Rolling Hills Casino

I can’t believe its October already!  It’s pouring outside, but by Friday the sun will be shining bringing with it warmer weather in time for Sunday’s Orange Ball event at Sevillano Links and this weekend’s pheasant hunt at Clearcreek Sportsclub. Rain or shine, there’s plenty of entertainment at Rolling Hills Casino this week, including Comedy night with Bruce Baum and Jimmy Shubert on Friday and live music with the band “All Fired Up” on Saturday.

When I think of autumn, I think of comfort foods, pumpkins, and Gingerbread Houses.    The annual Gingerbread House project completed in November/December is a “must see” at Rolling Hills.  Each year, our Food and Beverage team constructs a wonderland extravaganza with a magnificent gingerbread house as the centerpiece.  The gingerbread houses are at least 3 feet tall. One year, the project featured an elaborate castle with moat and bridge, another year it was a beautiful mansion. The theme is different every year. We don’t have a theme yet for this year’s gingerbread house, and we need your help.

Gingerbread House Theme Contest: We need a theme for this year’s Gingerbread House to help our team get started on the design.  Submit your theme idea on our Facebook page or by emailing info@rollinghillscasino.com.  The person with the winning theme idea will receive dinner for two each week in December.  In addition, we will donate $500 to the charity of the winner’s choice.

I don’t know about you, but I get a little hungrier with cooler weather.  I’ve been in the mood for steak and seafood lately, so I’m pretty excited about this month’s featured dinner in Timbers Steakhouse: A mouth-watering four-ounce petite filet mignon with six deep fried or skewered shrimp for only $18. Timbers is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5pm to 10pm.  For reservations, call (530) 528-3506. 

After a good dinner, I like to laugh. There will be plenty of laughter at this Friday’s Comedy Night featuring Jimmy Shubert and Bruce Baum. With his large mustache and long hair, Baum looks like David Crosby, but he will swear he is not. He can sing, however, and has several songs on YouTube with his band the Nogginblasts. He co-authored the Letters From a Nut series of books, written under the pseudonym Ted L. Nancy. He even appeared on the Simpsons as an animated version of himself, and is the creater of the comedy web-desitination “ theOuterNet.com. Perhaps you saw one of Bruce’s numerous appearances on Hollywood Squares, Full House, Growing Pains, Comedy Central, HBO and / or Showtime — Or perhaps not. Some of us have better things to do than sit around and watch TV all day: Such as coming to Rolling Hills and seeing Bruce Baum perform live.

Jimmy Shubert also has an impressive resume as an actor and comedian, both in film and on television His hour-long stand-up comedy special was named a top ten comedy DVD  for 2010 by Punchline Magazine, and is available on itunes. You may have seen him in his recurring role on “King of Queens” for five years and several appearances on “Entourage”. He has released three comedy albums, “Animal Instincts” “Pandemonium” & “Alive & kickin.”

The Comedy Club doors open Friday, October 8 at 7:30pm; the show starts at 8:30pm. Reserved table seats are $15; general admission tickets are only $10.  Get your tickets early, as they often sell out for Comedy Club nights. You can get tickets at the Casino coat check, online at www.ticketforce.com, or by phone at (877) 840-0457.

Come back on Saturday and get “All Fired Up” for dancing.  Meet your friends in Carlinos for a night of live classic rock from 9pm to 1am.  Admission is free.

September arrives this week and with it the $59,600 Piggy Smash Giveaway! Also returning later this month are the pig skin games on the big screen (AKA football.)  

There’s a long list of things to go hog wild about this week including the Comedy Club, DJ Rezdog on Saturday night, daily Hot Seat Drawings, Sunday Skins Games at Sevillano Links, and Senior Days.  If that isn’t enough, the Casino presents the First Annual RSNC Ranch Sorting this Saturday and Sunday. So much happening this week, I could do a daily blog!

Our wackiest promotion of the year begins this Friday.  What can be more fun than grabbing a mallet and smashing a piggy bank for cash?  This year, the Casino made it even easier to participate. Every 30 minutes from 8pm to 11pm, we will draw a random slot machine or table game seat.  If your seat is chosen, you’ll grab a mallet, choose your pig, and smash away to instantly win cash prizes from $100 to $1,000.  On Friday September 30^th, the cash prizes increase with pigs containing $500 to $5,000.

Friday, September 2^nd, Comedy Night returns with Steve Smith and Keith Nelson.  Check out this YouTube clip of Steve Smith:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIXMNutb7i8   Then check out this video of Keith Nelson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SknVLVopTZ0. If these videos are any indication, I expect to be squealing with laughter this Friday night.  Doors open at 7pm. Show starts at 8:30 pm. Tickets are available at www.ticketforce.com, by phone at (877) 840-0457, or at the Coat Check within the Casino   

For a more in depth look at what’s happening this week, check out our website at www.rollinghillscasino.com. 

Ever wonder where comics get their inspiration for becoming a comic?  I often do, and so this month I did a little research about Mark Pitta and Stephen B, the comics who will be appearing March 4th at Rolling Hills Casino.

Mark Pitta credits this incident involving his mother as being his inspiration to comedy:

“I was watching the movie Scarface at home when my mom came to visit. Pacino is blowing guys away with a machine gun, bodies are going down, he gets shot from behind and falls into an indoor swimming pool, splashing blood as the camera pulls back to reveal the carnage — and my mom says, ’That’s a lovely house.’”

Pitta’s first joke: “Here’s something you’ll never hear at a Catholic school: ‘What are you wearing tomorrow?’”

I think the fact that that was his first joke is funnier than the joke.  Pitta is a master of finding the ironic humor in everyday situations.  From that first joke, Pitta went on to become a national headliner on stage and on television. He honed his career in the fervent San Francisco comedy scene of the 1990s.  He’s appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and with Jay Leno.  He hosted Totally Hidden Video as well as Friday Night Videos. He’s also appeared on Mad About You and Third Rock From the Sun.  He’s made numerous appearances on Comedy Central shows. He’s opened for Chris Issak, Celene Dion, Vanessa Williams, Paul Anka, Kenny Rogers, Olivia Newton John, Smokey Robinson, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and Rick Springfield. He currently is a morning reporter on the top rated morning show in the San Francisco Bay Area where he brings his original approach to interviewing newsmakers, movie stars and everyday folk.

Stephen B, also performing Friday, got his inspiration from Bill Crosby and George Carlin, comics who combine memories of life experiences with unique points of view to make people laugh. Stephen B is an animated storyteller on a mission to expose the absurdity of being human from a positive and grateful perspective.  

Stephen B was the winner of the Alameda County Comedy Competition, and he placed in the top five out of hundreds taking third place in both the Seattle Comedy Competition and the San Francisco Comedy Competition. He has opened for hundreds of musical acts including Julio Inglesais, Michael Bolton, Kansas, Hiroshima, Al DiMeola, Manhattan Transfer, Weird Al Yankovick and Leon Redbone. He has headlined in some of the most prestigious comedy clubs in the country.

In addition to standup, Stephen B offers Comedy Stress Management Classes.  I could probably use those classes.  I could also use some time management classes, but I don’t have the time.  I will definitely make time, however, to see Mark Pita and Stepehn B at Rolling Hills Casino, this Friday March 4^th.  Doors open at 7:30pm.  Show starts at 8:30.  Get your tickets early as the Comedy Club shows often sell out.  You can get your tickets at www.ticketforce.com, by phone at (877) 840-0457 or at the coat check within the Casino.