Celine Dion, 41, is reportedly in a New York City fertility treatment center. She was impregnated in August but it was announced in November that the embroyo transfer was unsuccessful.
Dion will be reportedly announcing on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” this week that she is returning to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in March 2011.
Finally, “‘Markus,” Nevada’s first prostitude, spilled the beans about his erotic ways at the Shady Lady Ranch brothel in Nye County, Nevada.
But it took lots of moxy and personal sacrifice from New York Post undercover (and we do mean “undercover”) reporter Mandy Stadtmiller to really stretch and lay it all out, going where no reporter before her ventured.
Her full article, complete with photographs, appeared in the Feb. 2 issue of the New York Post.
Making a long story very short, Stadmiller paid Markus $500 for a two-hour session (Markus’ second client), showered naked with the dude, surreptitiously interviewed and photographed him, but, reportedly, they never had sex.
Stadmiller exhibited rare passion and creativity for her journalist assignment and career. But, sadly, in the end, when push came to shove, she didn’t take the football over the goal line.
{Also, a prior article on the male prostitude by Las Vegas Backstage Access.}
The Tropicana in Las Vegas is reportedly negotiating a deal with nightclub chain Nikki Beach.
Barely a year old, the megaclub at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas has been named the No. 1 club in the nation. Sister club Tryst finished fifth. 
The Las Vegas nightclub industry not only swept the first five spots — Tao at The Venetian was second, Pure at Caesars Palace, third; and The Bank at Bellagio, fourth — but almost one-fourth of the Top 100 are Las Vegas nightclubs.
XS raked in an astounding $70 million.
The awards will be presented March 8 during the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas.
“Clearly, Las Vegas maintains its dominance as a nightclub destination,” said David Henkes, vice president of Technomic, the Chicago-based hospitality market research firm that partners with Nightclub & Bar magazine to determine The Top 100. They provide the industry’s only ranking of leading nightclub, bar and lounge venues based on total revenue.
Las Vegas has seven clubs in the Top 10. LAX at the Luxor was ninth and Jet at The Mirage was 10th.
The other Las Vegas nightclubs that made the list:
11. Lavo at the Palazzo. 12. Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel, now closed.) 13. Moon at the Palms. 14. Ghostbar at the Palms. 16. Drai’s After Hours at Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall. 28. Christian Audigier at Treasure Island. 31. The Playboy Club at the Palms. 32. Rumjungle at Mandalay Bay. 36. Rain at the Palms. 37. Blush at the Wynn. 45. Studio 54 at MGM Grand. 49. Krave at Planet Hollywood. 52. Stoney’s Rocking Country. 94. Tabu Ultra Lounge at MGM Grand.
A three-day convention for marijuana supporters will not happen in Las Vegas. Organizers of “Cannapalooza” say the March event at Mandalay Bay has been cancelled.
According to the group’s website, the hotel “decided to cancel our contract for space,” and the event won’t take place. Organizer Lou Wozinski told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he had set up a meeting with Las Vegas Metro Police on “Cannapalooza” security last month, and found himself in a room with about 100 not to friendly law enforcement officers.
Wozinski says he “felt ambushed, like General Custer surrounded by Indians.” One day later, Wozinski, says Mandalay Bay officials mysteriously cancelled the convention.
“Cannapalooza” was billed by organizers as a “fun, safe, educational event,” and the “largest head shop on the planet.” Wozinski says the event would have brought about 50,000 marijuana fans to Las Vegas.
The Cheerleaders of America organization is hosting their National Championship in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center on Feb. 14. Thousands of screaming fans will be cheering on hundreds of competitive cheer and dance teams from around the U.S., competing for prizes and sis-boom-bang bragging rights.
Denny’s is doing it again. They’re offering their FREE Original Grand Slam®, Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. everywhere. (And don’t forget to visit Denny’s for a Free Original Grand Slam® on your birthday.)
Adam Meyer, who has the license plates, “Bet on Me,” on his Bentley, has supposedly been approved for a whopping $1 million Super Bowl bet at the M Resort.
Paula Abdul and Las Vegas hotels are reportedly getting close to ink a deal to host the sometimes controversial performer. Major announcements involving Abdul in Las Vegas are imminent. 
Abdul was spotted during the week in the valet area of Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas chatting with Hilton executive Ken Ciancimino, who confirmed that he’s been shaping a deal with Abdul for quite some time.
“Mr. Las Vegas” Wayne Newton has reportedly abandoned his mouldy plane languishing at a Detroit airport, racking up bills of more than $60,000, but the good news is he’s asking Virginia legislators to grant state recognition to his Indian tribe. 
The Virginia-born entertainer has appealed to the House Rules Committee to officially recognize the Patawomeck, or Potomac, tribe, of which he is a member.
The recognition allows the group to be known as a tribe but does not grant sovereignty.
Newton and Patawomeck Chief Robert Green said it would validate their identity and help them protect sacred burial grounds.
Why spend thousands of hard earned dollars to go to Miami when you catch all the action literally everywhere in Las Vegas for a comparative mere pittance?
Apparently, thousand of people are of the same persuasion. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority anticipate 278,000 people to visit Las Vegas this weekend- that’s a whopping 13.5 percent increase from last year’s visitor totals. The nongaming impact from all those visitors is expected to be up 2.4 percent to $89.7 million.
So, why don’t you see advertising on Las Vegas’ Super Bowl activities? It’s simply because of the National Football League’s half-baked and business-choking stance against sports betting, the league has threatened legal action against Las Vegas casinos that use the Super Bowl name in their promotions of parties and events surrounding Sunday’s game. But that hasn’t deterred casinos from promoting “Big Game” activities at their properties or kept Super Bowl bets from becoming a major draw at local sports books.
Station Casinos, South Point and The Orleans, for instance, will show the game in a ballroom that is open to the public. NFL rules do not allow companies to charge admission to rooms where the game is being shown.
Las Vegas casinos also can have free but private viewing parties for invited guests and VIPs away from the sports book.
Station Casinos, which owns 10 Las Vegas casinos, are holding viewing parties for invited guests and are offering $1 hot dogs and $1 Budweisers.
The Las Vegas Hilton is also having a huge viewing party.
The Palms will hold its football viewing party for VIPs in its Fantasy Suites, including the Hardwood Suite where guests can relax and shoot hoops during breaks in the game.
The Hard Rock Hotel, which just opened 824 new hotel rooms and 40,000 square feet of new casino space, is having a public party in Wasted Space and a party for invited guests at The Joint.
For Boyd Gaming Corp., whose properties include Sam’s Town, The Orleans and Suncoast, this weekend is one of the biggest on its winter calendar.
“It’s far more than just the sports book,” Boyd spokesman David Strow said. “On Sunday, you’ll be able to see the game pretty much in every nook and cranny of the casino.”
MGM Mirage is also expecting a big weekend even without a lot of extra hype. The gaming company said it has sold out or is near selling out at its 10 Strip properties even though it is not holding any special game-day parties or promotions, other than offering free T-shirts at Paris Las Vegas and Bally’s with $25 parlay bets.
Nothing boosts business at Las Vegas sports books like the Super Bowl. With a record haul predicted for the contest (previous article on Feb. 4, 2010 by Las Vegas Backstage Access), still wagering has never reached the elusive $100 million mark. It has steadily increased over the years, from around $50 million in 1989 (when the San Francisco 49ers nipped the Cincinnati Bengals) to $71.5 million in 2002 (when the New England Patriots upset the St. Louis Rams) to a record $94.5 million bet on Super Bowl XL in 2006, when Pittsburgh beat Seattle. Maybe this will be the year?
Michael Jackson rented a 16,400-square-foot Las Vegas mansion in 2007/2008 for six months while looking for a place to call his permanent home. That estate, located at 2785 S. Monte Cristo, was later taken over by Eastern Savings Bank when the owners defaulted on the lender’s loan.
On Jan. 30, after being on the market for a mere four days, a California couple reportedly plunked down $3.1 million for the mansion.
According to Real Estate agent Zar Zanganeh in a statement issued regarding this 10 bedroom, 15,461-square foot house: “It’s serendipity that we sold the home that we had also rented to Michael Jackson.
The estate became famous and generated tremendous interest because of the MJ connection; in fact, the buyer is a big Michael Jackson fan.”
That buyer’s name has not been released, but what has been released is the fact that Michael Jackson had bigger plans for living in Las Vegas in the form of a house at 7000 Tomiyasu Lane.
On the block in October, 2009 for $16.5 million as noted in a Zillow.com listing, the Las Vegas Sun reported that real estate czar Zar Zanganeh claims Michael Jackson was ripe to buy the 10-acre, 15,000 square-foot Mediterranean/contemporary Las Vegas manse as soon as MJ returned from his London tour, ‘This Is it’.
Zanganeh claims to have shown Michael and his three children the Sin City complex many times.
Zanganeh, a Realtor with Fine Vegas Estates, said, “He got so excited, the minute we drove through the gates here he got that feeling of Neverland. As soon as he stepped out of the car, he said, ‘Zar, I love this place. I’m calling it Wonderland.’”
Built by casino king Gary Primm, the enormous edifice is kidnapper proofed (obviously, a big draw for Michael Jackson), custom-designed with three secure gates. Other safety precautions include secret tunnels, bulletproof doors, and a panic room.
As for the fun stuff at this so-called real Wonderland: A tennis/basketball court, a 20-seat theater, a cave room den, an orchestra loft, a car showroom, a fitness room and, of course, a dance floor.
Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have finally agreed to square off for a welterweight super fight on HBO Pay-Per-View at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 1.
The hubbub for the anticipated fight started after Mayweather came out of his 18-month retirement last September.
Mosley, 38, stepped up his interest after the 32-year-old defeated lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
Later, in a post-fight interview, Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) challenged Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) to his face.
Mayweather became available to fight three weeks ago when negotiations for a Manny Pacquiao ticket stalled.
All parties agreed to conditions for a March 13 bout when Mayweather wanted to have a random blood testing done in addition to the agreed random urine testing.
The last time Mosley fought was against Antonio Margarito last January, winning his title in a ninth-round knockout.
It appears now that Michael Jackson’s personal doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, with offices in Texas and Las Vegas, will most likely formally face involuntary manslaughter charges tomorrow in Los Angeles, California.
UPDATE: Dr. Murray WAS indeed going to face charges today, Feb. 5. And, in fact, was in Los Angeles waiting – begging – to turn himself in, but Los Angeles authorities refused to act on his pleading, saying they will on Mon., Feb. 8. We apologize for any inconvenience this caused in your day.
Dr. Murray has been investigated for the past seven months since the pop icon’s untimely death.
The charge results from improperly administering Michael Jackson the propofyl sleep inducing drug that ultimately ended his life.
The charge, many feel, is a mere legal wrist slap, probably being a 4-year prison term, if that, if deemed guilty.
Yesterday, Dr. Murray was supposed to appear in a $130,000 civil suit in Las Vegas, but decided not to appear, losing the case.
Las Vegas Backstage Access has covered the entire Michael Jackson case, with numerous articles posted.
Most Super Bowl betting experts predict this year’s Super Bowl to be the biggest in terms of overall traffic and amount of bets placed at the online sportsbooks and in Las Vegas.
A Las Vegas bookmaker makes the Indianapolis Colts an early four-point favorite to beat the New Orleans Saints in the 2010 Super Bowl and the bookies (both in Las Vegas and online) pushed the line up to -5 ½. Sportsbetting.com and a few others have moved the line up to Colts -6.
Sean Van Patten of Las Vegas Sports Consultants recently told the AP that the Colts’ experience on the NFL’s biggest stage (they won Super Bowl XLI three years ago) helped them take the decided edge.
The total in this Super Bowl, with a number that has remained steady for the most part, is 56 ½, being the highest total ever posted.
“In the Super Bowl, most people don’t mind if the defense doesn’t show up as much,” Jay Rood, director of the MGM Mirage’s Race and Sports Book in Las Vegas, said in a telephone interview last week with Bloomberg News Friday. “For the most part they like to see a track meet back and forth. This one could deliver.”
John Avello, the race and sports book director at the Wynn Las Vegas, said he can envision several scenarios that would keep this year’s game from being a high-scoring contest.
“For the most part I’d believe that the weather will cooperate, but there’s always the chance it won’t,” said Avello, noting that both clubs played their first two playoff games in domed stadiums. “Second, the Colts’ defense is a lot better than people anticipate and the Saints’ defense showed they can get to the quarterback. This game may not be quite the shootout that’s anticipated.”
“This is clearly the highest total for a Super Bowl we’ve ever had,” said Jay Kornegay, executive director of the Hilton Race and Sports Book. “People like to bet on offense and it’s shaping up to be an offensive game.”
Despite the high number, nearly 75 percent of those betting the total were still backing the OVER heading going into the contest.
Expect to see free-flowing Patron and Grey Goose at your upcoming Super Bowl party? You say, “Whatz Dat?”
This year you’ll be lucky to imbibe on wood grain alcohol at your friends’ party. 
Americans’ love affair with top-shelf booze apparently has really cooled last year, as recessionary woes took a dramatic toll on high-price tipples.
Although people drank more alcohol, it turned out to be much cheaper brands, according to a report by an industry group. They also appeared to be more ‘closet’ drinkers, preferring to guzzle more at home and less in pricier bars and restaurants to save money- and, perhaps, to avoid costly drunk-driving arrests.
Industry growth slowed in 2009, with the amount of liquor sold by suppliers up by only 1.4 percent– the smallest hike since 2001.
And the lowest-priced segment, including brands like Popov vodka, reportedly grew the fastest, with volume rising 5.5 percent. The most expensive brands – think Grey Goose, tumbled a whopping 5.1 percent.
So, better crank up your dusty still- it’s almost Super Bowl time!
Gentlemen (and ladies), dust off your zoom lenses because the Sports Illustrated swimsuit models are returning once again to Las Vegas next week.
Shortly after the cover-girl ceremony is held in New York City next Tuesday, the models will jet off to Las Vegas, where they will participate in numerous activities over two days.
Their first scheduled stop will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at Margaritaville at the Flamingo. From there they go to The Mirage for a poker tournament, followed by an appearance at the Garden of the Gods at Caesars Palace.
Thursday’s schedule includes appearances in The Mirage lobby from noon to 2 p.m., Le Cabaret at Paris Las Vegas from 1-3 p.m. and Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo from 3-5 p.m.
They’ll make nightclub appearances at Jet at The Mirage on Wednesday (9 p.m.), Vanity at the Hard Rock towers on Thursday (9 p.m.) and Tao (Venetian) at 1 a.m. Friday.
All three are invite-only events.
{Last year, Las Vegas Backstage Access covered the event and a video of the event and the gals is posted on Feb 14: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models Prove Life Exists After Football } We could supply photos for your publication if desired. Please provide a reply to this post and we’ll get back to you shortly.
It seems no matter who you are - or how much you earn – it’s never enough to cover all the bills. 
In June 2009 Forbes magazine ranked actor Nicholas Cage 45th on its list of the 100 most powerful celebrities and estimated his income at $40 million for the previous 12 month period. Just 6 months later Cage’s $8.5 million Las Vegas home went into foreclosure and has now reportedly been sold for $4.95 million after just one day on the market. The 14,000+ square foot home on Spanish Heights Drive has six bedrooms, seven and a half bathrooms and features a theater and a subterranean 16-car garage.
This is only the latest round of financial troubles trailing the Academy Award winner. In November, 2009, the two homes Cage owned through Hancock Park Real Estate Company in New Orleans were sold at a foreclosure auction and this followed the loss of a residence in California. This is all right on the heels of a lawsuit Cage filed in October against business manager Samuel Levin.
In the lawsuit, Cage claims he has “discovered that he is now forced to sell major assets and investments at a significant loss and is faced with huge tax liabilities because of Levin’s incompetence, misrepresentations and recklessness. Rather than attaining financial security, Cage has been forced to dispose of significant assets in order to pay for Levin’s gross misconduct.”
In addition to home losses, Cage also owes back property taxes and a substantial amount to the IRS.
“Over the course of my career I have paid at least $70 million in taxes. Unfortunately, due to a recent legal situation, another approximate $14 million is owed to the IRS,” Cage told People magazine. The good news for Cage is that as a bankable Hollywood actor, he won’t be finding himself on the unemployment line soon and his five projects currently in play should help him regroup and, hopefully, regain his financial footing.
President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States, apparently never gets old. He will speak at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Monday, February 22 at 7:30pm. President Clinton’s lecture is titled “Embracing our Common Humanity”. The special evening event is presented by Caesars Palace and AEG Live.
Tickets for the evening event went on-sale Monday, February 1 at 10 a.m. and may be purchased in person at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Box Office, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, or by visiting http://www.ticketmaster.com , keyword “Caesars Palace”
Football legend and Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung will be signing free autographs in the Tropicana Las Vegas’s Celebration Lounge between noon and 2 p.m., prior to the Big Game on Sunday, Feb. 7. 
Hornung is one of only five players to have earned both the Heisman Trophy as well as football’s prestigious Most Valuable Player award. He is known as one of the most versatile players in football, having played halfback, quarterback and placekicker. Nicknamed the Golden Boy during his tenure at the University of Notre Dame, Hornung moved quickly into professional football as a first-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers. He was named All-Pro twice and went on to win four league championships with the Packers including the very first Super Bowl in 1967. He was later inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.
Following autographs in the Celebration Lounge, Tropicana Las Vegas guests can watch every play of the Saints as they crush the Colts on big screen TV’s throughout the casino as well as enjoy a variety of food and drink specials.
Entertainer Bette Midler on Sunday gave her final wave and curtain call – for now – for her show, “The Showgirl Must Go On,” ending her two-run at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. 
The Devine Miss M was honored during the finale from a variety of well-wisher cameos, including Marie Osmond, dissing Donny; Gladys Knight, Pip-singing “Memories,” and, via video, Celine Dion, who is reportedly returning to Caesars Palace soon.
But minutes before going on for her grand entrance, she arrived to ride the elevator up to the stage and a Cher impersonator, Steven Wayne, from Frank Marino’s “Divas Las Vegas” show at Imperial Palace showed up holding a sign aloft that read: “Get off My Stage, Bitch.”
The friendly rub came after 50 members of Midler’s cast and crew attended Marino’s show last week.
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum in downtown Las Vegas is celebrating a milestone thousands years in the making. Last Saturday, Jan. 30, the Museum opened a new permanent exhibit called The Treasures of Egypt, which features nearly 500 reproduced artifacts including the tomb of the young Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
The exhibit, located in the museum’s new 4,000-square-foot Egyptian Pavilion expansion, provides a glimpse into the ancient past of Egyptian civilization. It features replicas generously donated by MGM Mirage that were formerly on display in the King Tut Museum & Tomb inside the Luxor Las Vegas, including the world-famous guardian statues, King Tut’s sarcophagus and an array of statues, vases, baskets and pottery. The Museum was able to recreate the tomb of King Tut as discovered by Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt in 1922. This unique replica of the actual tomb is the only known exhibit of its kind outside of Egypt.
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is located at 900 North Las Vegas Boulevard. Admission is $10 for adults; $8 for students, seniors and military and $5 for children ages 3-11. Children age 2 and under are free. Admission includes access to the entire Museum, including the new exhibit. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
The 2010 Miss America has been crowned. Saturday night, 22-year-old Miss Virginia, Caressa Cameron, walked the Planet Hollywood stage in Las Vegas wearing a canary yellow evening gown, sporting the traditional Miss America tiara and, of course, giving the traditional Miss America wave. 
In 1920, the Business men’s League of Atlantic City was looking for a way to keep sunbathers on the boardwalk past Labor Day. They held a Fall Frolic including tennis tournaments, parades and concerts. But one Boardwalk publicity event, where young men pushed decorated rolling wicker chairs through the streets, truly captured the public eye. It wasn’t the spectacle of the young men or chairs that caught the public interest – it was the young women in the chairs and in particular, Ernestine Cremona, wearing a delicate white robe. The event was a huge success and was repeated in 1921. Only now, there was the addition of a “bathing revue” and it came to pass the crowning of the first Miss America, 16 year old Margaret Gorman.
From the start, the Miss America pageant has struggled with the paradox of presenting a conservative image of women as virtuous and innocent while parading them around in swimsuits and skin tight evening wear. But, as the years went by, the pageant had it’s highs and lows, eventually struggling to survive as society evolved while Miss America clung to it’s original conservative roots.
