Everything Las Vegas Issue # 669
June 6th, 2008
Legends in Concert' Celebrates Silver Anniversary
On May 5, 1983, tribute artists Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin , Marilyn Monroe, Bobby Darin and Elvis performed on the stage at the Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino, and “Legends in Concert” was born.
More than 15,000 performances later, impersonators Jay Leno, Dolly Parton, Madonna, the Temptations and Elvis took to the stage on Monday, May 5, as "Legends" reaches a significant milestone achieved by few entertainment shows anywhere: 25 years of providing family-oriented, value-priced live musical entertainment, two shows per night, six nights per week.
"Legends," produced by On Stage Entertainment, remains the longest-running independently owned production show on the Las Vegas Strip.
"It has been our privilege and pleasure for the past 25 years to showcase such enormously talented tribute artists and to give the public a venue in which they could enjoy their favorite musical superstars," said Brian Brigner, chief operating officer for On Stage. "It's been a long road to get to this moment, but it's been a great ride."
In the 25 years since the show debuted, 74 celebrities have been impersonated on the Imperial Theatre stage. The most impersonated act has been the man once nicknamed “Elvis the Pelvis,” with 17 different performers paying tribute to the legendary “King of Rock 'n' Roll.”
To date, 5,416,521 showgoers have enjoyed the celebrity tribute spectacular in Las Vegas. Because of “Legends” ever-changing lineup, many come back to see multiple performances, including one devoted fan from Detroit who has seen the live musical production 2,066 times since July 1983, when she was 12 years old.
During the past 25 years, "Legends in Concert" has grown from one production in Las Vegas to year-round presentations in Branson, Mo.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; and Atlantic City, N.J. The show has traveled to 15 countries on five continents, and operates numerous fixed-based, touring, limited-term and private engagements of "Legends in Concert" throughout the world.
http://www.casinotravelnews.com
MIKE WEATHERFORD: More shows cut prices.
New shows keep turning up to challenge a soft economy, even as the city's oldest revue adopts a lower, more straight-shooting ticket price.
In fact, both shows at the Tropicana — the nearly 50-year-old "Folies Bergere" and Dirk Arthur's "Xtreme Magic" — on Sunday reduced ticket prices and eliminated special promotions such as two-for-one offers. Marketing will instead focus on "the best value on an individual ticket price," said hotel spokeswoman Lisa Keim.
"Folies" tickets now range from $42.50 to $53.50 tax included, instead of $68.90 to $78.90. Arthur's tickets range from $25 to $30.50 inclusive, instead of $33.90 to $39.40.
These aren't the first shows that seem to be challenging the "mark 'em up to mark 'em down" syndrome driven in large part by the proliferation of same-day, half-price ticket discounters. Keim says "limited business" will continue with outside vendors, but there won't be any more half-price offers in-house or through tourist publications. In April, the producer of "The World's Greatest Magic Show" cut prices to less than $30, and started a promotion offering at least 50 free tickets to the first people who call and request them each day.
The promotion is "doing OK, but so far I can't say it's the success I thought it would be," says producer Dick Feeney. "It should kick in with the kids coming in" during summer vacations, he says.
http://www.lvrj.com/living/19558699.html
Steve's Las Vegas Quickies:
Six Tables restaurant, 2110 N. Rampart Blvd., is featuring the sleight-of-hand magic of Steve Dacri at 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The show and six-course dinner are $300 per person, plus tax. For reservations, call 256-2060.
Stripburger at the Fashion Show mall, 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South, has introduced a number of new food and drink items, including a house-made veggie burger, a butterscotch shake, Chocolate Fudge Cake in a Shake and more.
Wayne Newton has taped NBC's "Celebrity Family Feud," and it will air in early July. Newton's episode included Joan Rivers, Raven-Symone (from "That's So Raven") and Ice T, and their families. Newton's family consisted of wife Kathleen, daughter Erin Newton, mother-in-law Marilyn McCrone and sister-in-law Tricia McCrone.
Illusionist Steve Wyrick just signed a 13-episode reality show deal for a show that will be titled "Steve Wyrick: Tricky Bizness." It's a hush-hush deal, so we can't name the network just yet. But he said his recent appearance on the David Letterman show has provided a shot in the arm. "We're kicking butt at the theater," Wyrick said. Plus he's on "Celebracadabra," the VH1 show that features magicians coaching celebrities through magic tricks. Paris Hilton will film her new reality show, "My New BFF," at the Tropicana on Sunday with six of the contestants, who will perform two dance routines with "Folies Bergere" cast members. The contestants will rehearse Saturday morning. "Wizard: The Musical Journey of Oz Composer Harold Arlen" will have a limited six-week run starting June 14 at the Greek Isles. The revue is narrated by Sam Arlen, the composer's son, and features Las Vegas singer George Bugatti. It's produced by Perry Damone, son of veteran entertainer Vic Damone. Wes Winters will perform "A Musical Tribute to Liberace" as an afternoon show at the Steve Wyrick Theatre at the Miracle Mile Shops adjacent to Planet Hollywood Resort starting July 1. Tickets will be $29. This news will not shock, because you probably never knew a musical impressionist named Tom Dane had a show at Wyrick's theater. But the experiment to see if a show could establish itself with performances only on Fridays failed quickly. Funny thing, but Dane really does seem to be a big star in Denmark, as his press materials claim. I've fielded calls and e-mails from two Danish journalists about the venture.
Michael Jackson, living in a guesthouse at Wayne Newton's estate? We checked the latest Jacko rumor with Newton's spokeswoman, Trish McCrone, who had a response at the ready: "He's not on the ranch, and he'd be hard to miss."
Hats off to "Jubilee!" This long-running production at Bally's celebrated 16,000 performances in May, which means it's now on its way to 17,000.
There's chatter that "Stomp Out Loud," which opened about a year ago at Planet Hollywood Resort, may be on its last legs, and replaced by a new show. The prospective replacement involves some "high-profile names," I'm told.
Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who has the Celtics in the NBA Finals for the first time in 21 years, is among a group of celebrities who have purchased penthouses at Palms Place. Hulk Hogan's estranged wife, Linda, also has one.
Local gaming legend Bob Stupak, who left his mark on Las Vegas in more ways than creating The Stratosphere, is in fair condition after abdominal surgery at University Medical Center.
Stupak, 66, has been battling leukemia for more than a year, a source close to the family said.
The phones at the call center at Planet Hollywood Resort were abuzz over UFOs early Friday. Callers were curious about the UFO convention footage that appeared on the marquee video screen. Turns out it was part of the 2 a.m.-6 a.m. filming of the movie "Race to Witch Mountain." Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was shooting scenes in front of Planet Hollywood Resort with co-star Carla Gugino while extras in alien costumes jammed the lobby.
The Elimination format is back with a new live tournament kicking off tonight at Sunset Station. Entry fee is $25 and there's a guaranteed $2,000 first-place prize. Part of that prize will be the entry fee for Sunset's $220 event on September 5. This will be a weekly event. The first round tonight is at 6 pm. Anthony Curtis will be there to play tonight along with other tournament-blackjack players you've seen on TV.
In today's Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mike Weatherford reports that the Tropicana has cut ticket prices on Folies Bergere and Xtreme Magic by 23%-39%, depending on price category. This means that a $68.90 ticket for Folies, for instance, now sells for $42.50. However, with the lower prices comes a cutback on promotional offers like 2-for-1 deals. According to Weatherford, the Trop will continue to do a small amount of discounted-ticket business with independent vendors, "but there won't be any more half-price offers in-house or through tourist publications."
Crown Ltd. and Texas-based developer Christopher Milam have announced the cancelation of the Crown Las Vegas Resort & Casino, which had been planned for the former Wet 'n Wild parcel on the north Strip. The announcement takes few by surprise, as trouble and uncertainty had followed the project from the outset.
In what must have been the least publicized demolition in Strip history, the Klondike was recently leveled (we don't know exactly when). Both the casino and the adjacent motel are gone and you can now see back into the airport runways. All that remains on the site is the vacant next-door visitor center, which retains its Klondike-style marquee. A new sign advertises the 10.3 acres for sale. The asking price has been reported at $18 million per acre.
Add The Plaza to the list of summer pool parties. Eat, drink, play & party at "Thurst Thursdays" FREE pool parties every Thursday in June from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Features hottest DJs, live bands, basketball, volleyball and fully loaded cabanas. For cabana information, contact Jarrett Applewhite at 702/501-2274.
Could and would Harrah's Entertainment be contemplating a purchase of Wynn Resorts? Sounds crazy, right? That's what we thought. But it comes from well-connected source, so we consider it our civic duty to pass it along.
METROPARK To Debut In Mandalay Place.
Metropark, a Los-Angeles based specialty store chain for trendsetting young adults, will be premiering its unique, high energy shopping experience in Mandalay Place at Mandalay Bay in June 2008. Offering edgy, contemporary apparel and accessory brands typically found only in specialty boutiques, Metropark will occupy an approximately 2,000 square foot space at Mandalay Place beginning Friday, June 13th 2008.
