Talk About Las Vegas with Ira

Each week, Ira talks with the celebrities, entertainers, writers, and personalities who make Las Vegas the most exciting city in the world!

Each week, Ira talks with the celebrities, entertainers, writers, and personalities who make Las Vegas the most exciting city in the world!

Talking With Deana Martin – January 18, 2021

This week, Ira spoke with Deana Martin, who has been performing during the pandemic in her Deana Martin LIVE! online shows for 45 consecutive weeks. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Martin talks about early memories of Las Vegas; adapting to performing during COVID; her global connection with fans online, including taking requests and, as a result, learning 50 new songs; recording one of her albums in the legendary Studio A at Capitol Records, the same studio where her dad, Dean Martin, performed; and her secret for successfully navigating show business and establishing her own performing persona.

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Talking With Al Mancini – January 11, 2021


This week, Ira spoke with Al Mancini, who has covered the Las Vegas dining scene for numerous publications since 2003. He currently writes for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Mancini talks about his journey to the culinary world in Las Vegas; why he believes the Vegas dining scene will bounce back after COVID; where the off-Strip restaurant action is heading; how the food and beverage industry impresses him with its innovation during the pandemic; why one of the messages that restaurants should send their customers as they fully reopen is: “We care about you”; and most important of all, what he sees as the future of the buffet.

Talking With Bill Dawes – January 4, 2021


This week, Ira spoke with actor, comic and writer Bill Dawes, headlining in the Laugh Factory at the Tropicana Las Vegas, January 7-10. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Dawes talks about his early days and his decision to lead a creative life (capped by throwing his brief case in the Hudson River!); writing a successful play and receiving no credit; why comedy has been one of the keys to his success (and the serious side of comedy); how he started a podcast, “The Afterlaugh,” in his backyard; and why he finds success through trying new things.

TALKING WITH ORI SPADO – DECEMBER 28,2020


This week, Ira spoke with Ori Spado, author of “The Accidental Gangster: From Insurance Salesman to Mob Boss of Hollywood.” In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Spado talks about his decision to live a life of crime; why, though he knew the top organized crime figures, he refused to become a “made man”; his reputation as a fixer in Hollywood; some of the famous people he met and befriended in the film business; his connection to Las Vegas; his decision to take a plea deal that sent him to prison; and why he decided to write the book as a message to young people.

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