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From recent experience and for your own personal level of play, which is... [Continued]




Today's News
Compiled by LVA Research

• July 25, 2008 The King of Comedy A new "Stripper Poll" is up at Vegas Happens Here, posing the question, "What's the best regular comedy act in Vegas?" So far, the leaders are -- in order -- Mac King, Rita Rudner, and the Sahara's soon-to-be-gone Roseanne Barr. Not feeling any love to date are the Riviera's Comedy Club, Beacher's Madhouse, Gordie Brown, and Danny Gans, with a total of zero votes between them. For 'the 411' on the various contenders, see our Shows & Events page.


• July 25, 2008 Trop Takes A.C. Initiative Faced with an Oct. 15 smoking ban, the Atlantic City Tropicana has emerged as a market leader in at least one respect: It is believed to be the first Boardwalk casino to elicit input from its customers on how to implement the ban -- and still attract players who smoke. During a high-slot tournament last weekend, the Trop polled players, and made the surprising discovery that only 30% of patrons surveyed were smokers. The Trop, like most Atlantic City casinos, will have enclosed lounges for tobacco lovers this fall. Only Borgata has opted for a completely smoke-free building.


• July 25, 2008 Gordon Drops Slot Plan Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon has abandoned his plan to place slot machines at Sky Harbor International Airport as a revenue-booster. The American Indian tribes who would have operated the slots were concerned the move would open the door to gambling at racetracks and bars and would cannibalize their gambling income.


• July 24, 2008 Las Vegas This Weekend Sin City keeps it funny this weekend with wall-to-wall comedians from one end of the Strip to the other. The varied talents cover the spectrum from old school comedy by The Smothers Brothers to the sarcastic wit of David Spade to late night humor from the likes of Jay Leno and Craig Ferguson. We’ve even imported hilarity from across the pond with England’s Eddie Izzard set to hit the stage at Pearl at the Palms.  

  • Music: Country superstar Toby Keith’s in concert at the Mandalay Bay Events Center (7/26) and there will be an official after party at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country; the Amphitheatre at Sunset Station presents the Rocking the Colonies Tour starring The Fixx, The Alarm, and The English Beat (7/25); House of Blues welcomes Alkaline Trio (7/25) and Bullet For My Valentine (7/26); free concerts this weekend include Wolfcreek at Town Square Pavilion (7/26), Fandango (ZZ Top Tribute) (7/25) and jazz group Sacred Groove (7/26) at MonteLago Village and FlipStreet (7/25) and Jump, Jive & Wail (7/26) at the District at Green Valley Ranch; Ringo Starr takes to the stage at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm (7/26); American Idol alumni Bo Bice sings at Santa Fe Station’s Chrome Showroom (7/26); The Club at the Cannery is all about tribute bands this weekend with Michael John’s homage to Bill Joel (7/25) and the Music of Abba Tour direct from Sweden (7/26); Kool and The Gang’s back to boogie at the Orleans Showroom (7/25-7/27); Ovation Lounge at Green Valley Ranch presents Chris Botti  (7/26); and Freddie Jackson plays Club Madrid at Sunset Station (7/26)

  • Sports Events: See the USA Basketball Men’s national Team take on the Canadian National Team at the Thomas & Mack Center (7/25); fight night at the MGM Grand Garden Center pits Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito for the world welterweight championship (7/26); Las Vegas Hilton presents Muayathi boxing/martial arts fight (7/26); the Las Vegas 51s take on the Omaha  Royals (7/25) and the Iowa Cubs (7/26-7/29) at Cashman Field; The Joint presents Top Rank Boxing (7/25)

  • Poolside Events: Hard Rock hosts two big poolside concerts with Coheed and Cambria (7/25) and Wyclef Jean (7/26); Dive-in Movies is showing Fast Times at Ridgemont High at Mandalay Bay Beach (7/25)

  • Comedy: Eddie Izzard packs ‘em in for two shows at Pearl at the Palms (7/25-7/26); David Spade returns to Planet Hollywood (7/25-7/26); Jay Leno’s back for more laughs at the Mirage (7/25-7/26); The Smothers Brothers share fun at the Suncoast Showroom (7/25-7/27); Chris Bliss performs in the Showroom at South Point (7/25-7/27); Craig Ferguson makes a week of it at MGM Grand’s Hollywood Theatre (7/24-7/30); Jim Gaffigan yuks up at the Mandalay Bay Theatre (7/25)

  • Other: The District at Green Valley screens Spiderwick Chronicles (7/25) and Hairspray (7/26); Sylvia Browne wraps up her latest gig at the Excalibur (through 7/26); take in Art in the Square at Town Square Park (7/25); Shannon Elizabeth hosts the evening at Privé (7/25); CatHouse at Luxor hosts the Bachelorette Ball where lucky ladies can win cosmetic breast augmentation (7/25-7/26); the Bank at Bellagio will hold the Miami Fashion Week Wrap Party (7/25); Diablo’s hosts a Tropic Thunder movie release party; the weekly SWAG party at Caramel inside Bellagio the change to win complimentary tours (7/27); Real World Hollywood cast members Kimberly Alexander and Sarah Ralston hosts the evening and Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade celebrates the end of the NBA season at Jet Nightclub at Mirage (7/25); Sarah Larson hosts the evening at Tao Nightclub inside the Venetian (7/25)

For more details about these and other events, plus full listings of all the permanent shows Las Vegas plays home to, click here to use our "Shows & Events" finder, under "Shows & Nightlife."


