ï»¿Paramount to Remake ‘The Gambler’ with Wahlberg, Lange and Lawson

The poster that is original ‘The Gambler’ starring James Caan and Lauren Hutton; Mark Wahlberg will be playing this part in the remake.

Modern audiences often capture the classics of literature via their film versions; simply take Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables’ or Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’. Mention Fyodor Dostoevsky to a more youthful generation of Internet-raised intelligentsia, and you could get nothing however a stare that is blank and the 1974 movie variation, loosely based on the prolific writer’s novella, may perhaps not resonate much more either. But that movie’s original cult success has now spurred movie giant Paramount Pictures to attempt a remake of the classic movie (which in addition is not related in almost any option to the Kenny Rogers classic country song of the identical name) having an all-star cast that can hold its own against the original.

A Lot to Live Up To

The remake could have some iconic performances to match up to, that is for certain; not forgetting quite a bit of Hollywood lore that went on during the initial manufacturing’s recording. An english professor in New York City whose gambling addiction overtakes his life for example, a then-very-young James Caan (who from 2003-2007 played the casino magnate lead in the hit TV series ‘Las Vegas’), was reportedly grappling with his own real-life cocaine addiction during filming; he was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as Axel Freed. In a kind of art-imitates-life-imitates-art affect, within the film, Freed is teaching his students Dostoevsky, but in his life that is personal massive gambling addiction has, and in addition, left him saddled with debt; become specific, $44,000 owed to his bookie Hips that he cannot come up with on their own.

Freed gets your debt compensated by his own mother, and heads off together with girlfriend Billie (played into the original movie by gap-toothed model Lauren Hutton) to Sin City, where he brings an Archie Karas-style rise and fall of gambling fortunes move. Billie has to bear the brunt of his wrath at losing his fortune that is amassed back, when she expresses her displeasure at loan sharks arriving at all hours of the day and night to gather their due. Even though Axel believes his grandfather that is own will him away from hot water this time, he’s sadly disappointed once the man refuses to have anything to do with him.

Debt Repayment Plan

Up against a wall with no way to pay back his debts and bookies hounding him, Axel recruits one of his students that is a black colored basketball star to take a bribe from one of his bookies to shave points in a upcoming game. When that stunt is drawn off, Axel goes confidently into the ghetto together with his student friend, ignoring warnings from his main bookie that it’s an area that is dangerous.

Of course, he ultimately ends up fighting a pimp as he refuses to pay a hooker, and Axel gets the best of that match, and then be slashed over the face by the prostitute that is unhappy. In the scene that is final he stares at their bloody face in a mirror, and smiles as if comprehending that that is where life has brought him.

The version that is original Paul Sorvino as Hips, Caan’s ingratiating bookie, among an all-star cast that included a young James Woods; plus the remake promises no less in its recasting of this classic. Mark Wahlberg is taking on the role of Axel Freed, with an aging Jessica Lange most widely known to current audiences for her starring role in American Horror Story on TV as Axel’s wealthy and mother that is over-the-top. Brie Larson is reportedly cast in the Lauren Hutton/girlfriend role of Billie this go-round.

No word yet on when production will start, or when the remake is likely to hit theaters.

New Players in American Gaming Association Set to Lobby Congress Hard

Getting ready for a lobbying that is major in Congress, the American Gaming Association has had five brand new seasoned veterans on board (Image: AFP/Robert Sullivan)

It’s a new 12 months, as well as the winds of change carry on to blow, in Washington, D.C. especially. And the casino industry’s most trade that is prominent which is really a low-key method of saying ‘lobbying group’ is arming for battle, it seems, by bringing in some new senior staff to make their case to lawmakers, a case which includes continuing to hound Congress for federal oversight of online gaming.

Not that Congress is particularly receptive to that bid yet, but hope springs eternal.

Prepared for Battle

The American Gaming Association (AGA) announced the latest staff members early this week, noting that their main functions is to amp the group up’s marketing efforts and also to clarify their policy functions. Which should be fun, thinking about the AGA’s own account is at major odds as far as what that policy must be; while most members heartily endorse or at minimum are taking an approach that is wait-and-see online video gaming and its legalization, one prominent and long-time user nevada Sands Corporation’s Sheldon Adelson remains vehemently opposed, and is spending millions of his own bankroll into anti-Internet gambling campaigns and his or her own army of lobbyists to market that agenda.

Nonetheless, AGA president Geoff Freeman whom thus far has pretty diplomatically skirted the interior wars among his casino industry constituents issued a generically worded statement regarding the hirings that hinted at a lobbying agenda that is strongly pro-internet.

