Everything Las Vegas: Issue # 584
July 28th 2006
Steve makes “The Hilton Hot Sheet”
FLUSHED WITH SUCCESS
Steve Kieva, who writes about Las Vegas for a popular Las Vegas web site, http://www.everythinglv.com, relates a story about a recent experience he had at the Las Vegas Hilton. He was in the men’s room at the SpaceQuest casino at the Hilton, next to Star Trek: The Experience™. There, a message came on the screen at the urinal that read he would be lucky for the next 12 minutes. Steve went out to play in the casino, hit one slot for $120, just missing the top two jackpots on the last reel by one symbol above and one symbol below the payline, and then another one for $180 all within the 12 minute time frame.
NORM: Holmes discusses life after Harrah’s.
Harrah’s headliner Clint Holmes said he’s setting aside the next two years to concentrate on his London play.
In his first public statements on his life after Harrah’s, Holmes disclosed his plans in an interview during Saturday’s fundraising marathon at the Palms for The Caring Place. It was broadcast on KBAD-AM, 920 (ESPN).
“My next two years will be spent on my play,” he said, in response to a question from Dianne Taylor, the co-host, who had bid for a one-hour stint with Holmes.
If the play is not a success, he’ll “come back here and hopefully work often” or pursue acting.
“Right now, I have to go and try this.”
Holmes, who ends his six-year headliner run at Harrah’s on Sept. 30, also revealed that he was offered the role of The Phantom in “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway about 15 years ago.
He turned it down, he said, because many fans associated Michael Crawford as the face of The Phantom, even though he had been gone for eight years.
“I would be just another guy with a mask on,” said Holmes.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jul-23-Sun-2006/news/8651676.html
WORLD SERIES OF POKER: Rivers run through it.
Turns, flops, calls, holds and folds: World Series of Poker boosts Harrah’s.
By Howard Stutz/Las Vegas Review Journal
Harrah’s Entertainment Chairman Gary Loveman views the World Series of Poker much as he views one of the casino company’s hotel operations.
It’s all about the brand.
For Harrah’s, the gaming industry’s largest operator, it’s three-year ownership of poker’s iconic event has been leveraged into a year-round competition involving not just the six-week tournament at the Rio — the World Series of Poker’s home venue in Las Vegas — but play at the company’s casinos throughout the United States.
More Here:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jul-23-Sun-2006/business/8503695.html
MIKE WEATHERFORD: Has Cirque become too artsy?
If I told you Las Vegas casinos are staking millions on an artsy trend in fine-arts culture, you’d call me a liar.
But if I told you this trend is hiding behind the name Cirque du Soleil, you probably would change your tune. It still doesn’t mean you — or anyone used to time-honored formulas in casino entertainment — will like it.
These thoughts come amid reaction to the past two Cirque du Soleil efforts, “Ka” and “Love,” both of which attempt to turn the corner from gussied-up circus acts to more ambitious theater.
With the multimillion-dollar investments come the expectations that these shows will be huge hits and make tons of money. But so far, audience reaction has been mixed.
More from The Las Vegas Review Journal here:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jul-23-Sun-2006/living/8586960.html
The Price is Right Live By Rick Garman
“Come on down!” Those words have been ringing in the collective TV conscience of America since 1972 when an updated version of “The Price is Right” debuted on CBS with host Bob Barker. With its simple premise of “guess the price and you win,” it has created a legion of fans of all ages (the show is remarkably popular with the college crowd, who you’d think would have something better to do at 10am weekdays).
So turning the TV experience into a live-action stage show is a great idea, and putting it in Las Vegas at Bally’s, a city known for drawing all types of people who want to win something, was downright genius.
Hosted by Roger Lodge (you may remember him from another TV phenom called “Blind Date”), “The Price is Right Live” has all of the elements you’ve come to know and love from the TV version: contestant’s row; the showcase showdown; and beloved games like Hole-in-One (or Two!), Cliff Hangers, The Race Game, and the holy grail of TPiR games: Plinko.
And much like the TV version, everyone in the audience has a shot at playing and winning.
At each seat is a handheld, interactive device with A, B, C, and D buttons on it. A quiz is shown on the big screens overlooking the theater with prizes from TPiR shows past. When they say “Go” you have to pick the prizes that were the most expensive and the least expensive and punch in the corresponding numbers on the keypad. The whole thing is hooked into a computer that determines which four people picked the correct answers the fastest and those people are invited to “Come On Down” to contestant’s row.
A standard bidding round follows with one winner getting invited up on stage to compete in a classic TPiR game.
The prizes are not quite as valuable or glamorous as the televised version of the show, of course. We’re talking $100 telescopes and the like for the contestant’s row prizes and things like a washer and dryer combo for the stage games, but that’s nothing to sneer at, really.
Each round gets four new people to contestant’s row and additional quizzes are shown to get people to the big wheel and showcase showdown. The latter features one showcase that two people bid on with the person coming closest without going over winning not the entire showcase (worth about $22,000 including a car on the day I visited) but one prize from the showcase worth a couple of grand. However, if you come closest and are within $250 of the actual retail price, you do win the whole thing including the car.
On the day I saw the show a woman won the washer and dryer in Cliffhangers, a guy lost a cruise with some bad putting skills in Hole In One, a woman walked away with a couple of grand from Plinko, and both of the contestants overbid on the showcase showdown and walked away with nothing. In between rounds they randomly called out names and gave those people points on their Harrah’s Total Rewards cards and others got t-shirts.
Out of the hundreds of people in the audience about 25 or so actually got a chance to get up and play a game and another 25 or so got Total Rewards credits. I wasn’t one of them, but it didn’t change my enjoyment of the show. It’s fast paced and while Lodge is no Bob Barker, he’s a genial presence that keeps things light.
The show costs about $40 and while you may think that’s a lot of money to spend for only a small chance at actually winning something, it’s probably much, much better odds than you’re getting in the casino.
A couple of quick notes… You must be 21 or older to participate in the games (registration is required beforehand) but younger folks can watch. Also, the lines to get into the theater once you have your tickets is crazy long but seats are pre-assigned so there is absolutely no need to stand around for 45 minutes waiting for the doors to open.
