Summerlin Movie Studio Project Approved By Clark County

Goodbye "Viva Las Vegas," hello "Hooray For Summerlin". After many interviews from Mark Wahlberg calling Las Vegas "Hollywood 2.0," and bills being presented to Carson City, it appears as though the dream of a Summerlin movie studio is becoming a reality after a vote today by the Clark County Commission.

The vote had to do with variances to the planned use of the land off of the 215 Beltway and Town Center Drive. In total, the planned Summerlin Studios is expected to take over a massive 31 acres of land with half a million square feet in buildings. While most of them are for movie production, there will also be retail, restaurants, a fire station and more.

This is a big deal for the Summerlin community. The land near RC Willey has been ripe for development with nothing going. You couldn't have imagined in your wildest dreams that Hollywood could come knocking on Summerlin's door. But it has.

Mark Wahlberg's highly publicized move to Las Vegas in 2022 had many excited. Not only was he touting Las Vegas as a great place to live, but he was coming out and saying the city should be the next Hollywood. Kind of like moving and asking your office to move with you. According to the Review Journal, that got the ball rolling with the CEO of Summerlin's parent company, who then met with Sony Pictures Entertainment, to this mega project.

When all is said and done, the nearly $2 billion project could create thousands of jobs and a burgeoning industry to the valley.

Whether it will actually be built without tax credits is the question. While last year's effort in Carson City didn't reach the finish line, a new, less rich tax credit plan is expected to be put in front of legislators in 2025. There is no word when the Summerlin movie studio project will open (or even begin construction) but we are all waiting patiently to see the next shoe to drop on the red carpet.

National Tequila Day is July 24. With so many celebrities entering the tequila (or alcohol) game in recent years, it seems like the market is all backed up by someone in Hollywood. George Clooney was the most well-known A-lister to launch Casamigos with Mike Meldman and Rande Gerber back in 2013. With tequila's rise in popularity in 2018, sales surged 10.2% to $3 billion, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

There are five different types of tequila: blanco, reposado, añejo, extra añejo, and cristalino. Blanco, or silver tequila, can be aged in a barrel for up to 60 days, but in most cases, it goes from the still to a stainless steel tank to the bottle. Blanco tequilas are usually the go-to for cocktails like margaritas, Mexican mules, and palomas. Reposados ("rested) age in a barrel for 2–11 months and is the most popular consumed in Mexico. Añejo ("old") is aged for much longer -- one to three years in an oak barrel, traditionally. Añejos often carry vanilla and brown sugar flavors and are meant to be sipped neat.

Extra añejo is aged for a minimum of three years and has the strongest aromas and richest amber color. This type of tequila is considered ultra-premium, and the pricing reflects that. Cristalino is a new type that’s risen in popularity in the VIP club scene. The process filters aged tequila through charcoal to remove tannins (the element that makes red wines dry and astringent). It removes the amber color and turns an aged tequila back to transparent like a blanco.

Take a look below at which celebrities have their own tequila brand.

Launched in 2013, Rande Gerber, George Clooney and Michael Meldman’s sold Casamigos to Diageo in 2017 for $1 billion. They still have active roles with the brand. This is probably one of the most popular celebrity tequila brands. Their tequila is filled with sweetness additives and a heavy unnatural vanilla profile to appeal to the masses -- especially women.

This Jonas Brother launched the brand with menswear designer John Varvatos back in 2019. These creatives from the worlds of music and fashion, respectively, came together over a love for tequila and for experiencing “life as it should be,” with friends old and new, one glass at a time.

Eliot Tebele, Maurice Tebele, and Martin Hoffstein launched the brand in 2018 with Alexander "Alex" Pall and Andrew "Drew" Taggart from The Chainsmokers as one of the primary investors. The trio wanted the brand to be fun and social, so the name translates from Spanish to English as "Ha Ha."

Adam Levine and his wife, Behati Prinsloo entered the tequila market in 2021, inspired by traditional tequila's Mexican spirit with California style. The Tequila is produced by the Real family and Master Distiller Luis Trejo Rodriguez, who have been making agave spirits since the 1940's. The tequila is aged in California red wine barrels for 30 days, giving it its pink color.

Though this video is super cute with mother Kris Jenner, Kendall's 818 brand is laced with additives and has a perfume-y taste profile. It’s also over-priced for the low-quality tequila.

PGA golfer Abraham Ancer and entrepreneur Aron Marquez approached Wahlberg about investing in their tequila, but the actor said his first reaction was: “Absolutely not.” Just one year later, he signed on to become the company's principal investor. With so many celebrities entering the tequila game these days, he is confident in the quality of Flecha Azul's being the best out there.

The Desperate Housewives alum co-founded the brand in 2021 with Alejandra Pelayo and Mariana Padilla. Casa Del Sol is billed as an "ultra-premium spirits brand" made from Blue Weber agave "sourced from rich clay soil in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico."

Próspero was founded in 2019 with Ora as the Chief Creative Partner. Crafted by one of the most distinguished female master distillers, Stella Anguiano, the brand notes that it is "a celebration of women; a spirit made with all women in mind."

Teremana debuted in March 2020 and is produced by a family-owned distillery in Jalisco, Mexico. Johnson worked with the family to build a unique production facility. Teremana is Latin and means "spirit of the earth." The name reflects the sustainability standards of the brand.