But even though growth came slowly to Miss America, it did come, most notably in the 40’s. In 1945 Miss America Bess Myerson received the first scholarship awarded as one of the pageant prizes. But 1945 also signaled a turning of ethnic tide at the pageant, as Myerson was the first Jewish American to win the title. Just a few years later the ”color” barrier was broken when Irma Nydia Vasquez from Puerto Rico, and Yun Tau Zane from Hawaii, the first Asian contestant, walked the pageant stage.
In 2004, after several years of declining ratings, the pageant’s Aqua Net hairstyles and glitterati gowns were no longer welcomed on network television. And then in 2006, the pageant turned to the city of reinvention - Las Vegas, Nevada - to begin to, well, stage a comeback.
And now it’s in Las Vegas, under the gaudy neon lights, playing to a crowd of 7,000 at Planet Hollywood that Fredericksburg, Virginia, native Caressa Cameron received her crown.
During her on-stage interview – the segment of all pageants that has drawn the most criticism and interest during recent years – Miss Cameron was asked about how to deal with the epidemic of childhood obesity. Her reply: “We need to get our kids back outside, playing with sticks in the street like I did when I was little. Expand your mind, go outside and get to see what this world is like.”
Good advice for anyone…
Perhaps not as well known as the hunting season in Idaho or the ski season in Vermont, Red Flag season in Las Vegas means increased activity in the sky above and around the city. It’s a little extra noise and traffic for North Las Vegas locals to endure but for military personnel, Red Flag training exercises are an opportunity to immerse themselves in situations which would be encountered in actual combat. 
Essentially, there are two teams made up of personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, U.S. Navy and the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom. The Red team is the “aggressor” defending key targets including missile sites, tanks and airfields. The Blue team has one mission – to attack the targets.
The event, running Monday, January 25 to Friday, February 5, will be conducted on the 15,000 square mile Nevada Test and Training Range north of the city of Las Vegas. Participating aircraft will depart Nellis Air Force Base twice each day, first in the mid-afternoon and later in the evening.
Photo at right is of a F/A-18 Hornet blasting through the sun’s rays, supplied courtesy of photographer Mike Stotts.
For the first time in 16 years, Red Flag will include members from the 93rd Fighter Squadron and Maintenance Squadron from Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida. And the Homestead ARB F-16 “Mako” will be included in the aerial training exercises.
“Participating in Red Flag is a huge milestone for the Air Force Reserve Command,” says Lt. Col. David W. Smith, 93rd FS commander. “This is the best training in the world to prepare pilots for integrated joint operations in the most robust air-to-air and air-to-ground combat threat environment.”
Any large business opening is a big thing in this stifling economy- and especially one of this magnitude. The formal grand opening for the City of Henderson Heritage Park Senior Facility will be held on Saturday, Jan. 30.
The Senior Facility, which will replace two other older facilities, has been the topic of discussion regarding whether the reported $11.7 million spent on the Heritage Park Senior Facility and the estimated total cost of $26.2 million for the entire Heritage Park complex, was a wise investment during the current economic climate.
At the time of the July 2008 groundbreaking, the two-year project seemed to be exactly what was necessary to meet the needs of the community. But as funding for other commitments dried up and the financial domino effect of the mortgage crisis became more apparent, there was little consideration given to putting any kind of hold on the project.
“Unlike a park, you can’t just leave a half-built building sitting there.” said Kim Becker, spokeswoman for the Parks and Recreation department. Yet that is exactly what has been done at other local building sites, most notably the bankrupt Fontainebleau sitting just north of the Riviera.
The Senior Facility, which opened for use on December 16, is a recreational center for adults over 50. It features a commercial kitchen as well as a demonstration kitchen and the specialty rooms include a dance room, craft room, conference room and media room. Mindful of the concerns and needs of the community, the Senior Facility also houses a wellness center and health screening rooms and the cafe and lounge area are equipped with the latest in WiFI. But the centerpiece of this building has to be the fitness room which includes the latest in exercise equipment and the indoor aquatic area.
“We’re very pleased to be pursuing LEED Gold certification for this building, which truly blends form and function,” said Mary Ellen Donner, director, City of Henderson Parks and Recreation Department. “So many elements are eco-friendly and energy efficient, including a ground source geothermal sustainable energy system, flooring made from recycled products, and insulated skylights and windows to optimize natural lighting. It’s a striking building that will truly enhance the quality of life for Henderson’s 50+ residents.”
In the end it’s possible that the Henderson Parks and Recreation department will find themselves thanked by many in the Henderson community. As money has become tighter and tighter, families are turning away from expensive hobbies and weekend entertainments and are spending more time at the park. The reported 13.5 percent uptick in use at the six Henderson recreational centers during the last half of 2009 is expected to continue or increase, especially as this summer season begins and community pools come more into play.
Want to know what Demi Moore, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Madonna, Jennifer Anniston, Ivana Trump, Cameron Diaz, Mariah Carey, and Joan Collins have all discovered?
Women who are attracted to younger men are invited to compete for the title of Miss Cougar Las Vegas at the first-ever Las Vegas Cougar Convention, Friday, January 22, at the Tropicana Hotel Conference Ballroom.
One lucky prowling cougar will be crowned Miss Cougar Las Vegas and win a free berth on one of two Cougar Cruises (May 16-23 to the Mexican Riviera) or Dec 3-6 to The Bahamas), a DVD of Ashton Kutcher’s cougar movie Spread and many other prizes courtesy of SinglesTravelCompany.com. Eligible contestants must be legally single and at least 40 years old. Cost is $20 at the door. Dressy attire recommended.
The most qualified vixen will be selected by the younger men cubs in attendance.
Doors open at 7 p.m., with an entertaining keynote address at 7:30 p.m. by author Rich Gosse, America’s foremost authority on finding a romantic partner. He is the author of eight books on this topic, including You CAN Hurry Love, Singles Guide to America, and A Good Man Is EASY to Find (“This is a great book!” says Oprah Winfrey).
“Age discrimination is perhaps the most pervasive prejudice in American Society,” says Gosse. “Older women, in particular, are victimized by our youth-oriented society. They are regarded as ‘non-sexy’. Supposedly every American male is only attracted to nubile 20 year olds found in the centerfolds of men’s magazines. The truth is that there are millions of American men who find older women attractive, and we will prove it at the Las Vegas Cougar Convention!”
From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. the dance party gets into full swing, stopping briefly at approximately 11 p.m. for prizes and one cougar attending the convention will win the title of Miss Cougar Las Vegas.
The event is co-sponsored by the Society of Single Professionals, the worlds largest nonprofit singles organization SinglesTravelCompany.com, and many other companies.
The Shady Lady Ranch in Nevada, located 150 miles northwest of Las Vegas, had its first male prostitute working on Wednesday, a 25-year-old from California named “Markus.” But through Saturday, not any lady was shady enough, apparently, to take him up on his enticing offer.
All 5 feet 9 inches of him, weighing in at 180 pounds, patiently waits- and hopes.
The brothel’s owner, Bobbi Davis, said she has received a couple of nibbles, inquiries that is, from curious women, including one who talked about making an appointment soon. But Davis is quick to point out that things are usually slow this time of year.
Meanwhile, Markus was mentioned by talk show host Jay Leno Wednesday night, but has granted just two interviews – one with “Details” magazine, the other with ABC’s “Nightline” – but Davis said she asked him not to talk to any more journalists. Probably that was because in the “Details” article he compares himself to a key figure of the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks.
“This actually isn’t about selling my body. This is about changing social norms,” says Markus.
Could it be that Markus has a “Going Rogue” book deal in the works?
Markus, hailing from the adult film business, where he appeared in a few porn movies, if he does get a client, will get paid the same rates as female brethren: $300 for one hour, $500 for two. That price includes “anything within reason,” according to Davis.
“We’re working on our second guy, but we’re kind of slowing it off until we see how good we can do with Marcus,” Bobbi Davis says.
Illusionist Dirk Arthur plans to bring plenty of good luck to students of the Hebrew Academy in Las Vegas. Celebrating the year of the tiger – touching a tiger’s tail will reportedly bring one good luck – daring students will have the rare opportunity to see up close and personal the pearly white fangs of Saber, a 3-month-old rare white Bengal tiger cub. Touchy-feely is the order to of the day. 
Arthur hopes to start the year off with luck for the students, grades K through 12, at the Hebrew Academy, 9700 West Hillpointe Road, in Las Vegas at noon on Jan. 25, providing them with the rare opportunity.
White tigers are extinct in the wild since the early ’60s. Today, they are only found in captivity, of which it is estimated that there are only 500 to 600 0f the noble animals surviving on our planet.
Arthur has arguably the largest exotic cat habitat in the world; Saber makes number five for white tigers at his home. Saber will be three months old when he meets the children and will weigh about 12 to 15 pounds.
A Las Vegas judge said today that boxing trainer Roger Mayweather should stand trial on three felony charges, alleging he attacked a female boxer he used to train.
The woman, 26-year-old Melissa St. Vil, testified that the 48-year-ld Mayweather punched and choked her during an Aug. 2 confrontation at an apartment he owned.
Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Pro-Tem James Gubler ruled St. Vil’s testimony was sufficient to bind the case over to state court on coercion, battery-strangulation and battery causing substantial bodily harm charges.
Mayweather, the uncle of trainer of unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., did not testify at the evidentiary hearing, and his lawyers chose not to call witnesses.
The judge set arraignment for Jan. 26 in Clark County District Court. Mayweather’s lawyers say he’ll plead not guilty.
An expert in deadly animals is planning to stay for 10 days inside a box full of deadly snakes at a Las Vegas Strip casino as part of yet another reality television show.
Donald Schultz will enter the clear glass box outside O’Sheas Casino in Las Vegas this Sunday, starting with 50 snakes inside. Plans call for five new snakes to be added to the box each day until there are 100 snakes – including cobras, pythons and rattlesnakes.
The stunt will be filmed for Animal Planet’s “Wild Recon” series.
Harrah’s Entertainment is taking over management of hotel operations at the Planet Hollywood casino-resort in Las Vegas as it continues to negotiate with lenders to buy the property.
The privately held casino operator, who likes Planet Hollywood for its location and brand, said today that it would start managing the hotel at midnight this Saturday, Jan. 16.
Regulatory filings show the resort defaulted on an $860 million loan in September.
There is no deal yet for Harrah’s to take ownership of the property, but the gambling giant has applied with Nevada gambling regulators for a license to run it.
Planet Hollywood has 2,500 rooms and manages another 1,200 units, including vacation homes and regular hotel rooms, in a tower that opened earlier this month.
Believe it or not, Las Vegas does have a Downtown Arts District. Yesiree, and, not only that, but they are offering up a second showing of cultural artsy-fartsy festivities with the inauguration of Third Friday this Friday, Jan. 15, starting around 6 p.m., running until approximately midnight.
Following the footsteps of the economically challenged First Friday, now Las Vegans have the added opportunity to browse art galleries, enjoy the bands and mingle amongst fellow art fanatics twice a month — doubling the pleasure and doubling the fun- if not immediate income to producers.
Taking place on the same Las Vegas streets and benefiting the same cause, Third Friday may be similar to First Friday in many ways, but it’s projected to vary slightly.
While Cindy Funkhouse, of the Funk House and Fallout galleries, runs the beginning of the month installment, Cion Noble of the Box Office gallery and venue is coordinating this middle-of-the-month run.
Hans Cewe , one of the owners of the Gypsy Den — a vintage boutique and art gallery which also triples as a music venue — is happy to see the rise of another event to bring people Downtown Las Vegas, hoping thing will expand from there.
The Gypsy Den, also run by Cewe’s daughter Katie, will be offering up it’s stage to local bands for the night, with the lineup so far including local acts Vitamin Overdose, Close to Modern and The Marquees.
Third Friday’s main focus is not merely on the patrons it brings Downtown, but also on the various artists involved.
“It’s basically going to be a networking opportunity for creative people,” says Noble. “The theme is to network… I don’t anticipate vendors and crafts in the first couple of months — I’d like to see it grow into something that’s similar to First Friday eventually.”
The mix of “creative people” so far set to ring in Third Friday’s opening night at the Box Office includes Cameron Grant, rock and blues bands Black Cherry Blue, Flux and JD Vittles, as well as a comedy improv and musical open mic event hosted by LV Freeze.
In keeping with the idea of supporting Las Vegas arts, Funkhouse isn’t viewing the second installment as a threat. Instead she’s offering her support, “merely as a participant,” and opening her galleries’ doors — although she says the art on the walls will be the same as what’s viewed the first weekend of the month. “It’s not practical to change our show out every two weeks, that’d be too much work,” explains Funkhouse.
If Third Friday catches on, perhaps the struggling downtown Las Vegas can look forward to a more regular crowd. Who knows, maybe a little more culture in our Sin City lives, with good eats, is a good thing.
Las Vegas thrillseekers are salivating, waiting for a new out-of-this-world free fall ride at the 1,149-foot Stratosphere. 
The hotel known for outrageous thrill rides, is adding SkyJump Las Vegas, a “controlled free fall” of 855 feet from the top of the tower to a landing platform on the second level.
Many experts predict that SkyJump, based on a ride in Australia, will become one of the top tourist attractions in North America.
Jumpers will have a fabulous view of the Las Vegas Strip — if they dare to keep their eyes open.
SkyJump joins the Big Shot, X-Scream and Insanity rides at Stratosphere.
Construction of the $3 million SkyJump ride began this month and the new attraction is expected to open in April. Cost is $100. Tickets for X-Scream and Insanity are $12, while the Big Shot is $13.
The ride is similar to skydiving and base jumping. After a short safety lesson, riders put on custom “jump suits.” They’ll then be connected to a patented high-speed “descender” machine and led to the edge of a small platform where they leap from the 100-story Stratosphere. Guide wires keep them from slamming into the concrete structure. The entire experience takes about 30 minutes.
Frank Riolo, chief executive officer of Stratosphere parent company American Casino and Entertainment Properties, said the new thrill ride is part of the company’s commitment to reinvesting in the property at all levels. Recent improvements include new carpets and refurbished hotel rooms and rest rooms. A new bar also opened at the top of the tower.
Steve Sebelius, a Las Vegas columnist and CityLife editor, is joining 8 News Now’s award winning I-Team in Las Vegas.
“He will be aggressively breaking significant stories that affect our community. He is an edgy, no-holds-barred reporter who has earned a reputation for getting to the heart of the stories he reports,” said News Director Ron Comings, 8 News Now.
“I’m excited, honored, and a little nervous about joining the respected I-Team reporters George Knapp, Colleen McCarty and Jonathan Humbert but I am definitely looking forward to being a part of Channel 8’s top rated coverage,” Sebelius said.
Sebelius has been reporting in Las Vegas for 15 years and has extensive experience in covering everything from police to politicians.
Sebelius will continue his duties at CityLife in addition to his new role with 8 News Now. His first day on the job will be Monday, Jan. 11th.
Award-winning adult film icon Sasha Grey says, “Too much sex can be a bad thing”—for dogs and cats, that is—in a provocative new PETA ad in which she’s shown posing nude in a bed. 
The adult film star will unveil the campaign – and her real passion – after she delivers the AVN keynote speech earlier this afternoon, Jan. 8, at the 2010 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas. She is the latest celebrity to appear in PETA’s ad series that is aimed at reducing dog and cat overpopulation by promoting spaying and neutering.
Each year, up to 8 million dogs and cats are dumped at U.S. animal shelters, and about half of them must be euthanized because of a lack of suitable homes. Sasha urges all her fans to help curb the overpopulation crisis by spaying and neutering their dogs and cats to prevent pregnancies.
If you need professional photographs and/or an interview/article, please let us know by responding to this post by Noon, PT zone, today, Jan. 8. (We will not post your comments.)
2009 American Idol winner Kris Allen is making a special appearance at B.B. King’s Blues Club at The Mirage in Las Vegas on Friday, Jan. 8 at 9 p.m.
Allen will be performing a very special solo acoustic set. His previous appearance at B.B. King’s saw him perform with a full band, playing hits from his latest album as well as spins on favorite songs from years past.
Allen’s path to the recent “American Idol” victory included memorable performances of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” and Kanye West’s “Heartless.” He was praised by the judges for his original arrangements of such well-known songs.
Since the finale, Allen has had multiple songs appear on the Billboard charts and his finale song “No Boundaries” was No. 1 on the iTunes chart. Earlier this month, Allen released his debut album for 19 Recordings/Jive, featuring the already hit single “Live Like We’re Dying.”
More than offering just pocketcasino sports wagering, which Cantor Gaming launched at The Venetian last September, Cantor Gaming, an affiliate of the global financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, has announced yesterday that their pocketcasino (only available on the Las Vegas Strip at The Venetian and The Palazzo), is now offering casino style games in addition to in-running sports wagering incuding traditional casino games such as blackjack, video poker and slots.
Included in the new choice of casino games are innovative games including XtraOdds Blackjack and XtraOdds Baccarat. These games offer extra propositional bets that dynamically calculate odds based on the cards dealt, giving an extra opportunity to press or hedge your bets.
Pocketcasino gaming promises a dramatic increase to business revenues while allowing casino patrons to multi-task and gamble like never before, including allowing patrons the ability to play casino style games while roaming throughout the high limit slot salon, Grazie gold lounge, race & sports book, and designated public areas currently including bars, lounges and restaurants at The Venetian and The Palazzo in Las Vegas.
D.J. Hollywood will hit the turntables to kick-off the weekly event in celebration of industry’s A-list tonight, Jan. 6, with a birthday celebration at Eva Langoria Parker’s new nighclub, Eve, located in the new CityCenter, for DJ Hollywood.
Eve is planning a celebrity event each Wednesday throughout the year.
Those with local Nevada ID will receive complimentary cover and other select offerings, such as specials on bottle service.
Eve envelopes guests in ultimate luxury with lavish VIP booths, floor-to-ceiling windows and 50-foot-tall arched ceilings that accentuate the glamorous interior. One-of-a kind colossal video screens surrounding the dance floor are a striking, state-of-the art feature unique to Eve alone. Renowned DJs and a premium sound and lighting system make Eve the ultimate nightclub to dance the night away.
Eve is located above Longoria Parker’s celebrated restaurant, Beso, on the second level of Crystals at CityCenter at the entrance at The Park across from ARIA. Parking is conveniently located at the Crystals valet. Eve is open to Wednesday through Saturday at 10 p.m., and cover is $30 for men and $20 for women. Ladies with local ID will receive complimentary admission, excluding special events. For more information about Eve, visit the website at www.evethenightclub.com.
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, Jan. 6th in Las Vegas. The show will be smaller than it has in the past but there are still lots of exciting devices expected to be revealed.
One of the most talked about electronics that could potentially be revealed two days before the big event is the Nexus One. This is Google’s version of the iPhone using the Android 2.1 technology.
New tablet style computers are also expected to be introduced by several different manufacturers as well. There is hope that Apple will be unveiling their version of the tablet.
Electronic readers for the popular e-books are expected to be very popular at the show this year. E-books have taken off with warp speed in the past year and consumers are excited for different versions, including the very popular Amazon Kindle.
3D HDTV’s are undoubtedly going to be an integral part of the electronics future; the first will be introduced at the upcoming show. Several different companies are expected to reveal their latest versions of this exciting technology that is in high demand.
Doug Elfman of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil is in Las Vegas at friend Danny “Count” Koker’s Desert Moon Productions recording his new solo album, “Tattoos And Tequila”, with bassist Dana Strum and Jeff Blando (both of Slaughter) and drummer Zoltan Chaney. 
One of the tracks being laid down during the sessions is a cover version of the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic, “Who’ll Stop The Rain?” An April release is expected.
In a recent interview with The News Tribune, Vince stated about the upcoming CD’s title, “It’s rock ‘n’ roll. That’s it. It has nothing to do with MÖTLEY CRÜE. Tattoos and tequila is basically my life.”
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Neil is also writing a book akin to MÖTLEY’s autobiography, “The Dirt”, with Esquire writer Mike Sager.
If a building could have feelings and emotions, the Fountainbleau project in Las Vegas would be severely depressed. Fountainbleau Las Vegas lenders recently sued hundreds of contractors as lien disputes escalate over unpaid bills at the now bankrupt 3,815-room casino resort project.
There are 342 contractors and other mechanics lien holders, claiming to be owed a whopping $467 million for work at the stalled Las Vegas Strip development, that have been pressing for the right to take over the project for what they are owed.
Lenders, in response, charge that the liens filed by Fountainbleau subcontractors are inferior.