Vegas4Visitors Grade: B+
The Price is Right Live
Bally’s Las Vegas
3645 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
800-237-SHOW
Tickets:
$39.95
Showtimes:
Tues, Wed, Thu, Sat at 2:30pm
Fri at 2:30 and 8:00pm
http://www.vegas4visitors.com/column/index.htm“Come on down!” Those words have been ringing in the collective TV conscience of America since 1972 when an updated version of “The Price is Right” debuted on CBS with host Bob Barker. With its simple premise of “guess the price and you win,” it has created a legion of fans of all ages (the show is remarkably popular with the college crowd, who you’d think would have something better to do at 10am weekdays). So turning the TV experience into a live-action stage show is a great idea, and putting it in Las Vegas at , a city known for drawing all types of people who want to win something, was downright genius. Hosted by Roger Lodge (you may remember him from another TV phenom called “Blind Date”), “The Price is Right Live” has all of the elements you’ve come to know and love from the TV version: contestant’s row; the showcase showdown; and beloved games like Hole-in-One (or Two!), Cliff Hangers, The Race Game, and the holy grail of TPiR games: Plinko. And much like the TV version, everyone in the audience has a shot at playing and winning. At each seat is a handheld, interactive device with A, B, C, and D buttons on it. A quiz is shown on the big screens overlooking the theater with prizes from TPiR shows past. When they say “Go” you have to pick the prizes that were the most expensive and the least expensive and punch in the corresponding numbers on the keypad. The whole thing is hooked into a computer that determines which four people picked the correct answers the fastest and those people are invited to “Come On Down” to contestant’s row. A standard bidding round follows with one winner getting invited up on stage to compete in a classic TPiR game. The prizes are not quite as valuable or glamorous as the televised version of the show, of course. We’re talking $100 telescopes and the like for the contestant’s row prizes and things like a washer and dryer combo for the stage games, but that’s nothing to sneer at, really. Each round gets four new people to contestant’s row and additional quizzes are shown to get people to the big wheel and showcase showdown. The latter features one showcase that two people bid on with the person coming closest without going over winning not the entire showcase (worth about $22,000 including a car on the day I visited) but one prize from the showcase worth a couple of grand. However, if you come closest and are within $250 of the actual retail price, you do win the whole thing including the car. On the day I saw the show a woman won the washer and dryer in Cliffhangers, a guy lost a cruise with some bad putting skills in Hole In One, a woman walked away with a couple of grand from Plinko, and both of the contestants overbid on the showcase showdown and walked away with nothing. In between rounds they randomly called out names and gave those people points on their Harrah’s Total Rewards cards and others got t-shirts. Out of the hundreds of people in the audience about 25 or so actually got a chance to get up and play a game and another 25 or so got Total Rewards credits. I wasn’t one of them, but it didn’t change my enjoyment of the show. It’s fast paced and while Lodge is no Bob Barker, he’s a genial presence that keeps things light. The show costs about $40 and while you may think that’s a lot of money to spend for only a small chance at actually winning something, it’s probably much, much better odds than you’re getting in the casino. A couple of quick notes… You must be 21 or older to participate in the games (registration is required beforehand) but younger folks can watch. Also, the lines to get into the theater once you have your tickets is crazy long but seats are pre-assigned so there is absolutely no need to stand around for 45 minutes waiting for the doors to open. Vegas4Visitors Grade: B+ The Price is Right LiveBally’s Las Vegas3645 Las Vegas Blvd. SouthLas Vegas, NV 89109800-237-SHOWTickets:$39.95Showtimes:Tues, Wed, Thu, Sat at 2:30pm Fri at 2:30 and 8:00pm
Steve’s Las Vegas Quickies:
This year’s crop of pre-registered celebrities entered in the World Series of Poker Main Event at the Rio includes: recording artist Brian McFadden and actors James Garner, Fred Savage, Shannon Elizabeth, Wil Wheaten, Robin Tunney and Victoria Pratt
reviewjournal.com — News - NORM.
Wayne and Janet Gretzky were back at Las Vegas’ high-stakes tables recently, their first trip since her alleged linkage to a betting ring back in February.
The X Girls topless revue has signed a deal to perform a 31-show tour of South and Central America beginning Oct. 1.
As expected, it was announced the Clint Holmes show at Harrah’s will close on September 30th, 2006. Holmes will be replaced by comedian Rita Rudner who is moving her gig from New York-New York down the street. At this time Holmes has no plans to move to another theater in Vegas, which is really too bad because this was one of the most entertaining, old-school Vegas type shows in town. If you’re going to be visiting any time before September 30th, do yourself a favor and go see Mr. Holmes before his final curtain.
Vegas4Visitors Weekly Column by Rick Garman
The success of the Riviera Hotel and Casino’s Summer Outdoor Hawaiian Luaus will lead to an outdoor Country and Western impersonator show this Fall, complete with barbecue steaks and all the trimmings. “It’s official,” said Riviera’s Director of Casino Marketing Debbie Mumford. “Every Wednesday beginning August 30 and running through November 15, the 2nd deck of the Riviera will transform into a good ol’ fashion Chuck Wagon party. A special barbecue grill will be installed just for these events. The final details are being ironed out.
The $30,000 Close Encounters Slot Tournament at the Las Vegas Hilton, August 4 & 5, features a first-place prize of $6,000, but more importantly, everyone who enters wins at least $50. The entry fee of $199 includes a three night stay. Call 800-457-3307 for more information.
It’s two cast members from “Menopause The Musical,” book author and gaming writer Phil Hevener, and Stan Saito from the Asian Chamber of Commerce on next week’s (July 31) “Lunchtime with Ira.” “Lunchtime with Ira” is a weekly radio show broadcast live from the Las Vegas Hilton on KDWN AM 720 TALK RADIO in Las Vegas, carried nationally on Cable Radio Networks (CRN), streamed live, archived and podcast on www.lvhilton.com, and aired on the Watchit Television Network (Watchit Media, Inc.) channels on hotel in-room television sets.
Michelle Nunes, a cocktail server blackjack dealer at the Hooters hotel-casino, was crowned Miss Hooters International 2006 on Tuesday at the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood. Nunes has worked as a signer for the local deaf community. Nicole Del Valle of Las Vegas was among the 10 finalists.
reviewjournal.com — News - NORM
Las Vegan Jenna Jameson will be on hand Aug. 2 to unveil her wax likeness at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas. It will mark the first time in Madame Tussauds’ 200-year history that an international adult film star will be so honored.
reviewjournal.com — News - NORM
Saturday is the last chance to see the topless revue “Buck Wild” at the Sahara. Producer David Saxe says if the country-themed show re-emerges in Las Vegas, “it will be a family version” with a different name.
Angela Sampras’ “X Girls — The Show” will leave the V Theater around Labor Day weekend to make room for “Pretty Funny Women,” a stand-up showcase with guest performances by names such as Roseanne Barr and Chelsea Handler.
reviewjournal.com — Living - MIKE WEATHERFORD
How does Nicolas Cage look in mink fur and gold lamé? We soon may find out. There are reports that he’s taking on the role of Liberace in a film he’s also producing.
“Mystere”, the longest- running (and, for many, still the best) Cirque du Soleil show in the city, celebrates its 6,000th show on Aug. 6 at Treasure Island.
Published reports claim that Ben Affleck has challenged Brian McFadden to a $100,000 winner-take-all poker showdown as a warm-up to the Rio’s $1 million celebrity tournament Thursday. Affleck apparently baited McFadden into the one-on-one match with relentless goading via text messaging.
Las Vegas SUN: John Katsilometes
In honor of his honor’s 67th birthday, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman was coerced out of his City Hall office on Wednesday afternoon for a photo op with members of “The Soprano’s Last Supper.” The “Soprano’s” production is the dinner show at the newly renamed Harmon Theater at Krave (the title of the venue recently changed after the box office operations for the four shows staged there were consolidated). In June, the “Soprano’s” troupe roasted Goodman at the U.S. Conference of Mayors at the Bellagio, and on Wednesday presented him with the script of that landmark event. Goodman was also presented a giant cake.
Las Vegas SUN: John Katsilometes
The Silverton signed a two-year extension to their previous deal with the easy rock super group Hootie & the Blowfish to appear exclusively at the resort while in Las Vegas. The band, which has committed to a partnership with the Silverton through 2008, will continue to make appearances at the resort throughout the hiatus, including a New Year’s Eve 2006 performance.
LVLG: Brett’s Vegas Views
Opportunity Village will attempt to break the world record for the Largest Santa Gathering with the Great Santa Run and Kris Kringle Jingle fundraiser at 8 a.m. on Dec. 9, at the Fremont Street Experience. The head Santa will be Mayor Oscar Goodman and Robin Leach will head up event festivities. Registration fees are $45 prior to Dec. 9 and $75 on race day, call 702.259.3741.
