Frank Marshall, veteran Hollywood producer and long-time friend of Jimmy Buffett, helped to produce the new Margaritaville Online game that was released last month.

The Hollywood Reporter has an interview with Marshall on the game. There’s some interesting tidbits in the discussion. For example, Marshall says the game was originally planned to be released on the Nintendo Wii platform.

The Hollywood Reporter: How did you partner with Jimmy Buffett on Margaritaville Online?

Frank Marshall: Jimmy and I met over 30 years ago and we’ve been good friends ever since. We have a similar background and share a lot of the same interests. We’ve talked about movies, books, songs and just about anything you can think of.

I have always loved the world he’s created and the fact that he really lives in it. Jimmy and I have been trying to do something together for years and when the idea of a Facebook game came along, it seemed like a natural. What people love about Jimmy Buffett is his lifestyle and the world he’s created. Whenever the real world gets to be too much, you can escape to his world through this game, no matter where you are.

THR: Where did the idea for a Facebook game come from?

Marshall: I was actually meeting with Danny Bilson, EVP Core Games from THQ, about The Last Airbender game. We started talking about other things we could do. I wanted to do something fun, so I thought, instead of creating one of these violent worlds, why not go to paradise? Why not somewhere you could go to play games and have a party? Initially when we started talking about it, it was actually going to be made into a Wii game. But as social games increased in popularity, things shifted and we saw great potential of creating a social experience based on Jimmy’s lifestyle.

Read the full interview here.

Marshall also was a co-producer on Hoot, the 2006 film that Jimmy co-produced and played a teacher in.

Developers of the new Margaritaville Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida have released renderings of the $130 million project that is slated to open in 2014.

The $130-million dollar resort will be located at Johnson Street on the Broadwalk and across A1A on the Intracoastal Waterway.

The resort will be 17 stories and have 349 rooms, along with seven restaurants, several bars, a spa, and retail shops. There’s also a lagoon pool which features a water slide and a “Flo Rider” used to simulate surfing which will be open to the public.

Take a look:

The Miami Herald has an update on the Margaritaville Beach Resort under construction in Hollywood, Florida:

Margaritaville Beach Resort may not be open yet, but it’s already hosting a party.

On Thursday, nearly 500 travel gurus will get down Margaritaville-style as part of the Florida Huddle, a signature travel symposium, which draws travel experts from places including Canada, Scandinavia and Germany.

“It’s sort of our coming out party,” said Lon Tabatchnick, the developer of the beach-themed resort.

And though there will be no building or hammocks by the pool, there will be a giant tent, island-themed décor and probably a few shakers of salt.

“What better way is there to get people excited about the future?” he said.

And the future, for Margaritaville — which is tied to singer Jimmy Buffett — is looking bright, said Tabatchnick, during a presentation to the Hollywood City Commission Wednesday.

“We are getting there,” he said. “We are going through the process.”

Read the full article here.

The $131 million project is expected to open in August 2014.

Construction is moving along on the Margaritaville Casino in Biloxi, and workers recently celebrated the “topping out”:

This first party at Margaritaville was marked with barbecue and a pine tree, a traditional symbol when a building is topped out — usually when the highest beam is put in place. That happened weeks ago, but the crews, who also were celebrating no serious injuries on the job, kept working and focused on a May completion. The resort will open the week of May 20.

Bob Kelly of Innovation Project Development in Ocean Springs, the owners’ representative, said 200 to 300 trades workers are on the job at any time and most are local. Roy Anderson Corp. of Gulfport is general contractor and the three major subcontractors are Aladdin Construction of Biloxi, Haynes Electric of Gulfport and MCC Group from New Orleans. Kelly said the company working on the volcano for Margaritaville is from Wisconsin, but hired a local crew.

Margaritaville Biloxi CEO Tom Brosig said a core staff of about 25 people are preparing for the casino opening. “I think the intense hiring will start in April,” he said.

In the center of the building is a 28,000-square-foot casino that will have 821 slot machines and 18 table games. A 5 o’clock Somewhere bar will open to both the casino and the 900-seat entertainment venue that will double as overflow space for the buffet. Balconies, which can be used for meetings and parties, rim three sides of the entertainment space.

Read the full article here and view a photo gallery here.