• July 24, 2008 Station's Thunder Valley Expands The Sacramento-area tribal casino managed by Station Casinos, Thunder Valley, has launched an expansion estimated at $1 billion. The project, which broke ground July 16, will add a 24-story hotel, several ballrooms, a trio of restaurants, a new parking garage, a performing arts center and a poker room. Completion of the Thunder Valley expansion is expected to take a year.


• July 24, 2008 Harrah's Takes Lead in KS Harrah's Entertainment's case for a Kansas casino got a boost when consultants for the Kansas Lottery Commission deemed its money-making prospects the best of three competing proposals. Harrah's is vying against Penn National and Marvel Gaming for a Sumner County casino. Although the consultants' revenue projections for 2011 ($186.5 million) were considerably more conservative than Harrah's own ($252 million), they were 29% and 34% higher than for Marvel and Penn National, respectively.


• July 24, 2008 MGM Mirage to Go Private? Given the low prices suffered lately by MGM Mirage stock, Business Week has floated the possibility of a private MGM Mirage buyout. Analysts foresee the deal as involving some combination of the following parties: majority shareholder Kirk Kerkorian, Dubai World, Asiatic investors, and U.S. private equity groups. Shikliar Capital Management prexy Stuart Shikliar puts a $50/share target price on the deal (for a $6.2 billion total). One complication: "Foreign investors are limited to a 15% ownership in U.S. casinos, notes Shikiar, which means that Dubai and other foreign investors will have to team with U.S. private equity groups or investors to swing a deal."


• July 24, 2008 Layoffs at Trump Int'l Last night, KVBC-TV reported the layoff of 73 employees (nearly one-fifth of the workforce) at the Trump International condo-hotel. Condo sales have closed on only 20% of the units, meaning that four-fifths of the building cannot be rented out as hotel rooms. The ongoing mortgage crisis is blamed for the situation.


• July 24, 2008 "Jubilee!" Locals Rate Starts Next Week Just a reminder: Bally's long-running Jubilee! reaches the age of 27 on July 31. To commemorate the occasion, the show is making a locals-only discount offer of $27/ticket, July 31-Aug. 15, with a limit of four tickets per purchase. If you haven't checked out Jubilee!, by all means do so. Not only are its production values of Broadway caliber, our managing editor insists its "Samson and Delilah" segment is the funniest thing he's ever seen on the Strip.


• July 24, 2008 Donny & Marie Draw Boffo Biz Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Mike Weatherford reports that the family-friendly Donny & Marie Osmond revue at the Flamingo (opening on Sept. 9) has racked up $850,000 in presales, which translates as 8,500 tickets at an average price of $100. He also notes that: Roseanne Barr's hiatus from the Sahara will be permanent; the showroom at Greek Isles will remain dark until Sept. 15, when Viva Las Vegas returns; and the Sahara is dickering with producer Larry Marshak to renew his Platters/Coasters/Marvelettes tribute act.


• July 24, 2008 Harrah's Pulls Back on Margaritaville Coming only a couple of months after progress on the new Margaritaville casino was cited by the Mississippi gaming industry as a reason for optimism, comes an announcement from Harrah's that it's going to slow construction plans for the Biloxi project.

Harrah's spokeswoman Marybel Batjer didn't provide a new completion date for the $700 million project, which had been scheduled to open in 2010, and blamed the national economy and market conditions on the Gulf Coast for the decision.

The resort, which takes its theme from stories by songwriter Jimmy Buffett, is not to be confused with Atlantic City's Trump Marina, which sold for $316 million in late May to a New York gambing company called Coastal Marina that also intends to re-dub the property "Margaritaville," pursuant to an agreement with Jimmy Buffett's company.


• July 24, 2008 Segway to Downtown Starting Aug. 1, Segway of Las Vegas will be operating tours of Fremont Street. "Led by enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides," sightseers will ramble up and down Fremont aboard the upright, two-wheel scooters, making stops at historical landmarks and downtown hotel-casinos. Fifty dollars gets you a half-hour of instruction on how to operate a Segway, followed by a one-hour tour, in groups of no more than six, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Click on www.SegwayOfLasVegas.com or call 702/897-8957 for more info.


• July 24, 2008 Another One Bites the Dust As retrenchment continues in the casino industry, James Packer's Crown Ltd. has withdrawn from a $1.5 billion casino megaresort development on Manila Bay, in the Philippines. Rowen Craigie, Crown's CEO, blamed the decision on "very difficult" conditions in the credit markets. This is the second project from which Crown has walked away this year, having already abandoned the Las Vegas Tower, aka Crown Las Vegas. It also took the unusual step of saying it was not interested in buying Vegas-based Ameristar Casinos.


• July 24, 2008 World Market Center Slows Expansion Plans As the ripple effect from the collapse of the housing market is felt in the world of interior design and home furnishing, the chief executive of Las Vegas' fast-growing furniture-industry showplace has announced that the complex's rapid expansion plans are being slowed amid the downturn in the nationwide economy.

"I just want to wait and see how things are going to go for the industry," announced World Market Center Las Vegas CEO Robert Maricich earlier this week. "It's not a matter of if we're going to do it, it's just a matter of when," he stated, in reference to the original plan for the trade-show complex to comprise a total of eight interconnecting buildings on 57 acres of land downtown. The three existing structures together comprise 5 million square feet, the first of which opened in 2005.


• July 24, 2008 Hard Times Hit Pechanga Pechanga Casino, the second-largest employer in Riverside County, California, is laying off 400 workers, reports the Press-Enterprise.