The Smoking Gun is reporting that a Scottish couple is suing Caesars Palace for negligence and emotional distress after they discovered their six-year-old daughter had found a used condom within the sheets of a made bed and put it in her mouth. They are seeking an undisclosed amount in excess of $10,000. If this story sounds familiar it should, a similar lawsuit arose a couple of years ago with the Rio All-Suite hotel.
http://www.eyeonvegas.net/site/neweye.html
To celebrate the official Star Trek convention, hey George Takei’s gotta get paid; the Star Trek Experience (Las Vegas Hilton) is offering a comprehensive admiral’s experience simply named The Klingon Feast Buffet. For $169.99 American dollars, trek fans receive a plethora of cool Trek swag, a fully interactive behind the scenes experience of … well … the experience and a yoked-out buffet featuring a sushi bar, prime rib station and many more, which can be enjoyed while a Star Trek trivia game ensues. The Klingon Feast Buffet will be offered August 17-20, for more informatione-mail the Trekkies here.
http://www.eyeonvegas.net/site/neweye.html
Lucio Ristorante has opened at 8615 W. Sahara Ave., the former location of Jazzed Cafe. Specialties include a variety of risotti, house-made gnocchi, veal-stuffed cannelloni, eggplant Parmigiana, Cioppino and Alaskan halibut Livornese. Live music also is featured. Hours are 4 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
reviewjournal.com — Neon - RESTAURANT NEWS
The Strip and the American Stock Exchange collided Thursday morning, as Wayne Newton rang the exchange’s opening bell.
The Killers are all from Las Vegas, the band vaulted to fame from Las Vegas and the title of its new album is Sam’s Town, named for the locals casino on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas.
WEEKENDS AT THE LAS VEGAS HILTON
An ongoing blog about the adventures of a traveler who makes the Las Vegas Hilton his “home away from home.”
“ELVIS AND ME” - Monday, June 26th 2006
What could be more synonymous with the Las Vegas Hilton than Elvis Presley, who entertained an estimated 2.5 million people at the resort from his first engagement on July 31, 1969 to his final show on December 12, 1976. A statue was dedicated in his honor on September 8, 1978 and then moved from the showroom to the lobby of the Hilton. In 2005, the statue was put in storage while the property began its multi-million dollar renovation, including the transformation of its lobby.
That’s the background to my recent visit to Las Vegas, because I had heard from the EU (Elvis Underground) that the statue was going to be unveiled in a special ceremony in the front of the Las Vegas Hilton. I called my contact at the property to confirm that, indeed, it was going to happen, and flew out for the event. I even wore my blue suede shoes.
After checking in and getting a cup of coffee and a bear claw at Fortuna (I met the wine guy there, but that’s a great story for my next blog entry), I headed out to the front of the hotel, where the ceremony would take place (instead of returning the statue of Elvis to the Hilton’s stunning new lobby, resort executives created a special courtyard just to the right of the front entrance where Elvis fans can relax and view the tribute to the King of Rock and Roll).
I confess I never met Elvis, but I was all shook up about the chance to see the new location for the statue and the fact that Janie Steele, who knew him when she worked as a “camera girl” and who continues to work at the Las Vegas Hilton, would be participating in the ceremony.
I staked out my spot in the front, next to the news media and the local Elvis fan club, waiting for the ceremony. Elvis music was playing over speakers prior to the ceremony -nice touch- and I realized that this was going to be a dignified ceremony. There were no Elvis impersonators around, although it would have been a nice touch to see the Flying Elvi hit the ground right at the end of the proceedings (of course, they might have missed their mark in the small courtyard and landed on the statue, which would be both sacrilegious and embarrassing). But this is not Heartbreak Hotel, this is the Las Vegas Hilton, and they handled it just right.
The excitement was building. Then I started to think: Is there such as thing as an Elvis statue groupie? After all, I had taken time out of my semi-busy schedule to fly out for the unveiling, had staked out a spot next to the statue, and had even contemplated wearing a gold lamé suit. I concluded I was okay because I hadn’t asked the statue for an autograph.
The ceremony began, interrupting my bizarre thoughts. Ira David Sternberg, the vice president of communications for the Las Vegas Hilton (and host of “Lunchtime with Ira” which you can hear live and pod cast on this web site) introduced Rudy Prieto, CEO and general manager of the property, who spoke about the history of Elvis and his relationship with the Las Vegas Hilton. He then joined Janie in pulling the drape off the statue while photos were taken and Elvis fans were yelling.
Then both Rudy and Janie were interviewed by media and I took advantage of the moment (it’s now or never) to walk up to Janie and ask and few questions about Elvis.
“Did you ever sing with Elvis?” I asked Janie.
“No, I just took pictures.”
“Did you ever want to sing with him?”
“No, he was a nice man but I never wanted to sing with him”
I sang a few bars of “Hound Dog.”
“What do you think?”
“Well…”
“Now, don’t be cruel.”
“In that case, I’ll defer to others.”
What Janie was implying (I think) was that I should keep my day job and just enjoy coming to the Las Vegas Hilton for fun and relaxation. I’ll probably take her up on the suggestion.
The Las Vegas Hilton knows how to throw an event that simultaneously benefits both the property and the entertainment capital of world.
Elvis would have loved it. Viva Las Vegas!
You can visit the Las Vegas Hilton’s website here:
http://www.lvhilton.com/
You will also enjoy “Lunchtime With Ira.”
Third Hotel Planned For South Vegas by Rick Garman
St. Rose Parkway is considered the “gateway” of Las Vegas for those driving in to the city from Los Angeles along I-15. It’s the exit on the freeway about 11 miles south of Mandalay Bay – the first one you come to after Sin City comes into view.
Big things are in the works for this dusty intersection with the announcement of a third major hotel planned, bringing the total future investment in the area to around $6 billion.
Previously announced were Southern Highlands Resort, a $2 billion mixed-use project that will include 3,200 hotel rooms, a casino, shopping, entertainment, and a residential component on 100 acres, and M Resort, a $1.8 billion, 1,000 room hotel/casino/condo complex planned for right across the street on 79 acres.
Now, before a shovel full of earth has been turned, the folks behind M are planning to take over another corner at the intersection of St. Rose and Las Vegas Blvd. S. for a third resort – this one worth another $2 billion or so with 1,500 rooms, condos, a casino, shopping, and more.
M Resort is scheduled to begin construction this fall with its sister property breaking ground around the time M opens in late 2008. Southern Highlands is expected to open in 2008 or 2009.
http://www.vegas4visitors.com/column/index.htm
Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular by Rick Garman
I really wanted to like this show. I swear I did. I was willing to set aside my pre-conceived notions about what I thought Andrew Lloyd-Webber musicals were like and what I thought “Phantom” was like – notions generated, I might add, without having ever seen any production (stage or screen) of this particular show and having had very limited exposure to Lloyd-Webber’s canon. And what were those pre-conceived notions? Simple: That Lloyd-Webber is undeniably talented but toils mostly in overblown melodrama and that “Phantom,” while undeniably popular (longest running show on Broadway), is probably one of the most overblown of the bunch.
Seeing the new Las Vegas production of the show now playing in a new $40 million theater at The Venetian unfortunately didn’t dispel any of those notions for me.
First, it’s worth noting that this is not “Phantom of the Opera” specifically. That show has a running time somewhere north of 2 ½ hours (with intermission) while this production, named “Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular,” clocks in at a sleek 90 minutes or so (with no intermission). Do the math and that means at least 45 minutes of material has been yanked and probably even more since some special effects pyrotechnics have been added that eat up a couple of minutes.
According to someone I trust who had seen the original Broadway version and this version, the core of the show and all its important moments are still there. Songs like “Music of the Night,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “All I Ask of You,” and “Masquerade” are all still here as is the basic plot: In early 1900’s Paris, opera diva wannabe Christine is torn between her love for a handsome, stable, kind of boring guy and her love/obsessions with a mask-wearing, possibly psychopathic, freak show who kidnaps her and lives in a watery underground lair beneath the Paris Opera House.