Jimmy Buffett was in New Orleans this weekend where he attended the New Orleans Saints playoff game. And on Sunday he was at the track to watch two of his horses:

Legendary singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett, in town to attend the previous night’s playoff win by his beloved New Orleans Saints, was at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots on Sunday to see Who Dat Ambush, a 3-year-old colt owned by a partnership including several of Buffett’s friends, win the sixth race. Who Dat Ambush is named for the legendary onsides kick that the Saints recovered to start the second half of Super Bowl XLIV, a play the Saints coaches called “Ambush.”

Two races later, Buffett saw Fleurdefortyfour, which he is a part-owner of along with several Saints front-office executives as part of Last Mango Racing Stable, finish off the board. Fleurdefortyfour also has a Saints-themed name referencing Super Bowl XLIV.

Margaritaville Online, the social game from Jimmy Buffett that many of you have already been playing via the Buffett Beta Club, will be released to the general public on January 18th.

Along with the public release will come cross-platform support for iPhone and iPad. Up until now the game has only been playable through Facebook.

“The Margaritaville laidback state of mind is inherently social, and THQ (the game developer) has captured the spirit of that lifestyle in this game,” said Buffett. “With Margaritaville Online, fans across the globe can party together any time and any place.”

Developed by Exploding Barrel Games, the 3D open world features tropical environments and a full catalog of Buffett’s music. Players can create their own island resort, play mini-games and interact with characters from Buffett’s songs and literary works including Captain Tony and Joe Merchant. They’ll even be able to create their own band.

WLOX Channel 13 in Biloxi, Mississippi checked in on the progress of the Margaritaville Casino under construction on the Gulf Coast and found that work is moving at a dizzying pace.

Officials say the casino is on pace for a Memorial Weekend 2012 opening.

Watch the video report:

The Shreveport Times reports that Bossier City residents have approved plans to expand gaming to include a new Margaritaville Casino and Resort:

Sixty-one percent of Bossier Parish voters said “yes” Saturday to expanding riverboat gaming to include a new 18-story Margaritavile-themed resort casino, unofficial but complete results show. Thirty-nine percent voted in opposition.

“We’re ecstatic and so pleased that the citizens of Bossier had the confidence in us to do this,” said Deborah Harkins, a spokeswoman for the casino project.

The $195 million project will feature a single level gaming floor with 1,275 slot machines, 38 table games and the Margaritaville trademark It’s 5 o’Clock Somewhere bar. In addition, the 400-room resort hotel will include a two-story entertainment complex, spa and fitness center, lavish pool area with swim up bar and a 400-seat Margartaville restaurant.

Construction on the Margaritaville Casino and Resort is expected to begin January 1st with a grand opening in May 2013.

On Oct. 14th at 5 O’clock in the evening Margaritaville broke the World Record for the largest margarita ever made as verified by Guinness World Records. The event was part of the Grand Opening festivities for the new Margaritaville Casino at Flamingo in Las Vegas.

Halfway through the ceremony celebrating the new World Record, Jimmy Buffett surprised fans by coming out and raising a glass of Lucky Rita with the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team along with Flamingo’s Rick Mazer and Margaritaville’s Tamara Baldanza in front of more than 1,000 Parrotheads and onlookers.

“Much appreciation for these great wounded warriors, who I’ve worked with for a long time. Gentleman, thank you for coming out. We’re going to have a good time this weekend. Let the FIN begin,” said Buffett.

Lucky Rita is now on sale to the public allowing guests a taste of history and an opportunity to contribute to a great cause. For every gallon of Lucky Rita sold, Margaritaville will donate $5 to the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team. More than a margarita, Lucky Rita is a concoction with a cause.

“I am thrilled we have expanded our relationship with Margaritaville,” said Rick Mazer president of Flamingo Las Vegas, “and now together we have opened the first-ever Margaritaville Casino.”

After six months of planning, the mixing of the colossal 8,500 gallon beverage, appropriately named “Lucky Rita,” began its first pour on Oct. 11, 2011. Lucky Rita took an estimated 300 work hours to mix the concoction.

The Flamingo Las Vegas confirmed today that Jimmy Buffett will be on hand this Friday as the Lucky Rita world record margarita is topped off and the first drink is poured from it.

So be sure to come out on Friday to celebrate and see Jimmy at the grand opening ceremony! Then stick around the next day to see him perform at the MGM Grand!

Meanwhile, watch the progress on Lucky Rita live here.

Get more details on the world record attempt here.