Describing it as, "the most difficult decision" the tribe has had to make in the 13 years of its casino business, a spokeswoman for the Pechanga Development Corp. explained how, "For months, we have resisted the pressure to lay off team members. But because of the prolonged economic downturn, we must downsize in order to adjust to the current market conditions and position ourselves for success once the market turns."


• July 23, 2008 Jamie Foxx, Kendra Wilkinson, Devilduck, and More! Yup, it's the latest on the Las Vegas Cool Pool scene, where Jamie Foxx has been spotted poolside two weeks running at the Tuesday night soirée at Palms Place (check out our photo gallery for pictures of Jamie, some hot babes, and our favorite new celebrity duck...) In other news, the seemingly omnipresent Slash celebrates his birthday at Mirage's Bare Pool Lounge today, with a live acoustic performance featuring special guest DJ Perry Farrell and other surprise guests at 9 p.m. (cover $100). And "Girl Next Door" Kendra Wilkinson will join The N9NE Group and resident DJ Skribble to celebrate "Ditch Fridays" and christen the new inflatable Slip N’ Slide at the Palms Pool & Bungalows August 1.

For all this, plus new reviews of Rio's Sapphire Pool and South Point's Summer Concert Series, just click the link above.


• July 23, 2008 Sands Abandons Kansas Aspirations Las Vegas Sands Corp. has announced that, "after a thorough evaluation of the impact of proposed statutory changes in the neighboring Missouri gaming marketplace," which would allow operators there to significantly increase wagering amounts and competing properties, the company will no longer pursue a gaming license in the state of Kansas. The increased cost of borrowing in the current economic climate was also cited as a contributing factor in the decision-making process.


• July 23, 2008 Handicapping Contest Underway at Jerry's Nugget Every Saturday now through August 30, Jerry’s Nugget will be hosting the Del Mar Handicapping Contest in their recently upgraded race and sports book. Each entry's $10 and contestants can enter up to three times per week. The first place prize is $400 cash and second place pays $100. Contest winners who are More Club card holders will also receive a bonus dining certificate of $30, good for any restaurant at Jerry’s Nugget. For a complete listing of contest rules, please visit the race and sports book.


• July 23, 2008 Allegiant Update We received a call from the airline explaining that information put out by other print and online sources and reproduced in this column regarding their recent flight restructuring was inaccurate, so here's the word straight from the horse's mouth. The flights being cut are five of the Fort Lauderdale-based routes, but the good news for Vegas travelers is that they've recently announced new service from Casper, Wyoming and Grand Forks, ND to Las Vegas, which both will begin in September.


• July 23, 2008 Question of the Day As explained in this column yesterday, LasVegasAdvisor.com suffered an outside attack this week that rendered much of our content unavailable or distorted its presentation. Our IT Dept. has restored order but there were some lasting after-effects, including today's QoD being erased, which was not apparent until the email alert had gone out and the question went live. It's since been reinstated and so anyone who was unable to read today's QoD -- which, ironically, is a re-run of Monday's, since so many of you were unable to access that one -- can now do so. Please accept our apologies for any difficulties with our site that you may have experienced this week.


• July 22, 2008 Technical Problems at LasVegasAdvisor.com The Las Vegas Advisor sites have experienced (as many other sites have) an automated SQL injection attack. This exposed a vulnerability on a few legacy pages. This took some time but our application engineers have corrected the error.

Data was corrupted, but nothing was compromised. As is our policy, we do not keep sensitive information about our customers in our databases.

Please bear with us while we clean and verify our data. The sites may experience slowing for a few hours, but then we will be back up to speed. Our apologies for any inconvenience experienced in the interim.



• July 22, 2008 Bridge Collapse at Horseshoe Casino According to an item on msnbc.com, several construction workers were injured today when a bridge collapsed at the Horseshoe Casino on Lake Michigan, where work is almost complete on a new $485 million casino boat.

A dozen workers were hurt when a bridge at the floating casino collapsed about 8 a.m. this morning, throwing some of the men into the lake and trapping others. Most injuries were minor but two of the workers were taken to a local hospital. Their condition remains unknown. (Please note, this is a revision to an early item that indicated the property involved was the former Caesars Indiana, which was recently reopened as the Horseshoe Casino.)



• July 22, 2008 Allegiant Cuts More Flights Las Vegas-based airline Allegiant Air is axing thirteen more of its routes due to the high cost of fuel. The good news is that the airline recently announced that it will inaugurate a new nonstop flight to Las Vegas from Appleton, Wisc. commencing Aug. 21, with introductory fares as low as $109 one-way. Well, that's good news for people who live near Appleton. Not so good for those who live near Green Bay, since the flights out of Appleton are replacing those out of Green Bay, which have been canceled due to increased costs at Green Bay airport.


• July 22, 2008 MGM Macao Project Undeterred Casino revenues in Macao, while an impressive $3.6 billion in April-June, were down 3% from the first quarter of the year -- further evidence of the impact of Chinese visa restrictions upon the city. However, this isn't discouraging MGM Mirage from moving forward on its second casino-hotel in the city. The company's business partner, Pansy Ho, told Bloomberg TV that the necessary governmental paperwork was being processed and the resort was "definitely going to go" as planned.


• July 21, 2008 First 8-8-08 Promo Announced We're anticipating that this is merely the first of many celebrations that will mark 8 August, 2008 -- a particularly auspicious day in Asian cultures, hence the reason for its selection as the first day of the Beijing Olympics. Here in downtown Las Vegas, the Chinese Kitchen Buffet at the El Cortez will offer guests a Lucky 8s buffet dinner for $18.88 on Friday, August 8 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. to celebrate the lucky day. All guests who take advantage of the special dinner will also receive $8 in free slot play.