I’m being reductive, but I that’s really what it boils down to.
What is missing, according to my trusted colleague, is a lot of the up-front character development that helps to explain the Phantom’s attraction/obsession with Christine and vice versa. What I, a neophyte to the story, walked away with a puzzling wonderment as to where the conflict in the story was. What I got was that the Phantom was quite, quite demented and I didn’t see why Christine would’ve had even the slightest interest in him. Then again, this is the very crux of just about every episode of the “Jerry Springer Show” so perhaps there’s something to it after all.
The bottom line is I didn’t feel the slightest bit of sympathy for this character, which seems like a crucial element for the show to work.
Adding to my problems with the story (or at least this version of it), were my problems with the show itself. From its plodding pacing to its extended stretches of operatic balladry, this is not what you’d call a perky show. And much of that balladry has a rote sameness to it after awhile, to the point where you begin to believe that there are basically three songs in the entire 90 minutes that they keep repeating and reprising. There is very little up-tempo about it, and while I wasn’t expecting a Busby Berkley musical, I would have liked something more to enliven the production other than on-stage explosions.
Ah yes, the “Spectacular” part of “Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular.” What you’ve got are various pyrotechnics, flash pots explosions, some fireworks, and some admittedly cool trickery with the chandelier. It’s really nothing to get too worked up about and actually annoying in some places because the flashes are so bright that they actually keep you from seeing what is going on around them. It also reduces the effectiveness of the “big moment” of the show involving said chandelier, which feels a little bit of a let down after lots of things blowing up.
The staging itself is what I’d ascribe the word spectacular to. The stage and entire theater are transformed from an abandoned opera house to an in-its-prime version in the blink of an eye and the sets (especially the Phantom’s lair) are visually stunning.
Performances are very good across the board but with no real stand-outs. I’m going to place the blame for the lack of character development on the cut-down production and not on the actors themselves, fairly or not.
Going back to that colleague of mine who had seen many productions of “Phantom”… She loved this version, even getting worked to misty tears by the end of it. Now, I wonder if she was filling in holes in the story because she knew what was supposed to be there, therefore getting her to an emotional level that newbies like myself could never attain, but that’s a question without an answer.
I wonder about the long-term viability of this show, which just doesn’t feel like a fit for Vegas. Does the high-profile failure of other Broadway transplants like “Hairspray” and “Avenue Q” bode poorly for “Phantom” or is it such a force of its own (did I mention? Longest running show on Broadway?) that it doesn’t need things like character development, pacing, and energy to sustain it? I’ll check back with you in a year or so.
Vegas4Visitors Grade: C
Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular The Venetian 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Las Vegas, NV 89109 866-641-7469 Website Tickets:
$82-$157 Showtimes:
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat 7 and 10pm
Thurs & Sun 7pm only
http://www.vegas4visitors.com/column/index.htm
How to Play Blackjack By Bill Burton
Some players call the game blackjack and some call it twenty-one. No matter what you call it, the object of the game was best described in the title of Edward O Thorp’s 1963 best selling book that started the blackjack revolution. The title of the book and the objective of the game is Beat the Dealer!
Blackjack is played with one, two, four, six or eight decks of cards. Some casino are also using continuous shuffling machine. In single and double deck games the dealer holds the cards and deals them out. In multi-deck games the cards are dealt out of a tray like box that is called a shoe. The casinos are stating to look at continuous shufflers that are a shoe that shuffle as well as hold the cards.
More Here:
http://casinogambling.about.com/od/blackjack/a/Blackjack101.htm
Brett Butler Appearing At The Tropicana
The Tropicana Resort & Casino proudly announces a one-night only show by stand-up comic, successful author and talented actress, Brett Butler, on Saturday, August 26, 2006 in the Tiffany Theatre.
Brett Butler is best known for her role as quick-witted Grace Kelly on the hit ABC-TV series “Grace Under Fire,” where she not only served as the show’s star, but also the executive producer. She received a People’s Choice award for her work on the sitcom. She recently made her big return to the small screen as “Joy’s Mom” on the hilarious new NBC sitcom, “My Name Is Earl.”
Brett has toured the United States with her sidesplitting no-holds-barred stand-up performance for more than 20 years. She’s known as the “Southern Lenny Bruce.” Her keen observations, and bold, brash delivery combine to create a distinct and unforgettable comic style.
Besides her stand-up comedy and television work, Brett is also a notable author. Her autobiography, Knee Deep in Paradise, made The New York Times Bestseller list.
Brett Butler performs in the Tiffany Theatre at the Tropicana Resort & Casino on Saturday, August 26, 2006 at 7:30pm for one night only. Tickets are $49, plus tax and surcharge, and are available by calling the Tropicana box office at 702.739.2411. Guests must be at least 21 years of age to attend the show.
Britney Spears Added to IP “Legends in Concert” Celebrity Tribute Show
Katie Murdock has realized her dream – singing and getting paid to do it – as she impersonates Britney Spears in “Legends in Concert” at the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino.
Murdock sings “Oops! … I Did It Again,” “I’m a Slave 4 U,” “Toxic,” “(You Drive Me) Crazy,” “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” and “… Baby One More Time.”
The 21-year-old singer grew up in Draper, Utah, and sang with her family at weddings and parties. Just one year ago, Murdock – who had been told all through high school that she looked like the the pop phenomenon – auditioned for and was chosen for a summer Britney Spears impersonator show in New Hampshire. From this experience as her first-ever paid performance, she realized that her dream of singing professionally could become a career.
Britney Spears appears in “Legends in Concert” through Sept. 9 along with Jay Leno, The Temptations, Prince, Tina Turner and Elvis Presley. Now in its 24th year, “Legends” is a full-production spectacular with dancers, singers and live musicians. Enjoy incredible look-alike and sound-alike performances of an ever-changing lineup of superstars. Shows nightly at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. except Sunday. Tickets are $49.95 and $59.95; children 12 and under beginning at $34.95. Dinner and show packages are available. For reservations, call 702.794.3261 or toll-free 888.777.7664. For more information, visit www.imperialpalace.com.
The Mentalist Headlining Evening Show Time at the Legendary Stardust Resort & Casino
Award-winning mentalist Gerry McCambridge announces his new evening performance schedule in the Stardust Theater at the Legendary Stardust Resort & Casino. Beginning Friday, July 21, the new show time will be 9 p.m. nightly, dark Sundays.
Due to overwhelming success and popularity of his show, McCambridge is moving on from his afternoon performances in the 250-seat Hypnotic Lounge to the impressive Stardust Theater, which seats 850. McCambridge has been performing at the Stardust for six weeks. His fan base has been expanding quickly with his recent move to the Stardust from an off-Strip casino where his 3-week contract was extended to a record-breaking 47 weeks with the property.
“I am honored to have had such positive responses from audiences and employees at the Stardust,” said McCambridge. “But it is still a pleasant surprise to have the opportunity to headline nightly in the Stardust Theater so soon after arriving.”
The Mentalist’s show is a mixture of comedy, mind reading, intuition and unusual predictions. The show is full of audience participation. Throughout the show, audience members select each other as volunteers in order to demonstrate there is no conspiracy occurring. McCambridge has a standing offer of $25,000 payable to anyone who can prove he uses stooges, audience plants, confederates, or collects any secret information prior to the show to accomplish his amazing feats of impossible-to-believe skills of mentalism.
