sale. Here's what I saw:

Walking in Culver City XVII--October 12, 2011



"Native" fashions at XXI Forever. The second mannequin is wearing a fringed vest.

I heard they were having a Columbus Day sale and wanted to see if they'd put the Native fashions next to the signs. Alas, I didn't see any signs. The sale probably was Oct. 10, not today.

Blame the poor quality of the photo on my trying to snap it when no one was looking.



Perhaps 10% of the store's lines included Native and jungle prints. That's enough to be noticeable.

If you didn't get the message from the tribal prints near the animal prints, here it is in one item. Zigzag Native lines AND spotted jungle fur. Unleash your wild 'n' savage side with this indigenous-inspired fashion!



Bonus: At the nearby Disney shop. Another poor quality photo taken in haste.

Note the sexy Pocahontas nestled between a Snow White costume, Cinderella, and Princess Tiana.

Which one is a pre-adolescent girl who wasn't royalty and had no romantic involvement with anyone until she married an Englishman several years later?

This is what passes for Native culture in mainstream America: tribal fashions, sexy Pocahontases, and idiots in headdresses. Which makes it even funnier that some people deny the effect of Native stereotypes. Fashion is nothing but seeing what's popular ("in fashion") and copying it. Each stereotype propagates other stereotypes like waves in a pond.

For more on the subject, see Media Covers Urban Outfitters Controversy and Neo-Navajo Fashion Trend.

Pix of Global Gaming Expo 2011

A roundup of photos and reports on our trip to Las Vegas to man the PECHANGA.net booth at the Global Gaming Expo:

Day 1

Global Gaming Expo (Day 1)--October 3, 2011

Report:  Global Gaming Expo 2011 (Day 1)

Day 2

Global Gaming Expo (Day 2, morning)--October 4, 2011
Global Gaming Expo (Day 2, afternoon)--October 4, 2011

Report:  Global Gaming Expo 2011 (Day 2)

Day 3

Global Gaming Expo (Day 3)--October 5, 2011

Report:  Global Gaming Expo 2011 (Day 3)

Day 4

Global Gaming Expo (Day 4)--October 6, 2011

Report:  Global Gaming Expo 2011 (Day 4)

Global Gaming Expo 2011 (Day 4)

After checking out of the Paris, we spent most of the day at the booth again. I did get a couple of photo opportunities at the show. Walking to our booth, I took pix of an indoor waterfall and a Buddha. And before we left, I took a last jaunt around the floor. That was just enough time to take pix of the Native comedians at the Pow Wow Comedy Jam booth, the go-go dancers, and Supergirl.

On the way home I had a few more photo ops: the Las Vegas Strip, Bob's Big Boy in Barstow, and cloud formations over the desert. Then we had chicken soup for dinner at Victor's house, and I drove home.

Photos:

Global Gaming Expo (Day 4)--October 6, 2011

For more on the subject, see Global Gaming Expo 2011 (Day 3) and Pix of Global Gaming Expo 2010.

Global Gaming Expo 2011 (Day 3)

Today was my day to man the booth while Victor met with people. There wasn't a lot traffic, so I spent most of the day browsing the news and playing Words with Friends on an iPad.

I did get a brief reprieve when we heard Mike Tyson was in the house. I saw him, a mini-Elvis, and some go-go dancers before returning to the booth.

Our big adventure came after the show when we met the gaming writers at the Cosmopolitan for our annual dinner. Our leader had arranged a tour, so we got to see the top of the line of this top-of-the-line property. We thought the first suite was spectacular, but then we saw literally the best the Cosmopolitan had to offer: a 5,000 sq. ft. penthouse suite with magnificent views of the Strip. Someone said it rented for perhaps $15,000 a night.

After that we had a delicious dinner and conversation in the Cosmopolitan's Scarpetta restaurant. Some of the writers went off for more carousing, but I was too tired, so I returned to the Paris and went to bed.

Photos:

Global Gaming Expo (Day 3)--October 5, 2011

For more on the subject, see Global Gaming Expo 2011 (Day 2) and Pix of Global Gaming Expo 2010.

Global Gaming Expo 2011 (Day 2)

Today, we took the monorail to the Sands Expo. That meant a 10-minute walk from the Paris to the station, a short ride, and a 10-minute walk from the station to the convention center. By the time we got there, we were sweating.

Then Victor noticed he forgot his WiFi gizmo and I volunteered to get it. I decided to take a taxi back, but walking through the Venetian took as long as the monorail. At least I got to see a few minutes of Penn Jillette giving the keynote speech.

For the second time in an hour, I took the monorail to the convention center. With Victor manning the booth, I took off to see the trade show. The latest trend seemed to be licensed pop-culture properties: TV shows, movies, cartoons, comic books and strips, and board games. Among the slot machines I saw were Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Sherlock Holmes, Superman, Tarzan and Jane, Mission: Impossible, the Phantom, Jaws, Michael Jackson, Betty Boop, Grease, Monopoly, Clue, Aladdin, the Wizard of Oz, Popeye, the Pink Panther, and Scrabble.

There were even machines for Breakfast at Tiffany's and Battleship, although I didn't see them. Can Bedtime for Bonzo, Peanuts, and Candyland be far behind?

On the way back to the booth, I met Renee Roman Nose, a Native Facebook friend. Then Victor and I headed back to the Paris. We had a room-service dinner and went to bed early.

Photos:

Global Gaming Expo (Day 2, morning)--October 4, 2011
Global Gaming Expo (Day 2, afternoon)--October 4, 2011

For more on the subject, see Global Gaming Expo 2011 (Day 1) and Pix of Global Gaming Expo 2010.