Everything Las Vegas: Issue # 524

In this issue:

• Web Site Announcement - Big News!
• Steve’s Las Vegas Quickies - Penn and Teller, Palms Place, Monorail, and more!
• Deuce Bigelow sequel at the Palms.
• Show Review: Viva Las Vegas
• Upcoming Las Vegas Entertainment
• Hotel Review: Main Street Station
• Las Vegas Q&A by Rick Garman
• Burgers, Baloney Big Times for Keith
• Roy Returns
• KA at MGM Grand
• Vegas Values Report
• Changes at Luxor
• Magic Spectacular

Major Announcement:

The NEW Everything Las Vegas Newsletter WEBSITE.

Coming Soon!!

It is with great pleasure that I am announcing the next generation of the Everything Las Vegas newsletter, The Everything LV website.

Over the last few years, the newsletter has grown to almost 50,000 known members and that amount of members is really bogging down the current way that the newsletter is sent out. The problems with getting the mail out to all the members are significant.

So my sponsor, Hunter from RateVegas.com thought it was time for a change and so did I although I was a little hesitant at first.

Hunter convinced me this was the way to go and I am proud to give you a preview of what the new format of the website will look like. Remember, we are still in the planning stages and would like your input as to what you think would make the website better.

Already noted is the type will be larger and the intro’s to the article’s will either be in large print or bold type. Color schemes, graphics and other layout options are still up in the air.

So check it out and let me know what you think. You can even post your comments at the “comments” link!

http://www.everythinglv.com/

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Steve’s Las Vegas Quickies

The Las Vegas Hilton is a regional site for the National Three-Card Poker Tournament on September 18, 19, and 20. 35 people will compete in the finals in November, with the winner taking home $1 million. Three card poker is actually two games in one (both based on hands consisting of three cards), with the player betting on either one, or both, and in different amounts.

Penn & Teller received two EMMY award nominations for their Showtime Network show Penn & Teller: Bullsh*t. The nominations are for “Outstanding Reality Program” and “Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming”

Rumors have NYC’s legendary Tavern on the Green planning a Las Vegas outlet in one of Vegas’ many upcoming developments.

Las Vegas will be awarded the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.

Hottest rumor: the Palms Place condo tower will be crowned with a retractable roof over a nightclub AND four floors dedicated to the Playboy project, including a two-story Hugh Hefner suite.

reviewjournal.com — News: NORM

Officials with the company that owns The Stratosphere are considering the options for possibly expanding the North Strip property. After a big and very profitable 2004 the hotel and its parent company are flush with cash and apparently looking for a place to spend it. Since the whole thing is merely “under consideration” right now there are no official plans or timetables but it will most likely involve adding rooms (there are more than 2,000 now but that’s small by Strip standards) and amenities. Look for an announcement in the next couple of months.

http://www.vegas4visitors.com

The troubled Las Vegas Monorail may be getting some competition from the newly merged MGM Mirage and Mandalay Resorts companies. Now that MGM Mirage owns, well, pretty much the entire west side of The Strip, officials with the company are considering expanding the monorail that currently ferries passengers from its Mandalay Bay to Excalibur (with a stop at Luxor) all the way up to Treasure Island with their own New York-New York, Monte Carlo, Bellagio, and Mirage in between. The only hotel in that vicinity not owned by the company is Caesars Palace, but new owners Harrah’s are apparently open to the idea.

http://www.vegas4visitors.com

Half of the audience walked out of “As Worlds Collide,” the rock and roll illusions show at the Aladdin’s Theatre for the Performing Arts, on opening night Friday. Showgoers tell me the $8 million show came off as amateurish. At one point, a performer was seen climbing into a trapdoor as an illusion box was being lifted. A fake leg was easily seen by the audience during another illusion.

reviewjournal.com — News: NORM

The world premiere of “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo,” starring Rob Schneider and Eddie Griffin, will be held at the Palms’ Brenden Theatres on Aug. 6, six days before the nationwide release.

La Bete, at Wynn Las Vegas has been given the boot.