McCambridge has appeared on many national television shows including “The Today Show,” “Special Report on CNBC,” “Late Night with David Letterman,” “The Best Damn Sports Show…Period,” “Soap Talk,” and “The Vegas Show.” He starred in a critically acclaimed one man off-Broadway show in New York City, as well as starred in and executive produced NBC’s “The Mentalist,” which currently airs worldwide. In 2005, the International Psychic Entertainers Association unanimously voted him as the World’s Top Entertainer in the area of comedy and mentalism.
General admission tickets for The Mentalist are $27.95, VIP seats are $32.95. To purchase tickets, call the Stardust box office at (702) 732-6325. For more information on Gerry McCambridge, The Mentalist, visit www.mentalist.com.
VegasTalk Radio Show - July 20, 2006
VegasTalk Radio Show - The FIRST Internet Radio Variety Show from Las Vegas ABOUT LAS VEGAS!!!
You can NOW listen to ALL of the previous guest interviews under “Show Archives” on the website!
http://www.VegasTalkRadio.com
Since our show has been running for several years now, there are quite a few. So you’ll need to select the Intial of the Last Name of our guests to locate them. Take a look around and listen in! Each interview runs less than 20 minutes.
This week’s show for Thursday, July 20, 2006 contains:
An interview Alfie Capers who has one of those super smooth sit-up-and-listen voices that makes you want to kick your shoes off, lay back and disappear into the incredibly tasty sound: He is a class act and his “celebration” of the world’s greatest singers includes tributes to Lou Rawls, Barry White, Larry Graham, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Arthur Prysock, Tony Bennett and others. Alfie Capers has one of those super smooth sit-up-and-listen voices that makes you want to kick your shoes off, lay back and disappear into the incredibly tasty sound.
The “Vegas Confidential” call with Norm Clarke, Norm is voted “Most Connected” person in town and daily columnist for the Review Journal and author of the best selling “1,000 Naked Truths”. http://www.NormClarke.com
“Show Happenings” with Chuck Rounds - Chuck reviews the events happening this week in Las Vegas. http://www.igoshows.com
“Fine Dining” with Les Kincaid. http://www.LesKincaid.com
“The Godfather of Las Vegas”, Mark Wayman’s Insider Report http://www.godfatherlv.com
The weekly variety and entertainment show broadcasts LIVE and will be archived online at the VegasTalk Radio website (http://www.vegastalkradio.com/?a=1327) by midnight the same day it plays.
Sign Up for IP’s Imperial Player Club to Receive Fun Book Worth $850 in Discounts
When is free membership worth $850?
When new members join the free Imperial Player Club at the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino through Sept. 14 and get a Fun Book worth more than $850 in valuable coupons.
The Fun Book has 39 discounts for shows, attractions, bars, restaurants, retail shops, spas and salons at the Imperial Palace and seven other Las Vegas properties owned by Harrah’s Entertainment: Bally’s, Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah’s, O’Sheas, Paris and Rio. The coupons are valid through the end of the year.
Coupons at the IP include discounts on “Legends in Concert,” the Imperial Hawaiian Luau, The Auto Collections, Emperor’s Buffet, Burger Palace and The Spa.
GOING TO BAT FOR A COMEDIAN
It’s baseball, comedy, opera (phantom of) and Nat King Cole on next week’s (July 24) “Lunchtime with Ira.” Ira David Sternberg talks with comedian Jon Lovitz, Don Logan, general manager of the Las Vegas 51’s, Brent Barrett (who plays the Phantom in “Phantom of the Opera”) and Christopher Nolan who sings as Nat King Cole. “Lunchtime with Ira” is a weekly radio show broadcast live from the Las Vegas Hilton on KDWN AM 720 TALK RADIO in Las Vegas, carried nationally on Cable Radio Networks (CRN), streamed live, archived and podcast on www.lvhilton.com,
and aired on the Watchit Television Network (Watchit Media, Inc.) channels on hotel in-room television sets.
TAKE FIVE: Bodies … The Exhibition
By Kristen Peterson from The Las Vegas Sun
Roy Glover stands next to a skinned cadaver and sips a Diet Coke. “Did you know you can tie a bone in a knot?” he says.
Glover must be a riot at cocktail parties. The former University of Michigan anatomy professor is the man behind the controversial traveling display of Chinese cadavers, “Bodies … The Exhibition,” which opens June 23 at the Tropicana.
The show features 21 whole bodies and 260 body parts - all preserved using silicone rubber. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have filed past these unknowns to get a closer look inside the human body. Organizers say the bodies are from a medical school in northern China. Protesters have questioned who they were and whether they knew that they would be seeing the world or that the world would be seeing them.
More Here:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/do/2006/jun/15/566650768.html
————-
Aging New Frontier to become Montreux on the Strip
By Liz Benston
The Kansas real estate tycoon who bought the New Frontier eight years ago has long had designs on creating a Strip resort rivaling the best in town.
By the end of this year, Phil Ruffin hopes to start making good on that intention, by replacing his aging casino with a $2 billion hotel named after Montreux, the Swiss resort town alongside Lake Geneva.
Ruffin, who made millions in dollies, gas stations and modestly priced hotels, has never built a resort. Nor has Paul Steelman, Ruffin’s appointed visionary and a veteran casino architect, ever designed a Strip resort from the bottom up.
More from the Las Vegas Sun here:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2006/jun/15/566687150.html
————-
Enjoy Casual Seafood Dining at Cockeyed Clam
Imperial Palace’s New Restaurant Features New England-Style Fare
If you’re looking for “comfort food” – New England-style, eat at Cockeyed Clam, the newest restaurant at the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino, opening for dinner Friday, May 26.
Let Clammy – the restaurant’s advertising icon – introduce you to a delicious assortment of seafood including shrimp, scallops, crab, catfish, calamari, oysters, mussels, lobster and, of course, clams cooked in the same tasty way you’ve always enjoyed at the family dinner table.
The extensive menu embodies New England-style cooking beginning with its signature secret recipe hot and steamy clam chowder – made with special herbs and fresh cherrystone clams flown in from New England. Or, have a Martha Vineyard’s salad, prepared with Boston Bibb lettuce. And, there’s spinach artichoke dip baked with Vermont white cheddar cheese.
All fried fish selections are hand-breaded with either batter made from Samuel Adams beer, another New England favorite, or Cockeyed Clam’s signature panko and cornmeal breading.
“You won’t find a better, lighter, crisper popcorn shrimp anywhere,” said Stan
Caldwell, assistant executive chef, who, based on his own experience living in New England, helped executive chef Andreas Maeder create the menu.
From that experience, Caldwell included on the menu “the real deal” – one of New England’s traditions – a lobster roll, Maine lobster salad on a toasted sourdough roll.
Seafood entrees also include halibut, yellow fin tuna and Chilean sea bass plus seafood pastas and a variety of fish and chip baskets.
In honor of its namesake, Cockeyed Clam offers clams casino, fried clam strips and clams on the half-shell.
And Clammy says leave room for dessert – Boston cream pie, the ultimate strawberry tall cake, Boston chocolate fudge cake, lemon meringue pie – or top some cranberry bread pudding with Vermont maple nut ice cream.
Cockeyed Clam, located in the space previously occupied by Seahouse on the fifth floor of the Pagoda Tower, will open for dinner 5 p.m. Friday through Tuesday.
www.casinotravelnews.com
————–
Keep kids off casino floor
By Len Butcher/The Las Vegas Review Journal
I love casinos, not just the casinos themselves, but the whole package, from the entertainment to the dining and everything in between. What’s not to love? Plush surroundings, someone serving you drinks at minimum cost while you play, scantily-clad servers to ogle, beautiful people to watch, kids crying or even screaming as they pull and tug while their parents are trying to maneuver them through and around the casino floor.