‘Through groundbreaking research, aggressive outreach and on-the-ground activities, this group of experts will position the AGA to champion gaming’s value being a motorist of innovation and growth that is economic’ Freeman’s media quote reads. You can only assume that ‘innovation and growth that is economic refer mainly towards the expansion of legalized online poker and gambling over the united states of america; as everyone surely knows by now, Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey are already ready to go, and California is looking like maybe it’s next.

If the Golden State does legalize at least internet poker, it’s going to be a game-changer, given their 38-million-ish population that is in-state which dwarfs next-largest currently online, nj-new Jersey, by almost 29 million possible players.

Bringing Plenty of Ammo to the battle

Freeman says the latest hires all have gaming industry backgrounds, as well as experience in both the sector that is private with other trade associations. Translation: they know how to schmooze, no matter the agenda or setting. All things considered, that’s basically what lobbyists do, besides delivering implied promises of financial support to those that promise to back their organizations’ agendas.

The new group has pretty impressive resumes: i.e., connections garnered over years of previous schmoozing. They incorporate a vice that is former of public affairs, Sara Rayme, who helped push through MGM Resorts’ transfer to the Maryland land casino market; a former vice president of federal government relations, Chaka Burgess, who brings 20 years of coalition building, lobbying and ally development experience with him: that ability ought to be tested aided by the AGA’s factional membership base. Burgess previously worked with Amgen, Inc. a biotech manufacturing firm as a director inside their international government affairs unit.

Then there’s a previous senior manager of communications for the U.S. Travel Association (Freeman’s previous workplace before joining AGA in 2013), Allie Barth; Global Game Technology (IGT) former manager of gaming policy Elizabeth Cronan, and finally a brand new general counsel, Virginia Hurt Johnson, who comes in with 30 years of private and general public sector background.

Freeman himself has only seven months using the group under his gear; he took over from the lobbying organization’s first and just CEO that is previous and Frank Fahrenkopf, Jr. as soon as the latter retired in June 2013.

The newest hires reflect a momentum that is renewed the AGA: industry leaders Steve Wynn of Wynn Resorts Ltd. and Frank Fertitta III of Stations Casinos, as well as Kentucky’s Churchill Downs racetrack and casino, all recently signed up as well. Wynn and Fertitta will be on the AGA’s Board of Directors to boot.

CoinYe West Enters Cryptocurrency Market with New Brand of Coins

There is gold in them thar hills or at least, a new line of cryptocurrency called CoinYe West hopes there is when it launches January 11.

Branding your name onto an endless selection of items is nothing new for major celebrities, but some new digital currency creators have surely pushed the envelope this time. Just because a new knockoff of Bitcoins that is set to launch on January 11 with the cringe-worthy name of CoinYe western hasn’t also received Kanye West’s papal blessing for the play on words.

CoinYe Oh CoinYe

Obviously, Kanye isn’t the mastermind behind the technology here either, and nobody is revealing whom is. But in an interview that is recent Vice.com an online pub that encompasses all thinks hipster artsy-fartsy the secretive creators said that ‘Coinye West is really a cryptocurrency for the masses. Bitcoin is for hardcore money-hoarders, and Dogecoin was more for the Internet-meme crowds … Coinye West to our goal is to make it easier for visitors to use cryptocurrency.’

Just in case you’ve been living in a cave and are nevertheless unfamiliar with cryptocurrencies, they are essentially decentralized, unregulated, difficult-to-trace economic systems whose values are based solely on peer-to-peer market perceptions. These currencies’ appeal has been the anonymity that accompanies their usage; and as they may have some legitimate online destinations, they will have become infamous as the only transaction currency for sites like Silk Road a site that specializes in all things nefarious and illegal, from medications to weapons to illegal services for hire. Although power down and seized a few months right back by the Feds, Silk Road quickly reemerged ‘under brand new management,’ and was back once again to business as always, apparently with tighter encryptions and https://myfreepokies.com/indian-dreaming-slot-review/ more secrecy than ever.

Because of their perception-only-based values, there are wild swings for other existing cryptocurrencies; especially the market frontrunner Bitcoins, which has seen values veer from because low as $60 last Spring to over $1,000 in November, so when of the writing, rests at about US$953 but that may change at any 2nd.

A recent pronouncement from the Chinese government that their banks would no longer be allowed to carry away transactions with the digital currency saw U.S. exchange prices fall in to the $600s, and then mysteriously bounce back up again not long after.

Plenty of Competition

There now appear to be someplace in the neighborhood of 60 Bitcoin knockoffs, so CoinYe would hardly be Bitcoins’ first competitor, if it takes off. Brands with names like Peercoin, Namecoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin and Ripple all are trying to ride the digital gravy train, which for Bitcoin has ended up being largely based on sales of the apparatus utilized to ‘mine’ the currency an ironic nod to the original silver miners in California, where those that sold miners’ supplies typically made the fortunes that eluded the majority of the miners themselves.