Las Vegas Weekly

January 6, 2010 · 4:35 PM

CES 2010 Las Vegas: Lady Gaga, Boxee, netbooks, Tommy Lee and live TV

By Robin Leach

Lady Gaga performs the second concert in a two-night run at The Pearl in the Palms on Dec. 18, 2009.

Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage

It’s the globe’s greatest gathering of gee-whiz gadgets and gizmo groupies, and the crush in Las Vegas for the next four days will be wall-to-wall as we step into the future. Some 110,000-plus visitors -- 25,000 of them from 50 countries -- are expected for the giant 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. Another 30,000 fans of XXX entertainment and adult videos, including the porn princesses who star in them, will be here at the same time for the Adult Entertainment Expo and AVN Awards.

The world’s largest consumer technology trade convention officially kicks off tomorrow with myriad exhibits to shape our consumer technological world, but tonight, Microsoft’s head honcho Steve Ballmer will make the premiere keynote speech and possibly unveil his new Courier tablet. Other titans speaking include Nokia head Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Ford President Alan Mulally, Intel leader Paul Otellini, Qualcomm boss Paul Jacobs and Hisense Chairman Zhou Houjian.

Authors, sports icons, actors, Captains of Industry and one superstar pop princess are all en route today to promote the latest products and technologies. CNBC’s “money honey” Maria Bartiromo will be broadcasting live on NBC Nightly News and for MSNBC’s business programs. All three major TV networks are broadcasting their morning shows live starting tomorrow.

The superstar CES attraction this year will be Lady Gaga, who arrives tonight for tomorrow’s first look at a new line of Polaroid products to debut at Christmas. The singer has just signed on as Polaroid’s new creative director! Comedian and The Price Is Right host Drew Carey will appear as a guest on tomorrow’s CNET LIVE coverage. A self-confessed tech enthusiast, Drew will tour the show floor with CNET live cameras and editors to share his show favorites.

The Living in Digital Times section hosts the most decorated American gymnast in history, Shannon Miller, seven-time Olympic medalist and nine-time world medalist, on Friday. The Kids@Play area will host Garfield creator Alan Kay tomorrow. The Sharp TV exhibit will host two-time Milwaukee Brewers all-star Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers rookie pitching phenomenon Rick Porcello, Joba Chamberlain of the World series champion New York Yankees and nine-time Golden Glove winner Torii Hunter of the Los Angeles Angels.

An all-new conference program focused on ideas and strategies for producing, promoting and profiting from media content -- called UpNext at CES -- will host actress Ileana Douglas, actor-producer Bradley Whitford and actor and Screen Actors Guild President Ken Howard.

Haier America will host NBA legends Chris Mullin and James Worthy. Kodak’s celebrity lineup includes Jill Zarin of The Real Housewives of New York; actress Soleil Moon Frye; Woke Up Dead cast members Jon Heder, Krysten Ritter and Josh Gad; Amber Ettinger, aka Obama Girl; and pro golfer Kevin Steelman. Former Miss California Deana Avila will be appearing for NTi, while The Public Record will host Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee on Saturday. Tommy will honor one Public Record user with a signed guitar and a chance to perform with him at the booth. NBA veteran Jerome Williams will be at Blackline GPS on Friday.

Marvel is bringing Stan Lee, Guy Kawasaki, James Patterson and Pauley Perrette. Stan is ushering in a new era of digital comic book content; best-selling author James, who has sold an estimated 170 million copies worldwide and has 19 consecutive No. 1 New York Times bestsellers, will be at Marvel on Friday; Pauley, who plays Abby Sciuto on NCIS and NCIS Los Angeles, will appear on Saturday.

Expect to see tech icons and friends actor-director LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner walking the show floor on Saturday. The industry and media-only CES is not open to the public, and more than 4,000 global media -- old and new -- are attending.

I’ve heard all the buzz this year will center on slicker, smarter electronic tablets, e-readers, netbooks and phones aimed at Internet users -- and a mass development of 3-D technology. Perfect timing with the billion-dollar success of Avatar! There are heavy rumors that Discovery, Sony and IMAX will team for America’s first 3-D TV network that might be announced at CES tomorrow for broadcasting before the end of this year. ESPN and Discovery are expected to announce 3-D broadcasts with Disney/ABC-owned ESPN starting June 11 with World Cup soccer. DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg says all their movies in the future also will be available in 3-D. Sony, Panasonic and LG are all expected to unveil 3-D TVs tomorrow, too.

Consumer Electronics Association’s Shawn DuBravic says: “3-D will also extend to laptops, digital cameras and mobile devices. Expect 25 percent of all TV sales within three years to be 3-D.” Yes, you’ll have to wear glasses at home to watch, but experts say that also will be a thing of the past by 2015.

It’s taken 1,800 workers, including 500 electricians and 200 forklift operators, to set up the nearly 2 million square feet of exhibits, and they’ve been working almost around the clock at the Convention Center since Dec. 18. There will be 330 new exhibitors this year. Last year, CES added nearly $200 million in spending here -- not counting gaming revenue. In all, 140 different countries will be represented by 1,500-plus U.S. companies and 1,300 overseas manufacturers at the 44th CES.

This year, I’m going to take a special look at Google’s smart phone Nexus One based on Android software. I’m also fascinated by the Android tablets that will be unveiled here tomorrow ahead of Apple finally showcasing its version at the end of the month. Forrester Research predicts that 6 million e-readers will be sold in the U.S. alone this year, doubling the number purchased last year. Lightweight, bare-bones laptops referred to as netbooks or ultraportables also will be all the rage at CES, plus huge but ever-slimmer TV sets with Internet capability to stream YouTube, other online video, Skype -- and even Vegas DeLuxe. Then there’s all the digital technology being added to automobiles to take advantage of online and smart phone apps.

One of the hottest items at CES might be the Boxee, a uniquely shaped set-top cube that comes with Wi-Fi, Ethernet and two USB ports for Internet connectivity to your TV. That means that all streaming online content and storage of digital media, plus Comedy Central programming, Twitter, Facebook, global university courses, conferences, lectures, panel discussions and Web-only videos and TV shows can now all be seen on your large screen.

In a departure this year, CES, with its 20 Tech Zones, also has an iLounge devoted to software and accessories from 100 companies for Apple iPhones, iPods and Macintosh computers.

“With a record number of new exhibitors, scores of new product introductions, several new Spotlights on the show floor and a dynamic lineup of keynotes sessions, the 2010 International CES will be our best show yet -- in all, over 2,500 exhibitors with over 20,000 new products on display,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. “More technology deals will be made during the four days of CES than anywhere else on Earth. In fact, each CES attendee has an average of 12 meetings while at the show, reinforcing CES as the business hub for technology. Innovation is flourishing within the technology industry, and the 2010 CES is the only place to see it all.”

Convention central

The crush is on! Even though CES is our largest convention of the year, it will be quickly followed by 11 more conventions of more than 25,000 attendees each before the end of the first quarter (March 31), bringing in a total of 400,000 conventioneers and adding more than $600 million to the valley’s economy.

The conventions include 55,000 for the International Builders Show on Jan. 19, the Outdoor Shooting and Hunting Trade Show on Jan. 19 with 45,000, 65,000 for the World of Concrete meetings starting Feb. 2 and the Spring MAGIC (Men’s International Garment) with 70,000 on Feb. 16. In all, we have nearly 60 conventions booked for Las Vegas into the start of March.

Add in Super Bowl weekend on Feb. 7 and a combined Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year on Feb. 14 -- and I hope we’ll have turned the dark corners of the battered global economy. Viva Las Vegas!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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