Wait. There’s something wrong with this picture. Isn’t the casino floor off limits to anyone under 21 and most certainly to those who not only aren’t old enough to drink and gamble legally, but who can hardly walk or talk?
Seems not, by what I’ve seen recently, although I must say it’s much more prevalent in our locals casinos.
I was sitting minding my own business playing video poker the other night at Green Valley Ranch when suddenly, someone slammed into my chair, almost knocking me out of it. No, it wasn’t some drunk who stumbled into me–it was a kid of about five years old running away from his siblings who were laughing maniacally as they chased their brother around the slot machines. Disconcerting? Annoying? Those two words come quickly to mind, and this was only one of many such incidents that occurred throughout the night, without any casino personnel taking any action.
To be fair, Green Valley Ranch is not alone. And this type of behavior is not exclusive to locals casinos. I have followed strollers through the casino floor much too often lately when I’ve visited Strip hotels. The law states that anyone underage (meaning 21) is not allowed directly on the casino floor. That’s why there are walkways (aisles) around the perimeter of the gambling areas so that you can get from one part of the casino to the other without walking in a restricted area.
I have always felt that children and teenagers should only be allowed to visit restaurants or go to movies in a casino, and then leave. They shouldn’t be allowed to wander around or watch people gamble. You would think security in our casinos would enforce the existing rules, not only to keep the resorts out of trouble with the Gaming Board, but to prevent players like myself from getting annoyed and taking our business elsewhere.
http://www.valleyblogs.com/lenny/2006-07-19/id_1530
NORM: Beacher planning splash in ketchup.
Plus-sized comedy show producer Jeff Beacher has another big-splash promotion in the works.
For this stunt, near the Imperial Palace on Aug. 29, the ringmaster of “Beacher’s Madhouse” will be wrapped in dough by little people, hoisted 10 stories and dropped into a 10,000-gallon tub of ketchup.
He’ll be promoting the grand opening of his “Madhouse” spinoff, “The Rockhouse,” in the Imperial Palace space formerly occupied by Tequila Joe’s karaoke bar. He also hopes to set a world record by staying submerged in the gooey tomato sauce for 10 minutes.
Beacher said the stunt drop will be held in front of a street festival crowd of 7,000 to 10,000 on Caesars Way, between the Imperial Palace and Flamingo Road.
In December 2004, Beacher, wearing only a Speedo and a breathing mask, jumped into a 10,000-gallon fish tank at the Rainforest Cafe at the MGM Grand to promote the opening of “Madhouse” at the Hard Rock Hotel.
That stunt landed him in hot water with gaming giant MGM Mirage, which banned him from its properties for four months.
“Beacher’s Madhouse” ends its two-plus-year run at the Hard Rock Hotel on Saturday. The finale, which starts at 10 p.m., is being shot for a pilot for Fox.
Actress Lindsay Lohan will attend with her new boyfriend, Harry Morton, executive producer of the “Madhouse” and son of Hard Rock Hotel owner Peter Morton
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jul-28-Fri-2006/news/8749835.html.
Lenny’s Las Vegas.
Shows Hit Marks.
Legends In Concert and Mamma Mia! reach significant milestones.
Couple of milestones hit two of our hotels. At the Imperial Palace, Veronica Flori, and her fiancé, Charles Bray, were just entering the Imperial Theatre to see the 7:30 p.m. show of Legends in Concert when they were asked to step out of the line. Bray said at first he thought they were in trouble, but couldn’t figure out how. “We didn’t cut in line, so we didn’t know what was going on.”
Turns out the couple from Ottawa, IL (actually it was Veronica, as she entered first) was the 5 millionth showgoer to see the celebrity tribute spectacular, which is now in its 24th year. The surprised pair were escorted to their VIP table by showgirls, toasted with a bottle of Dom Perignon, and introduced to the audience from the stage by a Jay Leno impersonator, who announced to the lucky winners their gifts of a Luv Tub Getaway and $500 in cash.
When the show’s finale began, Veronica and Charles were escorted onto the stage, where they received an oversized certificate marking this milestone, while being serenaded by the entire cast, led by Matt Lewis as Elvis, singing Viva Las Vegas. “We felt like we just won a jackpot,” said Charles. Quite a night for the couple and one they will long remember.
And at Mandalay Bay, MAMMA MIA!, welcomed its 1.5 millionth guest. Didn’t hear who it was or what they got, if anything, but quite an accomplishment for this musical hit that premiered in early 2003. It remains the longest running and most successful full-scale Broadway musical ever to play the Las Vegas Strip. And that’s saying something seeing how Broadway shows have fared over the years here, especially this year, with Avenue Q, and then Hairspray, making quick exits.
CANNERY OPENINGS
Dropped over to the The Cannery last week to take a look at its new race & sports book as well as the new poker room which are now open. They did a great job and I like the idea of the race and sports book being away from the casino floor. It’s located just before you get to the theaters, and next to the poker room. Under construction are Vino’s Italian Restaurant and Deli, (almost directly across from the sports book) and a new Bingo room. Both are skedded to open in late summer.
The new poker room offers 14 tables including low- and medium-limit Texas Hold’em, Omaha and 7- Card Stud. The casino will continue to host daily Texas Hold-Em tournaments at 10 a.m., as well as its monthly “Free-roll” Tournament, among other promotions.
The new Race & Sports Book has a theme consistent with the casino, including murals depicting the 1940’s era and the Cannery’s famous pin-up girls. The raised ceilings stretch three stories for cleaner air and improved climate control. The room features a total of 129 seats with individual 15-inch computer screen and earphones at each lighted player station. The sports viewing area boasts state-of-the-art electronic boards easily viewed at the front and back of the room. A 60-inch center screen will be utilized for the featured races each day. The room also includes 10, 50-inch LCD television screens and eight wagering windows.
Source: Lenny’s Las Vegas/Las Vegas Review Journal
THE STRIP: Boyd Gaming selling South Coast.
Boyd Gaming Corp. Tuesday announced it has reached an agreement to sell its newest hotel-casino, the 1,350-room South Coast, to the man who built it.
The resort on Las Vegas Boulevard south of McCarran International Airport will be sold to Michael Gaughan, founder and former operator of Coast Casinos, which Boyd Gaming acquired two years ago in a $1.3 billion merger.
The sale is expected to close in the second half of 2006, pending regulatory approval. It will be sold for a yet-to-be determined price equal to the net proceeds from the sale of approximately 15.8 million shares of Boyd Gaming stock owned by Gaughan.
More from The Las Vegas Review Journal here:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jul-26-Wed-2006/business/8700138.html
MIKE WEATHERFORD: Aladdin’s large theater getting a makeover, smaller venue being built.
People take vacations in the summer but you don’t often think about extended breaks for theaters.
The Aladdin’s 7,000-seat theater will go dormant for about three months after the touring production of “Cats” today through Sunday. Casino officials hope to reopen it in November.
Hotel spokeswoman Amy Sadowsky says the theater — the only part of the original 1970s Aladdin to survive the implosion and rebuilding process — will get a makeover of the lobby and an improved means of curtaining down the seating capacity for shows that don’t require the full configuration.
More from the Las Vegas Review Journal here:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jul-27-Thu-2006/living/8672395.html
WIN A NIGHT AND DINNER AT
Help Caesars celebrate their 40th birthday!
Got a great anecdote about something that happened to you
at Caesars Palace?
Write us at TheStripPodcast@aol.com
or call (206) 424-4737 by Aug. 1.
We’ll select the best by Aug 3.
If you win, you’ll get a night at Caesars and
dinner at Bradley Ogden.