"With its unique, magnetic pulse, Vegas is one of the top cultural centers in the country,” states Laura Bojanowski, Director of Marketing for Metropark. “Metropark’s vibrant fusion of fashion, music and art is a natural fit for a city that is known for setting trends, embracing new concepts and breaking the mold. We are very excited to introduce Metropark to Mandalay Place.”
Transcending the traditional retail experience, Metropark offers an exciting alternative for the "graduates" of teen retailers who demand more fashion sophistication. Since opening its first four stores in California late in 2004, Metropark has established a strong and loyal following. With the opening at Mandalay Place, Metropark will operate 4 locations in Las Vegas and a total of 48 locations nationwide.
Metropark's product assortment features an unmatched mix of contemporary and street fashion apparel and accessories, including premium denim, designer tops, bags and belts, costume jewelry, watches, magazines, CD compilations, gifts and novelty items. Each Metropark store showcases a custom audio-visual presentation with an emphasis on current music, fashion and art content. Customers can also relax in the store and listen to premier DJs performing live on weekends and at invite-only, after-hours events. Some of the brands that Metropark will offer include Obey, Affliction, Sinful, Ed Hardy, Howe, Triple 5 Soul, Kid Robot, Betsey Johnson and premium denim brands like True Religion, Rock and Republic, MEK, Monarchy, and Frankie B.
The stunning store design for Metropark reflects strong influences from the most stylish hotels, clubs, bars and street boutiques, creating a shopping experience unlike any other. Metropark's stimulating visual details include stained concrete floors, an exposed ceiling and plasmas throughout the store.
Sit and Go Tournaments Are Profitable by Bill Burton
Sit and Go tournaments (SnG) are mini poker tournaments. They can be multi-table events but the most common are the single table with nine or ten players. They are called Sit and Go because when the table fills up the tournament begins. These tournaments became very popular online and many brick and mortar card rooms are now offering them as well. A single table Sit and Go is like being at the final table of a regular tournament. The best part is that you only have to beat 6 or 7 players to get into the money. Most of these Sit and Go tournaments pay the top three players.
More here:
http://casinogambling.about.com/od/poker/a/sitngo.htm
Flamingo Extends X Burlesque Through '09.
The Strip’s Sexiest Show, “X” Burlesque will remain at Flamingo Las Vegas through July 2009. The sexy production is housed in the intimate 180-seat Flamingo Second City Theatre. The 90-minute production will have hearts racing as audiences get up close and personal with the six beautiful and talented female dancers.
“X” Burlesque combines imaginative choreography with outrageous props such as bungees, beds and bathtubs to excite the crowd and leave them wanting more. From slow, sensual ballet-inspired routines to heart-pounding acrobatic numbers, the variety of styles allow each dancer to showcase her own individual personality and talents. Music by some of the hottest artists in rock, pop and hip-hop set the tone for sexy scene after scene leaving audiences on the edge of their seats.
“X” Burlesque recently celebrated their first anniversary at Flamingo and the creators of the sexy production revamped the show making it better than ever. In the opening act the dancers strut on stage wearing costumes covered in rhinestones, which they quickly strip off to reveal their assets. The “X” girls dance their hearts out to “Smokin Hot” from the Broadway hit Chicago, “God Bless Our Troops,” “Nasty Naughty Boy,” Christina Aguilera’s “Candy Man,” Marilyn Manson’s “Tainted Love,” and many other heart pounding songs. The fun doesn’t stop there; comics James Bean and Nancy Ryan entertain audiences with their adult humor.
“X” Burlesque performs in the Flamingo Second City Theatre. Show times are as follows: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday at 10 p.m. with additional shows Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at midnight.
Tickets are $44.95 General Admission and $55.95 VIP (plus tax and fees) and can be purchased at the Flamingo Box Office or by phone at 702-733-3333 or 800-221-7299. Guests must be 18 or older with valid ID.
June News from MGM MIRAGE.
Classic Strip Favorites Offer Modern New Looks.
This summer, visitors to Las Vegas are invited to check out the new room designs at some of their favorite hotels. Here’s where to check in during your next stay:
Recently completed, a $60 million suite remodel at Bellagio reflects the feel of an upscale residence while providing the amenities of a luxury resort. The dramatic new look of seven suite types combines sumptuous textiles with dark woods and a rich color palette. Indulgent in-suite conveniences include high-speed Internet access, iHome clock radios, DVD players, multi-line phones, fax machines, laptop safes, automatic draperies and flat-screen, high-definition televisions.
Scheduled for completion in August, striking new room designs at The Mirage feature eye-catching color schemes, cool metals and warm woods. Standard amenities include pillow-top mattresses, down comforters, feather pillows, cordless phones and ergonomic office chairs. A dedicated media hub allows computers, video iPod/MP3 players and game systems to be displayed on each room’s 42-inch LCD television.
Scheduled for completion in late 2009, a contemporary room redesign at Excalibur offers a modern take on the resort’s classic castle theme. Currently offering 2,000 newly remodeled accommodations, Excalibur’s Widescreen Room features a 42-inch plasma television and modern comforts such as pillow-top mattresses and iPod-compatible clock radios. A soothing color palette of soft blues, creamy yellows and deep browns creates an inviting ambiance.
Act Fast on Vegas Vacation Values
Get away from it all this summer without busting your budget. MGM MIRAGE is offering unbelievable deals on your next vacation, but act fast – these bargains are available for only a limited time. Here are just a few:
Luxor is offering something special, just for the ladies. Starting at $69 per night, Luxor’s “Girl’s Night Out” promotion includes a complimentary Deluxe Tower room upgrade, complimentary admission to LAX Nightclub, $25 dining credit at Fusia, $20 off any 50-minute service at Nurture – The Spa at Luxor, 20 percent off Nurture’s “Girl’s Night Out” makeup package and $10 off admission to the all-male revue Thunder From Down Under at Excalibur. Available through October 8, reserve a room at (877) 386-4658 or www.luxor.com. Conditions apply.
Driving to Las Vegas? Fill up on Circus Circus. The hotel is offering complimentary gas cards to guests who book online. Get a $25 gas card for a two-night reservation, $50 for a three-night stay. The $25 gas card promotion also includes $4 off an all-day ride pass at The Adventuredome Theme Park and a Circus Circus Fun Book valued at $100. The $50 gas card promotion adds a $25 gaming credit and a 2-for-1 dinner at Circus Buffet. Rates start at $39.95 per night. Reserve a room at www.circuscircus.com. Availability varies. Conditions apply.
Mandalay Bay invites visitors to experience summer on the Vegas shore. Starting at $109.99 per night, the resort’s “SPF-109 Summer Offer” includes a $20 Sand Dollar credit at Mandalay Bay Beach, a $10 FREEPLAY or Blackjack credit in the Beachside Casino, 2-for-1 breakfast at the House of Blues, $300 in Savings Certificates to Mandalay Place and a Fly Back Free certificate entitling the recipient to a complimentary return roundtrip when combined with a minimum three-night return stay. Available through September 4, reservations can be made at www.mandalaybay.com or (877) 632-7000. Conditions apply.
Travelers can gain easy access to hot deals through the following MGM MIRAGE property websites: www.bellagio.com, www.mgmgrand.com, www.mandalaybay.com, www.mirage.com, www.montecarlo.com, www.treasureisland.com, www.nynyhotelcasino.com, www.luxor.com, www.excalibur.com, www.circuscircus.com, www.mgmgranddetroit.com, www.goldstrike.com and www.beaurivage.com.
S.O.S. – Save Our Seas!
World Ocean Day is June 8, but you don’t have to live by one to make a difference. David Blasko of Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage says it’s the smallest actions that can have the biggest impact. Simple changes such as conserving water by taking shorter showers and limiting faucet use can help reduce destruction of the ocean environment. Blasko says recycling whenever possible and disposing of hazardous materials properly, such as cutting plastic six-pack rings to prevent them from becoming wildlife traps, also can help preserve water quality and marine life.
From "The Vegas Eye"
Chicks With Decks.
This June, Torrid at Hawaiian Tropic Zone hosts “Chicks with Decks” – a month of sexy female DJs spinning live on the nightclub’s Strip-side patio. On Saturday, June 7, Maxim model DJ Loli drops the beats and kicks off the series. International Playboy Playmate DJ Miss Lisa hits the turntables Friday, June 13 while DJ Fei Fei cranks out the hits Saturday, June 14. Playboy model and Playboy Cyber Girl DJ Roxanne Dawn keeps the dance floor packed Friday, June 20 while Playboy model DJ Diamond closes out the weekend with an irresistible mash-up on Saturday, June 21. Maxim and FHM model DJ Frances wraps up the Chicks with Decks series with an enticing set Saturday, June 28. All Chicks with Decks guest DJ sets begin at 12:30 a.m. Free p.i.n.k. vodka is available for ladies 11 p.m. – midnight Friday, June 13 and 20. For bottle service, please call 702.731.4858.
Toni Braxton Goes Bye-Bye.