It will close for four weeks in October and will undergo a name change, renovation and new management team. Victor Drai, the guy that opened Drai’s restaurant at the Barbary Coast some years back, has been given the green light to make the changes.

Sumo wrestling invades Las Vegas for the first time in the sports 1,500 year history. October 7-9 at the Mandalay Bay will hold three days of Grand Sumo Championship tournament. Tickets are priced at $75-$175 per session.

Las Vegas Hilton Pool Party Bikini Model contest has a grand prize of $10,000 to the winner. August 19-21 is a weekend pool party at the Hilton with tickets costing

$40 per weekend pass or $25 per day. ( I wonder if Eileen will let me go to this?)

Ty Taylor who performs in “We Will Rock You” at Paris Las Vegas was among the finalists for the CBS reality show “Rock Star: INXS.” You can’t miss him in the Paris show, he standS out with a Mohawk and goes by the name Britney Spears.

Through Aug. 31, Nobhill at the MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South, is offering a special summer $60 three-course prix-fixe tasting menu that changes weekly.

The 24-hour Grand Cafe has opened at Green Valley Ranch, 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway.

Triple George Grill has opened at 201 N. Third St. in downtown Las Vegas. Modeled on landmark San Francisco seafood houses, it’s open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, with live music beginning at 7 p.m.

reviewjournal.com — Neon - RESTAURANT NEWS

Sonny King’s legion of showbiz pals are rallying around him at the Bootlegger Bistro while he’s bouncing back from a health issue. The 9 p.m. show on Fridays and Saturdays has been pulling in the who’s who of local entertainment. Sixteen-year-old sensation Erika Avila, who has become a karaoke sensation at the Bootlegger, is being rewarded Sunday with her own show. Dinner seating begins at 8 p.m., with the show at 9 p.m.

reviewjournal.com — News: NORM

GAMING TODAY, the weekly gaming newspaper has stated that the next hotel to be imploded will be the Stardust and this should be done with 18 months.

The Palms has released a limited edition chip commemorating the CineVegas Film Festival.

Harrah’s, in another one of it’s dumb moves is going to shorten the length of

WE WILL WILL ROCK YOU by 30 minutes! What is wrong with this picture? The show is awesome just the way it is.

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NORM: ‘Deuce Bigelow’ sequel at Palms.

The Palms rolls out the red carpet again Saturday for its second world premiere of the year, Sony Pictures’ “Deuce Bigelow: European Gigolo.”

In addition to co-stars Rob Schneider, Eddie Griffin and Dutch model Hanna Verboom, there’s word that Schneider’s “Saturday Night Live” pal Adam Sandler will make a surprise appearance.

Thousands of people showed up Jan. 8 for Twentieth Century Fox’s “Elektra” premiere, starring Jennifer Garner. Palms owner George Maloof said that premiere attracted the second biggest crowd since the hotel’s 2001 opening.

“The exposure was great, but it also was also great for the locals who had never experienced a world premiere.”

The red carpet begins at 7 p.m., followed by the invite-only premiere showing at 8 p.m.

reviewjournal.com — News: NORM: ‘Deuce Bigelow’ sequel at Palms

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SHOW REVIEW: Viva Las Vegas

‘Viva’ Knows Its Place: Stratosphere’s pleasant afternoon show doesn’t overachieve.

By Mike Weatherford.

Afternoon shows have a lot going for them, but man, those crowds are tough.

All at once now: “How tough are they?”

So tough that “Viva Las Vegas” comedian Bruce Mickelson has jokes built right into his act to address the overall lethargy.

“What the hell happened here today — the Lawrence Welk tour bus break down?” he asks.

Or, “Talk to me, Buffy. It’s a live show.”

Indeed it is, one that’s been quietly plugging away at the Stratosphere since 1996, and for five years at the Sands before that. Producer Dick Feeney is playing up the longevity in advertising and a show-opening introduction as “Las Vegas’s longest-running afternoon variety show.”

