Latest news with #Sphere
Miami Herald
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Pitt stop: How Las Vegas helped bring ‘F1 The Movie' to life
LAS VEGAS - We've all had that week at work. There was a project due or an uptick in responsibilities. Maybe a couple of key people were out. You were pulled in a thousand directions and weren't sure how you'd get everything done. Focus on it. Really try to put yourself back inside those moments. Then throw Brad Pitt into the mix, along with everything that comes with a star of his magnitude, including a hundred-person film crew, and you'll have a sense of what it was like in November when F1 and "F1 The Movie" descended upon the Las Vegas Grand Prix. A whole new look at racing Few summer blockbusters have had the access that "F1" enjoyed. Heck, some documentaries don't get that close to their subjects. Journeyman driver Sonny Hayes (Pitt) lives in a van, wears mismatched socks and hasn't been on a Formula One track since crashing out of the circuit three decades ago. But when his old friend Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) is at risk of losing his struggling race team, Sonny signs on to drive for him and mentor promising rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). The movie follows the traveling circus that is Formula One to the last nine races of the 2024 season, starting with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The cast and crew were embedded throughout. "They were so giving and opened up all their doors," Pitt says of F1 in the film's production notes. "We were able to shoot on race weekends, shoot on podiums, shoot during the national anthem. We had our own garage. We even shot on our pit wall while the races were going on." After months of training, Pitt and Idris got behind the wheels of Formula Two cars designed by Mercedes-AMG that were similar to, yet roughly $14 million cheaper than, their Formula One counterparts. By utilizing the "white space" in each weekend's schedule - 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there - the actors drove on the actual tracks with fans in the stands. The Las Vegas Grand Prix made international headlines when Pitt's stunt double was filmed collapsing on the track in footage that didn't make the movie's final cut. What viewers will see is some of the most breathtaking racing footage ever captured, thanks to new camera technology that could be mounted on 15 positions on each car. The result is the kind of immersive, you-are-there view of racing that you'd expect to see somewhere like Sphere. 'Incredible placement' When Brian Gullbrants saw Wynn Las Vegas on the screen, he put his fists in the air and cheered. This was during the "F1" world premiere with the movie's stars, three-quarters of the current Formula One grid and several thousand other bigwigs at New York's Radio City Music Hall. "My wife looked at me and said, 'Putyourhandsdown,'" recalls Gullbrants, COO North America, Wynn Resorts. "I was so excited." Shortly after arriving in Las Vegas, Pitt's Sonny enters his Encore suite, walks over to the window and stares out at the neighboring Wynn. The scene, which Gullbrants calls "incredible placement in an unbelievable movie," was filmed the Tuesday before the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Director Joseph Kosinski ("Top Gun: Maverick") shot it on the floor where Pitt, the film's other top stars and producers stayed. "With the level of customers that we had and the celebrities that were here and the drivers that were here," Gullbrants says, "we already had all the security details in place. … It went very smoothly. You would never know we were shooting a major motion picture in our hotel while we had all of these people here." He's hopeful "F1 The Movie" will increase interest in the sport in those pockets of the world that haven't yet embraced it and that it ultimately will lead to still more fans coming to the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Gullbrants already had one wish fulfilled when he spotted the Wynn logo in Pitt's hands. Sonny, a somewhat reformed gambler, is rarely without a deck of cards, whether he's flinging them one by one across the room or blindly pulling one to stick in his pocket before a race. He and Idris' Joshua get to know each other during a poker game inside a supper club as they vie for control of the race team. (The club is implied to be Wynn's Delilah, but those scenes were filmed on a soundstage in London.) During the premiere, Gullbrants whispered to his wife how thrilled he was to see Pitt using the Wynn-branded cards he'd given the production, even though he was convinced no one else would notice. "After the movie," Gullbrants says, "five different people at the screening came up and said, 'Wow, it was really great that you got your cards in there, too.' " 'The glamour of Las Vegas' Throughout most of "F1 The Movie," Sonny is presented as something of a cowboy, a lone wolf in a sport that requires teamwork. By the time the action moves to Las Vegas, he's ready to let down his guard, reveal some things about his past and prove he's more than just a beautiful agent of chaos. Such an important scene demands an exceptional