• July 21, 2008 Slots Coming to Arizona Airport? Mayor Phil Gordon (no relation to the poker player) is floating the idea of bringing slot machines to Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport as a way of boosting revenue. It certainly worked for McCarran, where last year the 1,300 slots brought in $40.9 million in revenue. Gordon's plan envisions allowing one or more Native American tribes to operate slot machines at the airport and share their revenues with Phoenix and the state. We'll keep you posted.


• July 21, 2008 Burger Joint Hiring at Red Rock In spite of last week's bleak news that the unemployment rate in Nevada has hit its highest level since 1994 (Today's News, July 18) comes more encouraging word from the casino industry. LBS: A Burger Joint, the new restaurant at Red Rock Resort, is looking to recruit 150 staff members prior to its fall opening. Positions are required in all areas, including prep cooks, line cooks, dish stewards, hostesses, sous chef, servers, bussers, bartenders, bar backs, and managers so get your application in, which you can do Weds., July 30, Sat., August 2, and Sat., August 9 from noon - 4 p.m. in Summerlin Room A.


• July 21, 2008 Gambling Poll in 'USA Today' "Game On!" sports columnists Reid Cherner and Tom Weir are currently running an online poll about whether it's time to legalize online gambling. You can cast your vote at blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/gambling.


• July 21, 2008 Macao Feels Restrictions Visitation to Macao in June was up 22% from last year -- but down 9% from May. New travel restrictions on Chinese citizens -- whose access to Macao has been sharply curtailed by Peking -- are beginning to be felt, it would appear.


• July 21, 2008 Tight Slots Pay off for Illinois A study by the Chicago-area Daily Herald has found that, during the 2000-07 period, Illinois casinos increased slot coin-in by 2% but slot hold by 30%. Also, the percentage of high-hold machines on Illinois slot floors has grown to nearly half. Surprisingly, these machines are generating longer play, largely through the incentive of bonus rounds and other ancillary features. "It is a funny psychology and it is one that has obviously been very successful," UNR's William Eadington told the newspaper.


• July 21, 2008 New Poker Show Coming to Venetian The Real Deal! is a live, interactive poker-themed stage show that's set to debut in The Venetian Showroom this fall. While details of the format remain sketchy aside from the usual vague hyperbole about, "a new paradigm in entertainment, establishing a completely original live-show format that combines humor, the latest in wireless technology, and abundant prizes," the line-up of pros who are slated to be a part of it is impressive and includes Scotty Nguyen (winner of this year's H.O.R.S.E. event at the WSOP and a previous Main Event champion), Eli Elezra, Gavin Smith, Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak (no surpise there), Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harmon, Tod Brunson, Doyle Brunson, and Phil Hellmuth Jr. (bet they never figured on this turn in their careers).

Apparently, audience members will have the chance to play along with the on-stage game with a wireless handheld console with various chances to win prizes, including the chance to draw for a Royal Flush and win $1,000,000. Casting is underway for the show host and line-up of comedians to "keep the action moving."

This will be the second poker-themed production show to hit Las Vegas this year, following the one-weekend-only performance of All In: The Poker Musical, which made its pre-Broadway debut at the Rio's Masquerade Showroom during the World Series of Poker.


• July 21, 2008 Summer Drawings at Red Rock Red Rock's giving away $25,000 in cash and prizes on Fri., July 25th and Fri., August 1st. Earn ticketless entries by playing slots (10 points = 1 entry) and table games ($10 av. bet for one hour = 1 entry). The drawings will take place at 4:15 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 8:15 p.m., which will feature the $7,500 grand prize.


• July 21, 2008 QoD Restored Our apologies to everyone who experienced problems trying to access Question of the Day and other content on LasVegasAdvisor.com this morning. This was due to a technical problem beyond our control, which seems now to have been rectified, so QoD is now available for all to read.


• July 20, 2008 South Point Tower Opening South Point's new $100 million hotel tower opens Monday. The additional 830 rooms gives the resort 2,163 total, the most of any locals casino. The tower also adds convention and office space.


• July 20, 2008 Jobs Available Today's LV Review-Journal contains ads for jobs at Encore and Aliante Station. Aliante is scheduled to open November 11 and Encore will open in December.


• July 19, 2008 WSOP 2008 Coverage Begins ESPN begins its coverage of the 2008 World Series of Poker this Tuesday. Two-hour shows will air every Tuesday at 8 pm through to the coverage of the final table of the main event in November. See the schedule and trailers at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/poker/wsop?vidId=3482452.


• July 19, 2008 Durango Station Plans have been revealed for Las Vegas' next new casino. Station Casinos will break ground on Durango Station in the far southwestern section of the valley in 2009, with completion scheduled for 2011. The first phase will have a 201-room tower and a planned second phase will add 525 more rooms. The hook of the project will be a 190,000-square-foot outdoor retail complex, similar to the District at Green Valley Ranch.


• July 18, 2008 Fox Sports Nets WPT Season Seven of the World Poker Tour will soon be a Sunday-night mainstay of Fox Sports Net. Twenty-six one-hour episodes of WPT are slated for prime time, beginning with coverage of the final table of the Bellagio Cup. After five seasons on the Travel Channel, the tour hopped to GSN for the '07-'08 season, but show and channel elected to part company, opening the door to Fox. Airdates and the time slot for the '08-'09 WPT season are yet to be announced. Said Fox veep George Greenburg, "The World Poker Tour has a track record as the ultimate brand name in televised poker ... FSN is very happy to televise such quality content."