Meanwhile, iconic financier Carl Icahn is reportedly moving forward with his plans to buy the project during an auction this month, offering $156.2 million.
Las Vegas Backstage Access has scoured the plethora of deals (and steals) in Las Vegas for New Year’s Eve and we think for the money, the best place to be is the Crazy Horse III. They’re offering unlimited well drinks the entire evening, free admittance, and free limo rides all for $40. If you want a bottle of good champagne, it’s $100.
More than that, their entertainment complex, now called Party On (was Afterhours) is featuring a free birthday celebration party for Scott Ian of Anthrax. And you can also hang out to listen and dance to Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and the Junk Beer Kidnap Band. They’ll be having lots of surprise guests during the evening.
Equally important, instead of fighting the over 300,000 revelers on the Strip to travel anywhere, their conveniently located off of Interstate 15 at 3525 W. Russell Road. Phone 702-673-1700.
Everything in Las Vegas does not need to emphasize the new and expensive ritzy venues. Take for example the Fremont Street Experience in “old” Las Vegas. For only $10 (locals) to $20 (visitors) they’re offering a “TributePalooza” this New Year’s Eve featuring the tribute bands of INXS, U2, Depeche Mode, Van Halen, No Doubt, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and Guns N’ Roses.
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will lead the countdown in a fireworks show in a specially designed New Year’s show that will take place under the street-long video screen canopy.
Only people age 21 and older will be allowed.
The concerts start at 6 p.m. For more information, please call 702-678-5600.
It must be nice. Despite record Las Vegas unemployment, layoffs, foreclosures, and other nefarious economic indicators, this evening at the stroke of midnight, somehow $500,000 of fireworks will shoot skyward from the rooftops of MGM Grand, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, The Venetian, Stratosphere, and the brand new entry this year- the top of CityCenter’s Aria.
In seven minutes and eleven seconds the fireworks extravaganza, dubbed “America’s Party: A Vegas Celebration” will be over and one for the history books.
For the past four days, 65 pyrotechnicians from the famed Grucci brothers have been rigging the big bangs to delight Las Vegas locals and mesmerize an estimated 315,000 out-of-town partiers.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department will have every commissioned officer – all 3,200 of them – keeping order in Sin City. The Strip will be close to vehicular traffic and several on-ramps and exits on Interstate 15 will be shut down starting about 6:30 p.m.
And if you were thinking on bringing your six-shooter and firing it wildly into the air, think again. Police are promising to step up enforcement of firearms laws to reduce celebratory gunfire to ring in the New Year.
Anyone for just imbibing on sparkling grape juice and crackers in their abode?
It’s been awhile since the ditzy, aging socialite Paris Hilton has been in the news. Over the weekend, however, Hilton reportedly got hitched in Las Vegas at the iconic Little Church of the West wedding chapel.
Just don’t get all excited- it was all staged for publicity during a mock wedding. The faux groom was Piers Morgan, from “Britain’s Got Talent.”
Hilton — and her revolting rat-looking dog — were dressed in white for the occasion. And there were plenty of witnesses- all dressed as Elvis and Marilyn Monroe.
The wedding will air Jan. 2 on VH1’s “Piers Morgan” show.
Southern Nevada transit officials say they are again offering free bus rides to partiers in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve and early New Year’s Day.
The free rides on all fixed-service routes are given in hopes of keeping traffic down and intoxicated drivers off the streets.
The free rides will run from 6 p.m. Thursday until 9 a.m. on Friday.
Officials say some routes will be detoured, including the Deuce bus along the Las Vegas Strip. That’s because much of the Las Vegas Strip will be closed to vehicle traffic as revelers party in the streets.
Recession? What recession? Apparently, Las Vegas is being true to its persona- betting heavily that 1,575 new hotel rooms are just what the doctor ordered- if not now, maybe in the future?
A mere two weeks after the debut of the Aria at the $8.5 billion new CityCenter, two more casino properties have entered the Las Vegas lodging fray in a market already straining to fill the rooms it already has, witnessed by an average mid-80 percent fill rate and drastically declining room rates.
The 52-story PH Towers at Planet Hollywood Resort have just added 1,201 rooms yesterday. The rooms are being marketed at $229 midweek and $349 weekends. And the top four floors will be 16 condominiums for sale, ranging from 6,000 square feet to 18,000 square feet.
Not to be outdone, the Hard Rock Hotel also yesterday added their HRH tower, bringing 374 more rooms that include seven penthouse suites and eight spa villas. Opening with their tower is the 25,000-square-foot Reliquary Spa, a new parking garage with a porte-cochere and 40,000 square feet of new casino space. Think it ends there? Hardly. A new Hard Rock nightclub, the 14,000-square-foot Vanity, waits opening on Dec. 31, which will also mark lights out for the venerable celebrity hangout, Body English.
Fans of Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio will be happy to hear there is an equivalent in the Aria poker room in the new CityCenter complex and it has already been put to use. Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, Davide Benyamine, Tom Dwan, and Patrik Antonius were all spotted recently playing in the secluded VIP lounge.
While the room is semi-private, ogling railbirds can still get a peek at their favorite high-stakes players through the glass front door. According to one of the employees at Aria, Phil Ivey is currently in talks to loan his name to the room in the same fashion that Bobby Baldwin did at the Bellagio, so news of big games being played in “Phil’s Room” could be on the horizon.
A number of poker pros have taken time to check out the new poker room, including Jimmy “Gobboboy” Fricke and and UB.com sponsored pro Bryan “Badbeatninja” Devonshire. Both had generally positive remarks about the new room and they took the time to relay their sentiments recently to Poker News Daily.
When Poker News Daily paid a visit to the new room, the emphasis on service was apparent. There was a short wait for $1/ $3 No Limit Hold’em, but everyone was being seated in a relatively short amount of time and the use of chip runners helped to speed up the process even further. Beverage service is currently available and food service is said to be supposedly coming in the near future.
For the first time in recent memory, a Las Vegas hotel is closing rooms in December, just before the New Year’s Eve holiday. 
A representative for the Sahara Hotel and Casino cited weak room demand as the reason it is closing two of its three towers, but said the closing is not permanent and reservations were still being taken. There was no word on whether staff members would be laid off.
Last week, the resort’s buffet closed due to shrinking sales. A reopening date hasn’t been announced for the buffet or the towers.
The Sahara’s announcement, coming on the heels of Binion’s closing of its hotel downtown earlier this month in yet another devastating blow for owners of smaller Las Vegas casinos.
With the Decemeber opening of the 4,004-room ritzy ARIA resort in the $8.5 billion CityCenter, it just could be the result of competition that may be too much for properties that aren’t tied to massive gaming conglomerates.
The Sahara is owned by Los Angeles-based SBE Entertainment, which purchased the resort in 2007.
When it opened in 1952, the Sahara was among the most famous hotels on the growing Las Vegas Strip, attracting mega-superstars such as Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.
In recent years, it has become the lone casino-resort at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue. Although the Las Vegas Monorail (now facing bankruptcy- previous Las Vegas Backstage Access article) extends to the Sahara, its distance from the resort corridor and a lack of development at the intersection has left it in the shadow of other properties.
Administrators say the Las Vegas Monorail might seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in an effort to restructure its bond debt.
Despite handing out extravagant raises for a losing operation, Board member Bruce Woodbury said the company hasn’t raised enough money from fares to pay off the $650 million in construction and startup loans floated to build and start operating the system in July 2004.
The 3.9-mile system runs on an elevated track linking several large hotel-casinos and the Las Vegas Convention Center east of the Las Vegas Strip.
And, despite its dismal failure, Woodbury says plans still call for building a whopping
$500 million extension to Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport and other Strip resorts to boost revenues that didn’t happen with original monorail.
Looking for a fun holiday season activity? Then come and celebrate the holidays by experiencing more than 400 animated and sparkling scenes and millions of lights all displayed in a convenient, comfortable totally drive-through setting. 
The Gift of Lights attraction is at Sunset Park in Las Vegas, located on the southeast corner of Sunset Road and Eastern Avenue, running nightly until Jan. 4. Show times are Sunday – Thursday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The cost is $13 per vehicle Sunday – Thursday; $15 per vehicle, including Sundays and Holidays.
For more information, please call (702) 451-1641.
Steve Wynn is apparently ready to counter the opening of ARIA’s new nightclubs in the $8.5 billion CityCenter project with some nightlife of his own, according to a report in the New York Post.
Wynn is planning to spend $100 million to build a new nightclub, called Surrender, and a new Encore Beach featuring three pools, 30 private bungalows and a gaming pavilion.
Wynn’s Encore resort, which opened in December 2008, has been enjoying the great success of its XS club, which extends into the pool area and features two levels of private bungalows.
Not to be outdone, The Light Group, which has established itself as one of the premier nightclub operators in Las Vegas, is also getting ready to open the 25,000-square-foot Haze club at ARIA. It will also open the Liquid pool venue in the spring.
The Las Vegas Advisor says some grand deals are to be had this holiday season in Las Vegas. In its annual December rate roundup, the Advisor found 43 Las Vegas casino hotels with rooms for less than $40, vs. 38 last December. Among them are Strip properties such as Bally’s, Excalibur and Harrah’s.
The total below $30 was 27, two more than 2008. They include Arizona Charlie’s Boulder; Boulder Station; Circus Circus, El Cortez; Ellis Island Super 8; Fiesta Henderson; Fitzgeralds; Four Queens; Imperial Palace; Lucky Club Ramada; Plaza; Riviera; Sahara; Sam’s Town; Santa Fe Station; Stratosphere; Tropicana; Tuscany; Vegas Club.
A whopping seven Las Vegas casinos had rates below $20, versus just one in 2008. Texas Station came in lowest ($14.99). Others in the under-$20 club: Fiesta Rancho; Gold Spike; Golden Gate; Hooters; Palace Station; and Wild Wild West.
Other good December deals found included Luxor ($40), Las Vegas Hilton ($41), Monte Carlo ($46), Hard Rock ($47), New York-New York ($48), Rio ($49), Paris ($55), Palms ($59), TI ($60), Planet Hollywood ($68), MGM Grand ($70).
The survey used multiple sources available to the public, Advisor publisher Anthony Curtis says, including casino reservation lines and Websites, third-party reselling Websites and the rate search engine Travelaxe. Rates change frequently, and the lowest ones may be sold out.
Rates are “marginally higher than in July,” Curtis says. So, casinos may have “finally drawn their line in the sand” on lowering prices. “However, I think the low rates will hold for awhile and when they begin to nudge up, there will be tremendous and more targeted (packages).”
The Advisor (lasvegasadvisor.com), which costs $37-$50 a year, is currently offering a $9.95 special at the Golden Gate downtown for members through Dec. 24.
With winter just officially being declared and nips of cold air and alcohol flowing in the veins and arteries of the denizens of Las Vegas, the Monte Carlo is joining in the spirit of the season, announcing a second Minus 5 Ice Lounge, in the space currently occupied by the Lance Burton Magic Show and an MGM Mirage Players Club kiosk. 
The new boomerang-shaped lounge will be unveiled early-to-mid February and will not feature a lodge bar like its older sister in the Mandalay Place shops, though it will be 300 square feet larger.
From the outside, guests will be able to gaze through a regenerating ice wall at television screens inside. From there they will suite up in Minus 5’s gear including a parka, hat, mittens and booties to prepare guests for temperatures of 27 degrees Fahrenheit, not to mention $100,000 worth of icicles, chandeliers and ice chaise lounges complete with draped faux-animals skins.
Accommodating up to 110 guests (as opposed to just 65 at Mandalay Place), guests sip vodka cocktails from ice cups made from New Zealand water.
Up in the development air are new possibilities of a stripper pole and a fireplace– fire and ice gone wild?
In their 84th consecutive season touring the world, the venerated Harlem Globetrotters bring their basketball hi-jinks as part of the 2010 Magical Memories World Tour to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas for one-night-only, February 10 at 7:00 p.m.. 
Also known as the Magicians of Basketball® and the Ambassadors of Goodwill®, the Harlem Globetrotters entertain audiences with a dose of slapstick comedy and a unique mix of trick shots, high-flying dunks and basketball handling wizardry.
The legendary team has played more than 25,000 games in their nearly 85-year history. They have played in 120 countries, on six continents and for more than 130 million fans—including everyone from Presidents of the United States to the Pope. For the North American leg of their 2010 Magical Memories World Tour, the team will play nearly 270 games in more than 215 cities in 44 states, five Canadian provinces and in Puerto Rico.
Tickets are on sale now and are priced at $21.00, $29.00, $36.00, $56.00, $76.00 and $114.00, inclusive of tax and fees. Tickets can be purchased at the Orleans Arena Box Office by calling 702-284-7777 or by visiting www.orleansarena.com.
Just because it doesn’t happen in Las Vegas anymore, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense- and money. Though the strippermobile is no longer trolling for customers down the Las Vegas Strip due to earlier Clark County Commissioner’s admanat objections based on safety concerns, in the next few weeks it will be going up and down Main Street, USA.
On January 10, it will become a Las Vegas-born – and banned – business that took its show on the road.
As previously reported by Las Vegas Backstage Access, the last and only time the vehicle rolled was November in Las Vegas, when bikini-clad strippers hopped aboard and gyrated inside the truck’s Plexiglas-enclosed cargo area, swung around a brass pole affixed to the middle of the truck bed.
Launching what arguably may be one of the greatest marketing ploys ever, the “Strippermobile Winter Tour 2010,” as it is dubbed, will be filmed as a documentary, carrying a full production crew with them. Larry Beard, marketing guru for Déjà vu gentlemen’s club in Las Vegas, hopes to have it broadcast on cable television, albeit most likely adult on-demand channels.
With three select strippers ready and willing to tout their wares, Beard expects the truck to roll out of Sin City on Jan. 10, making its first stops on their national tour in Southern California. That state has almost 20 Déjà vu- operated strip clubs. The strippermobile with then go up the coast, lingering in Portland, Ore., because, says Beard, the decency laws there are lax and the dancers will be totally nude during that stretch of the trip.
After Portland, it’s off to Seattle, then to the Midwest- Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan- all of which have Déjà Vu clubs. Then it’s off to New York City and Times Square, down to Maryland, over to Kentucky and Tennessee, down to Florida for the college spring break and over to Louisiana for Mardi Gras. Then their itinerary takes the crew to Colorado before the wayward truck comes home to roost once again in Las Vegas in the spring.
“And on our travels, of course, we’ll get pictures of the girls alongside Mount Rushmore and other famous sites,” Beard says.
For the second time this year, the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip has once again been vandalized.
On Friday , Dec. 18 police say 69-year-old Joseph Pepitone, wearing his trademark barrel and a red Santa cap, splattered red and black paint on the most visible part of the iconic sign at Las Vegas Blvd. and Russell Rd.. 
This vandalism was more visible than the incident earlier this year which basically caused damaged to the bottom of the sign. Clark County commissioners and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman immediately had that mess cleaned up. No arrests were made in the first incident.
Friday’s incident marked only the second time the “Welcome” sign has been vandalized in 50 years, officials said.
Pepitone was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of injuring/damaging the property of another.
Pepitone is the cousin of the former famed New York Yankee with the same name. He’s had an ongoing well-documented 12-year beef with Las Vegas casino Arizon Charlie’s, where he claims his $463,895 slot machine win was voided because casino officials said the machine malfunctioned.
He appealed the decision as far as the Nevada State Supreme Court, but lost each time.
Pepitone has continued to protest the decision, doing so in an unorthodox way: He wears a barrel fastened with suspenders from his shoulders as marches frequently in public at demonstrations (including O.J. Simpson’s murder trial), carrying signs that read claims such as, “I was robbed!” in bold, large print.
It must be the pits constantly traveling around the country, especially at the holidays. But for the Food Network Star (“Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives”) at least it’s old home week in Las Vegas today. High-energy spiky-haired chef/restaurateur/author and TV personality Guy Fieri, a UNLV alum that loves the university, will be bringing his 16-person road crew and their $150,000 stage/demo kitchen to put on his audience participation rock ‘n’ roll style “Guy Fieri Roadshow” to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. today. 
Los Angeles-based DJ Cobra will spin all the punk, rock and metal music.
The tour kicked off in Lowell, Mass., on Nov. 17 and by the time today’s Las Vegas date wraps, it will have hit 21 cities in 30 days.
At each stop of the tour, Fieri teams up with local chefs and culinary students to celebrate the alluring combination of food, drink and fun. In Las Vegas, his opening act will be executive chef John Gremo of UNLV’s hotel college, who was a colleague of Fieri’s during their student days at the university.
For his segment of the show, Gremo will prepare pan-seared Nantucket diver scallops served on wild mushroom and fennel ragu, topped with truffle oil, roasted red pepper, roasted tomato capers and a tomato tapenade and covered with wild greens and assorted micro greens. Hungry yet?
Accompanying Gremo will be some his culinary students, UNLV mascot Hey Reb and a few UNLV cheerleaders.
Assisting at the show will be students in the ProStart culinary programs at Silverado High School in Las Vegas and Carson High School in Carson City, California. The students will prep food ingredients before the show, and help out behind the scenes during it.
Tickets are from $35 to $150. For more information, please call 702-632-7600.
Times are tough. And wise businessmen know that without reinvention, their business death in imminent- or, for strippers, they lose the pole touch. Knowing that, Little Darlings Strip Club in Las Vegas has just started experimenting with icy cold idea- free complimentary gooey sundaes with all the ‘toppings’ to all patrons every Sunday night.
But it doesn’t end there. Heavens no. The real treat takes place when two lovely ladies are squished into a giant oversize glass situated at the center of the adult entertainment venue. Canisters of whipped cream are then handed out to salivating patrons who are invited to build a sundae directly on the gals while they smother one another with gobs of ice cream, chocolate syrup, sprinkles and cherries. After awhile, dollars fly into the sundae-making fray, making a mess beyond compare while boosting profits for the club and hostesses.
From all indications, the business promotion is a smashing success. The only complaints are when the guys run out of whipped cream.
Need photos? Please contact us in the reply and we’ll get back to you.
M Resort in Las Vegas has a Christmas tree that stands 109-feet tall, making it the tallest cut Christmas tree in the country, M Resort execs contend. The largest living, non-cut Christmas tree is in Coeur d’Alene Resort in Idaho and stands 161-feet tall.
This year, Anthony Marnell III and family, the M Resort execs, found their tree in Oregon – a 109-foot, 11-ton White Fir — the tallest non-living Christmas tree, M Resort executives contend.
The tree made its journey from Oregon on a truck Nov. 29 and arrived in Henderson, Nevada on Dec. 2. Since the tree arrived at M’s Villaggio Del Sole Piazza, workers on cranes and ladders have been busy decorating it with thousands of lights and ornaments.
But how is M Resort sure it has the tallest tree in the nation?
“We have a guy up in Oregon who has done this for us in the past,” Executive Vice President and General Manager John Lipkowitz said. “He takes care of all the measurements, weight and calculations. We really didn’t know it was going to be the tallest until others released their numbers.”
A close second goes to Costa Mesa, Calif.’s 96-foot-tall White Fir.
Probably the most famous Christmas tree in the nation — the one in Rockefeller Center in New York — is 76 feet tall.
The National Mall tree in Washington, D.C., is an 85-foot Blue Spruce from the White Mountains of Arizona, while the Obama family tree is an 18.5-foot Norway Spruce from Shepherdstown, W.Va.
There are several categories by which cities and resorts measure their trees.
There’s tallest non-living tree (M Resort’s category), tallest living tree, tallest floating tree and the tallest artificial tree.
The Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, says it has the world’s tallest living tree this year at 161 feet.
Mexico City’s 367-foot tower of lights shaped like a tree is the tallest artificial tree, while Rio De Janeiro has the tallest floating artificial tree.
Lipkowitz said the Marnell family had the nation’s tallest tree another year, at the Rio, but former staffers can’t remember the year. The family’s goal, regardless, has been to open its spaces for family-orientated, holiday fun, Lipkowitz said.
Forget about having a dinner fit for king- how about just ‘settling’ on a $750 cupcake in Las Vegas?
The Sweet Surrender cupcake and candy store opened today in The Palazzo in Las Vegas. It brings together remarkable pastry chefs and the finest ingredients to create irresistibly indulgent treats. Cupcakes, cookies, lollipops, toffee, licorice, hard candies and dipped treats, are just some of their many indulgent treats to satisfy any discerning sweet-tooth.
