Elvis impersonator Michael Conti sings at the Little White Wedding Chapel (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

To have and to hold’em

There were 265 Las Vegas weddings per day in April, a post-Covid record

6/21/24 2:41AM

Can’t help falling in love

Great news for potential elopers and ordained Elvis impersonators alike: more people are saying “I do” to Las Vegas weddings again following a brief pandemic slump, according to marriage data from Clark County, Nevada.

Indeed, the number of marriages filed in Vegas’ home county totalled 7,963 in April — more than 35x the amount seen in the same month 4 years ago when Covid halted the states “quickie wedding” industry. That worked out to an average of 265 marriages per day, a post-pandemic record.

While it’s taken time to bounce back fully, the waking-up-in-Vegas approach could be increasingly attractive as “speedy” and, crucially, “cheap” have become ever-more desirable requisites for those planning ceremonies — with Forbes reporting that the average wedding in the US now costs $33K. That’s $4K higher than the year before. Chapel packages, like those at the famous A Little White Wedding Chapel, start from as little as $80 for a “Drive Thru Tunnel of Love Ceremony”... although they can hit as much as $495 for a full “Elvis Tribute” wedding.

Although inexpensive by wedding standards, all of those ceremonies soon add up: wedding-related tourism in Las Vegas accounted for some $2.5 billion in spending in 2022, supporting 18,000 jobs in Sin City.

As well as saving considerable costs and hassle, many are also drawn to the cultural cliché of the Vegas wedding, made famous by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Britney Spears. In fact, Bumble recently offered 50 free weddings in Las Vegas to US couples who’d met on the app for its 10-year anniversary, and a new Friends experience at the MGM Grand will allow fans to recreate the iconic “The One in Vegas” drunken chapel scene.

Saleah Blancaflor8h

Prediction markets show “One Battle After Another” leads in Oscar race for Best Picture

It’s finally Oscars week — and with voting officially closed, all that’s left to do is count the ballots and wait to see who wins this Sunday night.

This year, the acting categories have been the most interesting to watch, especially the showdown between “Marty Supreme” star Timothée Chalamet and “Sinners” actor Michael B. Jordan for Best Actor. While Chalamet was long the favorite, Jordan has caught up and overtaken him after winning the Actor Award.

(Event contracts are offered through Robinhood Derivatives, LLC — probabilities referenced or sourced from KalshiEx LLC or ForecastEx LLC.)

But perhaps the most exciting race of all is for Best Picture. Out of the 10 nominees, the two at the top are Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” both of which are studio releases from Warner Bros. Discovery.

Which will win the top prize seems to be split among award pundits and experts. As of Monday afternoon, Gold Derby still has “One Battle After Another” as the front-runner with odds of 76.87%. AwardsWatch, AwardsRadar, and Numlock Awards are also still predicting that “One Battle After Another” will take the statue for Best Picture.

On the other side, reporters from some major trade publications like Variety’s Clayton Davis and The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg predict that “Sinners” will take the top honor.

Odds in the prediction markets currently show that “One Battle After Another” is still ahead of “Sinners,” with the former priced in at 75% while the latter is priced at 23%.

Millie Giles

not into mezzo

Timothée Chalamet has upset opera and ballet fans a week before the Oscars

The actor’s comments have riled up the classical arts communities with the Academy Awards fast approaching.

Millie Giles

ALL-TIME SOLO

3/6/26

Dinner and a show — for one. More Americans are doing things solo.

With searches for dining alone peaking and a fifth of Broadway theater tickets now being bought by single visitors, the solo leisure market appears to be booming.

Saleah Blancaflor3/2/26

Prediction markets show Jordan catching up to Chalamet following Actor Awards

The Screen Actors Guild hosted its Actor Awards on Sunday, with the film awards closely monitored ahead of the Academy Awards. The Best Supporting Actor and Actress races remain suspenseful as Sean Penn (“One Battle After Another”) and Amy Madigan (“Weapons”) took home the Actor Awards in those respective categories, shifting the odds in both markets predicting who’ll take home the Oscar.

(Event contracts are offered through Robinhood Derivatives, LLC — probabilities referenced or sourced from KalshiEx LLC or ForecastEx LLC.)

But the most exciting race is for Best Actor. Several award pundits and experts predicted that “Marty Supreme” star Timothée Chalamet was a lock for the Actor Award despite his loss at the BAFTA Film Awards the previous weekend. But a few suggested that either “Blue Moon” lead Ethan Hawke or Michael B. Jordan could receive the honor instead. And that’s exactly what happened when the “Sinners” star was announced as the winner.

While some have pointed out that the Actor Awards aren’t a reliable signifier for who will win the Oscar (Demi Moore and Chalamet received the SAG honors last year, but didn’t win the Oscar), it certainly puts Jordan at a higher advantage and makes the Best Actor race closer than it’s ever been. Chalamet previously had a higher lead in the prediction markets, but markets are now pricing in a 49% chance he takes the Oscar while Jordan’s odds have risen to 40%.

Millie Giles

NOVEL FINDINGS

3/2/26

Happy Read Across America Day — 40% of US adults didn’t read a single book last year

A YouGov survey finds that the top 4% of American readers accounted for nearly half of all books consumed in 2025.

To have and to hold’em

Can’t help falling in love

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Prediction markets show “One Battle After Another” leads in Oscar race for Best Picture

Prediction markets show Jordan catching up to Chalamet following Actor Awards

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