Awards show to be live-streamed November 17
Award-winning recording artist Lee Greenwood, who got his start in casinos, will receive a Casino Entertainment Legend Award at the eighth annual Casino Entertainment Awards (CEA), which will be live-streamed as a virtual award show on Thursday, November 17.
The Casino Entertainment Awards are the official awards exclusively honoring outstanding artists, executives and venues in the casino entertainment industry. The Casino Entertainment Legend Award recognizes lifetime achievement in the casino entertainment industry.
An ACM, CMA and Grammy award winner, Lee Greenwood has released more than 20 major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the Billboard country music charts. He is known for his patriotic signature song “God Bless the U.S.A.”
John Meglen is president & co-CEO of Concerts West, a global touring division of AEG Presents. A music industry veteran, Meglen has promoted casino tours for Celine Dion, The Rolling Stones, Brad Paisley, Katy Perry, Chris Young and many other A-list artists.
Casino Entertainment Awards will be presented to artists, executives and venues in nine categories in casino entertainment. Selected from more than 1,500 online nominations, the nominees for 2020 CEAs include:
Casino Entertainer of the Year
Patti LaBelle
Johnny Mathis
Barry Manilow
Pitbull
Reba, Brooks & Dunn
Casino Comedian of the Year
Ken Jeong
Jo Koy
Sebastian Maniscalco
Adam Sandler
Sinbad
Casino Musical Artist of the Year
98 Degrees
Pepe Aguilar
The Beach Boys
Lorrie Morgan
REO Speedwagon
Casino Production Show of the Year
The Clairvoyants
Fantasy
Price Is Right Live
So You Think You Can Dance
Thunder From Down Under
Casino Entertainment Executive of the Year
Chris Baldizan, MGM Resorts International
Damian Costa, Caesars Entertainment
Tammy Kite, Golden Nugget Casino
Joe Lupo, Hard Rock Atlantic City
Dan Pferschy, Aqua Caliente Resort Casino Spa
Casino Showroom/Theater of the Year
Encore Theater at Wynn
The Music Box, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Mystic Lake Showroom, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
Pechanga Theater, Pechanga Resort Casino
The Show, Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa
Casino Arena/Amphitheater of the Year
BECU Live, Northern Quest Resort & Casino
Hard Rock Live at Mark G. Etess Arena, Atlantic City
Hard Rock Live, Hard Rock Hollywood
Ovation Hall, Ocean Resort Casino
Park Theater at Park MGM Las Vegas
Casino Booking Agent of the Year
Adam Kornfeld, AGI
Mark Roeder, WME/Nashville
Darius Sabet, UTA
Seth Shomes, UTA
Christianne Weiss, APA
Independent Casino Talent Buyer of the Year
Judy Alberti, Alberti Entertainment LLC
Jordan Huneryager, C3 Presents
Leslie Master, Live Nation Entertainment
Michael Scafuto, The M&M Group
Danny Zelisko, Danny Zelisko Presents
Established in 2013, the CEA awards gala has traditionally been held at a Las Vegas casino during Global Gaming Expo week, but will shift this year to The Vegas Virtual Studio for a live-stream broadcast due to pandemic restrictions.
“Although most casino arenas, showrooms and other entertainment venues are closed due to the pandemic, we are pleased to still be able to honor the outstanding casino artists, executives and venues nationwide that were active during the nomination period of April 2019 to March 2020,” said Traci Peel, CEA producer.
“Awards presenters will be pre-recorded with an emcee opening the awards envelopes live in a TV studio to reveal this year’s CEA recipients. In show business tradition, the show always goes on.”