The shop’s variety is wide and sweet-tooth satisfaction endless with the crème de la crème of Sweet Surrenders offerings being only for the most passionate cupcake lover: the $750 Decadence D’Or. It’s a sumptuous cupcake, handcrafted from the most exclusive, rich, and enterprising ingredients around the globe. One luscious ingredient is the Palmira Single Estate Chocolate derived from the rare and fragile Porcelana Criollo bean and cultivated to its fullest state of richness exclusively at the Valrhona plantation in Venezuela. Complementary to the Palmira Single Estate Chocolate is Tahitian Gold Vanilla Caviar- the world’s most labor-intensive agricultural crop. This fruit, after it is ripened for nine months, then hand-harvested, cured, sweat, dried, and hand-split, is obtained only by tedious manual extraction; it is truly a delicacy, both in taste and exclusivity. Topping the Decadence D’Or is the masterfully smooth Louis XIII de Remy Martin Cognac, 100 years in the making, and edible, metallic gold flakes, each painstakingly hand-placed. Finally, once baked to perfection, this grand dessert is encased in a stately, hand blown sugar Fleur-de-Lis and presented on a handmade exclusive elegant crackled-gold glass curved plate and bowl. Your palette never had such a royal treatment!
Chef Long Nguyen, executive pastry chef of The Venetian and The Palazzo is the visionary genius behind all the exotic cupcake flavors and Chef Johann Springfield, head baker makes the cupcakes a reality. In addition to the exclusive specialty cupcake Decadence D’Or Sweet Surrender carries: Red Velvet, Lemon Strawberry, Chocolate Ganache, Carrot, Black Forest, Strawberry, Coconut and Chocolate Fudge cupcakes.
Sweet Surrender, located on The Palazzo casino floor next to guest elevators, is open Sunday through Thursday 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. through Midnight. Special orders can be placed directly by calling 702-607-0753.
A new study just out this weekend shows how unsafe our Las Vegas tap water can be.
The Environmental Working Group released the results of a three year investigation of city water supplies across the U.S., looking at how contaminated some water supplies are.
Some 49 million Americans in 45 states were found to be drinking contaminated water, to varying degrees.
Las Vegas came in third place for worst water quality.
Worst water quality:
1. Pensacola, FL
2. Riverside, CA
3. Las vegas, NV
Best water quality:
1. Arlington, TX
2. Providence, RI
3. Fort Worth, TX
It is rumored in media circles that Steve Wynn is presently exploring the possibilities of arranging a string of concerts by popular American Rhythm and Blues (R&B) singer and song writer Beyonce Knowles. It is further speculated from sources that the agreement amount with Beyonce will be in the tune of $750,000. The number of concerts and durations are not yet decided.
Wynn Resorts spokesperson Jennifer Dunne reportedly said that the deal is yet to be finalized and contract has not been signed. The association between Beyonce and Wynn Casino started few months back when this year during July 30 and Aug. 2 the singer visited the casino for recording a DVD for her concert. It is said that during her shoots both Wynn and its sister resort Encore saw a huge fan following and increase in number of guests. Soon after this the singer has been spotted too often in the casino.
It is said that Beyonce will be following the footsteps of famous Canadian singer Céline Dion who signed a contract with Caesars Palace casino of Las Vegas few years back. In this she performed in 717 concerts within 5 years and earned a reported $400 million.
The casino also experienced a huge surge in its popularity and earning during the concerts. It has been observed that fans from faraway places come to watch their favorite singers perform in Las Vegas casinos.
The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas will host a special performance of The Darling Stilettos’ Rock-N-Roll-A-Go-Go, presented by rock legend Matt Sorum. 
The rock music show features four sexy female leads, takes the audience on a rock-fueled journey through the history of rock music from the British Invasion to Punk and Classic Rock. Backed by Sorum on drums and a guitarist, the show is an experience for any rock music enthusiast.
These special performances of The Darling Stilettos’ Rock-N-Roll-A-Go-Go will take place on Friday, December 18 and Saturday, December 19 at 11 p.m.
The good news is the show is complimentary and is open to the public. Must be 21 years of age and older. For more information, please visit www.darlingstilettos.com.
If you are between 21 and 40 and service-oriented, you could be Nevada’s next male prostitute!
The Shady Lady Ranch in Nye County, a quick two-hour drive from Las Vegas, is set to add male prostitutes to its roster of good-time, fun-lovin’ ladies.
The change is thanks to Nevada’s recently altered health laws. In the past, all prostitutes had to undergo regular cervical testing for sexually transmitted diseases — a slight problem for the menfolk. But now urethral testing is also OK’d by law.
With that bit of anatomical housekeeping out of the way, Shady Lady owner Bobbi Davis is ready to give the men a tumble. The ranch’s website is already looking “for a few good men.”
Their stated requirements:
- Between 21 and 40
- Have a good work ethic
- Have a willingness to please
- Must be service oriented
Michelin three-star chef Masayoshi Takayama — who opened Ginza Sushi-ko in Los Angeles in the ’80s, transplanted his temple of sushi from a mid-Wilshire Los Angeles strip mall to a second-floor aerie off Rodeo Drive (where Urasawa is now) in the ’90s and moved to New York to open Masa and Bar in 2004- is set to debut his first Vegas venture on Dec. 17: another Bar Masa and Shaboo, a shabu-shabu restaurant. 
He joins fellow three-star chef Pierre Gagnaire of Paris (who opened Twist, his first restaurant in the U.S.) as well as Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Michael Mina, in the $8.5-billion CityCenter on the Vegas Strip.
“It’s a new, gigantic building where I get to create my idea, my style,” Takayama says. “It’s more than the food. Very different from Ginza Sushi-ko style.”
It’s also very different from Bar Masa in New York; the Las Vegas outpost — inside the Aria Resort & Casino — is about three times the size, decorated in high Strip style with 15-foot doors of teak and copper, curved red leather banquettes and arched ceilings.
Takayama calls it coming full circle. On his first trip to Los Angeles from Tokyo, he got off the plane and drove directly to Las Vegas to see “flat land.”
The menu for Bar Masa in Las Vegas will recall the one in New York, with Japanese small plates such as spicy cod roe pasta with purple shiso flowers; duck with foie gras; sizzling spicy octopus; or grilled eel with rice. (He says his fish will still be from the Tsukiji market in Tokyo.)
The more-intimate 52-seat Shaboo is located inside Bar Masa, serving omakase (tasting menu) shabu-shabu at tables equipped with individual induction heating elements for cooking beef flown in from Chiba prefecture.
The Las Vegas Showgirlz, Las Vegas’ only semi-pro female tackle football team, is recruiting for the 2010 season that begins in April.
Tryouts will be held Sunday, Dec. 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Ed Fountain Park near Vegas Drive and Decatur Boulevard.
The team, which plays its home games at Faith Lutheran High School, competes in the Women’s Football Alliance, a national league comprised of 50 teams from the United States and Mexico.
Magician Steve Wyrick has been a solid mainstay in Las Vegas since 2007, performing in a $35 million showroom located in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. He has disappeared nightly; but, this time the vanishing magic act is apparently a indefinitely canceled show. The performer failed to appear for last night’s show and, apparently, the show is no more. 
Wyrick shaped his reputation performing supposed dangerous stunts, but blew his magic cover when a July 4th vanishing act went awry after stage curtains around his “Death Drop” stunt burst into flames and a crew member was injured.
Speculation about his Las Vegas reappearance has not materialized, yet.
Looking for a great blues music experience while visiting or staying in Las Vegas? Now’s you can have it all at the new B.B. King’s Blues Club in The Mirage in Las Vegas. 
With few blues clubs in Las Vegas, the club’s grand opening is a welcome addition to our entertainment and dining landscape. The venue opens with a blue carpet gala this Friday, Dec. 11, from 7 to 8 p.m.. Confirmed celebrities include the legend himself, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Willie Nelson, Steve Cropper, Lee Ritenour, Robert Cray, Lee Roy Parnell, Matt Goss, Robin Antin, Taylor Barton, Cast of History Channel’s “Pawn Stars,” Cast of Thunder From Down Under and many more.
The empire of B.B. King is rapidly expanding, with clubs opened in Orlando, Memphis, Nashville, Itta Bena, West Palm Beach.
Located across from The Beatles REVOLUTION Lounge, next to Samba Brazilian Steakhouse in The Mirage, the new Las Vegas venue offers music seven nights a week, ranging from funky and fast style to soulful and smooth tunes that emanate from the in-room stage.
The house band, B.B. King’s All-Star Band, surpasses the standard of what many know to be a house band and friends of the King are very likely to stop by at any time to join them and jam the night away.
And if you feel like cutting the rug, you can dance the night away on their spacious dance floor.
Hungry? Not only can you enjoy all the music, you can come in anytime for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night dining to check out Executive Chef Oscar Pena’s delicious Creole cuisine.
It’s also a great place to book for your meetings and events.
For more information, please visit www.bbkingclubs.com or call at 702-242-KING (5464).
It’s been a rather long time since Las Vegas Backstage Access has written on the Dancing With the Stars Julianne Hough- on April 6, 2009 to be exact, when she garnered awards at the Academy of Country Music Awards show in Las Vegas. 
Hough, 21, who as a Las Vegas youth attended the Las Vegas Academy and whose mom still lives here, is reportedly recording a CD that will reflect her musical influences (such as U2 and Coldplay), and she’s also making two movies, the remake of Footloose, as well as Burlesque, starring along with Cher and Christina Aguilera. If that’s not enough, she also has a cardio ballroom dance workout DVD, Dance with Julianne, due out in January.
Is she done with Dancing With the Stars?
“Never say never,” Hough says, “but at least for the next two seasons.”
The famous Sand Dollar Blues Nightclub & Lounge at 3355 Spring Mountain Road in Las Vegas is older than Schep is a pup (and that’s a damn old pup), known for providing some of the best blues music on the planet- let alone Las Vegas.
Not only that, but every biker that’s anyone has kicked up their boots and stayed awhile at the music venue.
But, sadly, as with many Las Vegas businesses, it has succumbed to economic plights, closing last month.
But don’t throw in the towel just yet.
New owner Steve Champlin says the venue should be back up and swinging sometime over the next couple of weeks. He says to expect pretty much the same “blues-oriented” Sand Dollar us locals have come to know and love, but with more rotating bands, more benefit events and, eventually, multiple acts slated each night.
That’s good news for a blues population that has been faced with fewer and fewer Las Vegas venues.
The dank lighting, aromatic carpet and even the cobwebs taking up corner residences will remain part of the unique ambiance.
One Warm Coat is a helluva great company. The national non-profit has as its mission the procurement and distribution of donated winter coats to the needy.
Recently, One Warm Coat, Burlington Coat Factory and ABC TVs Good Morning America teamed up for a national coat drive that runs through Jan. 15.
Now’s your chance to do some real holiday giving. C’mon, Sc rooge, you can do it…
You can drop of a coat for men, women or children at drop boxes located in Las Vegas at the Burlington Coat Factory at 560 N. Stephanie Street, 5959 W. Sahara Ave. and 4750 S. Eastern Ave.
For your effort – if helping the needy isn’t enough in these challenging economic times – you’ll also get a 10 percent-off-coupon for Burlington Coat Factory.
Last year, only about 13,000 runners took part. This year, organizers say an international field of elite athletes helped round out and expand the registered runners, bringing out 27,000 racers on a brisk and wintry day today in Las Vegas.
Runner Caroline Rotich led all runners, finishing with a kick and crossing the finish line with a time of 2:29:49 to win the Rock ‘n’ Rock Las Vegas Marathon today, Sunday. She took home $25,000 for her win.
The festive marathon started at 6:15 a.m. today on Las Vegas Blvd. north of Russell Rd, near Mandalay Bay parking lot. And, for the first time ever for the marathon, nearly 7 1/2 miles of the Strip was closed to traffic.
As the name Rock ‘n’ Roll suggests, there were more than 35 live bands, cheerleaders and themed water stations set up along each line of the Las Vegas Strip course. There were also be hundreds of running Elvi and 85 couples taking part in the Run through Wedding.
Event organizers expect the Las Vegas economic boost to be around $30 million. There is a strong international presence of athletes who have come from 39 countries and all 50 states.
Ladies, you might want to step aside: a jockstrapped good looking man may be just prancing in to invade your marketspace in Sin City.
Owner Max McCammond has run a “traditional” maid service for almost a decade.
He said he came up with the idea for Jockstrap Maid Service in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, which turned his Sugar Land home in Houston into “party central” for his power-deprived pals.
The reponse towards the male maid service exploded from the get-go. The only choice was to take the enterprise national and the best way to do that was via an effective and agressive online presence.
So, Jockstrap Maid Service then teamed up with nVisionMax Media of Los Angeles to develop a Jockstrap Maid Service Web site that was quite intuitive to use and great looking too.
Founded by an MIT graduate, the team at nVisionMax “did everything to make our vision a reality.” “They were just fantastic,” Max comments, “Think about it, you can order up your chef, hairdresser, just about anything these days, so why not a maid?”
At last count, almost 35 different U.S. cities think it’s also a pretty good idea. Las Vegas is just one of them, at present featuring two hunky men.
Supposedly, it’s not a bad gig. Las Vegas Backstage Access checked out a Jockstrap Maid Service in Houson that was paying $50 per hour with a two-hour minimum. Part timers were accepted for day and night. However, the educational requirements were you had to be smart. Oh, well.
So, if you want, log on and check out the newly launched maid service that’s stirring up more business than your dust bunnies.
And while we’re on the subject of unique Web sites, there is a new one that for free tracks what you’ve borrowed from others or loaned out. Like for panties and other unmentionables. http://www.returnmypants.com/
The Palazzo in Las Vegas is uniquely celebrating the holiday season with artic décor complete with a larger-than-life 16-foot polar bear poinsettia sculpture that raises awareness about conservation of polar bears and Arctic habitat. 
While guests of The Palazzo Las Vegas will enjoy the usual sunny weather for the holiday season, from December 9 through the New Year they’ll also encounter the winter décor display anchored by a special Arctic visitor: a 16-foot tall polar bear mother and 6-foot tall polar bear baby, made entirely of a specially-developed white poinsettia named “Polar Bear.”
The “Polar Bear” Poinsettia is developed exclusively by Ecke Ranch, the largest grower in the world of poinsettias. The strong white coloration of the “Polar Bear” Poinsettia with its bracts of deep green veining is the perfect topiary fur for the polar bear display. The custom, hand-sculpted and hand-painted heads and paws, constructed by Design Solutions, bring the bears to life. The mother and baby bear, consisting of approximately 10,000 poinsettias planted in sphagnum moss and weighs in at approximately 5,000 lbs. The bears snuggle on a custom-sculpted ‘arctic ice float’ that hovers over a water feature located at The Palazzo Atrium.
In addition to the larger-than-life polar bears, The Palazzo embraces the holiday season with Arctic inspired décor elements that combine to create the breathtaking winter wonderland display. The gardens are filled with a variety of unique poinsettias and 25-foot silver tip pine trees; an 80-foot whimsical vine transitions to holiday with oversized pine cones, holiday berries, poinsettias and twinkling holiday lights; over 225,000 cranberries donated by Ocean Spray float above a water feature creating a sea of cranberries and snow will elegantly fall from above the décor adding to the Arctic theme.
The white “Polar Bear” Poinsettias have an important message to promote awareness of polar bears and the loss of their Arctic habitat due to climate change. Ecke Ranch is donating a portion of the proceeds from each poinsettia cutting sold to Polar Bears International (PBI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of polar bears through research and education. This event will serve as the official launching pad for Ecke’s “Pay-it-Forward for Polar Bears” campaign which benefits PBI.
“In a part of the world that never sees snow, it can be challenging to explain why the most important initiative that we can undertake at this time is saving polar bear habitat in the Arctic. Polar bears need sea ice for their survival, and so does the rest of the planet. The Arctic is a key regulator of the global climate system, and loss of Arctic sea ice will impact people and wildlife around the world. So when we save the polar bears, we save so many other species from butterflies to frogs,” said Robert Buchanan, president of Polar Bears International.
“Currently the world’s CO2 level is at 385 parts per million (ppm) and growing at an average of two ppm per year. Scientists believe that the tipping point in the Arctic is around 400 ppm. Once this level is reached, the domino effect may not allow the summer ice to return for tens of thousands of years. This of course will not only affect wildlife but the ocean currents and humans in the end. This is not an irreversible situation. Individuals can and must make a difference. It can be as easy as packing a reusable bag when you shop, buy carbon off sets for your flights and purchasing products with limited and/or recycled packaging,” continued Buchanan.
On December 9, The Palazzo will host the unveiling of the Arctic-inspired winter décor display to kick-off the holiday season and raise awareness about conservation of polar bears. The event will take place at 5 p.m. in The Palazzo Waterfall Atrium and the general public is welcome to join in the celebration.
CityCenter, the largest $5.8 billion completed construction project in the U.S. this year, continues with gala Las Vegas store openings and special events. 40% of available space is reportedly currently occupied.
Openings Today, Dec. 3:
Huge high-class retail Crystals venue opens including Beso (Eva Longoria Parker’s restaurant), Mikimoto, CENTERPiece Gallery, H.Stern, Tom Ford, Marni, Bvlgari, Robert Cavalli, Nanette Lepore, Cartier, Assouline, ILORI, Porsche Design, Tourbillion, Tiffany & Co., de Grisogone, Louis Vutton, Bottega Veneta, Bally, Paul Smith, The Cup, Rodney Lough Jr. Wilderness Collection Gallery, Phillip Plein.
Opening Dec. 16:
Aria, the centerpiece 4,004-room hotel casino, opens plus Kiton, Kiki de Montpamasse, Brasserie PUCK, Van Cleef & Arpels, The Pods by Wolfgang Puck, Carolina Herrera, the GALLERY featuring Dale Chihuly, The Art of Richard MacDonald, T.E. Pub
Opening 2010:
Mastro’s Ocean Club, Ermengildo Zegna, Emilio Pucci, Prada, Christina Dior, Hermes, Versace, Miu Miu
It was interesting to note that many of the top Grammy nominations on Wednesday night were garnered by performers that recently have performed in Las Vegas.
Beyonce lead the pack, receiving ted nods, including nominations for Album of the Year for “I am…Sasha Fierce.”
Country crossover sensation Taylor Swift wasn’t far behind, the 19-year-old got eight nominations, including Album of the Year for her multiplatinum sophomore DVD “Fearless.”
Other nominees for album of the year – and Las Vegas entertainers – include Lady Gaga’s “The Fame,” (coming to Vegas shortly), the Black Eyed Peas’ “The E.N.D.” and Dave Mathews Band’s “Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King.”
The Grammys are Jan. 31. For a complete list of nominees, please go to: http://www.grammy.com
Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. has filed an application to purchase the struggling Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said Monday. 
The casino giant has formed a new subsidiary, PHW Las Vegas LLC, with the intent of taking over the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. PHW filed the application to casino regulators last week, a person at the Control Board said.
The Las Vegas Planet Hollywood is a separate entity from the restaurant chain, which has locations around the world.
Harrah’s began pursuing Planet Hollywood in September when it purchased a $140 million piece of Planet Hollywood’s $870 million debt for an undisclosed amount from Goldman Sachs Group.
A person close to the situation said that it appears the slice of debt Harrah’s purchased could give the casino giant enough influence over the other lenders to control the property.
Harrah’s controls six contiguous Las Vegas casinos just north of Planet Hollywood. Those properties are across the street from City Center, the $8.5 billion MGM Mirage resort has been opening all this week in Las Vegas.
In an email to employees last week, Harrah’s Chief Executive Gary Loveman reportedly said the location made the distressed Planet Hollywood an attractive acquisition.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. currently manages the project’s hotel and also has a minority stake in Planet Hollywood.
Restaurateur Robert Earl, who developed the movie-themed Planet Hollywood restaurant chain, and investment manager Bay Harbour Management acquired the Las Vegas property in 2007.
The nominations for the 2010 AVN Adult Movie Awards were announced and the winners in more than 100 different categories to be revealed live at the AVN Awards Show on Jan. 9, 2010, at Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. 
This year’s gala event is co-hosted by none other than two of the biggest names in the world of erotica, Kayden Kross, right, and Kirsten Price, left.
The 27th annual ceremony is the most important and star-studded night for the adult film industry as it rolls out its red carpet and celebrates the best and brightest in the business. More than 5,000 releases were reviewed by the AVN staff during the year. The event is a Herculean effort treated with the same seriousness and on par with the talent as the Academy Awards.