Good luck!
http://www.stevefriess.com/podcast/caesars.htm
Upcoming Las Vegas Entertainment: August 2006
August 1 Reel Big Fish & MXPX - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 1-2 Lewis Black - MGM Grand (702) 891-7777
August 2 Boogie Knights - South Coast Casino, (702) 797-8055
August 2 X and Rollins Band with The Riverboat Gamblers - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 3 Cross Canadian Ragweed - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 3 USA Men’s Senior National Team Exhibition - Thomas & Mack, (702) 739-FANS
August 3-6 Bill Engvall - Orleans Hotel, (702) 365-7111
August 3-6 Miss Teen of the Nation Pageants - Red Rock Station, (702) 797-7777
August 3-9 David Copperfield - MGM Grand (702) 891-7777
August 4 Billy Ray Cyrus - Boulder Station, (702) 547-5300
August 4 KC’s Boogie Blast - Hard Rock Hotel, (702) 693-5000
August 4 G Love and Special Sauce - Palms Hotel, (702) 942-7777
August 4 Dustin Kensrue, Chuck Ragan Yellow Red Sparks - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 4 Ricardo Arjona - Orleans Hotel, (702) 365-7111
August 4 Johnny Rivers - Texas Station, (702) 547-5300
August 4 Eddie Griffin - Mandalay Bay, (702) 632-7777
August 4 Al Green - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 4-5Kevin James - Mirage Hotel, (702) 791-7111
August 4-5 Jerry Seinfeld - Caesars Palace, (702) 731-7110
August 4-6 Kyle Eastwood - Suncoast Casino, (702) 636-7075
August 4-6 Somebody Loves You Crusades (Free) Thomas & Mack Center, (702) 966-7662
August 5 Olivia Newton-John - Buffalo Bill’s Hotel, (702) 386-7867
August 5 Steve Holy - Santa Fe Station, (702) 547-5300
August 5 Chubby Checkers & Martha Reeves - South Coast Casino, (702) 797-8055
August 5 Flock of Seagulls - Hard Rock Hotel, (702) 693-5000
August 5 Yellowcard with Matchbook Romance, Hedley - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 5 Rendevous Allstars: Wayman Tisdale, Kirk Whalum, - Boulder Station, (702) 547-5300
August 6-7 AFI with Saosin and Darker My Love - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 10 Molotov - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 10 Top Rank Boxing Brian Viloria vs. Omar Nino - Orleans Arena, (702) 365-7111
August 10-12 Frankie Avalon & Bobby Rydell - Orleans Hotel, (702) 365-7111
August 10-23 Tom Jones - MGM Grand (702) 891-7777
August 11 Asleep at the Wheel - Silverton Hotel, (702) 263-7777
August 11 Billy Idol - Mandalay Bay, (702) 726-3592
August 11 Wynonna - Buffalo Bill’s Hotel, (702) 386-7867
August 11-12 Jay Leno - Mirage Hotel, (702) 791-7111
August 11-13 En Vogue - Suncoast Hotel, (702) 636-7111
August 12 K-1 Battle at Bellagio - Bellagio Hotel, (702) 693-7111
August 12 Ambrosia, John Ford Coley, Stephen Bishop - Cannery Casino, (702) 507-5700
August 12 Hasim Rahman vs. Oleg Maskaev - Thomas & Mack, (702) 739-FANS
August 12 John Kay & Steppenwolf - Boulder Station, (702) 547-5300
August 12 Shakira - Mandalay Bay, (702) 726-3592
August 12 Steppenwolf - Boulder Station, (702) 547-5300
August 12 Lonestar - Sunset Station Hotel, (702) 547-7777
August 12 Morris Day and the Time - Henderson Pavilion, (702) 267-4849
August 12-13 Korn - Hard Rock Hotel, (702) 693-5000
August 13 Alice Cooper - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 15 Roots Rock Reggae Festival - Palms Hotel, (702) 942-7777
August 16 Champions on Ice - Orleans Hotel, (702) 365-7111
August 16-20 Neil Sedaka - Orleans Hotel, (702) 365-7111
August 17 Buddy Guy & Robert Cray - Mandalay Bay, (702) 632-7777
August 17-20 Star Trek Las Vegas Convention - Hilton, (818) 409-0960 ext. 225
August 18 Summer Storm: Norman Brown, Patti Austin, Alex Bugnon - Boulder Station, (702) 547-5300
August 18 Kottonmouth Kings - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 18 B 52’s - Mandalay Bay, (702) 632-7580
August 18 Boz Scaggs- House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 18 Kathy Griffin - Mandalay Bay, (702) 726-3592
August 18 Def Leppard - Mandalay Bay Events Center, (702) 726-3592
August 18-19 Wayne Brady - Mirage Hotel, (702) 791-7111
August 18-20 Stayin’ Alive - The Australian Bee Gees Show - Suncoast Casino, (702) 636-7075
August 19 Michael Franks - Boulder Station, (702) 547-5300
August 19 Shaolin Kung Fu Spectacular - Orleans Arena, (702) 284-7777
August 19 Dennis Wise - Santa Fe Station, (702) 547-5300
August 19 Los Lonely Boys - Mandalay Bay, (702) 632-7580
August 19 Nickelback - Mandalay Bay, (702) 632-7777
August 20 Ted Nugent - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 22 First Day of Autumn
August 22-25 14th Gentlemen’s Club Owners Expo - Mandalay Bay, (702) 726-3592
August 24-26 Reba McEntire - Las Vegas Hilton, (702) 732-5111
August 24 Exotic Dancer’s Award Show - Mandalay Bay, (727) 726-3592
August 24-27 David Sanborn & Jacqui Naylor - Orleans Hotel, (702) 365-7111
August 24-September 20 David Copperfield - MGM Grand (702) 891-7777
August 25 Sellout Comedy Tour - Boulder Station, (702) 547-5300
August 25-26 Brad Garrett - Mirage Hotel, (702) 791-7111
August 25-27 Tower of Power - Suncoast Casino, (702) 636-7075
August 26 Hootie & the Blowfish - Silverton Hotel, (702) 263-7777
August 26 Jodeci - House of Blues, (702) 632-7600
August 26 Brett Butler - Tropicana Hotel, (702) 739-2411
August 26 UFC 622 - Mandalay Bay, (727) 726-3592
August 26 Berlin and The Romantics - South Coast Casino, (702) 797-8055
August 26 Mel Tillis & Roy Clark - Buffalo Bill’s Hotel, (702) 386-7867
Aug 31-Sept 3 Air Supply - Orleans Hotel, (702) 365-7111
http://www.searchlasvegasshows.com/august.html
Living In Las Vegas Podcast #24 is Online!
Episode #24 of The Living In Las Vegas Podcast is now available.
Title: Melissa Tests the Judicial System
Today’s edition of the Living In Las Vegas Podcast highlights Melissa’s path from getting a speeding ticket to exiting the Las Vegas judicial system.
Show notes:
Thanks for filling out our listener survey
Bobblehead-o-rama
MountainView Hospital update
Melissa tells us a story
This week’s Hot or Horrible: Landry’s Seafood House MP3: http://www.livinginlv.com/podcasts/LivingInLVPodcast24.mp3
Streaming MP3: http://www.livinginlv.com/podcasts/LiLV24.m3u
Visit the Website: www.LivingInLV.com
Thanks for listening! Send your on-air questions to onairq@livinginlv.com. Leave a voice mail and hear yourself “on the air” by calling the Living In Las Vegas Listener Line: 206.202.3223.