location, which is where The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas came in. "They were looking for a room that really captured the glamour of Las Vegas," says Allyson Wadman, associate director of public relations for MGM Resorts International. "Something that was edgy, luxurious and kind of in the middle of all the energy on the Las Vegas Strip." The production found that in a Cosmopolitan suite that has a wraparound balcony overlooking the Fountains of Bellagio and a large section of the Las Vegas Grand Prix course. The thing about such a perfect location, though, is that it's already a hot commodity among high rollers during race week. "We try to be really flexible," Wadman says, "especially when it's a really great opportunity to showcase our property and the city itself." Planning for that shoot began in early 2023, before the strikes by the acting and writing guilds pushed principal photography back a year. When it finally came time to film on that Tuesday night in November, there was more than enough pressure and distraction to go around. "You think about all of the street closures, the grandstands, all of the hundreds of thousands of people," Wadman says. "Operationally, that is already a lot going on for all of the resorts on the Strip." The "F1" team removed light fixtures, rearranged the furniture and applied dark paint over the balcony's white ceiling. "Those small little details of the suite, we were having meetings on meetings," Wadman says. Planning took "countless hours" over the course of several months. 'That world-class scene' Jason Strauss was watching Tiësto perform inside Omnia when the music stopped and the 1,500 or so clubgoers started milling about. Then it happened again. And again. For hours. Three days before the Dutch DJ would play there again while the Las Vegas Grand Prix roared by, the nightclub at Caesars Palace served as a movie set filled with extras. (The club was used again by Rosé for that "Messy" video.) It wasn't the typical Omnia experience, even aside from the stops and starts. The production added its own lights to the club's rigging, making the space brighter than ever. Footage shot in the 12 hours starting at 3 p.m. that Wednesday has been used in the movie's trailers and promotional videos. "It didn't really feel that sexy watching it," says Strauss, co-CEO of Tao Group Hospitality, which owns and operates the club. "But then seeing it in the trailer, it looked (expletive) sexy." Tao Group's parent company, Mohari Hospitality, has long-standing ties to Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula One world champion who's one of the movie's key producers. Tiësto was selected after being on both the production's shortlist of DJs and the Tao Group roster. "This is a major thing for our group," Strauss says, "but it's also a (big) thing for Vegas." The only time you really see Sonny and Joshua out on the town, taking in life away from the track, is when they're in Las Vegas. After that poker game, set the night before the race, Joshua heads to Omnia to unwind. "For them to say, when it comes to nightlife, Vegas has to embody that world-class scene, and of all the nightclubs in Vegas, they chose Omnia," Strauss says, calling it "just a great accolade." Tao Group is developing Omnia outposts around the world, and Strauss sees being tied so closely to Formula One as a huge stamp of approval. Especially when "F1 The Movie" shows Joshua, a hot young driver who can do anything he wants, hanging out there. "Guess what? That's what it is in real life," Strauss says with a confident laugh. "That's why it's going to resonate. It's very authentic." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
National Post
19 hours ago
- Business
- National Post
How does life change after your name is called at NHL Draft: A breakdown
The National Hockey League entry draft always is an educated gamble for franchises looking to expand their prospect pools, as well as an important career checkpoint for players who intend to go pro. Article content It also has been seen as the league's well-attended annual conference, but this draft, to be held Friday and Saturday at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, will be different. Article content Instead of teams sending the usual complement of about 20 scouts, coaches and support staff, some organizations will be represented by as few as two people; one each from their communications and player development departments. Article content The remainder of each staff will monitor and participate in the draft from their own markets, following in the footsteps of the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Article content The NHL was forced into this decentralized format by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fresh off that experience, team executives voted 26-6 to return to a decentralized event in 2025, citing cost savings and augmented privacy surrounding their hockey operations. Article content Article content However, the excitement generated by the glitzy 2024 centralized event, held in the Sphere in Las Vegas, apparently has given some executives second thoughts and the 2025 draft may be an outlier, rather than a trendsetter. Article content 'Prospects will be seated in the Peacock Theatre similar to the way they were situated last year in the Sphere,' NHL senior manager of event communications Dave Keon Jr. said in an email. 