More Here:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Aug-05-Fri-2005/weekly/2748648.html

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Upcoming Las Vegas Entertainment

Legendary country music diva Dolly Parton will play a rare small venue show Oct. 1 at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

Tickets are $62 for general admission, $122 for seated and $142 for a special reserved seat. They go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the venue and through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or 474-4000. To charge by phone, call 632-7600.

Southern rock mainstays The Black Crowes do a two-night stand Oct. 14 and 15 at the Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Road. Tickets go on sale at noon Saturday for $60 through Ticketmaster. Tickets also can be charged starting Sunday through the box office, 693-5066.

Nineties jangle-popsters Gin Blossoms perform poolside Sept. 4 at the Suncoast, 9090 Alta Drive. Tickets are $25 and available at all Coast Casino box offices and online at www.suncoastcasino.com.

Tickets for the 15th Annual Las Vegas International Mariachi Festival at the Aladdin on Sept. 17 are on sale at the venue and through Ticketmaster. Prices are $49, $69, $89, $199 and $150.

The Clark County Amphitheater, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, hosts a number of upcoming shows. Eclectic country singer Shelby Lynne honky-tonks in on Aug. 13. Singer-songwriter Marc Broussard plays Aug. 27. Veteran Mexican band Los Lobos rock on Sept. 10 and Blessid Union of Souls plays Oct. 1. Tickets for all the shows are $8 in advance through Ticketmaster. Kids under 12 are admitted free.

Classic rockers Styx and REO Speedwagon play a joint date Oct. 1 at The Orleans Arena, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. Tickets are available beginning Saturday at any Coast Casino box office, through www.OrleansArena.com, at area malls, or by phone at 284-7777. Prices are $35, $45 and $65.

Tickets are on sale for classic rockers The Guess Who at The Cannery on Sept. 17. Prices are $13.95, $19.45 and $28.25. They’re on sale at the hotel, 2121 E. Craig Road, and through AllState Ticketing at www.ShowTickets.com. To charge by phone, call 507-5868.

Country singer Billy Dean plays Whiskey Pete’s in Primm on Sept. 4. Tickets, $24.95, go on sale today and can be purchased at the hotel box office, through Ticketmaster or by calling (800) 386-7867.

The Aladdin Theatre hosts former Styx singer Dennis DeYoung and the Alan Parsons Live Project on Oct. 8. Both acts will perform separate sets with the Las Vegas Philharmonic. Tickets, $55 and $65, are available at the venue, 3667 Las Vegas Blvd. South, and through Ticketmaster. To charge by phone, call 785-5000.

reviewjournal.com — Neon - TICKETS

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Virus-infected ducks came from Strip hotel



The ducks that were found to be infected with West Nile virus came from the “water feature” of a hotel on the Strip, health officials acknowledge, but they won’t say which hotel.

The Clark County Health District announced on Monday that those ducks and mosquitoes had been confirmed to be infected with virus, but as for exactly where the virus had been located, the district provided the public with only the zip codes in which the mallards and insects had been found.

Now health officials are saying that the ducks were taken from the grounds of a Strip hotel in late July. They said that when they say the ducks were in “a water feature,” that description could mean a swimming pool, waterfall, pond, etc.

More Here:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2005/aug/05/519162069.html

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Hotel Review: Main Street Station

By Rick Garman

Main Street Station has always been one of my favorite hotels in town and one of the nicest in all of Downtown. A recent renovation of their guest rooms along with some general declines at other properties in the area has elevated this gem of a hotel to a new status as my favorite Downtown hotel, period. It has a turn-of-the-century San Francisco feeling to it with faux stamped-tin ceilings, beautiful stained glass windows, lazy ceiling fans, gas lanterns, and lots of wrought iron decorative trim. From the outside it’s very unassuming and come to think of it, that’s a great word to use for the entire place. It’s not in your face, it’s not bright and neon. Instead Main Street Station sort of slips around you like a comfortable coat - it’s easy to feel at home here.