• July 18, 2008 Gold Coast Buffet Reviewed Stiffs & Georges paid a visit, Pocketbook of Values in hand, to the buffet at Gold Coast and reports on the experience. In other entries, S&G reports on a high-level resignation at Boyd Gaming, prospective buyers for Ameristar Casinos, more political troubles for the Pittsburgh casino, and a slew of gloomy economic indicators for Lake Las Vegas and others.


• July 18, 2008 NV Jobless Rate Rises If you're thinking of moving to Nevada in search of employment, you might want to think again: Last month, the state hit its highest rate of unemployment since 1994, according to data released this morning by the Department of Employment Training & Rehabilitation. It estimates that almost 91,000 Nevadans are currently unemployed. Casino job levels are down 2% from last year. In a double-whammy, steep cuts in state assistance jobless Nevadans are slated to kick in this fall.


• July 18, 2008 Wanna Be in a Cirque Show? Fans of Criss Angel can become part of a video segment of his forthcoming Cirque du Soleil show, Believe, which bows Oct. 10 at Luxor. Devoted followers of Angel are asked to send photos of themselves, accompanied by explanations of why they should be interviewed by Angel, to casubmission@crissangel.com. The chosen few will be videotaped in Las Vegas on Aug. 4, but are responsible for their own airfare and accommodations.


• July 18, 2008 Casinos Win Tax Fight Nevada casinos will be $100 million richer, now that the state Supreme Court has reaffirmed its ruling that comped meals are not subject to sales taxes. Gov. Jim Gibbons proposed re-imposing the tax during a recent special session of the Legislature, but opponents prevailed. The tax may be on the table again a year from now, when the Legislature reconvenes in regular session.


• July 18, 2008 Harrah's Bonds Hit Junk Status Moody's Investors Service downgraded its rating on $16 billion Harrah's Entertainment's corporate debt from "already weak levels" to B3, "six steps below investment grade," according to Reuters. Citing weakness in Las Vegas, Moody's cut its rating on Station Casinos, too, and warned MGM Mirage and Las Vegas Sands they might be next. It also expressed a fear that Station might have to renegotiate the terms on $815 million of debt related to Green Valley Ranch.


• July 18, 2008 Update to Today's QoD In one of those weird moments of synchronicity, word just came in on the newswire about some of the restaurants confirmed for CityCenter, so check back if you want the latest word on that.


• July 18, 2008 Big Media for Vegas Today Today's Wall Street Journal contains a big story on LA entertainment empressario Sam Nazarian's plans for the Sahara. It's a bit light on details, but reinforces previous beliefs that Nazarian plans to revamp, rather than implode, the resort. It also designates 2010 as the target for completion, which suggests that things should start happening there soon.

USA Today contains a story titled "Vegas May be Down, but Steve Wynn is Looking UP," that has several quotes from Wynn and Anthony Curtis.


• July 18, 2008 More Batman Promos Galaxy Cannery Theatres will provide one free "The Dark Knight" T-shirt to the first 750 people in line with paid admissions to see the 12:01 a.m. screening of "The Dark Knight" Friday, July 18.


• July 17, 2008 Mississippi Rebuffs Casino Proposed for Biloxi, the South Beach Casino project got a thumbs-down from the Mississippi Gaming Commission today. State law requires that onshore casinos control land all the way down to the water's edge, which South Beach did not. Gaming commissioners also fretted that a 'yes' vote would open the door to an all-casino zone along Biloxi's shoreline. "It's a major economic blow to Biloxi," sighed Mayor A.J. Holloway, but "It's not a spear in the heart."


• July 17, 2008 Mosque to Casino: No Dice Can a mosque and a casino live side-by-side? They may have to in Atlantic City, where the Masjid Al-Taqwa mosque, home to the city's largest single congregation, turned down a $3 million buyout offer from casino developers Curtis Bashaw and Wallace Barr. The primary sticking point was, money notwithstanding, the mosque's attendees might well be left without anyplace to congregate. But the mosque's Imam doesn't want to stay put either, saying his religion regards casinos as illegal. He and his flock are now turning to the city council to resolve the impasse.


• July 17, 2008 A.C. in N.J. What, it's somehow newsworthy that Atlantic City's in New Jersey? Nah. This is A.C. is Anthony Curtis, who's quoted in today's issue of the New Jersey Star-Ledger in a feature that picked up on Las Vegas Advisor's July 2008 Room-Rate Survey, which found bargains galore that the casinos don't want you to know about. Check it out.


• July 17, 2008 Hilton Hearts Cosmo In today's Las Vegas Sun, Liz Benston analyzes the status of the still-breathing Cosmopolitan project. Her conclusion is that while Deutsche Bank is going to have to take a haircut to get the foreclosed condo-hotel-casino off its hands, prospective buyers are lining up -- an indication of faith in Las Vegas' long-term upside. One of the possible new owners is Hilton, which would mark a significant turnaround for the company. It spun off Hilton Gaming as Park Place Entertainment nearly a decade ago, then sold its casinos to Harrah's Entertainment in 2005.


• July 17, 2008 Las Vegas This Weekend The Hard Rock gets the nod this weekend for the place to be for optimum stargazing. 944 magazine turns three and they’ll be celebrating with a casino-wide, weekend-long blowout that invites everyone to party like a rock star. Highlights include the "Crime on Canvas" Pop Surrealism group art exhibit and Wish Come True art installation in the Festival Hall, the grand opening gala of the self-proclaimed "anti-club" Wasted Space, and the opportunity to participate in a world-record attempt water pistol fight at the pool. Elsewhere around town, Pearl at the Palms hosts UFC fight night tomorrow and (believe it or not) tickets to see Coldplay at MGM on Saturday are still available.