Awards will be given out in 125 categories, including Best Video Feature, Best Parody, Female Performer of the Year, Best Adult Web site and numerous Best Sex Scene awards. Movie titles receiving multiple nominations included 2040, Nurses, The 8th Day, Throat: A Cautionary Tale, Pure, Tori Black is Pretty Filthy, Flight Attendants, The Sex Files; A Dark XXX Parody, Ass Worship 11, Teachers and many more. Stars such as Sasha Grey, Manuel Ferrara, Jenna Haze, Tori Black and others also received multiple nominations for their work this year. A full list of categories and nominees can be found at www.avnawards.com.
Tickets are available at avnawards.com for $300 each.
First presented in 1983, the AVN Adult Movie Awards show is the adult industry equivalent to the Academy Awards for mainstream filmed entertainment. Each January, industry talent, producers and technicians gather together in Las Vegas – THE Sin City – for a night of accolades, entertainment and fun. The AVN Adult Movie Awardshonors the best movies, performers and production companies in adult entertainment in more than 100 different categories. For more information on the AVN Adult Movie Awards show, please visit www.avnawards.com.
AVN Media Network has become a global leader in the adult entertainment community. AVN’s portfolio of business includes the widely-recognized industry journals: AVN, AVN Online, GAYVN, and AVN Novelty Business. In addition, AVN hosts the leading industry conventions: AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, Internext Las Vegas, Internext Summer, AVN Adult Novelty Expo and the consumer show Erotica LA. It also provides online coverage through AVN.com news and AVN Live, along with cutting-edge industry e-newsletters. AVN also hosts the annual AVN Adult Movie Awards and GAYVN Awards ceremonies. For more information, visit the web site at www.avn.com
For reservation information at the Palms, please call toll free at (866) PALMS-RES, (866) 725-6773, or visit www.palms.com. For groups of 15 rooms or more, contact the Sales Department at (866) PALMS-MTG or (866) 725-6768.
On Nov. 11, Las Vegas Backstage Access was one of the first media sources to break the story that Michael J. Kelley, 67, managing editor of Las Vegas Sun since 1997 and in the news biz since 1960, would be retiring from his post this December.
Well, it’s December and from credible sources we’re hearing that the behind the scenes, camera shy, but dogmatic Kelley is retiring this week. Timing is everything.
Curiously, though, no news on when or if a pink carpet or anything similar is planned. But maybe that’s all for the better, what with all the Las Vegas CityCenter opening galas this week attendance would probably be low at the bon voyage happening- and perhaps for another reason…
What we learned from Valerie’s Miller’s article today in the Review-Journal is that at least 20 Greenspun Media Group (publisher of the Las Vegas Sun) employees occurred yesterday, Dec. 1.
Interestingly, the lion’s share of layoffs were focused mainly on Las Vegas Sun staffers- Kelley’s “people” you might say. Layoffs reportedly included at least 15 Las Vegas Sun staffers, an In Business Las Vegas editor and reporter, two Las Vegas Weekly staffers, a couple of support personnel and an unknown number of online employees, according to Miller’s sources. Names of personnel were not provided.
The reorganization of the continually dessiminated organization and layoffs were announced Tuesday in a statement released by Brian Greenspun, the Greenspun Media Group Chairman, who said his company will “reorganize into a single location, with the goal of fully integrating print and interactive operations.”
So nicely said by the lawyer-trained kingpin, don’t you think? What really happens only time – and money – will tell.
Greenspun, however, who reportedly spends much time outside his Las Vegas office and Nevada, plans to combine the operations and staffs of its daily newspaper, tucked in the folds of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and the Las Vegas Sun Web site and the tabloid style Las Vegas Weekly, Las VegasWeekly.com, In Business Las Vegas, Las Vegas Magazine, Vegas Magazine and Vegas2Go.
That’s a tall combo order to trim from an already large media waistline and especially for the publishing industry that is among the hardest hit business segments in our recession– regardless if you’re lucky enough to have won the Pulitzer Prizer, as the Sun did earlier this year.
News is rolling in like a broken water spicket on the reported Tiger Woods scandals since his car accident last week. It’s all Tiger, all the time. In the blinding media onslaught, the US Weekly tabloid feature that hits newsstands today alleges Woods had a 31-month affair with Rachel Uchitel, who was once a TAO VIP hostess in Las Vegas, having the voice mail smoking gun panic message from Woods and photos to prove it, and stories about a brief affair Jaimee Grubbs, a Las Vegas cocktail waitress and actress on VH1 Tool Academy, who claims she has over 300 text messages from Woods and also his voicemail which suggest his wife suspected the affair.
Undoubtedly, the iconic Woods will be flailing his nine irons until the unfortunate mess is resolved- if it is ever truly resolved. Not only will there undoubtedly be microscopic scrutiny of his actions, but security will be beefed up at the events he attends and participates.
Las Vegas Backstage Access requests you to weigh in with your beliefs and comment on our post, below. We’ll keep your contact details confidential. Do you think his private life and transgressions should be his own, secured from prying eyes and ears? And, if you don’t like what he did, just don’t watch the golf matches or by his endorsed products? Or, since he makes booku millions in public endorsements of products, there is a level of public trust and truth at issue here and honesty should be maintained on all personal fronts?
We’d like your opinions. Thank you.
Legendary rocker Sammy Hagar will personally rock the red carpet at Cabo Wabo Cantina in Las Vegas on Friday, Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m. with a grand opening fiesta and live performance with his band, The Waboritas. 
The rock and roll event is open to the public. Complimentary tickets will be given out to the first 400 lucky fans beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 4 at Cabo Wabo Cantina.
Cabo Wabo Cantina, located at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, is Hagar’s newest flagship U.S. location for the legendary rock and roll restaurant. The two-level, 15,000-square-foot Cantina brings the best of Cabo San Lucas to Vegas combining Hagar’s signature blend of killer margaritas, flavorful Mexican food and rock ‘n’ roll style. Cabo Wabo Cantina is open daily at 11 a.m.
For more information visit www.cabowabocantina.com. More information about Hagar and his famous tequila can be found at www.redrocker.com and www.cabowabo.com.
MGM Mirage and Dubai World marked the unveiling of their CityCenter project today with the opening of the luxurious Vdara Hotel and Spa.
Executives cut the ribbon on the 57-story, 1,495-suite luxury property shortly after 10:30 a.m. today.
The hotel’s suites come in one- or two-bedroom variations, ranging from 500 square feet to 2,000 square feet, each featuring gourmet kitchens and washer and dryer units among their amenities.
Other amenities in the non-gaming Vdara Hotel include an 18,000-square-foot spa, Asian fusion restaurant Silk Road and direct access to the Bellagio’s casino floor.
Vdara has partnered with Vanity Fair for its private grand opening celebration tonight with appearances by actor Orlando Bloom, actress Rosario Dawson and photographer Sebastian Copeland. While VIPs will fill the hotel tonight, Vdara won’t welcome its first public guests until Wednesday evening.
Following Vdara’s opening will be the unveiling of the high-end retail and entertainment district, Crystals, on Thursday, then the opening of Mandarin Oriental will be Friday.
CityCenter’s crowning jewel and only gaming property — the 4,004-room Aria Resort and Casino — will round out the month with a Dec. 16 opening. Residential occupancies at Veer Towers will begin January 2010 while the Harmon will open in late 2010.
Another legendary landmark Las Vegas hotel has put up a permanent no vacancy sign. Binion’s announced Monday it will shut down its 365 rooms on Dec. 14. The casino and other operations, though, will reportedly remain open. 
Binion’s officials have said the reason for shutting down the hotel operations was because of the ever slumping economy which has forced room rates to drop and vacancies to rise.
Even though the casino will stay open, there’s no question the decision will be a blow to a downtown that has struggled — even during the talks of revitalization.
It’s been a staple on Fremont Street for more than half a century. Word of the closure spread quickly.
Binion’s original coffee shop and Keno operation will also close, but the entire casino operation — including the Sports Book and the famed poker room which hosted the World Series of Poker from 1970 to 2005 — will stay open.
But the hotel closure could impact gaming.
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is trying to help Binion’s owners and lenders hammer out a deal to keep the hotel open. He said he does not think this will impact his plan to revitalize downtown.
“Once you start saying you’re not going to do those things, then you recede. Vegas is a very funny place. We go through these ups and downs. We’ve been here before, perhaps not to this level, but I don’t blame this on Las Vegas. Las Vegas has the infrastructure in place. We’ve got the best hotels, restaurants, shopping and entertainment,” Goodman said.
Goodman said it’s hard to find investors to come in with fresh money to refurbish rooms, but he’s not giving up. “We have to keep pushing forward, now more than ever,” Goodman said.
About 100 people will be laid off when the hotel closes.
Anyone who has a reservation after Dec. 14 is being referred to Binion’s sister property across the street, The Four Queens.
Most of the restaurants, including the famed Binion’s Ranch Steakhouse, will remain open.
On Dec. 3-12 the Wrangler National Finals rodeo — the sport’s answer to the Super Bowl and World Series — is back with latigo and spurs at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas– with some huge numbers to celebrate. 
This is the silver anniversary of the rodeo’s move to Las Vegas, and it comes with plenty of gold — a rodeo-record purse of $5.75 million.
The move from Oklahoma City to the Entertainment Capital of the World in 1985 has worked out beyond all expectations for rodeo — and for Las Vegas. Every performance has been sold out for more than 20 years, and telecasts of last year’s 50th anniversary edition of the rodeo drew 15.4 million viewers.
The non-gaming economic impact of the rodeo to the region last year was $54.7 million, according to figures compiled by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
But those numbers are just the by-product of the rodeo’s real business of determining world champions. Eleven months of crisscrossing the country in trucks and planes, going short on sleep and subsisting on fast food only qualifies a cowboy to compete for a gold buckle. Every world title is decided on Las Vegas’ big stage.
If that’s enough cowboy action, the NFR Cowboy Christmas gift show also starts on Dec. 3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, running through Dec. 12.
The Las Vegas Backstage Access calendar lists some of the many events.
Former NBA all-star Antoine Walker has agreed to pay more than $900,000 to settle bad check charges with three Las Vegas casinos and avoid trial on felony criminal charges, a defense lawyer and prosecutor said Monday.
Walker wasn’t in court when his attorney, Jonathan Powell, described a plan for his client to pay a minimum of almost $13,000 a month over five years to settle a complaint stemming from casino debts at Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and the Red Rock Resort.
Powell on Monday described his 33-year-old, 6-foot-9 client as unemployed, but said he hopes to sign with a team in the U.S. or Europe. If he does, Walker promises to increase payments to almost $21,400 per month and finish the repayment plan within three years.
Las Vegas Backstage Access has written other articles on this case.
Well, after nearly three decades of trying, it finally happened: NASCAR moved its season-ending party to Las Vegas after being in New York. This week the season-ending NASCAR events will be showcased.
NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson showed his untiring racing mastery throughout they year, garnering first place honors for his efforts.
Befitting champions aplenty, the Sprint Cup Championship Week will kick off its inaugural visit to Las Vegas on Wed., Dec. 2 with a fan fest and driver roast.
On Dec. 2, NASCAR will host the Chasers for Charity Fanfest at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This event includes a free-admission fan event, plus a charity roast of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion. Gates open at 9 a.m. Access to the speedway’s Neon Garage begins at 11 a.m. This portion of the event includes a red-carpet walk by the champion and the other drivers in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup, car displays, live music, reduced-price concessions and a raffle drawing.
The Charity Roast will take place in the speedway’s Blackjack Club, located in the infield media center. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. The roast includes a private reception with the Cup champion and Chase participants, plus reserved seats and parking. It will be shown on closed-circuit television in the Neon Garage.
Because of space considerations, it’s limited to the first 300 people who respond. Cost is a $250 tax-deductible donation to Speedway Children’s Charities. Additional information is available at www.lvms.com
On Dec. 3, the drivers will participate in the Victory Lap Parade. All 12 Chase participants will drive a lap in their show cars on Las Vegas Boulevard known as “The Strip.” This will begin at 3:30 p.m. at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino and proceed north to Spring Mountain Road before returning to MGM Grand. It will include a pit stop and a “burnout” at the Spring Mountain Road intersection.
The week culminates with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards Ceremony at the Wynn Las Vegas on Dec. 4. Frank Caliendo will host the season-ending roast and banquet on Dec. 4 at Wynn Las Vegas. As Caliendo puts it: “I’m on the pole, but don’t worry. Even though we’re in Vegas, I’m not dancing.”
Caliendo, a noted impressionist, was featured in several videos at last year’s awards ceremony. He has appeared at postseason events for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Noted singer David Gray and female electric string quartet Escala will also reportedly perform at the banquet.
Speed will televise the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony live, from 9 p.m.-1 a.m., EST. It will reair from 1-5 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Dec. 5, and from 1-5 p.m., on Sunday, Dec. 6. The awards ceremony is the series champion’s formal celebration.
The cost: $8.5 billion. The decision: Let it ride- open the doors to the public! 
The much anticipated CityCenter project in Las Vegas- the largest construction project in the U.S. this year – is taking its opening public curtain calls this week.
Updated Public Opening Schedule:
Dec. 1 – Vdara Hotel & Spa opens
Dec. 3 – High-end retail shops, entertainment venues open, featuring Crystal
Dec. 4 – Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel opens
Dec. 16 – The project’s centerpiece, Aria Resort & Casino opens
Since March, Las Vegas Backstage Access has written extensively on the project, covering it from all angles. Please check out our articles on March 4 & 25; July 13, 16 & 28; Sept. 3, 17 & 25; Oct. 13 & 18; and Nov. 9, 14, 18 & 19.
C’mon over to Las Vegas and check it out!
Sports fans may find something to interest them during the usually quiet February when Las Vegas, the so-called Entertainment Capital of the World, hosts the USA Sevens rugby tournament and an International Fan Festival on February 13 and 14.
Set to take place at the Sam Boyd Stadium, the two-day weekend rugged and highly competitive event will feature some of the world’s leading rugby sevens teams, including vanguard teams representing England, South Africa and New Zealand.
Currently ranked 11th internationally, the U.S. team, departed last Thursday, Nov. 26 for the Series opening tournament in Dubai, UAE (Dec. 4-5), where it will face England, Kenya and Russia.
Returning players from the U.S. squad that went to Dubai in 2008 are Matt Hawkins and Mark Bokhoven, who both return from injuries, Nese Malifa and Shalom Suniula. The remainder of the U.S. team is comprised of relatively new faces, but the players are reportedly fast, fit, strong and very skillful.
Captaining the U.S. team is veteran Jone Naqica, who is the most capped U.S. Sevens player and all-time leading scorer for the Eagle Sevens team.
Attendance at the 2009 games was more than 37,000, an increase of greater than 40% from 2007, with 2010 games anticipated to grow even more.
Featuring 16 professional teams from all parts of the world, the Las Vegas weekend event captures international attention with 44 games providing more than eight hours of play on each day.
Each game of the round-robin style tournament is less than twenty minutes, providing fast and intense competition. Watching some of the quickest and most agile athletes in the world, spectators are entertained by the fast paced, high scoring games, as well as the electric atmosphere created by the avid fans.
To learn more, please log onto http://www.usasevens.com/
The cozy Mist Lounge in Las Vegas, located just off the Treasure Island casino floor, has closed awhile back, ending its memorable six-year run. Now, a new nightclub and restaurant is planned in its space.
The Lounge has been sold back to former Frontier, now TI (Treasure Island) owner Phil Ruffin, who plans to create his hallmark sawdust-on-the-floor country nightclub Gilley’s at TI in the former Mist Lounge space.
TI Vice President of Hotel Sales & Marketing Don Voos confirms that Mist will indeed become home to the rebirth of the nostaligic, countrified Gilley’s Saloon– with a little help from its neightbor, Pizzeria Francesco’s that will be demolished and merged in with the new space.
“We will be building a new Gilley’s Saloon & BBQ restaurant,” says Voos.
Grammy-award winner Ne-Yo is set to perform at The Pearl Concert Theater in the Palms Casino Resort on Jan. 1. 
In 2006, Ne-Yo hit the R&B scene with a style all his own – a mix of classic sounds with a modern twist. His debut album, In My Own Words, hit #1 on the Billboard 200 and solidified his role as an artist to watch. The Las Vegas singer’s sophomore album, Because of You (2007), also peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 and brought Ne-Yo much acclaim when he won Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2007 Grammy Awards.
With Ne-Yo’s third DVD, The Year of the Gentleman, the Las Vegas native and premier songwriter has constructed a suite of songs that shows exactly what he means by class. Written over the course of travels through Europe and his own fascination with the hometown boys known as the Rat Pack, Ne-Yo explains, “For me, the sharpness of Sammy and Sinatra is the kind of style I strive for in clothes and music. Year of the Gentleman is named in honor of those guys.”
This event is produced by Andrew Hewitt and Live Nation. The Pearl Box Office in the Palms Casino Resort is open from noon – 7 p.m. daily. Doors will open at 8:00 p.m. and show time is 9:00 p.m. For more information, please call 702-942-6888.
Thanksgiving. It’s a time for slowing down a bit, all the while giving and sharing. So, we at Las Vegas Backstage Access want to take time to give thanks to everyone that has helped us along the way.
We could print a list, but we didn’t want to accidentally forget to list someone, so consider this our “umbrella thank you” that’s sent with our bountiful, universal love to everyone.
Meanwhile, you too might want to take a little time to reflect on what you’re thankful for and hear other people’s stories. At www.thanks-o-meter.com, readers are encouraged to write a short entry about an instance when they’ve been grateful.
But, whatever you do, take time to enjoy being with your friends!
Bravo’s new fashion reality TV show “Launch My Line” partners successful professionals with established fashion designers to do just as the title says: create a fashion line. 
A graduate of the Harvard Executive Business School, Marilyn Crawford, who lives in Las Vegas, has established herself as the ultimate expert and spokesperson in business and entertainment. Crawford is the CEO of Windsor PTM, a global strategic marketing company. She is also Chairman of 2810, a private business membership club.
When she was three years old she got the fashion bug– a woman who lived down the street from her made clothes that Crawford designed with the help of her father.
Fast forward, now Crawford figures if she could catch a fashion guru’s eye, she shouldn’t have a hard time launching a fashion line. She envisions a clothing collection designed for the “average-sized woman,” which Crawford describes as 12-14. She says her line would be a cross between Miranda and Samantha from the TV show “Sex and the City,” and, like those two characters, make a loud statement.
Meanwhile, not to let grass grow under her feet, Crawford continues to travel extensively around the globe for her business and entertainment clients which include: Coca-Cola, Sony Universal, Master Charge, CNN, Volvo, Larry King, Russell Simmons and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
Crawford has been named “Woman of the Year” from Arts Horizon and TD/Commerce Banks, and has received The International Women’s Exchange Compass Award, The Humanitarian of the Year Award and Ebony’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
“Launch My Line” premieres Wed., Dec. 2 at 11 p.m. (PT) on Bravo.
That potent one-two Las Vegas punch has lost its zing.
All year long it’s been a hard fought battle, with the bad economy and slashed discretionary spending yielding the crushing blows.
Adding to the demise, with more than 150,000 hotel rooms and heavily dependent on convention business, the tough times are getting unbearable.
Fewer people are visiting, let alone spending. Many casino floors are half-empty during the day.
Taxi drivers up and down the Strip complain that they wait a long time between pickups. The fares they do get negotiate nearly every rate and no longer tip even minimally.
Even fewer flights are landing in Las Vegas – US Airways Group Inc. announced last month that it was cutting arrivals in half. Las Vegas hotels are heavily discounting and are doing anything it takes to lure folks back.
At the Imperial Palace, rooms are going for $25, $65 on Saturdays. At the Palms Casino Resort, a standard room costs $59, $99 for a studio suite.
High-end casinos such as Mandalay Bay are offering rooms for about $109.99, with a special two-night-minimum promotion that includes a 50 percent discount on a suite upgrade, a two-for-one House of Blues restaurant voucher, $25 resort credits on food, beverage, or merchandise, and 30 percent off tickets for The Lion King.
Las Vegas’ woes are also not a good omen for other casino towns – or tourist destinations in general. The falloff effect is pronounced and enduring.
“What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas. What happens in Vegas spreads out to all the rest of us,” said Meryl Levitz, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp.