It is a very small hotel by Las Vegas standards, which is good or bad depending on your point of view. Good things are that you won’t get lost, don’t have to battle huge crowds, and can often have a much more peaceful vacation (although why you’re coming to Las Vegas for a peaceful vacation, I’ll never know). Bad things are that you forgo some of the niceties you get at a large resort like a pool, spa, and on-premises shopping although you can use the pool at neighboring The California hotel and there are a couple of stores over there as well.

The rooms are a bit bigger than most Downtown hotels although certainly not large by Strip standards. A 2005 remodel has turned what were nice but basic accommodations into much more comfortable and stylish affairs with all new furnishings, décor, and bath fixtures. The beds are cozy as are the lounge chairs (complete with a big plushy ottoman), and there’s an armoire with a TV (including pay-per-view movies), an iron and board, a safe, a hair dryer, an alarm clock, and data-ports on the phones (no high-speed Internet available).

One cool touch is the use of plantation shutters instead of curtains, giving the look of the room a decidedly unique flair, although they don’t shut out as much of the light as those big heavy drapes at other places so if you’re looking to sleep until noon and are light-phobic bring a eye mask. Since the hotel is located right next to the freeway and the train tracks, there is some attendant noise but the air conditioning mostly drowns it out and it wasn’t anything that kept me awake.

The casino is one of the nicest in town, with more of that lovely turn-of-the-century San Francisco detail, high ceilings, and plenty of room between the machines. They also have a state of the art filtration system that seems to make this casino feel less filled with cigarette smoke than many of the others downtown.

You do have a couple of restaurants choices including the very respectable Pullman Grille, the lively and inexpensive Triple 7 Brew Pub, and the Garden Court Buffet, one of my personal favorites in the entire city. However, for non-gambling entertainment you’re going to have to go elsewhere. Luckily, Fremont Street with all its restaurants, casinos, and shows is only a block away.

Prices are another attractive feature The Main Street Station with standard rates starting around $60 although as with everything in Vegas the prices vary wildly - sometimes a little lower and sometimes a lot higher.

It’s always exciting when an already good hotel takes steps to be an even better one and with the room upgrades, Main Street Station has become the crown jewel of Downtown Las Vegas.

Main Street Station Casino, Brewery, and Hotel

200 N. Main St.

Las Vegas, NV 89101

800-465-0711

website

Highs: Beautiful décor, great rates, one of the best buffets in town

Lows: A little lacking on the fun extras

Location: 6 - Downtown, but close to the Fremont Street action

Price: 9 - You can usually get very inexpensive rates here

Value: 9 - You feel like you are getting a lot for your money

Rooms: 9 - Newly remodeled and very comfortable

Casino: 9 - Small but satisfying and friendly

Amenities: 7 - Missing a few wants but the needs are all covered

Facilities: 5 - You can use the pool next door, great restaurants

Service: 9 - Among the best in town

Fun: 9 - Always had a good time here

Bonus: 10 - One of the best in town

Vegas4Visitors Rating: 82

http://www.vegas4visitors.com/

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Las Vegas Q and A by Rick Garman

Question: I enjoyed your column on the dates the strip hotels were built. It brought to mind another question: Which present hotels were built on sites of old hotels and what were the old hotels? Were the old hotels imploded to make way for the new ones? Thanks!

Answer: Just about all of the existing hotels were built on the site of a former hotel, but let’s stick with the big ones - starting on the South Strip and working north.

Mandalay Bay was built on the site of the former Hacienda, a hotel that opened in 1956 with a couple hundred rooms and a casino and grew to a major property in later years. It was imploded in 1996 and Mandalay Bay opened in 1999.

The existing MGM Grand hotel at Tropicana and The Strip opened in 1993 on the site of the former Marina Hotel and Casino. The bulk of the Marina was torn down but the main hotel tower was saved, gutted, and incorporated into the MGM Grand when it was built around it. It is the part of the hotel now known as The West Wing.

The Aladdin (soon to be Planet Hollywood) was built on the site of the Aladdin. Yes, the original Aladdin, opened in 1966 (itself a remodeling of an existing motel), was imploded in 1998 and the new hotel opened in 2000.