Flamingo Las Vegas announced today that the remaining dates of Toni Braxton: Revealed have been canceled to allow for Ms. Braxton to focus on her health. The production show that began at Flamingo Las Vegas in Aug. 2006 was scheduled to run through mid-Aug. 2008. “Upon learning several weeks ago of Ms. Braxton’s health concerns, our first and foremost consideration was her well-being,” said Don Marrandino, President of Flamingo Las Vegas. “We have truly enjoyed having her as our resident headliner and continue to wish her a full and quick recovery so that she may resume doing what she loves best, entertaining audiences.” Tickets purchased to the show are fully refundable. Guests may contact the Flamingo box office at (702) 733-3333 for assistance
http://thevegaseye.com/
Chuck Rounds' Las Vegas Entertainment News June 2008.
Normally temperatures never reach 100 degrees until the month of June…but this year has been a bit…well, let's just say unique. We had some record high temperatures in May followed by a winter-type storm…a little rollercoaster-ish. I have no idea what to expect for June…typically, it will be hot, and it is true, it is a dry heat; and yes, that does make it more tolerable. While many parts of the country have humidity levels in the 70, 80, and 90 percent range; Las Vegas usually has a percentage around 7. This is good and bad—it is standing in a convection oven, rather than a sauna. Without lotion, the dry air will suck out any moisture that you may have in your body, and you will burn faster here than a day at the beach. Summer in Vegas is hot…pools and parties are the main tour de force for the season, and the entertainment usually brings a lot of wonderful surprises throughout the few months ahead. It will be interesting to see if more people stay home rather than pay the $4.00 a gallon for the gas to get here. Will it have an impact on our economy, which depends on tourists? Schools are out all over the country. College-aged persons will come to Vegas and try to emulate the commercials and the mystique of this town—usually without the success and panache for which they would hope. Sometimes these folks think that normal rules of society don't apply to this town…trust me though; drunk and disorderly and drunk driving will still get you thrown in jail. Families will come in, have a good time, but will complain that there "seems" to be less and less that the entire family can do on the Strip. (Actually, there are a lot of things that the family can do, but most tourists don't venture away from the casinos to find them.)
Entertainment abounds in Las Vegas, and June is a busy month…
Tom Dane has just opened his headline show at the Steve Wyrick Theatre. Tom performs there on Friday nights. He is a musical virtuoso…not only does he sing, but he plays just about every instrument there is.
Toni Braxton's show at the Flamingo has ended…initially, she had cancelled a couple of shows for health reasons, but a couple of shows turned into a couple of weeks, and now…she has just cancelled the rest of the run. Tickets are refundable, but I'm sorry that there was no send off.
CineVegas will be holding its annual film festival at the Palms again this year from the 12th to the 21th. This even has grown every year, and draws some of the top names in the entertainment industry to Vegas. It has become one of the major "Hollywood" events here in Las Vegas.
The Greatest show on Earth is once again in town, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be at the Orleans Hotel from the 19th to the 22nd. It is a great event for everyone.
Tickets are now on sale for preview and regular performances of CRISS ANGEL BelieveTM, the new Cirque du Soleil production set to open at Luxor Las Vegas. CRISS ANGEL Believe starring Criss Angel will open for preview performances September 1 and hold its Gala Premiere September 12, 2008. Criss Angel is recognized as one of the most provocative artists in the world today. "With CRISS ANGEL Believe, we are aiming to bring magic into a new realm. Currently in this creation process we feel as playful and excited as children in a gigantic toy store," explained Serge Denoncourt, Director and Co-Writer of CRISS ANGEL Believe. The stunning illusions in CRISS ANGEL Believe will not be presented as standalone elements, but as interdependent components using heightened imagery, fantastical creatures and impossible feats of legerdemain, all of which will be integrated into the dazzling, colorful fabric of the story.
Cirque du Soleil has also announced tickets for LOVE Tapis Rouge™, an exclusive virtual behind-the-scenes psychedelic experience. Tapis Rouge patrons will be introduced to the world of The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil, while immersed in the ultimate VIP sensory experience at The Beatles REVOLUTION Lounge. Tapis Rouge™ will begin each night 90 minutes before the 7 pm and 10 pm performances, Thursday through Monday inside The Beatles REVOLUTION Lounge, which is located just steps away from the LOVE Theatre. French for "red carpet," the "Tapis Rouge" concept was originally developed in 1999 for Cirque du Soleil's touring production, Dralion, was officially named Tapis Rouge™ in 2002 for Varekai, and remains the name coined for the VIP package of Cirque du Soleil's Touring Shows Division as a whole. The Tapis Rouge™ package for LOVE is the first permanent show with such an experience, and will introduce fans to a uniquely designed contemporary behind-the-scenes look at LOVE, available only in Las Vegas.
Madame Meg's Find Your Sexy in Las Vegas and Take it Home with You will premiere at Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce at Mandalay Bay on Friday June 13. The show features Madame Meg's positive and inspirational comedy and playful burlesque routine. Kellie Karl, the beautiful and talented hypnotist, who plays Tony Soprano's sexy psychiatrist in the Soprano's Last Supper, will perform her entertaining act. Emily Lauren will delight the audience with her hysterically funny burlesque showgirl routine, and Steve Dacri will dazzle and amaze the attendees with his mystifying close-up magical feats.
On May 11th, Fan Yang's GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW ended its run at the Steve Wyrick Theatre in Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, which began on February 2, 2008. The New York production of the GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW it will continue to entertain families throughout the summer and holiday season at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). This production has been an Off-Broadway hit for well over a year and 700 performances. The show currently stars Ana Yang (Fan's wife). Gazillion Bubble Show is also announcing its world tour, which will begin in Shanghai later this summer, and travel to Morocco, Tokyo, India and Moscow.
Terry Fator, winner of NBC's "America's Got Talent," and The Mirage announced Fator signed a five-year deal, with an option for an additional five years, to perform at the resort. The Mirage, which has been home to the city's most celebrated entertainment over the years, including world-famous illusionists Siegfried & Roy, The Beatles™ LOVE™ by Cirque du Soleil® and Danny Gans, will launch a new era with the introduction of Terry Fator. Fator will perform five shows a week in the 1,265-seat Terry Fator Theatre (currently the Danny Gans Theatre) beginning in February 2009. The comic impersonator, along with his cast of seven puppets, combines the art of ventriloquism with celebrity impressions. Fator and his puppets, Cowboy Walter, Emma Taylor and Winston the Impersonating Turtle, effortlessly perform the singing styles of an eclectic group of stars including Elvis, Maroon Five, Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole, James Blunt and Marvin Gaye.
The Burlesque Hall of Fame's annual All-Star Burlesque Weekend will take place Thursday, June 5—Sunday, June 8 at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. A four-day celebration of the once-lost art's thriving "renaissance," Burlesque Weekend attracts top-flight entertainers, of both the exotic and mainstream variety. Far from your average "strip show," Burlesque Weekend is where the old school meets new: where wide-eyed enthusiasts and aspiring starlets can bump and grind alongside the few surviving superstars who made their names back in burlesque's heyday, over 50 years ago.