“When Las Vegas greatly lowers its rates, consumers don’t think of it as Vegas being Vegas. They think along the lines, ‘Well then, I should be able to get a good deal anywhere.’ “
In September, for the first time since May 2008, the number of visitors to Las Vegas went up year over year – 4.3 percent. But the average daily room rate was down nearly 25 percent, to just over $92 a night. Gambling revenue was down 3.6 percent, the 21st straight monthly decline, according to figures released last week by the city’s convention authority.
All the big casino companies are feeling the pinch. Las Vegas Sands Corp., which owns the Venetian and the Palazzo on the Strip, reported a $123 million net loss for the third quarter that ended Sept 30. MGM Mirage, which owns 10 casinos, the most on the Strip, posted a $750.4 million net loss. And Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., which owns eight casinos here, had more than a $1 billion net loss.
Conventions and meetings, which characteristically drive midweek Las Vegas room occupancy, are way off this year. Attendance is down 27.1 percent compared with the same period in 2008; the number of gatherings is down 18.2 percent.
About 400 meetings were canceled from late 2008 to May, resulting in $166 million lost in nongaming revenue, so says the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
One reason: restrictions on using federal-bailout funds for certain types of corporate travel, said Rossi Ralenkotter, the authority’s president and CEO. The other: Las Vegas’ reputation as a lavish meeting destination.
The town’s party-hearty image had to be tweaked, said Billy Vassiliadis, chief executive of R&R Partners Inc., the Las Vegas public relations firm that created the “What happens here, stays here” slogan. Its current campaign features high-level executives hard at work in Vegas.
“We began delivering a much more sober business message and didn’t talk much about the play side,” Vassiliadis said yesterday. “We were dealing with the perception of whether it would be frivolous to hold a meeting in Vegas. Clearly, after the first quarter of the year, executives needed validation and support to come here for a meeting.”
During a panel discussion last week at the annual Global Gaming Expo, also known as G2E, Ralenkotter said: “Las Vegas [has] worked hard to ensure that the value of face-to-face meetings was better understood. We have also worked hard to attract new business to Las Vegas and have signed 24 new contracts with [trade] shows that have either never been . . . or have not been here in more than five years.”
G2E seemed to mirror its host town: more subdued, less boisterous. The event drew an estimated 25,000 gambling executives, regulators, slot manufacturers, and suppliers to discuss industry trends and showcase the latest products – down from 26,500 last year. Registered exhibitors numbered 566, down from 724, and the amount of exhibit space used at the cavernous Las Vegas Convention Center was 258,600 square feet, down from 335,480 in 2008.
With the supply of convention visitors dwindling, luring back the leisure traveler became a priority, Jacob Oberman, a casino consultant with Los Angeles-based commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis Group Inc., said at a recent panel discussion on filling hotel rooms in a down economy.
“They’re doing this by either giving gaming customers more favorable complimentaries than in the past, increasing their allotment of rooms, and presence with Internet wholesalers such as Expedia, [or] offering creative discount room offers and packages to the general public.
It appears everyone in Las Vegas, or planning to go there, are cinching their belts a few notches. It’s not that parites are not happening– it’s just they’re not as lavish or widely participated in as in the past.
An estimated 19.2 million people watched Donny Osmond last night win “Dancing With The Stars” — the smallest audience for the show’s finale since the first season – and take home the show’s traditional mirrored ball trophy in the season finale of the ABC TV contest reality program. 
Helping push Osmond over the top was the tango he performed Tuesday with his professional dancing partner, Kym Johnson. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba hailed his performance as “artistry in motion.” It earned the top score of the final performances.
Osmond, the former teen pop star of the iconic singing Osmond family, said the show has been a highlight in a career of ups and downs.
The 52-year-old showbiz veteran, who headlines at the Flamingo in Las Vegas with his sister, Marie, has been performing almost all of his life, but said that there’s a difference between cutting albums and selling records and dancing competitively.
Donny Osmond now holds the distinction of being the first Las Vegas headliner to win “Dancing’ while having a show on the Las Vegas Strip.
He competed during the show’s finale Tuesday against singer Mya and Kelly Osbourne, daughter of rock star Ozzy Osbourne.
Mistakes on the dance floor during the season weren’t the only missteps of ABC’s live broadcast. At the top of Tuesday’s show, as highlights from Monday’s show ran, the video froze on shot of Miss Piggy, prompting host Tom Bergeron to remind viewers that the broadcast was live and send the show to an early commercial break.
This was the ninth edition of the contest, one of television’s most popular shows. The Nielsen Co. says ratings have been down all season for the show, an indication that viewers weren’t as attached to the contestants as they had in the past.
Steve and Elaine Wynn, in a joint statement released yesterday, after eight months of hammering out some of the details, the couple announced they have reached “an amicable settlement” agreement in the split of their estimated $2 billion gambling empire– giving it the distinction of one of the most expensive divorces on record.
According to the statement, the terms and conditions of the settlement are confidential.
Their divorce is expected to be finalized the first part of 2010.
It also appears to be business as usual after the divorce is final. Elaine Wynn will continue her role as director and board member of Wynn Resorts, Ltd., emphasizing community outreach and charitable contribution projects, working together with ex-hubby Steve Wynn.
Their divorce papers were filed March 5 and sealed the same day, keeping secret such details as who filed.
There has been speculation that the divorce settlement could eclipse the $1.7 billion worth of assets media mogul Rupert Murdoch agreed to give wife Anna in their 1999 divorce. That deal included her receiving a reported $110 million in cash.
The Wynns were married in 1963, divorced in 1986, and re-married again in 1991— all the while acquiring their current financial fortune.
The Wynns split after the hotel developer’s romance with a British divorcee, Andrea Hissom, went public this year. They met in 2008 on the Riviera, where he has a luxury yacht.
Steve Wynn, who turns 68 Jan. 27, and Hissom were seen yesterday at the “Regis & Kelly Live” TV taping at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas.
The Wynns are now living in separate villas at Wynn Las Vegas on the Strip.
In his divorce complaint, Wynn said that because of the couple’s wealth of community property, neither party should be awarded alimony or other financial support.
But under Nevada law, community property is supposed to be split in half, which means each is entitled to half of the couple’s lucrative Wynn Resorts stock. Exactly how the stock is being divided, however, remains to be seen.
Steve and Elaine Wynn reportedly each own more than 24 million shares in Wynn Resorts. Wynn Resort stocks have been hovering between $60 and $70 a share.
Nevada gaming regulators have been watching the divorce proceedings because Elaine Wynn may have to come forward for licensing if she ends up owning 10 percent of Wynn Resorts stock. It depends on how her ownership share is structured.
The Henderson Fabtech Desert Classic off-road 60-mile race for cars, trucks and utility vehicles will be Dec. 4-5 in Henderson, Nevada, located just south of Las Vegas. 
In its eighth year, the event marks the final race for this year’s Best in the Desert Racing Association calendar.
Racing on BLM land, an estimated 15,000 people are anticipated to attend the event, including about 800-people who make up the driving teams.
On the line is $10,000 for winning the Ford-sponsored event.
The race is as much for the racers as it is for the onlookers. Pit areas for onlookers are set up along the course, off Highway 604 south of Sloan.
The free Henderson Fabtech Desert Classic off-road event kicks off at 11 a.m. on Dec. 4 with vehicle inspectons and an off-road race expo until 6:30 p.m. on Water Strret, near the Henderson Events Plaza, 200 S. Water Street in Henderson, Nevada.
The first race, for the lower horsepower vehicles, is from 7 a.m. to noon on Dec. 5, followed by the larger horsepower vehicles from noon until about 7 p.m.
Fans can watch from a spectator area or two pit areas along the course off Highway 604 south of Sloan.
For more information, please call 702-267-2171, or visit www.hendersonlive.com or www.bitd.com
Las Vegas Backstage Access plans to be there. If you need a professional article and/or professional photography, please send us a note. Just complete a reply to this post and we’ll be right back to you.
Las Vegas is the designated epicenter for a mock nuclear explosion planned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
FEMA had planned to simulate a nuclear explosion right on the Las Vegas Strip to test for emergency preparedness. But the plan is meeting a lot of opposition from all the key players, including Boyd Gaming, MGM Mirage, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and the Las Vegas Convention and Vistors Authority (LVCVA).
Critics say a mock nuclear explosion should happen at a place where the damage would have a greater impact, like the Hoover Dam. But the actual site selected will be a step-by-step process and the first battle won is moving the exercise away from the Strip and over to Sunset Park.
LVCVA says a flood or earthquake drill would be a better alternative over a nuclear blast drill.
FEMA is continuing to reach out to key stakeholders, including state and local officials, to receive their input on site preferences.
The exercise is scheduled for May 17, 2010 and is expected to bring 10,000 people to Las Vegas.
Las Vegas is making a pitch to have an area including fossil beds northwest of Las Vegas designated as a national park.
A Clark County spokesman says commissioners endorsed the idea last week and officials say Las Vegas and North Las Vegas are expected to take similar action this week.
Dubbed the Upper Las Vegas Wash, the area is more than 10 miles northwest of downtown Las Vegas.
Local officials cite fossil finds from the Pleistocene age and the work of scientists in 1962 who catalogued the remains of ice age mammals such as the Columbian mammoth, American lion and ancient horses.
No word on whether any mobster remains may be there.
The legislative resolution asks Congress to designate the area a national park with visitor facilities and working field sites where the public could observe scientific research.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is about to open a new nightclub in Las Vegas. Well, at least he’s going to help open one.
“(The) Hard Rock is opening a club and I’m supposed to be opening up that new club for them,” so says the versatile artist.
The new nightspot, Vanity, is set to open on New Year’s Eve.
Still, the rapper formerly known as Puff Daddy won’t necessarily be at the Hard Rock when the ball drops on 2010.
Instead, he said he is scheduled to host a day or two after the grand opening celebration, on or around Jan. 2.
Still, he may very well be there at the Hard Rock on NYE.
Maybe.
“I may be out here, I may be shooting a television special,” he teased, adding with a smile, “I can’t give you any more details, that’s breaking news.”
Still, it’s pretty safe to say Puffy is planning to party somewhere in Las Vegas on Dec. 31.
The hip-hop heavyweight is no stranger to the Las Vegas club scene and likely has a litany of lucrative hosting offers on the table for New Year’s Eve.
“I’m the Black Sinatra,” he said. “I’m supposed to be out here.”
It wasn’t always this way for the rapper/actor/producer/fashion designer/fragrance developer/father/vodka czar. Whew!
“I used to come to Vegas maybe once every other year,” the outspoken 40-year-old icon said. “I’ve been out here already four times this year … This is the most I’ve been out here.”
Christina Aguilera is reportedly inviting fans to join in her bash New Year bash in Las Vegas – for a price.
The singer will allegedly play the role of the hostess at the December 31 party at Tao nightclub in Las Vegas. 
The star was apparently throwing open the entry for fans with tickets costing $150. The tickets to the lavish party purportedly include entry into the club, food and an open bar.
Landry’s Restaurants Inc. on Friday opened its $150 million Rush Tower at the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas. 
The tower features a floating reservation desk for private check-in service, a 75,000-gallon tropical aquarium fish tank, 500 guestrooms that are larger than the Golden Nugget’s existing rooms, four penthouse suites and 70 junior suites. A Chart House Restaurant was also added to the hotel.
In addition, the tower has a two-level pool, cabanas, lounging areas and The Tank — a year-round outdoor swimming pool and a 200,000-gallon, live shark aquarium.
A new upscale retail complex has also been added to the Golden Nugget mix.
Rush Tower is part of a $300 million renovation and expansion project that Houston-based Landry’s (NYSE: LNY) is undertaking at the Golden Nugget.
Las Vegas Backstage Access has written many times on the illustrious Heidi Fleiss.
Now, the ex-Madam Heidi Fleiss is back in the news again, and pretty much for the same reason she always made news, selling sex.
This time however, her source of income is the airing of an HBO special about, Heidi Fleiss’ Stud Farm, her latest sex for money venture in Las Vegas – where anything is legal- well, er…almost.
Now, fresh off her inpatient drug treatment program stint on VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab 2″ with Dr. Drew Pinsky, in September Fleiss was sentenced to three years probation on felony drug charges stemming from her February ‘08 arrest in Pahrump, a rural town 45 minutes outside of Las Vegas.
She needs to stay out of trouble, and away from drugs, through 2012. She promised she would.
The former Hollywood Madam, 43, plans to leave her home in Pahrump and her many birds in January to be on the show, which is in its last season. It was announced in August that Britain’s Channel 4 would pull the plug on the series due to low viewer ratings.
District Judge John Davis in Pahrump cleared her earliery in the week to travel to London early January for a paid appearance on the reality television show.
This will be her second appearance on a reality television show, unless you count all of the times her real life has landed her on televison.
Fleiss told the Review-Journal that she was to be paid $10,000 per episode, money she needs as her most recent endeavor, a dog grooming shop in Las Vegas, is apparently all washed up.
She continues to draw a paycheck from a laundromat she owns in Pahrump called Dirty Laundry.
Fleiss originally achieved notoriety through her part in an illegal prositution ring in Hollywood, claiming she made in excess of $10 millon a year which involved high profile celebrities, drugs, and all the other assorted benefits of life down under.
As for her latest venture, there is not much news as to how many episodes HBO will run, or the business end of the deal either.
As the 2009 French grape harvest is declared by celebrated wine connoisseurs worldwide as the best in the last 50 years, crowds converged on Paris Las Vegas yesterday afternoon with a traditional grape stomp to celebrate the harvest. 
Blonde bombshell Las Vegas celebrity entertainer Holly Madison showed her game spirit, joining in with a Lucille Ball impersonator, reminiscent of the iconic “I Love Lucy” TV scene, to stomp-in the resort’s 3rd annual Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau celebration and be the first to taste the fresh, fruity red wine.
Yann Bourigault, North America Export Director of Les Vins Georges DuBoeuf, was also on hand at Paris Las Vegas to unveil this year’s custom designed bottle.
The Las Vegas festivities were at 3 p.m., coinciding with midnight in Paris, France.
According to French Law, Beaujolais Nouveau, made from hand-harvested Gamay grapes, is released annually on the third Thursday of November at midnight as people around the world usher in the current year’s vintage.
Not a one-time event, the festivities will continue at Las Vegas Paris for five days of special events, tastings and unique Beaujolais Nouveau pairings at eateries such as Mon Ami Gabi, Les Artistes Steakhouse and the Sterling Brunch at Bally’s Steakhouse. A full schedule of events is available at www.ParisLasVegas.com/pariswine
Turns out Sin City is far from recession-proof. Citigroup Global Markets analyst Anil Daswani has doubts that MGM Mirage’s latest offering on the Las Vegas Strip, the gargantuan $8.5 billion CityCenter, planned for official opening and much fanfare on Dec. 16, will have tourists racing to plunk down what little cash they have left.
“With CityCenter to open within a month … we do not believe that CityCenter will successfully drive visitation without incentives,” Daswani said in a note. “In our view, 5,000+ new rooms will be hard to absorb.”
CityCenter is the largest privately financed development in the U.S.
However, noting visits to Las Vegas are trending down 7% in 2009 while unemployment levels have now hit double digits, having some of the highest unemployment figures in the U.S., Mr. Daswani is concerned the new building will cannibalize demand from MGM’s existing properties while adding pressure to room rates.
Citi has a “sell” rating for MGM Mirage.
Las Vegas residents and vistors alike finally got some great news– they just may be able to actually see the New Year’s Eve half-million dollars of fireworks displays this year! 
Las Vegas Events (LVE) and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) announced late last week that the New Year’s Eve celebration known as America’s Party: Las Vegas New Year 2010 will include a spectacular fireworks show fired from seven rooftop locations along the three-mile stretch of the Las Vegas Strip.
Although fireworks displays had been launched from the top of Las Vegas Strip hotels since Dec. 31, 2000, the show was launched from resort parking lots and garages last year when new Clark County fire and safety rules tightened regarding rooftop fireworks following the Monte Carlo rooftop fire in January 2008.
The lower launch point caused the fireworks display last year to not be viewable at many traditional Las Vegas vantage points.
But, despite the lower aerial displays, last year’s New Year’s Eve still drew nearly 291,000 visitors to the area, include nearly 30,000 downtown, for an nongaming economic impact of $188 million to Las Vegas, according the Las Vegas Visitors Authority.
The budget for this year’s Las Vegas show, which is funded by the state’s room tax, has reportedly increased by $50,000 to $550,000– not bad for a poor economic year with many residents out of a job.
The Las Vegas firing locations (from the south, heading north) this year include the following resort properties: MGM Grand, Planet Hollywood, Aria, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island (TI), Venetian and the Stratosphere.
Fireworks by Grucci of New York will again coordinate the pyrotechnic display.
The group recently created the spectacular Grand Opening of the Atlantis Hotel and The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai and has executed numerous presidential inaugurations and citywide celebrations.
Grucci will also do the fireworks for the $8.5 billion CityCenter grand opening planned for Dec. 16 in Las Vegas.
Michael Green, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada, said New Year’s Eve fireworks high above the Strip have become part of the fabric of Las Vegas, commenting, “Granting that Las Vegas is still in a lot of economic hurt, the signs are pointing the right way. So maybe the fireworks will give us something to look forward to and up to.”
Is gambling in Las Vegas becoming passé with the advent of new venues?
Gaming regulators in Las Vegas last Friday granted preliminary licensing approval for the only casino component inside the $8.5 billion CityCenter project and suggested the revenue mix might be sharply different from the traditional gaming-driven environment that has existed since Las Vegas’ creation.
During a hearing that lasted more than two hours, the Nevada Gaming Control Board was told not to expect additional gaming inside the multiple hotel, high-rise residential and entertainment complex.
Aria, pictured, CityCenter’s 4,004-room centerpiece, was designed as the project’s only casino. Vdara and Mandarin Oriental are nongaming hotels, and Veer Tower is strictly residential.
Executives from MGM Mirage and Dubai World, its 50-50 partner in the development, explained the CityCenter concept, using a promotional sales video and previewing Aria’s first television advertisement in what will be a $20 million marketing campaign.
Gaming is not the focal point of the 67-acre project. The casino at Aria, roughly the size of Bellagio, will have only 145 table games and 1,940 slot machines, half of which will be linked to a server-based gaming platform.
Aria President Bill McBeath said the casino’s revenue projections are modeled with Bellagio, but the CityCenter casino has fewer slot machines. He said Aria is designed to have private gambling salons like other MGM Mirage high-end casinos, but the rooms will not be used immediately.
“There will be cross-marketing between the properties,” McBeath said. Aria will host MGM Mirage’s private Chinese New Year party for high-end customers at the MGM Grand, Bellagio and other company resorts.
McBeath said Aria’s slot machines are projected to produce roughly $320 win per unit per day.
During MGM Mirage’s quarterly earning conference call with analysts, City Center Chief Executive Officer Bobby Baldwin said Aria would produce $1.2 billion in revenue in 2010.
“The (revenue) projections are optimistic,” Gaming Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander said. “But they seem reasonable.”
The three-member control board then recommended unanimous approval for Aria. The Nevada Gaming Commission will consider the recommendation this week.
Here’s a super holiday savings deal you can’t beat: Free beer tastings are held from 7 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday at Lee’s Discount Liquor, 7411 W. Lake Mead Blvd. in Las Vegas.
It’s a chance to experience global beers. Light snacks are provided.
For more information, please call 702-804-7400. Please tell them that Las Vegas Backstage Access sent you.
If you’re like us at Las Vegas Backstage Access, you love dining on sushi, it’s just that if you partake often it leaves a big dent in your wallet. Well, here’s your opportunity to learn to roll sushi and save money in the process.
Hachi located inside of Red Rock Resort, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd. in Las Vegas is offering a sushi rolling class at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 19 for $85 per person, plus tax.
You’ll be learning from the best- executive chef Linda Rodriguez, and her husband and chef de cuisine, Martin Swift, and head sushi chef Fernando Luna of Hachi, who will combine to teach the yummy class.
Rodriguez was the first female chef to have studied under famed chef Nobu Matsuhisa.
The two-hour class will offer each participant his or her own work area with all ingredients conveniently at arm’s length.
For more information or to make a reservation, please call 702-797-7054.
Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician at the heart of Michael Jackson’s ongoing death investigation, appeared in Clark County Family Court today in Las Vegas because of his delinquent child support payments.
In a surprise move, the child’s mother agreed to not force him to pay the $14,000 in back child support payments. Going forth, however, Murray will be required to pay $1,003 a month.