'Once they are selected, they will walk to the stage and meet the commissioner as in the past. Article content Article content 'After that, they will meet the team that selected them virtually as well as do rights-holder interviews backstage. Once the prospect is finished with the rights-holders, he will head to the media avail with media on site. The PR staff from the team may also make the prospect available to media not in attendance via Zoom.' Article content Back in the day, public relations director Bill Tuele was the first point of contact for Edmonton Oilers draft picks. Article content 'We had 10 or 12 jerseys under the table and a box full of name bars with sticky backs, most of whom would never be drafted, at least not by us, but you had to have them in case strange things happened,' Tuele said. '(Chief scout Barry Fraser or GM Glen Sather) would tell me who was going to be drafted and I would ask him the obvious question: 'is he here?' Barry would say 'yeah he's here,' and there would be this surreptitious pointing to where he was so I could pre-identify where I had to go to get him. Article content 'Once (commissioner Gary Bettman) or whomever announced the pick, the kid would go through the normal family stuff and walk down to the floor. I would introduce myself, say congratulations, take his jacket, and we would walk toward the podium on the stage, at which point I would give either Barry or Slats the sweater. The player puts on the sweater and hat, poses for the NHL (photographer) and our guy, and then the photogs would have to scurry, because instead of walking off to do a brief interview with (TSN's) James Duthie or whoever, they didn't have that in my day.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sphere Brings Its AI-Powered Mixed Reality to Vuzix Smart Glasses
ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Vuzix® Corporation (NASDAQ: VUZI), ("Vuzix" or, the "Company"), a leading supplier of AI-powered smart glasses, waveguides and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies, today announced that the Company and Sphere Technology Holdings ("Sphere"), a leading spatial intelligence company, have collaborated to make Sphere's platform available on Vuzix M400 and M4000 AR smart glasses. This collaboration brings Sphere's advanced combination of Mixed Reality (MR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to digitally connected frontline workers, enabling hands-free workflows, real-time decision-making, and immersive, context-rich experiences. Sphere Technology's mixed-reality (MR) platform is a cutting-edge spatial computing solution designed to merge the digital and physical worlds in real-time. By leveraging advanced capabilities such as spatial mapping, multi-user collaboration, real-world occlusion, voice and gesture recognition, and holographic rendering, Sphere delivers immersive experiences that are intuitive, scalable, and highly interactive. The platform supports both standalone and networked environments, enabling users to engage with virtual content overlaid in real-world settings — all without disrupting natural workflows. Sphere's platform is built for enterprise-scale deployment and supports integration with existing enterprise systems (e.g., PLM, ERP, CAD, and IoT platforms), making it particularly powerful for industry applications that require high levels of precision, collaboration, and context-aware computing. "With Sphere now accessible on Vuzix' rugged, lightweight, hands-free devices, businesses can leverage powerful tools such as Microsoft Teams integration, workflow automation, and content management," said Sven Brunner, Co-founder and CEO of Sphere. "By combining Sphere's AI-driven mixed reality technology with the durability and portability of Vuzix smart glasses, the two companies are addressing critical challenges in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, and defense. This collaboration is designed to help businesses improve operational efficiency, reduce downtime, and enhance worker safety, even in the most demanding environments." "Vuzix M-Series smart glasses continue to strengthen their position as a leading solution across multiple enterprise verticals, and the integration of Sphere's platform further enhances their capabilities and value," said Paul Travers, President and CEO of Vuzix. "We look forward to expanding our relationship with them and bringing enterprise users new levels of functionality and productivity improvement." About Sphere Sphere is a leading provider of spatial intelligence solutions, leveraging Mixed Reality (MR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform how businesses operate. Sphere empowers frontline teams and beyond with faster, more effective ways to collaborate, train employees, and streamline operations, making organizations more efficient and cost-effective. Trusted by industry leaders, Sphere drives innovation and operational excellence across manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, and