Cheers,
– Scott
—————–
From “Eye On Vegas”
Cirque Preparing to Freak out
An Eye on Vegas Exclusive
No entertainment company has had as much of an impact on the ‘new’ Las Vegas than Cirque du Soleil. With five shows currently operating on the Strip, hundreds of thousands of visitors have been thrilled by the French-Canadian company while plunking down some of the city’s highest ticket prices. Our readers have also known that Cirque allegedly has plans to introduce three new shows in upcoming years; one at Mandalay Bay (which we were told would be based around Elvis Presley), one at the CityCenter and one at the Luxor. Spies now tell us that Cirque du Soleil is close to signing magician Criss Angel to an exclusive ten-year contract to perform in a new show that will be created around him for the Luxor. Angel, who is currently starring in the second season of his A&E reality show, Mindfreak, is a three-time recipient of the coveted Magician of the Year Award (2001, 2004, 2005). “MGM Mirage is close to finalizing plans for the theater at Luxor,” said a tightlipped John McCoy, Cirque’s publicist in Las Vegas. “We will make an announcement once details are finalized.”
Fremont East
Eye on Vegas Breaking News
As construction along the Strip continues at an exhaustingly frenzied pace, some very interesting developments are taking place downtown where city planners, contractors and entrepreneurial operators are giving revitalization a real go. Directly east of Fremont, the city is set to begin adding a median, widening the sidewalks and turning the street into a one-line each way variety. Add some colorful neon from days past, medallions in the sidewalk celebrating some of downtown’s greatest moments and make no bones about it, a bar crawl neighborhood is being created. While it will start with the one block, which city planners expect to have completed by next February, plans call to extend the Fremont East concept several blocks, all the way down to Eighth Street.
Already residing on that block is the popular Beauty Bar and two new projects that are approaching fall openings. “We’re getting there,” says Michael Cornthwaite with a smile, surrounded by blueprints in the construction zone that is quickly becoming his Downtown Cocktail Room (Eye on Vegas – 07/18/05). The talented operator bolted from his swanky Strip gig last year, turning in his general manger title at Paris’ Risque Nightclub (he was at the helm for the club’s more popular tenure, when Alex Cordova and Randy Davila’s Clique Entertainment handled the door and promotions for the club) for owner’s keys of a small, then-boarded-up store front on Las Vegas Boulevard. “I was spending so much time at work I figured I may as well be doing it for myself, rather than for someone else,” he noted thoughtfully. While Cornthwaite is a pioneer being one of the first to take a chance on downtown, he is certainly not alone. Around the corner, City of Angels operator Aaron Chepenik has done the same. With The Chalet, a popular Cali watering hole, pumping to the west, Chepenik too is deep in work on his newest project, The Griffin. Modeled after a Barcelona cathedral with a curved angelic ceiling, multiple fire features and stone columns that will appear chiseled out of rock, The Griffin is a perfect proto-type for what just might work on the city’s upcoming Fremont East project. With the Beauty Bar already enjoying success on the same block, Cornthwaite and Chepenik are optimistic, “The renaissance downtown has been coming for a long time,” Cornthwaite says. “The city’s commitment to the revitalization was instrumental in my decision to locate here. The nightclubs on the Strip are incredible but there is a huge void in the marketplace for this kind of experience.” Elsewhere on the same street, former Club Seven operator Zohar Robin had plans to build a nightclub and live music venue, but sources tell us those plans have gone belly-up.
Across the street at Neonopolis changes are taking place as well. A new owner has taken control of the misguided project and given the boot to all of the complex’s tenants, and that includes Jillian’s which had been enjoying renewed success as an all-ages concert venue in recent months. Already situated in the building is the Poker Dome, a live-poker venue that is airing head-to-head hold’em battles to millions of Americans via the Fox Sports Network. Spies also whisper that an Outback Corporation outlet could find a home in the complex, which is being renamed, although they couldn’t indicate which of the company’s current six brands it might be. Across the way Hennessey’s Tavern and Mickie Finnz bar are enjoying some success, finding ways to make money when it’s busy to off-set the slower periods. But bigger plans lurk in the future from the owners of those outlets. Brass – The Lounge is a concept being plugged into the second floor of that building with plans for a large neon pint of beer to reside on the second floor above Hennessey’s with plans for a potential ‘Party in the Pint’ in the works.
The minds behind these concepts understand they are competing in a different world than down on the Strip. “You can definitely count on a non-celebrity driven crowd,” laughed Cornthwaite. “Our VIPs are nice people that like to have a good time and spend a little money.” He and Chepenik agree that Las Vegas had a need for what they are building and that locals are desperate for fun and casual places where they can relax, catch up with friends or grab a drink after work. Oh, and by the way, there’s no bottle service and drinks don’t cost $14. Look for both the Griffin and Downtown Cocktail Room to open in the fall.
Prime Steak
An Eye on Vegas Exclusive
A Maxim steakhouse, say it ain’t so? When the Morgans Hotel Group purchased the Hard Rock Hotel (Eye on Vegas Breaking News – 05/16/06) it was obvious that changes were going to take place in an effort to re-brand the property into a more upscale boutique hotel on par with the Delano Hotel (Miami) and the Hudson Hotel (New York City). We also pointed out that Morgans is more than comfortable outsourcing their restaurants and pointed at Jeffrey Chodorow’s management contract for China Grill Management’s outlets in a half-dozen Morgans properties around the globe. The Eye has been told that the first restaurant at the Hard Rock to receive a new look will be AJ’s Steakhouse which will make way for another brand extension from Dennis Publishing and their venerable Maxim Magazine. From all accounts Maxim Prime will be an upscale steakhouse overseen by Chodorow and created by brilliant designer Dodd Mitchell (Sushi Roku). This seems somewhat odd as Dennis Publishing announced that a Maxim Hotel & Casino would be built on the Las Vegas Strip in coming years (Eye on Vegas – 06/06/06). Our guess, the casino plan is out and the steakhouse is in?
See RA Later
It’s official, the Luxor’s RA Nightclub has been closed to make way for three new venues from the PURE Management Group, including LAX and the Roxy, who both operate original outlets in Los Angeles, and a restaurant to be named later. We have heard lots of rumors about what that restaurant concept might be, however, it’s somewhat difficult to separate new restaurants going into the Luxor from those operated by PMG. Our list of potentials currently includes a new Todd English restaurant (Olives – Bellagio), a possible Carlos Santana venture and The Lodge concept operated by Michael Sutton in Los Angeles.
The closing of RA truly marks the start of the next generation of Vegas nightlife. When it opened in 1998 decked out with oversized Egyptian idols and a teeth-rattling sound system it proved to executives that a nightclub truly was an amenity people wanted. At the time the only other in-casino nightlife properties were MGM Grand’s Studio 54 (opened in 1998) and the Rio’s Club Rio (which opened in 1994!). With reoccurring parties from John Guzman’s Naked Hollywood and Pleasure Dome, John Huntington’s Club Rubber, Godskitchen and Spundae, the club laid out a blueprint that many have since followed. Countless influential nightclub operators were involved with or came out of the RA camp, including the legendary Steve Davidovici (PURE Management Group), guru Billy Richardson, Steven Lockwood (Director of Marketing – JET), Jerome Thomas (AGM - PURE Nightclub), Dee Spuriel (Director of Marketing – MIST), John Wood (Lead Door Host – Tryst) and even lighting and sound mastermind BJ Stanton (JET).
http://www.eyeonvegas.net
Please remember to check out our Forum group at http://www.everythinglv.com/forums
There is a lot of information there that is not in the newsletter such a Trip Reports, Restaurant Reviews, Member Need Help and many other interesting Forums.
Steve
Posted on July 28th, 2006 by MrVegas98
Filed under: Newsletter
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.