Murray appeared to explain why he’s fallen behind in the support payments to a California woman and her son.
Murray’s attorney, Christopher Aaron, argued that his client is unable to get work because of Michael Jackson’s death publicity.
Dr. Murray admits giving proponyl to Jackson just before his death.
When the hearing was over, city marshals also made a rare move, blocking the media from leaving the courtroom. They let Murray get to his car and leave before they allowed media out of the courtroom.
“They were making a decision that they needed to protect the safety of others in the building. They wanted to maintain a level of decorum throughout the building,” said court spokesman Michael Sommermeyer.
Aaron says Murray had to close his medical practice and move due to personal threats following Jackson’s death June 25.
According to People.com, Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor married Stephanie Luby on ‘lucky’ Friday, Nov. 13 at Las Vegas’ Palms Casino & Hotel, where the wedding party walked down the aisle to Metallica’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls”. 
Approximately 350 wedding guests packed the hotel’s nearby Pearl Concert Theater, including Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, as well as Camp Freddy’s Dave Navarro and Billy Morrison, who acted as the minister. The rockers then all took the stage, and even the groom joined in on three songs.
This is Taylor’s second marriage.
Taylor, 35, has two children: A daughter named Angie, born in 1992, and a son named Griffin, born in 2002, both of whom he had with his first wife, Scarlett.
Taylor divorced Scarlett — whom he married on March 11, 2004 in a small ceremony at the Botanical center in Des Moines, Iowa — in early 2007.
In the November 2008 issue of Revolver magazine, he is quoted as saying, “After I got sober, I realized my relationship wasn’t right for me. My wife and I had damaged each other too much.”
Extremely popular Korean superstar Rain, 27, promoted by J-Tune Entertainment, has announced he will play his first American concerts in three years when he headlines The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Dec. 24-25. 
Rain is one of the very first Asian pop singing stars who has a rapidly growing fan base extending beyond Asia.
Rain’s last American concert also took place at The Colsseum in December 2006. The Caesars shows will be the first in the U.S. since the end of the lawsuit brought against the singer for canceling concerts in Los Angeles and Hawaii in 2007.
This concert marks be the U.S. leg of his “Legend of Rainism” tour that took place in Japan in August and in South Korea last month.
Rain is also on an American press junket to promote “Ninja Assassin,” a Hollywood extreme action movie produced by James McTeigue, in which the South Korean-born star, whose real name is Jeong Ji-hoon, plays the lead role of Raizo, an orphan who is trained by a secret ninja clan to become a deadly killer.
Amazingly, Rain pulled off 90-percent of the stunt roles, using minimal wire support. He was hurt on many occasions, and though he didn’t break any bones he bears “many scars of honor.”
It is also the first time a Korean star is playing the title role in a major Hollywood franchise.
The modern martial arts flick is the South Korean superstar’s second collaboration with the creators of “The Matrix” series. He made his Hollywood debut in “Speed Racer,” which was directed by the Wachowski brothers.
Before playing in Las Vegas, Rain performs a two-night stand at AsiaWorld-Arena in Hong Kong Nov. 28-29, followed by a Dec. 3 gig at Jakarta International Event & Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Links: Web http://www.rain-jihoon.com/main.html and http://www.rainism.com and MySpace http://www.myspace.com/officialrainusa
Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is losing its Colosseum headliner in a few months and has had to hustle to replace her. 
Bette Midler is wrapping up her two-year run in “The Showgirl Must Go On” in January. Cher has stepped up to fill the void and has added to her contract shows in April and May.
“What a fabulous two years this has been, and I thank AEG and Caesars Palace for the best partnership a showgirl could imagine. Who knows? These legs have had such a great run in the desert—it may be time to haul them to places with more humidity and fewer slot machines. But first I need to finish recording my album of the sexiest new love songs that only a showgirl could sing,” stated Midler.
“Bette is one of the most talented, hard working professionals in the business and we would have loved for her to stay longer, said John Meglen, co-CEO and President of AEG Live/Concerts West. “All of us at AEG Live thank Bette and the entire cast, crew and staff for a great two year run at The Colosseum.”
“Like every one of her performances, the approaching finale of Bette’s two-year engagement leaves us applauding for more,” said Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace. “Bette always will have a home at Caesars Palace.”
The Showgirl Must Go On will perform November 7 through 15 and December 30 through January 31, 2010. The show is dark Monday, Thursday and occasional Fridays. Tickets for these final performances are on-sale now at Ticketmaster.com, keyword “Bette Midler”, by calling 1-877-7BETTEM, or in person at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Box Office in Las Vegas, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
As most everyone, casino mogul Steve Wynn has gone through some cash woes this year, what with his impending divorce and bad stock performance. But things are apparently looking up for Stevie…
Last week Wynn Resorts, Ltd. announced it will pay its shareholders a $4-per-share dividend on Dec. 3, which will earn Steve Wynn, the casino operator’s founder and largest shareholder, a payment of at least $88.6 million- that’s M-I-L-L-I-O-N.
Yep, the company’s board of directors authorized the special one-time $4 payment for shareholders of record as of Nov. 19.
According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Wynn, the chairman and chief executive officer, holds more than 22.15 million of the company’s 123.11 million outstanding shares.
The company, which operates Wynn Las Vegas, Encore, Wynn Macau, is building the $650 million Encore at Wynn Macau, and announced it was starting a regular cash dividend program next year. It expects to pay 20 cents per share dividend in the first quarter.
The one-time $4 payment will reportedly cost Wynn Resorts more than $492 million.
The rich get richer.
As previously reported by Las Vegas Backstage Access on Nov. 11, live strippers cavorting on the back of a truck have now proved too much — even for Sin City.
A Las Vegas strip club has agreed to stop an advertising promotion that involved hauling bikini-clad exotic dancers around in a truck down Las Vegas Boulevard with clear plastic sides.
Larry Beard, marketing director of Deja Vu Showgirls in Las Vegas, said late last Friday that he’s taking his lawyer’s advice and parking the truck.
“We’re going to respect the opinion of the folks that are against it,” Beard told The Associated Press. “We’re going to be good citizens and take it off the street.”
Beard had told the AP earlier this week that he was prepared to fight county leaders and others who thought the moving truck promotion was unseemly or unsafe.
“The girls are wearing more than the girls at the swimming pool wear,” Beard said this week. “Even though they’re not stripping and taking their clothes off I think people are offended because of the idea that they do.”
The truck rolled for 13 nights along the Las Vegas Strip from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m., trying to lure customers to the club. Three sides had windows that weren’t tinted, offering views of the strippers dancing around a stripper pole.
The tactic worked, with business booming almost twice what it was before the since the truck started going out, Beard said.
“We even have cars and limos follow us to the club,” Beard said.
The dancers were allowed to perform in the truck because it was classified as a vehicle for hire, which let the dancers ride in the back without seat belts, Beard said.
Public outrage over the truck grew as pictures and videos of the truck surfaced on the Internet and a county commissioner in Las Vegas vowed to shut it down.
Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak said he got calls from citizens who hated it and others who liked it, but he considered the truck a safety problem.
“It’s clearly a distraction,” Sisolak told the AP. “Somebody’s going to turn their head to look at some girl flipping upside-down and spinning on a pole, and take their eyes off the road and could swerve and pop up the sidewalk and plow into a bunch of tourists that are walking along.”
Sisolak said he plans to try to close a loophole in local laws regulating mobile billboards. The next commission meeting is tomorrow in Las Vegas.
Regulations prohibit advertising vehicles that use animation or flashing lights, and Sisolak said he would try to prevent live entertainers from being used, too.
Meanwhile, he’s happy the club owners decided to park the truck.
“Could they have won in court? That would have been a long, costly, time-exhaustive battle,” Sisolak said. “They clearly got a lot of publicity as it stands, which I’m sure made them happy.”
World Series of Poker (WSOP) Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack has resigned from his post at the WSOP and Harrah’s. Friday, November 13th, was Pollack’s last day on the job. 
“It’s bittersweet, but I’m leaving with just great memories and a really nice sense of it being a great run. More than anything else, I’m just appreciative of the opportunity to have been part of the WSOP,” said Pollack, who was instrumental in growing the WSOP since assuming his position in 2005.
The WSOP entered its 40th year this year, with Michigan pro Joe Cada crowned its latest and youngest champion last week.
World Series of Poker spokesman Seth Palansky said there were no immediate intentions to replace Pollack.
Back in May, Pollack teamed with former Party Gaming CEO Mitch Garber to lead Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment, the casino giant’s newly-formed online arm. Pollack was slated to be its President and Harrah’s CEO Gary Loveman commented in a press release announcing the launch: “As the world’s largest gaming company, Harrah’s is taking a proactive approach toward international and interactive expansion. It is important we position ourselves to explore new markets as well as new technologies with our best in class brands.”
Pollack said his next career move remains up in the air: “I really wanted to see this year through, see this series through. I’m leaving on an absolute high note.”
Last week a Missouri couple hit the jackpot at Mystere … Cirque du Soleil declared them their 30 millionth Las Vegas customer and awarded them a VIP return trip.
The Sahara in Las Vegas has quite a deal with Hawaiian Airlines: Buy a specially priced package for Hawaii residents and fly on Hawaiian Airlines and get a 5 percent discount on your air and two miles for every buck you spend at the property. You also can win one of these packages by texting Oceanic Vegas to 32862, or enter online at http://www.KimosVegas.com.
Wayne Newton is telling his fans “Danke Schoen” after 50 years in Las Vegas and hinting that his latest run in Las Vegas could be his last. But the singer synonymous with Sin City says he’s leaving himself an opening in case he wants to perform after April. 
The man known throughout the world as “Mr. Las Vegas” says retirement is possible, but that decision won’t hinge on the success of his new show that opened at the Tropicana Las Vegas hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
Instead, he says, it depends on whether his itch to keep working conflicts with his desire to spend more time with his 7-year-old daughter.
“I’m enjoying my second daughter in a way that I didn’t get a chance to do the first time around,” Newton, 67, told The Associated Press. The decision that I make, whether or not to perform or retire, will pretty much be based on that.”
Newton’s current Tropicana show, “Once Before I Go” took 2½ months to write and is presented as a live memoir of Newton’s life and his career, with never-before-shared insights from Newton about personal episodes along the way.
“It’s challenging to keep it entertaining,” Newton said. “And that was my first prerequisite.”
Newton has told his audience that it was tough for him to pick highlight songs from a career that includes 165 records.
“It would be impossible for me to pick songs from all of them even if I remembered them, which I don’t,” Newton quipped.
Newton arrived in Las Vegas in 1959, when a two-week tryout at the Fremont Hotel & Casino turned into lounge act of six shows per night, six nights a week for nearly a year. The crooner earned national fame after a 1962 television appearance on “The Jackie Gleason Show,” which led to many more singing and acting gigs on TV and in film.
He also headlined at several casinos throughout Sin City, including the New Frontier, which hosted entertainers including Elvis Presley, Ronald Reagan and Siegfried & Roy over its 65 years. The casino was imploded in 2007.
“I’ve been working since I was four,” Newton said. “There really has not been a time in my life that I don’t remember working.”
“If I still feel like I have something to give when this particular show is over, then I’ll make the decision to probably curtail work a little bit but not give it up totally,” he told the Associated Press. “If I don’t feel that way at the end of this, then I’ll probably hang it up.”
Cirque du Soleil has announced the title for its new show based on the life and music of Elvis Presley: Viva Elvis.
The production, to be directed by choreographer Vincent Paterson, will take up residence at the new Aria Resort & Casino in the brand spanking new $8.5 billion CityCenter in Las Vegas, beginning performances on December 18.
Tickets are not yet on sale but the show will open for media previews in December.
The show will fuse dance and acrobatics, live music and iconic tracks, nostalgia and modernity, high technology and raw emotion.
While he is most famous for his collaborations with Madonna and Michael Jackson, Paterson has also worked in the performing arts. In 2006, he staged a ’50s style revival of Massenet’s Manon for Los Angeles Opera.
Cirque du Soleil currently has numerous shows already in Las Vegas, including O, LOVE, Ka, Zumanity, and Mystere.
The company is also currently touring its Allegria show; recently opened its new show Ovo in Toronto; and another new show, Banana Shpeel, begins performances in Chicago this month and will then play New York.
The Venetian and The Palazzo in Las Vegas welcome the Emeril Lagasse Foundation’s 5th annual Carnivale du Vin charity event this Saturday evening, Nov. 14.
Ranked by Wine Spectator as a “Top Ten U.S. Charity Wine Auction,” the Carnivale du Vin celebration brings together the best in celebrity chefs and winemakers who serve a once-in-a-lifetime dinner to esteemed sponsors and guests. This group showcases its passion through unique culinary pairings with the season’s finest offerings.
Held at the Venetian, the festive night will feature a live auction with rare wines and unique travel and lifestyle experiences as well as musical entertainment by the Neville Brothers.
Ticket prices are $1,000 each and may be purchased online at www.venetian.com or by calling The Venetian Box Office at 702-414-7470.
Celebrities expected to attend the event include: Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Charlie Trotter, Daniel Boulud, Michael Mina, Bradley Ogden, Kerry Simon, Charlie Palmer, Joe Bastianich, Karina Smirnoff, Rob Goldstein, Sammy Hagar, and the Neville Brothers.
If you would like a pro article on this event, interview coverage and/or pro photography, please leave us a note responding to this announcement and someone from Las Vegas Backstage Access will be back to you promptly.
Designed like an artsy roadhouse (or are all longhorn skulls just blown glass?), this eco-friendly Las Vegas burger joint serves juicy piles of dry-aged, hormone-free Hereford beef with never-frozen accoutrements: homemade pickles delivered daily, from-scratch ketchup, and farmstead cheeses (American, Cabot cheddar, Brie, goat, and you-name-it). 
Their saloon-style bar innovatively serves up Vitamin Water cocktails or, if all that heath-food c__p is not for you, take a guzzle of their booze-loaded milkshakes with straws made from a biodegradable corn-based polymer — along with the shake, the straw will go straight to your hips. And the good thing about it all- their food has no MSG- and they have wheelchair access. Imagine that.
But the good gets even better. They have recently issued a gastronomic challenge of unmatched giganto proportions: Finish their four-pound Extreme Burger with fixings and the pound of fries that come with it in an hour and the burger will be renamed for you. Think of it like streets being named for the deceased…
Recently, competitive eater Ron Koch of Las Vegas reportedly finished the meal – lounging with a respirator now – in 27 minutes, having it promptly and aptly named the “Undertaker.” It included six patties, weighing a half-pound each, cheese, bacon, Portobello mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, burger sauce, spicy mustard, herb mayo and ghost peppers (aka naga jolokia peppers, confirmed by Guinness World Records to be the hottest chili in the world) and served on a sweet egg bun no less.
But all records are meant to be broken, right? Their new challenge features 11 patties (if the math is right, that’s a little shy of eight pounds) and consume not one, but three pounds of greasy fries of the good cholesterol kind. Down about 11 pounds of food in an hour and the burger will be renamed for you – - or perhaps you could negotiate your choice of headstone at the grave site of your choosing?
The good news is that even if you don’t finish in an hour or all of it, the bill still will total $30.
Now, really, is this an epic feast your arteries can be denied?
To test your eating prowess, just head down to LBS Burger restaurant located inside the Red Rock Resort, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., in Las Vegas. Call if you dare- 702-835-9393.
…and it’s a whole lot of pain mixed in with terrible shock and awe!
This Saturday and Sunday, more than 100 of the best fighter planes in the world will loop, swoop and dive in the sky over Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, performing as part of the Aviation Nation 2009 show.
Their eighth consecutive Las Vegas air show is expected to draw more than 100,000 spectators to the base, making it the largest free public event in Nevada this year.
Queued up on the runway will be aircraft ranging in age from a World War II-era PT-17 Steerman biplane to a new F-22 fighter jet. Other notables include the A-10 Thunderbolt II, C-17 Globemaster III, the Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet and the Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16.
The Air Force Thunderbirds are expected to steal the show again with a brand new maneuver: the diamond-loop takeoff, performed in four new Block 52 F-16s.
“We get airborne, retract the gear and essentially go straight into a loop and maneuver into the diamond formation,” explains Lt. Col Greg Thomas, the Thunderbirds’ squadron commander. “It’s something the Thunderbirds have never done, and it’s something that most teams can’t do because they don’t have the power we do.” (Each Block 52 packs 29,000 pounds of thrust.)
The military will be joined by three civilian acts: the Horsemen P-51 Demonstration Team, the Patriots Jet Demonstration Team and California resident Bill Reesman in his MiG-17.
The show will feature more than just roaring air maneuvers. Ground displays will depict the history of American aviation and America’s military might, showcasing several military aircraft fresh from Iraq and Afghanistan battlefields.
Food, beverages and novelties will be available for purchase.
Free round-trip shuttle bus transportation will be available to and from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The public will not otherwise be allowed entry into Nellis Air Force Base.
Boxer Manny Pacquiao’s massive punching power is only matched by his massive drawing power, which has grown to overwhelm the traditional boundaries of the often insular realm of boxing, is driving the appeal of Saturday’s megafight with Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas- the boxing capital of the world.
Arguably the most celebrated persona in his native Philippines, Pacquiao’s visage now graces the cover of the Asia edition of Time magazine. A five-page feature story appears in all editions, global and U.S., of the magazine. It delves into Pacquiao’s humble roots and his political ambitions in his homeland.
“It is a great honor for me to be the face of my people and to let everyone know we are a small but mighty country,” Pacquiao said. “I have great pride for all of the Filipinos living throughout the world and it is these people that I fight for each and every time I step into the ring.”
As a point of comparison, the most recent boxing covers of Time’s U.S. edition came in 1988 (Mike Tyson), 1978 (Muhammad Ali) and 1971 (Ali and Joe Frazier).
Officials with Top Rank, the lead promoter of Saturday’s fight, point to a recent Sunday feature on Pacquiao in The New York Times as a manifestation of the media blitz that has accompanied the buildup to the fight. It was important to the promotion because of the worldwide reach of the newspaper’s Sunday edition.
It was also significant, and telling, because the Times typically affords boxing about as much coverage as it does the lumberjack competition.
In a separate arena, Pacquiao was recognized this year as a Gusi Peace Prize laureate, an honor based in Manila, for humanitarianism.
Pacquiao’s training sessions at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Calif., leading up to the fight not only generate mob scenes of fans and media members, but also attract the attention of the fire marshal to ensure the scene remains under some degree of control.
With its widespread appeal — “Beyond boxing, beyond sports,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said — the fight promotion has drawn some unconventional corporate partners. For example, the History Channel’s reality series “Pawn Stars,” about a family of Las Vegas pawnbrokers, is a sponsor. Among other branding efforts, the “Pawn Stars” logo will appear on the mat Saturday night.
It’s all expected to add up to pay-per-view sales — the engine that powers the big-time boxing business — for the fight that could approach or exceed record performances.
The biggest pay-per-view bonanza to date was the 2007 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand, which generated 2.4 million “buys.” This year, Pacquiao’s fight against Ricky Hatton did about 900,000 buys, and Mayweather’s fight with Juan Manuel Marquez generated about 1 million.
“The closed-circuit locations are doing tremendously” in the lead-up to Pacquiao-Cotto, Arum said. “We had the quickest sellout of tickets in years. We base how the pay-per-view is going to do on those indicators. It should do absolutely great.”
Pacquiao stands to earn $20 million for the fight, with Cotto’s total take expected to reach $10 million — the biggest paydays for both fighters.
The hook (no pun intended) is that Pacquiao, nearly a 3-1 betting favorite, will be pursuing a world title in a seventh weight division. But that’s just the sports-trivia way of wording it.
In real terms, Pacquiao has done more than any other boxer to obliterate the very notion of weight classes in boxing, along with the fractured and too-often meaningless so-called championships they spawn. He wants to test himself against the best.
The “catch weight” for Saturday’s fight is 145 pounds, but Pacquiao said if it was up to him personally, he would have gladly agreed to fight at the 147-pound welterweight limit.
Wisely — and appropriately — everyone associated with the fight has declined to address the next step for the winner, although a potential showdown with Mayweather awaits.
And for another, Saturday’s fight is a tough one to predict. It has split journalists, fighters and other boxing figures in their forecasts. Let’s say, for instance, it ends with a close decision. A rematch between Pacquiao and Cotto is a real possibility.
The “Philippine Connection” is very strong this weekend in Las Vegas.