defense industries. Headquartered in San Jose, California, Sphere helps businesses maximize productivity, enhance performance, and stay ahead of the competition. For more information, visit the Sphere website. About Vuzix Corporation Vuzix is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of AI-powered Smart Glasses, Waveguides and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies, components and products for the enterprise, medical, defense and consumer markets. The Company's products include head-mounted smart personal display and wearable computing devices that offer users a portable high-quality viewing experience, provide solutions for mobility, wearable displays and augmented reality, as well OEM waveguide optical components and display engines. Vuzix holds more than 425 patents and patents pending and numerous IP licenses in the fields of optics, head-mounted displays, and the augmented reality wearables field. The Company has won Consumer Electronics Show (or CES) awards for innovation for the years 2005 to 2024 and several wireless technology innovation awards among others. Founded in 1997, Vuzix is a public company (NASDAQ: VUZI) with offices in: Rochester, NY; and Kyoto and Okayama, Japan. For more information, visit the Vuzix website, X and Facebook pages. Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer Certain statements contained in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward looking statements contained in this release relate to Vuzix Smart Glasses, our business relationship and future opportunities with Sphere and its customers, capabilities and features of the Sphere solution and among other things the Company's leadership in the Smart Glasses and AR display industry. They are generally identified by words such as "believes," "may," "expects," "anticipates," "should" and similar expressions. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are based upon the Company's beliefs and assumptions as of the date of this release. The Company's actual results could differ materially due to risk factors and other items described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Reports and MD&A filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable Canadian securities regulators (copies of which may be obtained at or Subsequent events and developments may cause these forward-looking statements to change. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise these forward-looking statements as a result of changed events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law. Vuzix Media and Investor Relations Contact: Ed McGregor, Director of Investor Relations,Vuzix Corporationed_mcgregor@ Tel: (585) 359-5985 Vuzix Corporation, 25 Hendrix Road, West Henrietta, NY 14586 USA,Investor Information – IR@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Vuzix Corporation Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Wizard of Oz' at Sphere: How to Get Tickets to See the Classic in Las Vegas
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. There's no place like the Sphere in Las Vegas, and soon fans of The Wizard of Oz can follow the yellow brick road down to the new venue to see the Judy Garland film in a whole new way. More from Rolling Stone Sink Your Teeth into Nautica's Bold New 'Jaws' Clothing Drop, Ahead of the Films 50th Anniversary How to Watch LA Dodgers Games Online Without Cable Post Malone Wants to Pour You a Drink With New Limited-Edition Stanley 1913 Tumbler Collection Best Sites: Ticketmaster, Vivid Seats, StubHub, SeatGeek Dates: Aug. 28 to Sept. 2025 Buy 'The Wizard of Oz' Sphere Tickets While it's been home to several music residencies over the last few months, from The Eagles to Dead & Company and Kenny Chesney, Sphere announced earlier this summer that it would host screenings of the Thirties classic later this summer, and tickets are already selling fast. The Wizard of Oz kicks off with Sphere showtimes on August 28, and runs through September. 'If you've ever wondered if Oz actually exists — it does inside Sphere,' says Jim Dolan, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Sphere Entertainment, in a release. 'The Wizard of Oz at Sphere will put on full display what Sphere is capable of as an experiential medium. Audiences will feel like they are part of the adventure as they experience the film in a way they never have before.' Here's everything to know about buying The Wizard of Oz Sphere tickets before they're gone. GOING FAST Buy Now The Wizard of Oz at Sphere tickets start at $104 on Ticketmaster. Stubs are already selling out for some seats for select showtimes. Log in to your Ticketmaster account before purchasing to make sure you don't miss out on tickets for your preferred date. $30 OFF Buy Now Moviegoers can score $30 off $300 ticket orders to see The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere in Las Vegas when using the exclusive promo code RS30 on Vivid Seats. GREAT SELECTION Buy Now StubHub also has tickets for upcoming showtimes for The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere, with prices starting around $187 per ticket. StubHub offers a FanProtect Guarantee with its orders, ensuring you'll get into every