As far as headliners and concerts this month…
Elton John – The Red Piano
Caesars Palace Jun 3 – Jun 22
Disney's High School Musical
Planet Hollywood Jun 4 – Jun 8
Nonpoint w/ The Exies, Deepfield & Under the Flood
Mandalay Bay Jun 4
George Carlin
Orleans Hotel Jun 5 – Jun 8
Local H
Four Queens Jun 5
National Barrel Horse Association
South Point Casino Jun 5 – Jun 8
Bill Acosta with the Goldiggers
South Point Jun 6, 2008 – Jun 8
Creeping Death
Santa Fe Station Jun 6
Earth Wind & Fire
Las Vegas Hilton Jun 6 – Jun 7
Kenny Chesney w/ special guest LeAnn Rimes
MGM Grand Jun 6
Lit w/ special guest Alien Ant Farm
Hard Rock Hotel Jun 6
Lon Bronson Band
Boulder Station Jun 6 Free
Making the Band
Palms Casino Jun 6
P. Diddy and MTV presents "Making the Band 4 – The Tour."
Ray Romano & Kevin James
Mirage Jun 6 – Jun 7
The Lovin' Spoonful
Suncoast Hotel Jun 6 – Jun 8
Vegas Cruise
Fremont Street Experience Jun 6 – Jun 8
The 8th Annual Vegas Cruise will roll into downtown at the Fremont Street Experience
Dance Zone Dance Recital
Cashman Center Jun 7
Dethklok w/ Chimaira & Soilent Green
Mandalay Bay Jun 7
Jazz in the Park featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater
Clark County Amphitheater Jun 7 Free
Jazz in the Park featuring the Las Vegas Jazz Society
L.A. Guns
Sunset Station Jun 7
Paul Rodgers with Bad Company
Cannery Casino Jun 7
Sex Pistols
Hard Rock Hotel Jun 7
The Rippingtons
Santa Fe Station Jun 7
Peter Murphy
Mandalay Bay Jun 8
Terry Fator
Las Vegas Hilton Jun 8 – Jun 10
The second week will have:
CineVegas Film Festival
Palms Casino Jun 12 – Jun 21
The CineVegas Film Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year at the Palms Casino
George Carlin
Orleans Hotel Jun 12 – Jun 15
Rodney Carrington
MGM Grand Jun 12 – Jun 18
Stone Temple Pilots
Palms Casino Jun 12
An Evening with Erykah Badu
Mandalay Bay Jun 13
Day in the Life
Suncoast Hotel Jun 13 – Jun 15
John Lennon Anthology Concert
Everclear, Soul Asylum & Cracker
Sunset Station Jun 13
Johnny Mathis
Las Vegas Hilton Jun 13 – Jun 14
Kem
Boulder Station Jun 13
Marc Cohn
Green Valley Ranch Jun 13
Michael Grimm & Jeneane Marie
Cannery Casino Jun 13 Free
Panic at the Disco w/ the Motion City Soundtrack
Palms Casino Jun 13
Pyromania
Santa Fe Station Jun 13
Ron Stubbs – The Outrageous Rock & Roll Hypnotist
South Point Jun 13 – Jun 15
The Commodores
Texas Station Jun 13
U.S. Wrestling Olympic Team Trials
Thomas & Mack Center Jun 13 – Jun 15
Fans can witness history as the greatest wrestlers in the United States battle for gold and glory
Unwritten Law
Hard Rock Hotel Jun 13
Baby Time Expo
Cashman Center Jun 14 – Jun 15
Charlie Musselwhite, Walter Trout, Michael Grimm
Cannery Casino Jun 14
Blues, Brews & Barbeque
Golden Rainbow – Ribbon of Life
Paris Las Vegas Jun 14 – Jun 15
Don't miss this spectacular production that features a cast of 300 performers from all the shows
Grand Funk Railroad
Green Valley Ranch Jun 14
Las Vegas Philharmonic: Video Games Live
Henderson Pavilion Jun 14
Patty Smyth & Scandal
Boulder Station Jun 14
Ted Nugent
Mandalay Bay Jun 14
The third week will have:
David Copperfield
MGM Grand Jun 19 – Jul 16
Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus
Orleans Hotel Jun 19 – Jun 22
Annual Green Living Expo
Cashman Center Jun 20 – Jun 21
Camila
Hard Rock Jun 20
Chuck Mangione
South Point Casino Jun 20 – Jun 22
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Red Rock Casino Jun 20
Lorna Luft – Songs My Mother Taught Me
Suncoast Hotel Jun 20 – Jun 22
Mel Tillis
Santa Fe Station Jun 20
Michael Bolton
Orleans Hotel Jun 20 – Jun 21
Pepper
Hard Rock Jun 20
Ray Romano & Kevin James
Mirage Jun 20 – Jun 21
Anita Baker
Buffalo Bill's Resort Jun 21
George Michael
MGM Grand Jun 21
Gnarls Barkley and Thievery Corporation
Mandalay Bay Jun 21
Jazz in the Park featuring Nick Colionne
Clark County Amphitheater Jun 21 Free
Marion Meadows
Santa Fe Station Jun 21
Rattle & Hum – U2 Tribute
Boulder Station Jun 21
Sarah Silverman
Hard Rock Hotel Jun 21
The Spinners
Cannery Casino Jun 21
The Ultimate Fighting 7 Finale
Palms Casino Jun 21
Tim McGraw w/ special guest Jason Aldean & Halfway to Hazard
Mandalay Bay Jun 21
Art of Dance Recital
Cashman Center Jun 22
And the last week of the month will include…
As I Lay Dying w/Norma Jean, Devil Wears Prada & August Burns Red
Hard Rock Jun 23
Ani DiFranco
Hard Rock Jun 24
Bette Midler
Caesars Palace Jun 24 – Jul 20
Snoop Dogg
Buffalo Bill's Resort Jun 25
Gold Rush Peruvian Horse Classic
South Point Casino Jun 26 – Jun 29 Free
Mark Knopfler
Hard Rock Jun 26
Mark Knopfler, acclaimed for his work with Dire Straits
A Tribute to the Diamonds
Suncoast Hotel Jun 27 – Jun 29
Bill Medley with Paul Revere & the Raiders
South Point Casino Jun 27 – Jun 29
Black Diamond – Kiss Tribute Band
Boulder Station Jun 27
Clint Black
Orleans Hotel Jun 27 – Jun 29
Gym Class Heroes
Hard Rock Jun 27
Mike Ness w/ the Horton Brothers
Mandalay Bay Jun 27
Peabo Bryson
Boulder Station Jun 27
Peace Frog – Tribute to the Doors
Cannery Casino Jun 27
Sammy Kershaw
Santa Fe Station Jun 27
Smash Mouth
Hard Rock Jun 27
Boston & Styx
Thomas & Mack Center Jun 28
Five Finger Death Punch w/ Kid Deposit Triumph and Kreep
Mandalay Bay Jun 28
Herman's Hermits, starring Peter Noone
Cannery Casino Jun 28
Oak Ridge Boys
Texas Station Jun 28
Ottmar Liebert
Boulder Station Jun 28
Alliance of Black Culinarians Gourmet Grazer
Cashman Center Jun 29
For dates and times, be sure to log onto the Las Vegas Online Entertainment Guide: ( www.lvol.com ).
I Go Shows ( www.Igoshows.com ) is, of course, the place to read the reviews of all of the shows that are in town so that you can be better informed as to what you should expect from a certain production. The reviews are updated as needed to give you the knowledge you need to spend your entertainment dollars better.
Raising the Stakes. Changes in WSOP add drama.
By Paul Szydelko/Las Vegas Magazine
The first thing you notice when stepping into the massive Rio convention center for the World Series of Poker is the absence of chatter. How can that many people gather at so many tables and so little noise be made? Just the sound of poker chips nervously clicking indicates the concentration, the action and building intensity.
Beyond the money to be won is the satisfaction of vanquishing your foes – outthinking them, outlasting them, outplaying them. One flip of a card can make all the difference, but consistent skilled play is required to put yourself in a position to win. The WSOP is the game's undisputed biggest, most rewarding stage.
"You can think about it as the athlete who wants to get to the Olympics, a basketball player who wants to get the championship, the football player with a Super Bowl ring. It's really on par with that, and it always has been," said Annie Duke, a participant in the WSOP since 1994 and co-founder of the Ante Up for Africa charity tournament set for July 2. "Nobody's going to be able to usurp that. There's too long-standing a tradition. This is the destination. This is where poker players are trying to get to."
The 55-event schedule began May 30 and continues through July 16. Buy-ins for the 39th annual WSOP range from $1,000 to $10,000 for most of the events. Each winner receives an exclusive WSOP gold bracelet crafted by luxury Swiss watchmaker Corum. Last year, 54,288 entrants competed for a prize pool of nearly $160 million.
In response to players' complaints, tents will not be used for poker this year, WSOP officials announced. Among the other improvements: Separate rooms are set up for satellite tournaments; the cage is removed from the tournament area; new rules are in place to ensure good sportsmanship; there's more room between tables; concierge service for players is available; enhanced food choices are convenient; and longer hours for the São Paulo Café offers players a respite from the action.
The Main Event, under way on July 3, gets a new look this year. The thousands of players will compete until the final table of nine is reached. The nine will then be invited back, Nov. 10-11, to play for the championship. ESPN, the WSOP's broadcast partner, will air highlights from the Main Event weekly leading up to a preview show on Nov. 4 and then the final table on Nov. 11, less than 24 hours after the winner gets the bracelet.
"Not only will this innovative step create more buzz for the final table, the added time prior to the final table will help get poker mainstream media attention," said Daniel Negreanu (pictured), a three-time bracelet winner. "I'm very excited about this decision and can't wait to see it all unfold, hopefully from a seat at the final table." The idea behind the decision is to allow the drama to build on television broadcasts. Instead of knowing who won and watching only how the tournament played out, viewers will not know who won.
"I think it's fantastic," said Duke, who compared the decision to another important innovation that changed the way poker is broadcast – showing TV viewers the hole card. "Creating that much excitement around this event is only going to grow the event and grow poker and, in the end, that's great for everybody," Duke said.
http://lvshowbiz.com/
Comedian piles on the insults for his shows at Hooters.
Saber-tongued comedian Bobby Slayton hasn’t mellowed in the year he has headlined at Hooters’ Night Owl Showroom.
He still rants and raves and paces. He still spits out a machine-gun staccato so fast he’s able to cram two hours of material into an hour.
Check your politically correct sensibilities at the door because Slayton takes no prisoners in his tirades against young and old, Jews (he’s Jewish), blacks, East Indians, Chinese, Muslims.
More here:
http://lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jun/04/comedian-piles-insults-his-shows-hooters/
New “Show in the Sky” by Jerry Fink
Las Vegas Sun
The Rio’s free “Masquerade Show in the Sky” has been revitalized, becoming edgier and more stylish, after being closed several months for revamping.
