Shark Bytes

Having worked in management at the GN, I can tell you, unequivocally, that all of the incompetance that you saw was not only not staged, but encouraged on a daily basis. It only got worse after Landry's bought the place from Tim and Tom.

The Casino jumped the shark when the sexual themes took the focus away from the show. The exotic women going into the casino caused some controversy. And when that couple tried to upstage Matt Dusk's first performance at Golden Nugget with their overwrought, lame singing (one of them was a Nevada politician that wanted to perform so badly). It sounded like bad karaoke and a Diane Warren power ballad clashed together. I liked The Casino for its escapism and it being in Las Vegas. I watched it most of the weeks it was on--it was addictive to see and it beat watching tired summer reruns. I even watched a show at a hotel in Arkansas on one of our road trip stops. I really wonder whatever happened to the bald headed young man that wanted to move up to the upper ranks of management instead of being stuck on the floor. Problem was, it was a Mark Burnett-produced show. I think that in 2004, Mark had four too many shows going on at about once. Two shows did well while two shows bombed and got cancelled (especially Casino). Sometimes the Mark overkill got just too much to some people. I noticed that Casino fell every week in the ratings last summer. I didn't think that anyone was going to buy two young men trying to get people off the Strip to the high-class style of the Golden Nugget. Chances are, some might still be staying at Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Bellagio, MGM or Monte Carlo. What killed the show was its complete excessiveness. This show would have worked in the '80s with its decadence factor, but in that conservative, shorter-hair time of 2004, last year, it was a little too late. I liked Matt Dusk's performances it led me to getting his album. Kind of like lounge music meets electronica sounds with what he does.

It definitely jumped the shark in the opening credits of the first show. What a horrible piece of dreck. I wonder how much the Golden Nugget had to pay for a weekly infomercial. The funny thing is, it shows just how incompetent everyone at the Golden Nugget really is. If I was a high-roller, I would drop kick little Tommy Sunstrom of the highest floor of the hotel.

What is the point of a "reality" show that is staged? I gave up the 1st day when Andre Agassi had a "unscripted" meeting with the owners about buying in as a part owner. Wouldn't all the owners have to be disclosed to the gaming board prior to a license being granted? The high roller guy going back to his room with a transvestite? Oh sure that was random that the camera was on her/him prior to the high roller check her out, what do they just film everyone in the casino in case something cool happens? The last straw of making the show watchable is the Tommy guy! Let me get this straight he goes from one of the crappiest dealers ever to host in about 3 weeks? He is unqualified to shine shoes let alone be a host, which isn't really that difficult anyway. I really hope he is just another scripted character because if he is for real the Golden Nugget, ever in pursuit of being a classy joint, just shot themselves in the foot by putting this guy on TV.

Every time I see that Tommy, the intern casino host come on the screen, I swear I'm looking at a live action Rugrat. With his shaved head and baby talk voice, I'm seeing a brand new episode, "Tommy Pickles Goes To Vegas".