Next door, Paris and Bally’s (the original MGM Grand) were built on the land that was once home to The Bonanza, a rambling motel/casino with a western theme that opened in 1967.

Bellagio was built on the site of the famed Dunes, a hotel and casino that opened in 1955 and was imploded in 1994. Bellagio opened in 1998.

The Mirage and Treasure Island (opened in 1989 and 1993 respectively) replaced a casino/motel called The Castaways. No, it has no relation to the Castaways that is currently being torn down on the east side of town.

The Venetian, opened in 1999, replaced the legendary Sands Hotel and Casino. That hotel opened in 1952 and was imploded in 1996.

The new Wynn Las Vegas, opened just a couple of months ago, replaced another legendary hotel: the Desert Inn. The DI, home to Dan Tanna in “Vega$,” opened in 1950 and closed in 2000. It was torn down and imploded during 2001 and 2002.

Many of the other existing hotels replaced smaller motels or casinos.

Question: The last time I was in Vegas I saw a game called Crazy 4 Poker. How do you play?

Answer: This is yet another example of the poker craze that is sweeping the gambling world, a variation on 3-Card Poker that has tremendous opportunities for reward but can also take your money really, really quickly if you aren’t doing well. Much like 3-Card, there are several different ways to wager and play, both against the dealer and against yourself.

On the gaming table are four spots for bets: Queen’s Up, Ante, Super-Bonus, and Play. You are required to place a wager on the Ante and Super-Bonus spots that are equal to each other, but you may leave the other spaces blank if you wish.

You are dealt five cards and must make the best four-card poker hand from them. Unlike regular poker, the ranking of the hands are a little different. Four aces is the top hand followed by (in descending order) four-of-a-kind (non-aces), straight-flush, three-of-a-kind, straight, two-pair, and queens or better. There is no draw, so you have to make due with what you’ve got.

If you feel like you have a hand that might beat the dealer’s, you place another wager equal to your Ante bet on the Play space. The dealer then flips his or her cards and must have at least a king to “qualify,” or pay your Play bet and at that point whoever has the higher hand wins. So, for example, if you have a bunch of garbage and an ace high and the dealer has a bunch of garbage and a king high, you’re going to win 1:1 on your Ante and Play bets. If the dealer beats you, you lose.

If the dealer doesn’t qualify with at least a king, you still win on your Play bet with even money.

Unlike 3-Card poker where your Play bet must match your Ante bet, in Crazy 4 poker you can triple-down if you have at least a pair of Aces – so a $5 ante wager can become $15 on the Play spot.

The Super Bonus bet pays out extra money for really good hands. If you have a straight and beat the dealer’s hand, you win a 1:1 bonus. A flush pays 3:2, three of a kind 3:1, a straight flush 15:1, four-of-a-kind 30:1, and four aces 200:1. If you don’t have at least a straight and you beat the dealer’s hand, this bet pushes but of course if the dealer’s hand beats yours you lose it.

That same bonus theory is applied to the Queen’s Up bet but you are only playing against yourself here and it doesn’t matter if you win or lose to the dealer. Here you get a 1:1 bonus on at least a pair of queens all the way up to a 50:1 bonus for a four of a kind.

It’s a very aggressive game both in terms of wagering and playing. If you are at a $5 table, an opening bet will run you at least $10 ($5 on the Ante and $5 on the Super Bonus) and could go as high as $30 for a basic hand ($5 on Ante, $5 on Super Bonus, $5 on Queen’s Up, and $15 tripled down on the Play spot). If you can handle the investment, it’s a very lively and interesting game.

http://www.vegas4visitors.com/

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Burgers, baloney big items for Keith.

Country music star Toby Keith unveiled the biggest burger in Las Vegas on Friday, but truth be told, his Oklahoma heart belongs to baloney.

Keith’s co-star at a media event at Harrah’s to promote his I Love This Bar and Grill was a 90-pound cheeseburger shaped like a guitar.

But when asked about his favorite menu item, the country star acknowledged that he nudged Harrah’s chef into adding a down-home favorite.