  • Music: Coldplay is in concert at the MGM Grand (7/19); mega concert at Mandalay Bay Events Center features Journey, Heart, and Cheap Trick (7/18); Donny & Marie Osmond gig at the MGM Grand Hollywood Theatre (7/17-7/23); former Bush front man Gavin Rossdale flies solo at The Joint (7/19) before heading over to Wasted Space to perform for the Grand Opening red carpet event; Christian Castro performs at the House of Blues (7/20); Trisha Yearwood sings in the Orleans Showroom (7/18); free concerts at MonteLago Village feature Wildheart: Fleetwood Mac Tribute (7/18) and jazz musician Darren Michaels (7/19); more free music to be heard at The District at Green Valley Ranch with Matrix (7/18) and Sid the Kid (7/19); Alexis Park Resort hosts Doo Wop in the Desert (7/19); Wasted Space opening weekend sneak preview features Silent Armada and Alex Rossi (7/18); Rick Braun & Richard Elliott stop by Ovation Lounge at Green Valley Ranch (7/18); Michael John performs his homage to Billy Joel at the South point Showroom (7/18-7/19); Texas Station presents the 70s Soul Jam in the Dallas Events Center (7/18) and Stephen Sorrentino’s Tribute to Elton John inside Club Armadillo (7/19); The Lettermen take to the stage at the Suncoast Showroom (7/18-7/20); The Club at the Cannery welcomes The Zombies (7/18) and Peter & Gordon and Chad & Jeremy (7/19)

  • Sports Events: UFC presents Silva vs Irvin at the Pearl at the Palms (7/19) with after party at MGM’s Studio 54; the NBA Summer League winds down at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion (through 7/20); ESPN Friday Night Fights will be held at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm (7/18 – free tickets available at www.primmspecials.com while supplies last)

  • Poolside Events: De La Soul performs poolside at the Hard Rock (7/18); Sunset Sessions at Tao Beach features a Moda Star Model search (7/20); Brody Jenner hosts Ditch Friday at the Palms Pool (7/18); 944 events at the Hard Rock include a world-record attempt water pistol fight (7/19 - pistols provided by 944) and S.K.A.M. Artist Takeover at Rehab (7/20)

  • Other: Rock ‘n Roll Wine hosts an intimate event at CatHouse inside Luxor (7/18); Ghostbar at the Palms will host the Smokin’ Hot Bachelor & Bachelorette auction to benefit Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (7/18); funny lady Wanda Sykes takes the mic at Planet Hollywood (7/18-7/19); Kathy Griffin dishes the comic dirt at Mandalay Bay Theatre (7/18); Sylvia Browne’s back at Excalibur (7/19-7/26); see the World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions at the South Point Equestrian Arena (7/18-7/20); catch free flicks at The District at Green Valley: Bee Movie (7/18) and I Am Legend (7/19); McFadden’s at the Rio will hold a Wet ‘n Wild Party complete with bikini contest (7/19); Kristy Morgan hosts the evening at Hawaiian Tropic Zone (7/18); Christian Audigier The Nightclub at TI throws the Gavin Rossdale after concert party (7/19); The Bank inside Bellagio throws a birthday bash for grown up Goonie Corey Feldman (7/18) and The Midsummer Lingerie Party and Competition (7/20); Ict T and wife Coco host the fifth annual "Players Toast Awards" at Torrid nightclub on the patio of Hawaiian Tropic Zone (7/19)

For more details about these and other events, plus full listings of all the permanent shows Las Vegas plays home to, click here to use our "Shows & Events" finder, under "Shows & Nightlife." For comprehensive listings of all the best pools in Las Vegas and details about poolside happenings and amenities, check out our Las Vegas Cool Pools section.


• July 17, 2008 Batman Promo at Palms In celebration of the opening of The Dark Knight, DC comic artist Lee Bermejo will appear live at Brenden Theatres at the Palms from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. tomorrow evening. Bermejo will sign special edition prints of The Joker created specifically for Brenden and KOMP 92.3 will also be on-site with a live broadcast and a chance to win an arcade game from Mountain Coin Machines.

Note that both the midnight and 3:05 a.m. IMAX screenings of the new movie are already sold out, as is the 11:59 p.m. regular 35mm showing, but seats remain for the 12:30 and 12:45 a.m. performances. Visit Fandango.com to buy tickets.


• July 17, 2008 Trump International Reviewed Steve Friess dropped in on Trump International Hotel on a recent weekend and found the place "loaded with question marks." Friess' review appears in the Las Vegas Weekly but those who would rather read it online will have any easier time of finding it here.


• July 17, 2008 Del Mar Meet in Progress The beautiful Del Mar racetrack's brief season opened yesterday. The track, which is located just outside San Diego and sports the famous slogan "Where the Surf Meets the Turf," will run daily until September 3.


• July 17, 2008 Juicy Freeroll ALL IN magazine is running online monthly poker freerolls with $10,000 in cash and prizes distributed to the top 18 finishers, and last month there were only 35 players. This month's tourny runs today (9 pm EST) and there figure to be more participants, but it's worth looking into. You will have to open an account at Absolute Poker, but you don't have to fund it. Sign up or get details at allinmag.com.


• July 17, 2008 IGT Profit Narrows Third-quarter numbers are out for IGT and the slot-maker is reporting a profit of $108 million, compared to $136 million in the same period of last year. That's a 21% decline in profit, from 41 cents per share to 35 cents. Revenues for the first three quarters of fiscal year 2008 are, however, at the same level as 2007's; the difference in profitability lies in higher jackpot-related expenses and "technical obsolescence charges," according to an IGT statement.