Now known as “Show in the Sky,” the production is a Brazilian-themed show with performers dancing on sky-high fantasy floats.
Doug Johnson is the show’s creator and producer. His new version, which includes three shows, has a bedroom scene and a bath/spa scene. The bedroom performance features a 17-foot-long bed with high-energy “performers of seduction.”
The new music is as edgy as the performances, with songs such as “Please Don’t Stop the Music” by Rihanna, “Sexy Back” by Justin Timberlake and “Buttons” by Pussycat Dolls.
Details: 7 p.m. to midnight, Thursdays through Sundays; Rio’s Masquerade Village; free.
http://lasvegassun.com
PLAYER'S EDGE: Saturdays at Silverton can be worth up to $10,000
The Silverton is giving away $20,000 every Saturday this month. At 4 p.m., 10 names will be drawn to win $100 to $2,000 cash prizes, and at 8 p.m., the casino will draws 10 names to win $100 to $10,000. On June 29, the casino will draw for a West Coast Customs boat. All Discovery Card members can pick up 10 entries per day at the booth. Additional entries can be earned playing slots, table games, live keno and poker. Players must be present at the drawings to win. The Silverton also is offering a 50 percent Discovery point redemption discount at all of its restaurants through July 2.
More PLAYER'S EDGE here:
http://www.lvrj.com/neon/19595404.html
Harrah's to reject NBA bets.
Casino chief owns a part of Boston Celtics
By ARNOLD M. KNIGHTLY/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Fans may be getting excited about one of the most anticipated NBA Finals in years, but sports book personnel at Harrah's Entertainment's properties are getting ready for a different type of excitement.
While local sports books are expecting to take in heavy action on this year's championship series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, sports books at all of the Harrah's properties will be turning bettors away.
That is because Harrah's Chairman and CEO Gary Loveman owns a piece of the Celtics.
Late last year, Loveman acquired a 2.4 percent stake in the storied franchise, prompting the National Basketball Association to require Harrah's to not accept bets on any Celtics game. Other games involving other teams are still allowed.
More here:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/19558759.html
'THE VIEW' LINEUP: By Norm Clarke/Las Vegas Review Journal
The entertainment lineup for the June 23-25 taping of "The View" at Caesars Palace was announced Thursday, along with ticket information.
Joining Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd on Monday, June 23, at 8 a.m. (live) will be Jimmy Kimmel, who grew up in Las Vegas and whose Uncle Frank was a security guard at Caesars Palace; cast members of HBO's hit show "Entourage," Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Debi Mazur; and musical artist Rhianna.
On Tuesday, June 24, at 8 a.m. (live): performances by "American Idol" David Cook and first runner-up David Archuleta, Danny Gans and The Chippendales. At 10:30 a.m. (taped for broadcast on Thursday, June 26): comedian Wayne Brady, "The Hills" star Heidi Montag and "Jubilee!" showgirls.
On Wednesday, June 25, at 8 a.m. (live): Jessica Simpson and Rita Rudner. At 11 a.m. (taped for broadcast on Friday, June 27): Bette Midler and Lance Burton.
The show will be broadcast from a stage built atop the Caesars Palace front fountains.
Audience members must be 18 or older and must have a ticket. Ticket holders are asked to gather 90 minutes before the scheduled show start time in the Roman Plaza.
Audience tickets are free and available online at abc.com while seating remains available. Tickets will not be available at The Colosseum box office.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/19595529.html
NORM: Authors less than kind to Siegfried.
Siegfried Fischbacher receives the lion's share of criticism in a new book by Siegfried & Roy's inner circle.
Fischbacher's temper led to several incidents, including a citizen's arrest by a camera girl, according to "The Secret Life of Siegfried & Roy."
Another time, he gave a black eye to cast member and friend Lynette Chappell.
The book is an as-told-to collaboration by the German illusionists' former security staffers, Jim Mydlach, the duo's chief of security for about 20 years, and his son, Louis, along with show consultant Jim Lavery. It was written by Henrietta Tiefenthaler.
More here:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/19595529.html
SHOW REVIEW: Gordie Brown
Working the Crowd: Impressionist Gordie Brown breaks a sweat with fast-paced show.
By MIKE WEATHERFORD/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Gordie Brown reminds us what it is about a live show — a real person working his tail off — that can't be duplicated even if you have Blu-ray, a 52-inch, 1080p LCD screen and 5.1 surround sound.
His impressions are so-so. The comedy is hit and miss. But it's safe to say everyone who walks out of Brown's show leaves entertained and pretty damn impressed.
Here's an entertainer who breaks a sweat, and hits you with so much material from so many different directions, he wins you over in a way that probably wouldn't translate to watching it on Comedy Central.
You give it up for the exhausting effort Brown puts in by dancing like Usher or M.C. Hammer, if not a fascination with how his mind works. A joke combining '90s rock group 4 Non Blondes and a Brazilian wax job? Jimmy Stewart telling a joke about Britney Spears? It makes your head swim, and that seems to be the goal.
More here:
http://www.lvrj.com/neon/19595434.html
Upcoming Las Vegas Entertainment
Former boy band superstars the New Kids on the Block reunite at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Oct. 11. Tickets are $57, $77 and $107 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Mandalay Bay box office, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, and Ticketmaster outlets.
Madonna has added another show at the MGM Grand Garden arena on Nov. 9. Tickets are $72, $167, $252 and $357 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the MGM Grand box office, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South, and Ticketmaster outlets.
Comedian Chris Rock headlines The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Aug. 29 and 30. Tickets are $95, $115, $135 and $175 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at The Colosseum box office, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South, and Ticketmaster outlets.
http://www.lvrj.com/neon/19595449.html
Harrah's to reject NBA bets.
Casino chief owns a part of Boston Celtics
By ARNOLD M. KNIGHTLY/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Fans may be getting excited about one of the most anticipated NBA Finals in years, but sports book personnel at Harrah's Entertainment's properties are getting ready for a different type of excitement.
While local sports books are expecting to take in heavy action on this year's championship series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, sports books at all of the Harrah's properties will be turning bettors away.
That is because Harrah's Chairman and CEO Gary Loveman owns a piece of the Celtics.
Late last year, Loveman acquired a 2.4 percent stake in the storied franchise, prompting the National Basketball Association to require Harrah's to not accept bets on any Celtics game. Other games involving other teams are still allowed.
More here:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/19558759.html
NORM: Jacko may still be eyeing Vegas deal.
Michael Jackson's future was probably part of the dinner conversation Tuesday when he met with Thomas Barrack Jr., the man who rescued the singer's Neverland Ranch from public auction.
Barrack, chairman and CEO of Colony Capital LLC, dined with Jackson in the Las Vegas Hilton's Verona Sky Villa.
Barrack, a real estate magnate, recently paid $23.5 million for the 2,700-acre Neverland property. Jackson released a statement at the time indicating he was working with Barrack, who is a partner with Colony Resorts LVH Acquisitions LLC.
Jackson had defaulted on loan payments on the Santa Barbara County property.
Jackson, who recently met with Donald Trump associates at Trump International Hotel & Tower, has been scouting for a Vegas deal since arriving in late 2006.
ReviewJournal.com – News – NORM: Jacko may still be eyeing Vegas deal
Strip construction sites back to work.
Company meets demands 'and then some'
By ARNOLD M. KNIGHTLY and HOWARD STUTZ /LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL..
Construction workers ended a one-day strike and returned to work on two Strip resort projects Tuesday night, after the projects' general contractor agreed to take steps to address union officials' safety concerns about the job sites.
"We have come to an arrangement and an understanding," Steve Ross, secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council, said Tuesday afternoon at a news conference that took place on the Las Vegas Boulevard median in front of the $9.2 billion CityCenter development. "I am happy to say our long- lasting relationship is going to continue."
Perini Building Co. agreed to all the council's demands "and then some," allowing the union alliance to let its workers return to work at the CityCenter and Cosmopolitan job sites less than 24 hours after workers shut down all work on the two Strip projects.
More here:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/19521519.html
Good news for Cirque du Soleil fans.
By Len Butcher/Las Vegas Review Journal
You can now get tickets for "Love" Tapis Rouge, an exclusive virtual behind-the-scenes psychedelic experience. Beginning June 26, Tapis Rouge will begin each night 90 minutes before the 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. performances, Thursday through Monday inside The Beatles Revolution Lounge, located just steps away from the "Love" Theatre.
The Tapis Rouge package for "Love" will introduce fans to a uniquely designed contemporary behind-the-scenes look at "Love", available only in Las Vegas. Tickets are $295 per person, but look what you get. A VIP show ticket (best seats in the "Love" Theatre) and the following amenities: Special VIP will-call line at the "Love" box office; customized gift bag of merchandise created specifically for Tapis Rouge; collectible Tapis Rouge lanyard provided for complimentary VIP access to Revolution Lounge for an entire week; exclusive reception before the "Love" performance at the Revolution Lounge including a selection of tray-passed hors d'oeuvres and specialty cocktails, hosts to provide insights into "Love", and behind the scenes footage that includes exclusive backstage video from the Love Theatre; VIP-escorted access from Revolution into the Love Theatre; and VIP line at concessions.