Keith said he told the chef, “We got to have something that’s really out of the ordinary that’s really, really country ass” — a fried baloney sandwich. The chef cringed, Keith said, but added it to the menu.

Shortly after the soft opening a few weeks ago, Keith checked in and got the news: the baloney sandwich was a No. 1 hit.

Keith vowed it would be quality food, and that it was. The baloney sandwich, to my surprise, is a winner, and you’ll go ga-ga over the strawberry shortcake and sweet potato pecan pie.

“I know when you do these theme kind of things, everything’s there but the food,” Keith said.

“The food (usually) sucks. I told these guys going in I do not want to put up with that. I don’t want to be at some football game or a Super Bowl and have somebody say, ‘Hey, your steak sucks.’ ”

By the way, that megaburger would feed a lot of troops.

The ground beef “patty” weighed in at 35 pounds and was sandwiched between an eight-pound burger bun filled with 10 pounds of shredded lettuce, 12 pounds of sliced tomatoes, 10 pounds of sliced onions, six pounds of sliced pickles, eight pounds of American (of course) cheese and three quarts of mayonnaise.

reviewjournal.com — News: NORM: Burgers, baloney big items for Keith

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Roy returns

Roy Horn returned from Europe on Thursday, five weeks after checking into a clinic to undergo stem-cell treatment.

Siegfried & Roy publicist Dave Kirvin said the treatment “was completed successfully.”

Roy entered the Leonardis Clinic in Germany and an Austrian clinic. Horn’s doctor at the Austrian clinic told an Austrian radio station this week that Horn was planning to return for further treatment in two or three months.

Horn was greeted at his Jungle Palace by eight dogs, all adopted from the Lied Animal Shelter, Kirvin said.

reviewjournal.com — News: NORM

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A Stunning Spectacular, KÀ Pushes the Creative Envelope Wide Open!

By Karen M. Foster

The show KÀ at the MGM had me in the palm of it’s hand. I was totally entranced by their stage settings and fabulous performances. The name KÀ, is inspired by the ancient Egyptian belief in the “ka,” an invisible spiritual duplicate of the body that accompanies every human being throughout this life and into the next.

This latest creation from Cirque du Soleil, has a story line that holds your interest from the beginning to the end, due to the action of the dancers, martial arts, acrobatics, beautiful stirring music, not to mention the interactive video projections, pyrotechnics, and moving stage. That’s right I said moving stage! It moves up, down and around. At one point the stage is almost vertical with the dancers sliding down, climbing up, all this while continuing to perform. I can’t explain it, you must see this show.

The story is a saga of Imperial Twins—a boy and a girl—who embark on an adventurous journey to fulfill their destinies. KÀ was created and directed by acclaimed theatre and film director Robert Lepage. Lepage (“Bluebeard’s Castle,” “The Far Side of the Moon”) describes the story as “the coming of age of a young man and a young woman through their encounters with love, conflict and the duality of KÀ, the fire that can unite or separate, destroy or illuminate.” The Twins’ journeys take them through a succession of challenging landscapes and ever-changing performance spaces that conjure an entire empire on stage.

There’s danger, love, comedy, then there are the Archers and Spearmen who aggressively hunt the separated twins. As the villains give chase, the artists show off their climbing prowess with an incredible ascent to safety. An encounter with mysterious giant sea creatures proves to be more mischievous and funny, rather than dangerous. The Twin Brother learns the art of shadow puppets in a tender, yet poignant moment. The action resumes during the Pillars scene, where artists perform daring acrobatic maneuvers while leaping on and over multiple pillars.

I am looking forward to seeing KÀ again as I have the other Cirque du Soleil productions, once just isn’t enough.

Call (702) 891-7777 or 877-880-0880 for tickets. LVN

Hurry, check out our website and subscribe to Las Vegas Now Magazine today on the web and receive your FREE T-SHIRT & FREE WINNING GUIDE TO GAMBLING! MAKES GREAT GIFTS! www.LasVegasNowMag.com

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Vegas Values Report for 7/3/05

The following information is supplied by Scot Krause, our roving reporter, who supplies us each week with information on the best Las Vegas promotions. It’s only available here on the americancasinoguide.com web site so be sure to come back each Monday morning to find out about the best values in Las Vegas.