• July 17, 2008 Venetian Macao Video Tour Las Vegans thought the Venetian was pretty darn large when it opened in 1999. Then came its big sister, The Palazzo, and that seemed awfully grand. But both take a back seat to the immensity that is Venetian Macao. How big is it? Well, it takes almost three minutes to traverse the casino floor in this covertly filmed video tour.


• July 17, 2008 Robbing Peter to Pay Paul Let's say you're living in Yarmouth, England, and you're out the equivalent of $12,000 in poker debts to Irish gamblers. What's to be done? Well, if you're Palace Casino employee Peter Smith, you stuff "a considerable wodge of cash" (i.e., $17,000) into your socks and lam it out to Ireland, to settle your debt. That left $5,000 in stolen dough. What better use for it than to fly on to Thailand and gamble it away there? After his round-the-world caper, Smith turned himself in to British authorities. He's been granted bail -- on the condition that he move in with his parents.


• July 17, 2008 Casino Regulators Rec'd Katrina Surplus CNN has gotten ahold of Mississippi state documents that show the Mississippi Gaming Commission to be one of several agencies that received household supplies that FEMA deemed "surplus," following Hurricane Katrina, and disbursed to the state. Which means that the state's casino regulators are now the proud owners of "a coffee maker, a case of pillows, wash kits, two dual-burner stoves, plates and utensils, two cases of hand sanitizers and 20 five-gallon containers." The Commission says it's hanging onto the stuff "in case of another hurricane."


• July 17, 2008 G2E '08 Adds Showcases The year's Global Gaming Expo, which runs Nov. 18-20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, will have a greater-than-ever focus on casino amenities. It's introducing an Entertainment Arena, featuring daily live performances as well as
"vendors who support the live performances associated with the global casino industry." A new Retail Promenade will include a PGA Pro Shop and a pavilion called Eyewear Piazza. G2E is also adding a Casino Design conference and awards ceremony. American Gaming Association President Frank J. Fahrenkopf says the new features were added in response to customer feedback.


• July 16, 2008 BBC Spotlights Lake Mead As part of an ongoing "Diary" series entitled "Colorado River drought," the BBC reports (with video) on the diminution of Lake Mead. One boater blames it on growth, saying, "The people that move here from West Mustache, New York, they haven't a clue" they're living in a desert. He says he has to haul his boat a half-mile farther than in the past, just to get to the edge of the lake.

Thursday's edition of the diary will recount a "ride-along" with Las Vegas' water police, who monitor Sin City residents' use of the precious stuff.


• July 16, 2008 "Scarlett" in, "Toxic Audio" out After being rumored for a while, it's now official: Toxic Audio closes at the V Theater on July 30. Its 2:30 p.m. time slot will be filled, starting Aug. 1, by the magic show Scarlett, which will play Fridays through Wednesdays. More information on Scarlett is promised within the next 24 hours.


• July 16, 2008 Gordie Brown Moving Up & Out Having been tapped as Celine Dion's opening act, Gordie Brown will be winding down his commitment at the V Theater, at Planet Hollywood. Brown's show will be dark Aug. 12-13 and close on the 23rd, to resume "sometime in early 2009."


• July 16, 2008 Macao Casino Workers "Tagged" While Las Vegas casino guests think nothing of seeing employees wearing badges that state their city -- or even country -- of origin, it may be the coming thing in Macao, but for a different reason. According to law, "only local residents are allowed to work as croupiers, but imported workers may be hired by casino companies as croupiers' supervisors, pit managers and other gaming positions," states XinhauNet.com. However, at some casinos -- such as Venetian Macao -- the majority of staff are guest workers. Many of them would soon have to wear different badges, to denote their non-resident status. Cleaning and security staff, administrative personnel and outside contractors would be exempt.


• July 16, 2008 Yoseloff Stays on at Shuffle Master That Oct. 31 retirement that Shuffle Master CEO Mark Yoseloff had planned? Never mind. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Yoseloff's contract has been extended for another year. The company also announced that it had expanded its line of credit by $60 million.


• July 16, 2008 Get Wasted at the Hard Rock The Hard Rock will mark the debut of its new "anti-club" Wasted Space from 10 p.m. tonight with a bash jointly celebrating the premier of "Wasted Wednesdays" local industry night and Carey Hart’s birthday party. Confirmed guests include Mr Hart, Jason Giambi, Criss Angel, Carrot Top, and John Dolmayan.

A second grand opening takes place Saturday night with a premier performance by Gavin Rossdale and guests including owners Carey Hart and Benji and Joel Madden, plus Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Audrina Patridge, Brody Jenner, The Killers, Slash, Dave Navarro, Jenna Jameson, Sofia Rossi, Reggie Bush, Everlast, Wilmer Valderrama, Butch Walker, and more of the usual suspects, no doubt.


• July 16, 2008 McCarran Terminal 3 Approved The Clark County Commission yesterday awarded a bid to build a new terminal building for Las Vegas' premier airport at a cost of more than $1 billion. Even though the airlines that use the airport urged a delay due to the current depressed state of their industry, the board insisted the expansion plans should move forward in order for the airport to be able to service the 30,000-or-so new hotel rooms currently under construction.

The new terminal is expected to open in 2012.


• July 16, 2008 Louisiana Posts $50 Million Gain Gambling revenues in Louisiana were up $500,000 in the '07-08 fiscal year, which just ended. Harrah's New Orleans alone represented nearly 13% of the total, up $20 million from '06-07. The only market segment to take a hit were video poker routes, down $10 million.