You can purchase tickets to Tapis Rouge by calling 1-866-236-5652 or pick them up at any MGM Mirage box office in Las Vegas. By the way, you have to be 21 or over.
http://www.lvrj.com/living/19544414.html
"Roll 4 Gas" By Len Butcher/Las Vegas Review Journal
The Tropicana, hearing the groans from drivers over the ever-rising price of gas, has come up with a promotion called "Roll 4 Gas" giving you a chance to win $100 cash for gas. Here's how you can take part. Simply book a room at the Trop for travel from now thru Aug. 28. Upon arrival, during check-in at the hotel's front desk, roll four dice for a chance to win. The different outcomes earn certain prizes. Three of a Kind = Buffet for two; Straight = Island Tower Jacuzzi Suite Upgrade; Four of a Kind = $100 Cash for Gas; Everything Else = Funbook worth over $200.
Okay, so you're rolling dice to get a poker hand. So what? And yes, I know there are only four dice and one of the prizes you get is if your roll a straight, which we all know means getting five cards (numbers) in sequence. In this case, however, a straight is going to be composed of only four numbers. Please don't send me emails saying, "Hey, Butcher, doncha know a straight has five cards? How's anybody gonna win an upgrade to a Jacuzzi suite if they've only got five numbers to make up a straight?" That's why, my friends, I thought I'd better explain it to you. Now are you happy?
The "Roll 4 Gas" promotion is valid for Sunday through Thursday arrivals only. One roll of the dice is allowed per room. Room rates at the resort start as low as $49 a night. That doesn't include tax and fees, but even with those added, that's a great bargain to stay on the Strip. You can make a reservation by calling 1-800-462-8767 or visit www.tropicanalv.com.
http://www.lvrj.com/living/19544414.html
DOUG ELFMAN: World Series of Poker shows Vegas at its best.
Las Vegas has been beset by weird, bad news this year. There's the mortgage foreclosure crisis, plus a hepatitis outbreak. And you could drown away such troubles with a night on the town, but then you might deal with long lines at expensive, celebrity-owned nightclubs that are, alas, under investigation by the feds.
So it was a relief this weekend to see the focus of Vegas rooting into what it does best: poker. Specifically, taking people's money away from them for their own good, or at least Las Vegas' good.
The World Series of Poker was a magnet for many hundreds of action junkies from around the world. They chipped in up to $10,000 each to play the tables. A swarm of international media buzzed around them.
More here:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/19450654.html
RELAXING DEALS, FUN DEALS, FOOD AND DRINK DEALS: Vegas on the Cheap.
Sour economy could be sweet deal for savvy shoppers.
By SONYA PADGETT/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
If there's anything positive about Las Vegas' struggling economy — and that's a big if — it's the return of the good casino deal.
While we're nowhere near the $3.99 all-you-can-eat buffets of yore — yet — there are some decent deals to be found, even for those whose budgets are tighter than a Rio cocktail waitress's uniform.
Room rates in many hotels are a consumer's dream, especially with the tantalizing extras being thrown in. Circus Circus will give you gasoline and a buffet visit, too, if you stay for at least two nights. New York-New York will put you on Park Avenue (sort of) for booking a weekday stay.
But you don't have to stay in a hotel to enjoy some of the better bargains in local casinos. Drink like a fish at McFadden's in the Rio or stuff your face with spaghetti at the Wild Wild West. You can even take in a Strip show for half price.
We checked around town and found that just about everyone is offering something for a little less than usual. There were too many deals to include in this story, so we narrowed it down to seven deals in three categories: Relax, fun, and food and drink. The list is not inclusive, and prices change without notice, so be sure to check with the casino before heading out.
More here:
http://www.lvrj.com/living/19437429.html
MIKE WEATHERFORD: 'Idol' should have home on Strip.
I'm not saying it's something I personally want to see. But I hate to see my friends who operate casinos miss out on the easiest money since the invention of keno.
With the "American Idols Live" tour headed for the Thomas & Mack Center on July 5, it once again begs the question, "Where's the permanent, sit-down version of 'American Idol' on the Strip?"
"It's crazy that it hasn't happened. Can you imagine? It would sell out twice a night," says Andy Walmsley. He is both the "Idol" set designer and a Vegas producer himself, albeit on a modest level, with "Laugh Out Loud with The Scintas" at the Las Vegas Hilton.
More here:
http://www.lvrj.com/living/19437449.html
SILVERTON CASINO LODGE DINING PROMOTION
50% OFF AT ALL SILVERTON CASINO LODGE RESTAURANTS
Discovery Club members will receive 50% off their check at all restaurants when paying with Discovery Club points.
Dining specials at Mermaid restaurant & lounge
Plan a trip to Mermaid Restaurant & Lounge inside Silverton Casino Lodge for an order of fish and chips for only $5.50.
Dining specials at Mi casa grill cantina
Fajitas and Ritas.
Enjoy a delicious platter of chicken or beef fajitas and a house margarita for $9.95.
Tequila Shots and Miller Chill Enjoy $1 Tequila shots and $1 Miller Chill bottles at Mi Casa Grill Cantina from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Dining specials at Sundance Grill
$1 Cherry Pie
Sundance Grill inside Silverton Casino Lodge offers a slice of cherry pie for only $1.
Dining specials at Shady Grove Lounge
$4 Chicken Wings
Shady Grove Lounge inside Silverton Casino Lodge offers guests a basket of chicken wings for $4.
$4 Beer Flights Enjoy $4 flights of select craft beer at Shady Grove Lounge from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
$1 Miller Genuine Draft 24 hour casino bar special
Guests can enjoy Miller Genuine Draft beer at Silverton Casino Lodge’s 24-hour casino bar for only $1.
SILVERTON CASINO LODGE GAMING PROMOTIONS
FLOAT YOUR BOAT
During the month of June, Silverton Casino Lodge offers Discovery Club members the chance to win hundreds of dollars in cash and a West Coast Customsä boat. To participate, Discovery Club members must earn tickets by playing specially marked machines. Ten tickets will be earned for every $100 buy-in on table games and one ticket will be earned for every $5 live keno bet, $10 live poker buy-in and 50 base slot or video poker points accumulated. Drawings will be held June 7, 14, 21 and 28 at 4 and 8 p.m. The grand prize drawing for the West Coast Customsä boat will be held June 29 at 8 p.m. Tickets earned must be placed in the drawing drum two minutes prior to each drawing. Guests are encouraged to visit the Player’s Club for more details.
MULTIPLIER MAYHEM
Every Friday in June, Discovery Club members can earn five-times points on reel games and two-times points on video poker at Silverton Casino Lodge. Guests are encouraged to visit the Player’s Club for more details.
TRIPLE STIMULATION
Now through July 2, Silverton Casino Lodge offers Discovery Club members three ways to win and save big with their stimulus checks. Guests can cash in their stimulus check at Silverton Casino Lodge for the chance to triple its value instantly. Locals staying two nights at Silverton Casino Lodge will receive one night free and Discovery Club members will receive half off all restaurants when paying with Discovery Club points. Guests are encouraged to visit the Player’s Club for more details.
DISCOVERY NIGHTS
Silverton Casino Lodge hosts No Limit Texas Hold ‘em Discovery Nights tournamentsevery Tuesday and Thursday at 11 p.m. To participate, Discovery Club members can buy-in for $32 to receive $1,000 in tournament chips and can purchase an additional $1,000 in tournament chips for $3 at registration. Players are allowed one re-buy or add-on of $2,000 in tournament chips for $20. If a Discovery Club member plays two hours of live poker between noon and 10 p.m. on the day of the event, the re-buy or add-on is free. Entry is limited to Discovery Club members. Those interested in playing are encouraged to visit Silverton Casino Lodge’s poker room for more details.
FRIDAY NIGHT IS LADIES NIGHT
Silverton Casino Lodge launches a weekly, ladies-only poker tournament Fridays at 9 p.m. Every Friday, a $37 buy-in gets each participant $2,000 in chips and one of 30 seats in the tournament. Players also have the option to purchase an additional $1,000 in tournament chips for $3 at registration. Entry is limited to female Discovery Club members only. Those interested in playing are encouraged to visit Silverton Casino Lodge’s poker room for complete rules and prize structure breakdown.
Beatles-fest bound for Vegas by Joe Brown/Las Vegas Sun
Get back: The second annual Las Vegas Fest for Beatles fans rolls up at The Mirage (not coincidentally the home to Cirque du Soleil's "The Beatles: LOVE") from June 29 through July 1. The three-day festival will feature all things Beatles, including music, guest speakers, art, photo and fashion exhibits, contests and games, and a Beatles memorabilia mega-market.