Hello to all! Welcome to “Vegas Values.” Here’s what we found this week:

http://www.americancasinoguide.com/Promotions/VEGAS-VALUES.shtml

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Velvet rope protects former Riviera owner’s place in hotel food court.

By Mike Weatherford.

On a Strip where the velvet rope has become a powerful status symbol, you could argue this one represents the opposite. Perhaps, paradise lost.

It’s the velvet rope protecting a special booth in the Riviera’s food court. It guards one of the remaining pieces of former casino owner Meshulam Riklis’ diminished empire.

Riklis, best-known to many as the former husband of Pia Zadora, bought the Riviera in 1973 when it still basked in top-drawer Vegas class (Dean Martin worked the showroom). When he lost it through bankruptcy reorganization in 1991, Riklis retained ownership of two things: the “Splash” show and the food court.

More Here:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Jul-05-Tue-2005/living/2345919.html

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Pointed changes at Luxor by Jerry Fink

The recent $7.9 billion purchase of Mandalay Bay Resort Group by MGM Mirage has had a trickle-down effect on the topless show at Luxor, which is part of the Resort Group.

“Midnight Fantasy” is changing some of its cast members — out are comedian Carole Montgomery and tap dancer Lindell Blakewill — and six of the 10 dance numbers.

“It’s always sad when I replace people,” producer/creator Anita Mann said. “It’s the hardest part of being a producer, but a change was requested.”

MGM officials requested that the production go for a younger demographic.

“They wanted a more edgy, hipper look to it,” Mann said.

The revue will celebrate its sixth anniversary at Luxor’s 350-seat Pharaoh’s Theatre in November.

Mann was happy to accommodate the new owners.

“You always like to keep freshening things up,” she said. “I like to make changes.”

The renovated show should debut in mid-August.

“The hotel will pick a date,” Mann said.

She brought in choreographers Cris Judd and Eddie Garcia to revamp the production.

Judd, formerly married to Jennifer Lopez, said the new show will have more up-to-date music and be sexier.

“We’re making some dramatic changes in costumes — there will definitely be a hotter vibe to the show,” he said.

While most of the girls will perform some topless numbers, Judd said more will be left to the imagination, “instead of it being so out there with the topless parts.”

Las Vegas SUN: Columnist Jerry Fink: Pointed changes at Luxor

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Magic spectacular by Jerry Fink

Producers seem fascinated with rock concerts lately.

Earlier this year a topless show/rock concert (”Erocktika”) debuted at the Rio.

Now a magic show/rock concert — “As Worlds Collide” — will make its first appearance in a two-day showcase at 8 p.m. July 22-23 at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts.

The production has a storyline that takes advantage of spectacular illusions and rock music.

Tickets are $40 and $65. For information call 785-5000.

Magician/producer Paul Haynes, who also is the show’s main character, SpellBinder the magician, said during an interview last year that this is the largest illusion show ever created.

“It’s the biggest in terms of size and amount of illusions,” Haynes said when he revealed the scope of his $8 million project.

He made the announcement in November. After several delays in finding an adequate venue for the large illusions, which Haynes designed, the Aladdin theater — which boasts a 90-foot stage — was selected.

Haynes, a Las Vegas resident and head of Creative Illusions and Production Stageworks company, has designed and built grand-scale illusions for such magicians as Siegfried & Roy, David Copperfield and Lance Burton.

He has been working on his own production for more than four years.

There will be 20 illusions in the show, which features a cast of 20.

The music is original, with elements of Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, “but in a much more modern way,” Haynes said.

It will be performed by a five-piece rock band, SpellBinder.

The plot of the show involves a fight between good (SpellBinder) and evil (Blackthorn) for domination in their world.

Las Vegas SUN: Columnist Jerry Fink

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Posted on August 7th, 2005 by MrVegas98
Filed under: Newsletter