event with your stubs. $10 OFF Buy Now Use Rolling Stone's exclusive promo code ROLLINGSTONE10 on SeatGeek, which gets moviegoers $10 off $250 ticket orders for The Wizard of Oz in Las Vegas. According to a Sphere release, the movie was initially created for a 4:3 screen but will now feature fully immersive tech, including haptic seats and even 'custom scents to make you feel like you are part of the movie and have landed in Kansas and Oz,' though we're hoping it's not poppies). Theatergoers will also experience the movie's iconic soundtrack, which Sphere says have 'been remastered and their orchestrations re-recorded to take on new clarity' on the venue's 167,000 speaker system. Check showtimes on Sphere's site now for all upcoming dates. Best of Rolling Stone The Best Audiophile Turntables for Your Home Audio System
Miami Herald
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Las Vegas Strip casino extends pop superstar's sold-out residency
The Las Vegas Strip is known for hosting spectacular shows in the Sphere Las Vegas, as well as many of its casino theaters. Sphere Las Vegas opened on Sept. 29, 2023, with one of rock's most popular bands, U2, performing a 40-show residency which closed on March 2, 2024. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter After jam band Phish stopped by for a quick, four-show engagement on April 18-21, 2014, another huge band, Eagles, launched their residency at Sphere on Sept. 20, 2024, and have scheduled a total of 44 shows so far through Nov. 8, 2025. Related: Las Vegas Strip casino cancels rock superstar's residency shows Eagles has not revealed when the band's residency will end, and the Sphere's management has said they can perform in the venue as long as they wish. Legendary Grateful Dead spinoff band Dead & Company closed its "Dead Forever Live at Sphere" residency after 48 shows at Sphere Las Vegas on May 17, 2025. The band currently holds the record for the most residency shows by a band at Sphere. Joining the lineup of superstar performers passing through Sphere Las Vegas are the venue's first country superstar performer Kenny Chesney, who signed for 15 shows that began May 22 and conclude June 21, 2025, unless extended. And in July and August, superstar 1990s boy band The Backstreet Boys scheduled its 21-show "Into the Millennium" residency at Sphere Las Vegas. Backstreet Boys, however, will not appear exclusively at Sphere Las Vegas during its Sin City residency at the venue. The legendary boy band has scheduled 21 "Into the Millenium" After Parties at The Venetian's 1,000-capacity Voltaire nightclub on the strip on July 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, Aug. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, and 24. Voltaire is considered one of the Strip's most intimate venues, having hosted several superstar singers' sold-out residencies. The Venetian's popular nightclub venue opened in November 2023 with global superstar Kylie Minogue's residency, which ended in May 2024 after 20 shows. Christina Aguilera opened her residency at Voltaire on Dec. 30-31, 2023, and continued performing shows in January through June and then in August 2024. R&B superstar Jason Derulo performed a 12-show residency from May through August 2024. Voltaire introduced a classic type of entertainment for a long residency, when the Queen of Burlesque, Dita Von Tease dazzled audiences beginning on Sept. 19, 2024, and extending her show until Oct. 11, 2025. And now, a superstar singer, whose career was derailed over two decades ago after a controversial performance on "Saturday Night Live," has sold out the first two shows of her Voltaire residency and added five more shows for her 2000s pop star Ashlee Simpson, who is now known as Ashlee Simpson Ross, sold out two shows at Voltaire scheduled on Aug. 29-30, 2025, according to the Voltaire website. Related: Las Vegas Strip casino brings back superstar 80s band residency However, a review of Voltaire's website on June 14 revealed that general admission, standing room only tickets were still available for Aug. 29. By popular demand, the "Pieces of Me" singer added five more shows on Sept. 19, 20, 24, 26, and 27, 2025. More Las Vegas: Las Vegas Strip Sphere signs another superstar band residencyLas Vegas Strip casino closes country superstar's residencyLas Vegas Strip casino signs global superstar singer to residency Most people have probably forgotten about the "Saturday Night Live" controversy, or were not even aware of it. Back in 2004, Ashlee Simpson appeared on "Saturday Night Live" to perform her songs "Pieces of Me" and "Autobiography," US Weekly remembered in a February story. She completed the first song without a problem, but when she began to sing the second song, "Autobiography," later in the show, prerecorded vocals of "Pieces of Me" began playing as the band was set to perform the second song. The mishap revealed that Simpson had lip-synched "Pieces of Me" and planned to lip-synch "Autobiography." But time heals wounds, and Simpson is back selling out shows in Vegas and booking more shows for her fans. Related: Las Vegas Strip casino signs global superstar for new residency The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