Each night features concerts from artists that performed with, worked with or were great friends of the Beatles — Donovan is this year's main draw. Also in attendance will be Pattie Boyd, who recently released her autobiography “Wonderful Tonight,” about her marriages to both George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Boyd will speak, sign books, and present a fashion and photo exhibit. Single day tickets to the Fest are $52; three-day passes are $125.
http://lasvegassun.com/blogs/joe-brown/2008/jun/06/beatles-fest-bound-vegas/
Vegas4Visitors Weekly Awards By Rick Garman
The It Was Fun While It Lasted Award goes to singer Toni Braxton, whose last remaining shows at The Flamingo have been cancelled. Braxton had been playing regular shows at the hotel until April when she was hospitalized for an unspecified ailment. Although she is reportedly recovering the shows that had been scheduled through August have now been scuttled.
The Name Change of the Week Award could be bestowed on the building that is currently known as The Cosmopolitan. That’s the hotel/casino currently under construction wedged between the massive CityCenter complex and Bellagio, which went into foreclosure recently. Rumors are running rampant that a buyer for the troubled project is circling and that the whole thing could be rebranded as a W Hotel.
This would not be the first time a W Hotel was planned for Vegas. The high-end brand was going to be put on a massive hotel/condo project just east of The Strip but the tightening economy killed those plans.
The Long Line of the Week Award goes to McCarran International Airport, which is now not going to get the relief it was expecting for another decade. A satellite airport near Ivanhoe, about 30 miles south of Vegas, has been delayed again and will not open until 2018 at the earliest. McCarran is expected to hit capacity in the next couple of years, which will be a problem for Las Vegas as the city adds thousands of new hotel rooms.
The Yeehaw of the Week Award goes to Stoney’s nightclub, which will open a branch at Santa Fe Station on the north side of town. The popular country-western joint (located near the South Point hotel a few miles south of Mandalay Bay) Stoney’s Rockin’ Country will get a sister with the moniker Stoney’s North Forty. It will feature multiple bars, a big dance floor for boot-scoot boogying, and a mechanical bull of course. It should be open later this year.
The Hot Ticket of the Week Award goes to illusionist Criss Angel and his upcoming Cirque du Soleil show “Believe” at Luxor. Tickets are now on sale for performances that start in previews on September 1st and go into regular shows September 12th. Tickets range from $59-$150 and can be purchased by calling 800-557-7428 or online http://luxor.com/entertainment/entertainment_believe.aspx
http://www.vegas4visitors.com/column/index.htm
Show Review: Cher By Rick Garman
Singer, songwriter, actress, and pop-culture standard Cher was on Oprah recently and the host asked the now 62-year-old icon how she felt about getting older. They had to bleep her response. But all I can say is that if I have half the energy and look half as good as she does when I’m her age it’ll be a minor miracle. How she can still put on a show of such enormously entertaining, over-the-top spectacle like the one she is doing now at Caesars Palace after four decades of over-the-top spectacles is a major miracle.
Looking fit and fabulous, full of her imperiously cheeky attitude, and sounding better than she ever has, Cher commands the massive stage at the Colosseum in a way that few others would be able to. Granted, she brings along enough costumes, sets, and dancers to stage her own Broadway show but that’s all a part of the ethos of a Cher concert.
The extravaganza starts with a video montage of her life all set to a throbbing dance beat and then suddenly there she is, hovering over the audience on a flying platform that is adorned with golden lights, floating down the stage while singing “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” Her costume is a nod to the Vegas showgirl, complete with a gigantic glittery headdress of sorts and lots of skin, naturally.
That’s the just the first of roughly a dozen costumes (there may have been more, I lost count), each one a Bob Mackie original, that recount the almost endless reinventions of her career.
There are the mod-60s boots for “The Beat Goes On” (sung as a “duet” with a video version of Sonny); the outrageous feathered headdress for “Half Breed” and a fortune teller get-up for “Dark Lady;” a silky disco era pantsuit for “Take Me Home;” her classic almost not there leather ensemble for “If I Could Turn Back Time;” and the glittery dance floor Diva costume for “Believe.” In between there’s everything from a “Mad Max” style ensemble for a cover of Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield” to a relatively simple jeans and blouse outfit for a cover of Marc Cohen’s “Walking in Memphis.”
The costumes are endlessly entertaining, jaw dropping wonders but if I have to find something to whine about it’s that the time required for her to make the dozen or so changes means there is a lot of time when she’s not on stage. There are plenty of distractions – from Cirque style aerialists and strength performers to dancers to lots of video from “Sonny and Cher” to “Moonstruck” but when she disappears for five minutes to change into a costume that she will wear for one four minute song, something about that math just doesn’t quite add up.
But that’s just a quibble really, because while she is on stage she owns it. As mentioned, she looks fantastic but more importantly she sounds fantastic as well. Despite what has been said about her live concerts, most of what she was singing here was definitely live – no lip-synching. And on songs like the torchy “Way of Love” or the heartfelt “After All” she proves that she’s more than just a studio invention like so many of today’s singers.
Cher will be doing 200 shows over the next three years at prices that range from $95 for the nosebleed seats to $250 for most of the main floor. Spectacle doesn’t come cheap, you know.
Cher
Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S
866-510-2437
website
Price:
$95 to $250.00, plus tax
Showtimes:
Tues, Wed, Sat, Sun at 7:30pm
Show not performed weekly
Vegas4Visitors Rating: A-
TOP 10 CASINO TIPS – June 2008 By Henry Tambourin
1. Casino business is down because of the price of gas. Check the web site of your favorite casino to find special deals being rolled out by casinos everywhere to attract customers.
2. If you want to check out who has the better paying video poker machines in Las Vegas, check out the Best Video Poker page on www.lasvegasadvisor.com.
3. To find out what the casinos in Las Vegas are giving away just for signing up for their Players Card, go to www.advantageplayer.com, click on Viva Las Vegas, then click on Slot Club Sign Up Bonuses.
4. If you want to play blackjack on the Strip for low stakes ($5/$10) with good rules, head over to either MGM Grand or Monte Carlo. Both offer 6-deck shoe games where the dealer stands on soft 17, you can double after pair splitting and you can surrender lousy hands. You are more apt to find $5-$10 minimum games at Monte Carlo.
5. If you are dealt an Ace-9 in blackjack and the dealer shows a 9, 10, or Ace, always hit.
6. Don’t make the Big 6 or 8 bet in craps. Instead, make a Place Bet on the 6 or 8 (lower house edge for same bet).
7. Who has the loosest slots in Vegas? Based on past history, the Palms casino on Flamingo just west of the strip has some of the loosest slots in town (also some high paying video poker machines).
8. The Arriva card is the first credit card that can be used exclusively in a host of casinos where you will get cash back, and reward credits. Details go to www.arrivacard.com.
9. There are only three casinos in Las Vegas that still offer a good old fashion single deck pitch game of blackjack where a blackjack pays 3-2: the El Cortez, Four Queens, and Western casinos, all located downtown.
10. If you like to play roulette and your heading for Vegas, click on this site to find out which casinos offer the more favorable single 0 roulette wheels: www.lasvegasadvisor.com then click on Gambling Advisor, Gambling Games and finally Roulette.
http://www.smartgaming.com./
Brett's Vegas Views by Jackie Brett.
There is no such thing as too many good laughs and now Fitzgeralds downtown has opened a Comedy After Hours show featuring a rotating stellar lineup of contemporary comedians. Performances are in the resort's intimate second floor showroom at 9 p.m., Thursday through Tuesday, with additional shows at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $28.95, call 702-388-2400.
Tickets are on sale now for Cirque du Soleil's new LOVE Tapis Rouge™ at The Mirage, call 866-236-5652. Beginning June 26, Tapis Rouge™ will begin each night 90 minutes before the 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. performances, Thursday through Monday, inside The Beatles REVOLUTION Lounge, located just steps away from the LOVE Theatre.
French for "red carpet," the "Tapis Rouge" concept was originally developed in 1999 for Cirque du Soleil's touring production, Dralion, and remains the name coined for the VIP package of Cirque du Soleil's Touring Shows Division as a whole. The Tapis Rouge™ package for LOVE is the first permanent show with such an experience.
The $295 Tapis Rouge™ package includes the price of a VIP show ticket and the following amenities: special VIP will-call line; customized gift bag with specially created merchandise; collectible Tapis Rouge™ lanyard provided for complimentary VIP access to the REVOLUTION Lounge for an entire week; exclusive reception before the LOVE performance at the REVOLUTION Lounge with tray-passed hors d'oeuvres and specialty cocktails; hosts to provide insights into LOVE; exclusive behind-the-scenes footage; VIP escorted access into the LOVE Theatre; and VIP line at concessions.
CityCenter has revealed that its resort casino, scheduled to open in late 2009, will be named ARIA. It will form the core of CityCenter, a more than $8 billion dazzling vertical city.
ARIA's contemporary architecture will reveal two curvilinear glass towers, a three-story lobby and 4,004 guest rooms, including 568 suites.
The resort casino will feature a variety of dining experiences, a collection of lounges, bars and nightclubs, a spa, pool, full-service salon, barber shop, deluxe fitness room and group exercise studio. The entertainment centerpiece will be a permanent production celebrating the timeless musical legacy of Elvis Presley created by Cirque du Soleil, which has partnered with CKX, Inc. and its subsidiary Elvis Presley Enterprises.