For one, this Saturday night is “Fight Night” at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas with the welterweight title bout of Manny Pacquiao versus Miguel Cotto bringing businesses from around the globe to Las Vegas, most significantly from the Philippines, the home of Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao. {Fight article in Las Vegas Backstage Access tomorrow.}
Even Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has given both fighters a key to the city.
Pinoy Pinay, a local Filipino restaurant on East Sahara, has welcomed Manny Pacquiao as a customer many times. And right now, their business is buzzing with anticipation.
Clearly, “Fight Night” in Las Vegas is more than just a sporting event; it’s an economic engine attracting customers from around the world. The fighters will be earning millions, and so will Las Vegas, as well as having a Philippine economic imact.
Ron Cabildo is a promoter for the Manny Pacquiao after-fight party at the Mandalay Bay. “It brings in my country people together. And they know how to spend money on the nightlife industry.”
Filipino singing superstar Martin Nievera is also performing in Las Vegas this weekend at the Suncoast. Martin is idolized in the Philippines.
Martin was part of the cast of his father’s, Robert’s, old troupe the Society of Seven for the final two months of last year’s run at the Flamingo in Las Vegas.
The Society of Seven returned last week for a long-term engagement at the Gold Coast.
That means the Nievera family and the Society of Seven will be going head to head this weekend in Las Vegas for a great Filipino cause.
Nievera will perform at the Suncoast. Over the past five years he has had many Vegas engagements, including starring at the Golden Nugget for three months in 2004. Most recently he co-starred at the Suncoast in “Vocal Soup” with Susan Anton, Clint Holmes and Domenick Allen.
Nievera jokes that producer Ed Matthews offered him the three-night gig at the Suncoast but had to look him up seven times on the Internet to find out what he does.
What Nievera does is sing standards and pop hits. He’s recorded more than 30 albums.
Nievera is also raising money for victims of typhoons in the Philippines. The nation was hit hard this year by a series of devastating storms. The two worst took place in September and early October, claiming more than 600 lives and causing more than $300 million in damage.
“That’s what three nights at the Suncoast is doing,” Nievera says. “It’s more than just a gig. It will, hopefully, be another step toward hope and recovery for those folks suffering so badly in the Philippines.
“Half a million people are without homes. Highways are now rivers. Bodies are showing up out of nowhere after being swept away by flooding all over the Philippines. The storms hit everyone — the rich, the poor, the powerful and the weak,”says Nievera.
This weekend in Las Vegas is a big one for the Filipino’s in so many ways.
If Wayne Brady and “Let’s Make a Deal” isn’t enough, the Four Queens in Las Vegas is doing a test run of “The Las Vegas Rock and Roll Gameshow” that runs today, Sunday, Wednesday and Nov. 19 and 22.
It’s a low-budget affair meant to appeal to the ham in all of us. “Peoplw will never watch anything more interesting than themselves,” says co-producer and co-star Matt Phillips says of the show.
Soul singer and frequent Las Vegas performer Toni Braxton has reportedly split from her husband Keri Lewis after eight years of marriage. 
The couple has two children, seven year old Denim and Diezel, six.
The split news, reported by Essence.com, comes as the Unbreak My Heart singer faces the prospect of losing her home after she allegedly defaulted on her mortgage payments.
The singer owes more than $12,500 on her mansion in Century City, California and officials at the Bank of America are now looking to foreclose on the property, according to TMZ.com.
The news comes just a week after it was revealed that Braxton is facing a lawsuit from bosses at another financial institution, City National Bank, who claim the star owes them $900,000 in loan payments.
Braxton has been facing financial difficulties ever since she scrapped a series of Las Vegas concerts in 2008 after she was hospitalised with a reported heart problem. She is currently embroiled in a legal battle with her insurance company, after the firm refused to pay out on the axed shows.
The managing editor of the Las Vegas Sun says he’ll retire next month.
Michael J. Kelley said he plans to split time between his hometown of Kansas City, Mo., and Maryland, where his daughter and two grandchildren reportedly live. 
Kelley, 67, started in the newspaper business in 1960 and has been managing editor at the Sun since 1997.
In April, the Sun won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for stories about construction safety and worker deaths at resort projects in Las Vegas.
Kelley reportedly told Sun President and Editor Brian Greenspun last summer that he planned to retire and he notified his staff yesterday.
The Greenspun Media Group owns the Sun.
Actress and frequent Las Vegas partier Eva Longoria Parker gave comedian pal and Las Vegas imbiber George Lopez a thrill of a lifetime on his new late-night TV show on Monday– by slithering seductively on a stripper pole! 
The Desperate Housewives star told Lopez she’d show off the pole dancing skills that Carmen Electra had taught her if the pilot of his programme, Lopez Tonight!, got picked up.
And when the Latino funnyman debuted on Monday, sure enough sexy Longoria Parker fulfilled her promise.
Dressed in a sparkly black mini-dress and sporting a new blonde look, the actress shrieked when she realised Lopez had a pole set up on his stage, insisting she wasn’t dressed appropriately, joking, “You’re gonna see my hoo-ha.”
But the game actress made a valiant attempt, revealing it was more successful than the one she had tried at home on St. Valentine’s Day.
“Carmen Electra is a friend of mine and she has these stripper poles that she sells, so she sent me a stripper pole for Valentine’s,” said Parker.
“I set it up myself… and I was trying to do the sexy dance for Valentine’s and I got on it to swing and I went `whack’ and I fell, so I never really got to do it.”
Proving that her business skills are just as finely honed as her slick pole dancing abilities, the actress plans to follow her upcoming promotional TV campaign with Dutch beer giants Heineken, by launching her second Mexican eatery, Beso, in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve 2010 and then branch out the yummy brand to airports across America, starting with L.A.’s LAX.
Her first Beso restaurant was opened in Los Angeles in 2008.
Six Hells Angels motorcycle club locations were raided today in an investigation of a brawl that left two people with stab wounds at a Las Vegas wedding chapel nearly a year ago, police said.
There were no confrontations or injuries when heavily armed police SWAT and intelligence unit investigators served warrants at dawn at sites that included a Hells Angels clubhouse about five miles northwest of downtown Las Vegas, police Lt. Dave Logue said.
Homes in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada also were searched.
“It involves the wedding chapel stabbings as well as another current investigation regarding our local Hells Angels club,” Logue said. “We were looking for specific items … including business records.”
No arrests were made and the sealed warrants were not released.
KLAS-TV in Las Vegas showed a broken front door and window at a white, two-story Hells Angels clubhouse marked with the letters “HAMC” and “Sin City.” SWAT officers pushed through a red garage door, but it was not clear if anyone was in the building.
A lawyer who represented the Hells Angels in the past did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
The raid came 11 months after authorities reported two people were stabbed in a brawl between rival motorcycle gang members at the downtown Special Memory Wedding Chapel. Officials said the violence erupted when two weddings were merely booked at the same time.
Police said one of the injured men identified himself as a member of the Mongols motorcycle club and said his assailants were Hells Angels.
A 2002 casino brawl between Hells Angels and Mongols left three dead and dozens injured, disrupting the annual Laughlin River Run motorcycle rally.
Seven Hells Angels members pleaded guilty to federal and state charges in that confrontation.
Six Mongols members also pleaded guilty in November 2007 to various state felony charges in the case but avoided trial in state court on charges including murder, attempted murder and conspiracy.
Even the men who hand out the alluring but tawdry “nude girls direct to your room” handbills stopped their hawking long enough to do some gawking at the “stripper-mobile” as it rolled down the Strip in Las Vegas. Nearly everyone stopped to take notice. 
The vehicle is akin to a small U-Haul truck but with Plexiglas surrounding the brightly lit cargo area instead of walls. In the middle is a gleaming stripper pole. Swinging around the pole is a scantily clad young woman. Two of her fellow strippers are in the back of the truck too, eagerly awaiting their turns.
It’s the ultimate new advertising vehicle that really draws in the business in Las Vegas, according to Larry Beard, marking director for Déjà Vu Showgirls. Having run the truck up and down the Strip late at night and into the wee hours for only the past 11 days, he claims it has doubled business at the all-nude Déjà Vu and Little Darlings gentlemen’s clubs.
If a couple of Clark County commissioners get their way, however, it might soon be a late, great idea. Arguing that state and county laws prohibit the use of a public right of way for advertising-only vehicles, as well as the possibility that the distracting nature of the “advertising” is such that it could cause accidents, commissioners plan to discuss it at this coming Tuesday’s board meeting.
“You could have 10 of them out there pretty quick and a million people just staring,” Commissioner Steve Sisolak said Tuesday. “We have to get a handle on it before it gets too out of hand.”
But inside the nearly soundproof rectangle that literally glows from a distance, Kay, 21, and Alyssa and Bella, both 20, were concerned about the pole slipping out of their hands. They balanced on clear-plastic high heels and laughed and posed. Their bikini tops and bottoms are skintight to try to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions during acrobatics on the pole.
Kay used a loudspeaker to urge onlookers to come see her sans clothing at Déjà Vu.
A young man in a passing SUV waved a fistful of dollars out his window. The double-takes spread like a wave through the pedestrians on the sidewalk.
“This is what Las Vegas is all about,” said Beard, marketing director for six business entities including Déjà Vu Showgirls, Little Darlings and Hustler Topless gentlemen’s clubs. “You come here to see something you can’t see anywhere else in the world.”
The reaction, and effectiveness of the advertising, “has been phenomenal,” said Fred Robertson, whose company, Rolling Ads, provides the truck. “Most people don’t pay attention to billboards. We go out and people are just waiting to see it.”
Beard said this is an alternative to paying huge tips to cabdrivers to bring in customers and all the legal hassle that is ensuing.
The adult strip clubs need this, they say. Business has been bad- really, really bad.
That argument probably won’t fly with some county commissioners, though. Sisolak, for example, was spurred by a letter from a constituent, Ann Mueller, who told the Sun her grandson saw the stripper-mobile on Paradise Road around 5 p.m. Friday. (Beard said the truck usually only rolls from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. but went early that night to accommodate a TV news crew.)
Mueller said in her letter: “This is not only disgusting but very dangerous” because it could cause a traffic accident.
But nothing about the women or the truck is illegal, a Metro Police spokesman said. “As long as it’s not impeding traffic, it’s fine,” Officer Jacinto Rivera explained.
Clark Countty Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani contends that Metro police department doesn’t enforce the law on mobile billboards in public rights of way because officers don’t have the time.
“But just because no one has enforced it doesn’t mean it’s not the law,” she said. “I don’t care about the content or that they’re female dancers. I’m sick of the women, in fact — let’s get some men up there for once. But this is just illegal.”
Business owner Marla Letizia previously defeated efforts to outlaw her company’s mobile billboards. She finds the stripper-mobiles “disgusting,” however, and hopes commissioners ban them.
“They won’t say it, but this is truly about content,” Letizia said. “It’s time someone in the community has the guts to say this is about class and decency in our community.”
If that argument is made, it is unlikely to withstand a court challenge, lawyer Allen Lichtenstein said. “It’s a First Amendment issue and commercial speech is protected speech,” he explained.
The stripper-mobile would not qualify as obscene, indecent or harmful to minors — “there’s nothing illegal about it,” he said.
Then again, maybe there doesn’t need to be. County sources say some of the powerful owners of Strip properties want the stripper-mobile stopped.
Lily Tomlin is 70 years old. But don’t tell her that. Heavens, no! For the past five decades, since her days performing on the Rowan and Martin sketch comedy TV show Laugh-In, she has been cracking up audiences without missing a beat, winning as an actress and comedian Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award’s galore. 
Starting today and running though November 14, Tomlin will be performing live at the Hollywood Theatre at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The aging funny gal says she’s “a little more flexible now,” adding “I think people got used to me. I play casinos all over the place, and it’s no different than any other place.”
Tomlin’s forte is her extended monologue, sticking with a character long enough to really sell it and not worrying about gaps between punch lines.
Whether she’s costumed as Ernestine, the brassy switchboard operator, pictured, or playing Edith Ann, the little naïve girl that never seems to grow up, her performances are always riveting, as they are entertaining.
A 21-year-old Michigan poker professional who chose cards over college won the World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas early today, winning $8.55 million and becoming the youngest player to win the tournament in its 40-year history. 
Joe Cada of Shelby Township, Mich., turned over a pair of nines early after 46-year old Darvin Moon called his all-in wager with a suited queen-jack, setting up an about-even race for most of the chips on the table.
But a board of two sevens, a king, an eight and a deuce didn’t connect with either player’s cards and gave Cada the win.
“I ran really well and I never really thought this was possible,” Cada said. “It was one of those dreams and I’m thankful it came true.”
The hand abruptly ended a final table that saw Moon, a logger from western Maryland, bounce back to a dominant chip lead after being down 2-1 in chips to start the night.
“I knew if I could catch, I got him,” Moon said of the final hand. “I just took a shot.”
Cada broke a record for the tournament’s youngest winner set last year by Peter Eastgate of Denmark. Cada is 340 days younger than Eastgate.
The record was previously held for two decades by 11-time gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, who posed for pictures with Cada after the win.
When asked what’s next for him after reaching the pinnacle for poker so early in his career, Cada said: “To win it back-to-back.”
Moon and Cada traded the lead several times in 88 hands spanning nearly three hours of play, with one 20-minute break.
Moon won $5.18 million for second place.
“I only play good when my back’s against the wall,” said Cada, who was nearly ousted from the tournament on Saturday when he held about 1 percent of the chips in play after 123 hands.
The players traded chips atop a table with a stack of cash and a gold bracelet on its felt, and in front of nearly 1,500 screaming fans in a capacity crowd at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Their tug-of-war ended an epic tournament that began with 6,494 players in July.
Unlike Cada, who said he regularly plays about a dozen tournaments at a time online or three at a time in heads-up cash games, Moon hasn’t played a single hand of online poker. He doesn’t even own a computer or have an e-mail address.
Time is getting close for the long-awaited opening of extravagant and opulent Las Vegas entertainment and retail businesses galore. Not just ordinary businesses, but the most haute and opulent on the planet!
If you ever wanted to know what it’s like to be up close and personal with $8.5 billion of opulent entertainment and retail establishments, then don’t miss out this December when CityCenter gradually opens up in Las Vegas.
With the economy tanking and only slowing recovering, most experts agree that further business casino and hotel developments down the Las Vegas Strip or adjoining properties will be on a hiatus for at least five years, more likely 10 years.
Las Vegas Backstage Access has written on the many unique CityCenter planned developments, but now has further updates to share. As casino area slots are being tested, finishing touches are being applied at the Aria casino-hotel tower.
Some restaurants are on the second floor at Aria, near Elvis Theater, or located in The Crystals, the nearby 500,000-square-foot retail, entertainment and dining district- a city within a city.
Oversize Elvis belt buckles cover the exterior of Cirque du Soleil’s Elvis Theater. Reportedly, a “big splash” for this is planned for Jan. 8, which would have been Elvis’ 74th birthday.
In terms of artwork, there is Maya Lin’s depiction of the Colorado River made out of recycled silver. Henry Moore’s woman and child reclining is also auspicious, purchased for about $5 million and now worth about $7.5 million– that’s just some of the $40 million spent on CityCenter’s artwork.
A prominent attraction at The Crystals, is Mastro’s Ocean Club, which is housed in a “tree house,” over the main floor, the 14-foot ice sculpture that magically re-form after a 90 percent meltdown and CityCenter’s version of Rome’s Spanish Steps.
There is something for everyone at CityCenter. It will surely be the Las Vegas center of attention for a very long time.
As reported by Las Vegas Backstage Access on Oct. 29, 19-year-old Rachel Lee was nabbed in northwest Las Vegas for allegedly burglarizing the Hollywood Hills homes of celebrities including Audrina Partridge, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom and the Hilton family.
Few facts are immerging on the case, but search warrant records obtained last Friday in Las Vegas show that police seized photos of Paris Hilton, designer jeans, computers, a Korean passport and 204 $100 bills when they arrested her on Oct. 22.
Curiously, no charges have been filed- yet?
The Playground/Crazy Horse III strip club complex in Las Vegas has just opened an intimate, 200-person rock club called Dead Man’s Hand.
So, what’s the big deal you ask?
Curiously, there is no gambling permitted, thus the customary restrictions on nudity don’t apply. Their business model has resulted in creating the only place in Las Vegas where you can see big name rockers perform and then go into the next room for some stripper lap dancing for the ultimate coup de grace.
The other nice thing that helps our choking economy: the admission is always FREE!
For more, please check out www.PlaygroundLV.com
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut became the first-ever Martorano’s Masters Meatball Eating Champion today, Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Chestnut devoured 50 meatballs in the 10-minute Major League Eating (MLE) sanctioned competition. The 6.25 pounds of meatballs eaten in 10-minutes set a new world record in the meatball discipline. The contest featured a star-studded field of Major League Eaters and celebrities all vying for a $1,500 first-place prize and title of Martorano’s Meatball Champion.
When asked about the key to his victory, Chestnut quickly pointed to the quality of the meatballs. “The great taste and high quality of the meatballs were evident in every bite,” said Chestnut. “I am honored to have name my forever associated with Martorano’s world-famous meatballs.”
The competition proved to be fierce with Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti finishing a single meatball behind Chestnut’s total of 50 to finish in second place and win $750. Diminutive 105-pound Sonya Thomas ate 42 meatballs to finish in third place ($500), while rookie upstart Ben Monson ate 38 meatballs to finish in fourth place and win $250. Henderson, Nevada native Rich “The Locust” LeFevre, 65, came out of retirement to compete in his hometown and ate 33 meatballs to finish sixth.
“Watching the best eaters in the world eat bowl after bowl of my meatballs was a real compliment,” said Steve Martorano. “It was very important to me that they enjoy the meatballs during the championship and I am proud my meatballs could satisfy the appetites of top Major League Eaters.”
Playboy cover model and new starlet of Fantasy in Las Vegas, Angelica Bridges, also got in the act and competed at Martorano’s on Sunday. Bridges, who was recently honored by Maxim margazine as one of the “50 Sexiest Women in the World,” was the thumbs up crowd favorite in her competitive eating debut, where she ate 10 meatballs totaling more than a pound of food.
Our choking economy has exacted its toll on many Las Vegas nightclubs that were once beacons the entertainment mecca of the world: Ice, The Hop, Empire Ballroom, Puff, and Red Room Saloon, to name but a few of the more prominent ones.
Apes everywhere are likely celebrating their new digs planned for Las Vegas. Reportedly, there will be an ape exhibit containing six apes in a new Las Vegas habitat in the next few months. 
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is also probably going Ape Ga-Ga (vs. Lady Gaga, who is also coming to Las Vegas shortly) over the announcement- highly endangered apes are his favorite animals.
Representatives from the San Diego Zoo were in Las Vegas last week at the Las Vegas Zoo and announced a donation of $15,000 for the improvement of the ape and desert tortoise exhibits.
Zoo officials are asking the public for donations to help build the new exhibit, which will provide a more natural-looking habitat for the animals. Each will cost $50,000.
Planet Hollywood’s’ topless review “Peepshow” plans to really lay bare someone- Aubrey O’Day, the co-lead with Holly Madison. Reportedly, her contract will not be renewed when the current run ends in December.
Some say this action further waters down an already struggling show, replacing O’Day with local Las Vegas talent from Actors Equity in January, when the show takes a brief break before resuming shows.
Madison will continue to be the show’s marquee draw.
Show producers also have high hopes for an E! series, tentatively titled “Planet Hollywood,” as previously reported by Las Vegas Backstage Access.
With a growing list of partially finished resort projects dotting the Las Vegas skyline, the shelving of the $4.8 Billion Echelon project joined the ranks of the Strip boneyard late last week. 
The Boyd Gaming project, on the site of the formed Stardust, which was imploded in August 2008, plans to remain dormant for three to five years. It’s across the street from the bankrupt and shuttered Fountainbleau, who is still courting suitors, Echelon is located on 87 acres of what was prime real estate. Only an unusuable parkeing garage, unfinished power plant and bare steel-and-concrete remain.
In the meantime, Boyd will spend an estimated $15 million a year to secure and maintain the property that was once destined to be five hotel tower site with 5,000 rooms.
Sandy Hackett is coming back to Las Vegas with a new “Rat Pack” reincarnation. 
After falling out with Plaza-based show, “The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey and Dean” in which he played Joey Bishop, Hackett will open “Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show” next month at the Sahara, where his father, legendary funnyman Buddy Hackett, performed for years.
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