• July 16, 2008 "Price" Still Right at Bally's On Monday, Fremantle Media announced that its road version of "The Price is Right" would be playing an eight-week gig at Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Connecticut. Not to worry, fans of the Vegas version: Harrah's Entertainment routed our query to Fremantle, who assures us that the Bally's Las Vegas incarnation of "Price" will continue unabated. Vegas attendees will merely have to make do without primary host Todd Newton, as he'll be spending September kicking off the Foxwoods version.


• July 15, 2008 'Jubilee!' Special for Locals July 31 marks the 27th anniversary of Donn Arden's classic spangly showgirl spectacular Jubilee! and to commemorate its birthday, Bally's is offering a special $27 ticket price to Nevada residents through Friday, August 15.

The ticket offer can be redeemed at the Bally's Box Office at the time of purchase by showing a valid Nevada ID, with a four-ticket purchase limit. The show performs twice nightly at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. and is dark on Fridays. For more information call 702/967-4567.


• July 15, 2008 Thrillist Makes Cool Pools #1 Pick Thrillist Las Vegas, the free weekly email alert that tells you about what's best in the city, has picked our very own "Las Vegas Cool Pools" feature as its top pick for this week (thanks!) Check it out right here: http://thrillist.com. And if you haven't already, drop by the new LVA Pools message board, which is starting to get a buzz all of its own.


• July 15, 2008 Neon Panel, Signing on Thurs. If you haven¢t checked out Beneath the Neon: The Exhibition and you want to, Thursday, July 17's a good day to do it. There will be a panel discussion on life, death, and art in the storm drains of Las Vegas at 6 p.m. at the Arts Factory and the exhibit will be open to the public after the discussion. It will also be a good day to buy the book. The Contemporary Arts Collective will be selling copies for $17, with part of the proceeds going to the CAC, and author Matt O'Brien will around to sign copies.

For more details and a preview of some of the amazing photography from the book/exhibit, check out our recent Spotlight on... item.


• July 15, 2008 President Casino to Reopen Pinnacle Entertainment's newly renovated casino in downtown St. Louis is set to open its doors for business at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning, after being forced to close for a month due to flooding along the Mississippi River. It's the second time this year the property's been closed due to high waters.


• July 15, 2008 The November Nine That's what they're calling the nine players who've qualified for the final table of the WSOP main event, which will now take a break until (when else?) November 9. Here are the players and their chip counts:

Dennis Phillips -- 26,295,000
Ivan Demidov -- 24,400,000
Scott Montgomery -- 19,690,000
Peter Eastgate -- 18,375,000  
Ylon Schwartz -- 12,525,000
Darus Suharto -- 12,520,000
David "Chino" Rheem -- 10,230,000
Craig Marquis -- 10,210,000
Kelly Kim -- 2,620,000





• July 14, 2008 Michelle Eliminated Tiffany Michelle's unlikely run in the World Series of Poker main event has ended with a spectacular 17th place and $334,534 prize. She exited to a standing ovation.


• July 14, 2008 "Spamalot" Ends Run at Wynn Sunday night saw the curtain rung down on the final performance at Wynn Las Vegas of the Monty Python musical Spamalot. After the curtain calls, star John O'Hurley made a speech praising his cast members as a great family and hailing the Spamalot experience as one of the capstones of his career. His 18-month-old son also put in an appearance -- costumed as King Arthur.

Earlier, across town, cast members of Spamalot and other shows were treated to a preview screening of the film version of Mamma Mia!. Carol Linnea Johnson, star of the Vegas company of Mamma Mia! had her very own Dancing Queen on hand: her daughter, clad from head to toe in red Spandex.


• July 14, 2008 Wynn's Big Sign Steve Wynn has asked Clark County for a waiver for the animated sign that will herald Encore, at the the meeting of the Desert Inn arterial and the Strip. The 130-foot-tall sign will accommodate nearly 4,000 square feet of signage, half of it animated. As the planned sign will not interfere with pedestrian traffic, it is expected to be approved.


• July 14, 2008 MGM Still Dominating Detroit Michigan Gaming Control Board figures show MGM Grand leading the Detroit market not only in dollars earned but in rate of growth. June's revenues at MGM were up 26%, year over year, while Motor City was down 10% and bankruptcy-plagued Greektown was off 18.5%. In sheer dollar terms, MGM Detroit raked in nearly $49 million, compared to $38 million for Motor City and $23 million for Greektown.


• July 14, 2008 Chinese Food Reader Poll Thanks to all who've voted in this one, which runs until midnight tomorrow. A significant number of people have voted for the "other" option but few of you have divulged which "other" you prefer. It's not to late to drop us a line via the email links provided in the poll and let us -- and your fellow readers -- in on the secret. Cheers!


• July 14, 2008 NYT Covers Vegas Air Squeeze Sunday's New York Times carried a story about the "twinges of apprehension" being felt on account of air-service reductions into Las Vegas. It recounts how US Airways is planning a 20% and that service overall is down 13%. On the flip side, the NYT reports that Allegiant Air is enjoying 94% capacity on its Vegas flights, is buying six more planes and is farming some of its jets out to Harrah's for charter excursions.


• July 14, 2008 Tiffany Michelle in USA Today The last woman standing in the WSOP main event is getting her due, regardless of where she finishes. Tiffany Michelle is featured in the "Sports" section of today's USA Today, with a big photo included. Tiffany is going for the final table today (play begins at noon PST). Only one other woman has ever gotten that far: Barbara Enright in 1995.