ARIA will provide a premium meeting experience with 300,000 square feet of technologically advanced meeting and convention space. Four ballrooms will offer the flexibility to accommodate gatherings of all sizes from 10 to 5,000 attendees, and three will feature fully functioning theatrical stages. The facility will encompass three levels and deliver a total of 38 meeting rooms ranging from 800 to 2,000 square feet.
Just outside ARIA's lobby doors, The Crystals, CityCenter's retail and entertainment district, will house more than 500,000 square feet of sophisticated retail space.
Throughout CityCenter's grounds, visitors will have access to an extensive $40 million public Fine Art Program. One of the program's highlights will be featured in ARIA's reception area. Famed artist Maya Lin is creating an approximately 133-foot silver cast of the Colorado River, which will be her first work of art displayed in Las Vegas. The work of Jenny Holzer will be on display as guests approach the resort's north valet, where they will be welcomed by one of the artist's insightful LED signs spanning more than 250 feet.
The Tropicana's seasonal Swim-Up Blackjack game, located in the main pool surrounded by five acres of lush tropical grounds, is open again to hotel guests for the summer. The aquatic card game is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and includes two separate $5-$25 blackjack tables that can accommodate up to seven players each. Exotic beverages from the Swim-Up Bar are just a splash away. The 12,000-square-foot, free-form main pool with an island in the middle is newly renovated.
http://www.lasvegas-nv.com/brett/index.htm
100% Guaranteed Slot Machine Voodoo Maneuvers
From:www.vegastripping.com
Any gambler worth their weight in salt will be happy to tell you that there are numerous ways to beat the pants off of the casinos. What most of them won't tell you is that to take down the casinos there is absolutely no need to study betting systems, calculating mathematical probability, hunting out the best paytables or payout percentages, waste time learning basic playing strategies or even know rules of the casino games themselves. To become a truly successful gambler, one has to learn to harness the non-scientific, yet completely true metaphysical laws of slot machine voodoo.
With these eight (at least) tips on harnessing the power of Slot Machine Voodoo – tested using space age VibeLOK algorithms (patent pending) – you can go from zero to hero during your next trip to the casino.
No time consuming classes to sign up for! No messy clutter of gambling strategy books! No eye popping migraines caused by studying the Hold Em odds calculators! No pesky basic strategy cards that you never seem to have when you really need them! Slot Machine Voodoo (with VibeLOK) is easy, portable and 100% guaranteed* to get your photo taken with a giant card board check.
Are you ready to change your life? Let's get learn some slot machine voodoo!
More here:
http://www.vegastripping.com/features/feature.php?feature_id=144&page=1
Golden Gate Hotel & Casino Las Vegas : The VegasTripping Review 2008.
With many of us feeling the pinch of high gas prices and the ripple effects of early stage recession, searching for quality rooms at bargain basement prices is one of the best ways for Vegas junkies to be able to afford Vegas trips in a belt-tightening economy. In our last Vegas bargain hunter excursion, the ground rules were to snag the best rooms possible for under $100/night. We walked away with two nights at the four star rated Golden Nugget at an unbelievable steal deal of $50/night.
This time rules were even simpler – find the cheapest Strip or Fremont Street hotel/casino room possible without sacrificing safety or dignity. Rates found through the VT reservation system proved to be pretty competitive compared to the hotel websites for a Tuesday arrival : El Cortez $75, Fremont $58, Plaza $50, Four Queens $45, Binions $32. As for the Strip : Sahara at $129 and Stratosphere for $104. The Tropicana clocked in at a laughable $177/night rate.
Once again, a Fremont Street institution – this time the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino – won out with the best rates in town. Since the Golden Nugget trip, I've secretly been vying to stay at the Golden Gate. Our quick jaunt through the casino – including a taste test of their famed Shrimp Cocktail – was great, low key, unpretentious fun. If anything I was struck by the intimacy of being in a smaller property and how the employees were gracious, thoughtful and pretty darn awesome.
More here:
http://www.vegastripping.com/features/feature.php?feature_id=141&page=1
Nathan Burton’s Presidential Connection
By: Sean Daly/Celebrity Week
Everything has a connection to Las Vegas. Even the death of President Gerald Ford. It seems his memorial service was held at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert – the same church where Vegas magician Nathan Burton’s father was once the minister. Nathan and his family lived in the famous California community from 1978 – 1983 and during that time, the President and his wife often attended services at St. Margaret's.
His daughter Susan Ford was also married there. “During the rehearsal the evening before the wedding, the Secret Service agents heard someone talking on their walkie talkie channel, saying something like ‘10-4, over and out,’” we’re told. And – you guessed it – the culprit was Nathan. They quickly confiscated the 7-year-old’s walkie talkie until after the ceremony.
[My dad’s relationship with the Ford’s] was the same as anyone else who would go to the church,” says the Aladdin headliner. “They would send Christmas cards during the holidays and when my sister was born they sent the inaugural silver cup over (with an official letter from his stationary with the President’s Seal) … so it was pretty much the same relationship they had with everybody in the parish.”
http://www.celebrityweek.com/vegas_baby/show_only_in_vegas.asp?id=2438&cid=12
One-On-One Dinner Date With Pamela Anderson Sells For Thousands. By Robin Leach
Vegas Luxe Life
It just might well wind up being the most expensive one-night dinner date in history. Former Planet Hollywood Resort’s Beauty of Magic Strip showgirl Pamela Anderson flew to the United Arab Emirates to boost the local chapter’s debut of the Make A Wish foundation.
She agreed to be “auctioned off” to one lucky bidder for one dinner a-deux! Now just what would you pay for a shot at romance with the world’s most beautiful busty blonde? I’m told the winning package went for AED230, 000, which tallies up to just $62,000 in American money. Pamela, now filming her new reality series, has hinted she may well marry for a fourth time before the show comes to an end and maybe this overseas dinner date might just lead to the real thing?
http://blogs.lasvegasmagazine.com/VegasLuxeLife/
Dining A"The Donald's" New Restaurant By Robin Leach
Vegas Luxe Life
Two new Strip restaurant sensations are all the buzz of the food world. Billionaire developer Donald Trump has won raves already for his new DJT restaurant at the Trump International Hotel tower.
Every Thursday through Sunday from 3-7 p.m. they serve up High Champagne as opposed to High Tea—this is Vegas after all! Guests get their choice of fine champagnes ranging from Dom Perignon to Moet Rose Imperial at a get-together mixer in the buildings elegant lobby.
Then chefs Joe Isidori and chef de cuisine David Varley literally blow one away with their food creations: the chilled sweet pea soup comes with jewels of fruit and vegetable, the slow roasted halibut, Florida cobia and lobster dishes simply cannot be beaten. My dish that floated on a bed of lemongrass aromatics was beyond sensational.
Michael Shearin has created an extraordinary Trump list of small artisan producers’ rare wines, sakes and beers. Check out the $900 bottle of Daiginjo sake or the more modest $22 First Embrace from Yukihonoka Junmai. He’s got a $62 Brouwerji Bosteels beer from Belgium down to a $9 Brazilian black beer and my favorite Newcastle Brown Ale from England at $8. But it’s at the soda fountain you can have the most frivolous fun with everything from lemongrass and rhubarb sodas to birch beer and vintage Coke!
‘The Donald” himself dined there with son Donald Jr. and gave it a resounding thumbs-up approval. It just might be the first American fine-dining experience here to give French masters Joel Robuchon and Guy Savoy a tantalizing taste of competition!
Meantime, this week across the Strip at The Palazzo the new management team, chefs and servers of the new Sushi Samba restaurant began working on their June 17 opening. Led by chef Jose Mendin this is the 7th and largest Sushi Samba and its first West Coast location.
It’s inventive fare that unites bold Brazilian flavors with precise Japanese techniques and exquisite Peruvian culinary traditions. Guests will even be able to watch through transparent glass the first Sushi Samba robata grill reminiscent of the centuries old country style cooking of northern Japanese fisherman.
New signature cocktails have been created specifically for Vegas and Tiffany Soto becomes the only female master sommelier in town! The restaurant evokes images of Brazil’s annual Carnaval celebration with an oversized art installation of a 3-D illustration of swirling ribbons that explode from the center of the room and wrap their way around eating spaces, winding around the sushi bar with its 21 seats and the lounge with 35 additional seats. The main dining room seats 150.
Owner-partner Matt Johnson gave me the private advance tour and he showed off with pride the intimate Sugarcane latenight lounge decorated in gold- and chocolate-brown leather, bamboo and wenge woods with a custom-made simulated sugarcane ceiling with moving lights winding through tubes and rods.
Sushi Samba restaurants are massively popular hit hip hangouts in New York, Miami and Chicago and are certain to be even more successful now here in Vegas.
http://blogs.lasvegasmagazine.com/VegasLuxeLife/
Posted on June 6th, 2008 by MrVegas98
Filed under: Newsletter
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