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JOHN SHEARER/INVISION/AP
Host Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre on Sunday
LAS VEGAS >> Las Vegas tourism officials are partnering with a famous former resident’s show to trumpet the town.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority officials say an online video series and on-air promotions will start tonight during late-night comedy show “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
The spot is intended to promote the tourism site LasVegas.com and feature a character named LasVegasdotcom who’s constantly mistaken for the travel website by the same name. The promotion will also feature real people with “unfortunate names but fortunate lifestyles,” and the made up group “Unfortunate Name Organization.”
The ads were filmed around Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Golden Nugget, Luxor Hotel and Casino and Flamingo.
“He’s a Las Vegas native and he has a top-rated late night program” said visitors authority spokeswoman Cathy Tull. “He’s worked well in the past with having fun talking about Las Vegas.”
Before taking late night, Kimmel co-hosted Comedy Central’s “The Man Show,” which featured a “girls on trampolines” segment.
In recent years, he’s become known for edgy late-night humor. It’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” that gave the world such videos as the Matt Damon-Sarah Silverman musical romp with bleep-worthy lyrics.
In January, his ABC show moved to the 11:35 p.m. time slot, after decade airing a half hour later. He now competes in the ratings with Jay Leno and David Letterman.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” averages 1.4 million female viewers and 770,000 male viewers per night.
Kimmel moved to Sin City as a young child, and attended a Las Vegas high school.
