Some interesting Strip news from Mike Weatherford of the Las Vegas R-J:
--A new and decidely different show opens this weekend at Planet Hollywood called the "Mega Bubble Show" where a "bubble artist" uses soap bubbles for stunts and illusions. Hard to envision but supposedly it's an off-Broadway hit.

--If you've seen Blue Man Group you will remember their bit called "esophagus cam" where the big screen appears to show the camera going down an audience members mouth. It seems a California grandfather is suing claiming the action damaged his mouth which forced the BMG to reveal that the camera doesn't even go in anyone's mouth and the video is pre-recorded (a poorly kept secret to begin with).

More Strip Entertainment News: (more)

Whether your team is in the Superbowl or not, a great way to make the game--even a blowout game--more interesting is to place a bunch of proposition bets at your local sports book. A "prop bet" is betting on anything from the coin toss to the number of interceptions to "will there be a score in the first 5 minutes?".
The Hilton sports book is the largest in town and is known for having a ton of fun and sometimes crazy prop bets (such as whether the Patriots or Kobe Bryant will score more points) and has 50 pages of bets to check out.
Should you actually want to see all of the Hilton's bets, click where it says "Hilton's Superbowl Prop Bets"
Addition: "The Frig" and his Super Bowl touchdown caused prop bets to explode!

While unofficial commercial entities are prohibited by the NFL from making money on the name "Super Bowl" (especially all those NFL-hated Las Vegas establishments), when you see a listing for "Big Game Party", "NFL Championship Party" or "Super Sunday Party" we all know it's a code name for a Super Bowl party.
And, once again, American LowLife has a growing list of the official unofficial "Big Game Super Sunday NFL Championship parties!.
Quick hits: Some of the Super Bowl parties open to the public: Bally's Indigo Lounge ($75), Dick's Last Resort at Excalibur, Las Vegas Hilton theater, Blondies Bar & Grill at Miracle Mile in Planet Hollywood Resort ($200 all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink includes top shelf), Orleans (numerous tailgate parties, free), 40/40 Club at Palazzo (seating first come, first served), and Rio tailgate party at I-Bar ($75 and $125, buffet included).

Las Vegas will try most anything once in their showrooms, just to see if it'll catch a wave and become a hit. So, it shouldn't be too surprising that a show called 3 Redneck Tenors would open at the Luxor. The "Rednecks" started out as a small show to raise money for a school in Texas, went on the road, did corporate events, placed well in "America's Got Talent" and is now Carrot Top's showroom vacation replacement for a week a month through the rest of the year. That'll git er done!
3 Redneck Tenors LowLife listing

The latest Mobile Travel Guide has been released and Wynn Las Vegas did pretty darn good. The Tower Suites at Wynn received the guide's only 5-star hotel in the state and it's the only 5-star casino-resort in the world. (Note: it also has earned AAA's Five Diamond award and the Michelin Five Red Pavilion Award, in case you were wondering.)
Wynn also received 4 stars for the hotel overall, 5 for the restaurant Alex, and 4 for their spa.

The list of Las Vegas' 4- and 5-star winners according to the Mobile Travel Guide: (more)

The Monte Carlo is trying to get itself repaired and back open after last week's fire, employing hundreds of workers to repair damaged ceilings and floors. The hotel is unsure when they will be able to open back up to the public with the main obstacle being the burned exterior facade which tends to want to fall down now and then, posing a slight inconvenience to those walking below it.
Monte Carlo employees are being paid with full benefits (minus tips, unfortunately) while the resort is closed and guests with reservations are being relocated to other MGM Mirage properties.

Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel was honored at the Las Vegas branch of Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. The museum unveiled a statue of Evel and, from what we are told by those who attended the ceremony who knew the stunt man personally, the likeness is excellent. If you visit the museum at the Venetian, you can even sit on a 1972 Harley Davidson XR750 painted in the original colors of Knievel's original bike.

Las Vegas is a unique market and shows that work elsewhere don't necessarily equate to success here. There's ample speculation on why this is: perhaps the audiences are less sophisticated than, say, Broadway audiences, maybe they want shorter shows so they can get back to gambling, maybe they only want feel-good shows to go along with their Vegas state-of-mind or maybe the show has been over-exposed before it even landed here.
Whatever the case, Jersey Boys will be a good test to see if it falls in the category of a mega-successful Mamma Mia! or falls on it's face like The Producers, Avenue Q and Hairspray.
A look at the thinking behind bringing Jersey Boys to life at the Palazzo.

If you are a video gamer and helped save Las Vegas from terrorist missiles in "Rainbow Six Vegas", we appreciate it. Now, you have a chance to save us from more really bad guys who are, once again, trying to fuck with our sinful way of life.
Here's a look at Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (which is coming out in March) where you can not only rappel into casinos and shoot evil suckers from behind slot machines but hit the monorail stations, the Vegas strip clubs and those nearby oil refineries in the desert (um, oil refineries near Vegas--wtf?).

The Monte Carlo Hotel caught fire on Friday, bringing back horrific memories of the MGM fire that killed 87 people in 1980. Fortunately, this fire didin't do much more than scare the shit out of people, as there weren't any issues more serious than some smoke inhalation cases.
The cause of the fire is still unknown but there was a report of welders working on the roof so we'd guess that a blow torch went a little crazy.
We hear the Monte Carlo will have plenty of smoking rooms available when they re-open...
Various video footage available here.
Update: Guests pick up their belongings.

While it might seem that all of the Cirque du Soleil performers are from some Eastern European or Asian country, many hail from much closer to home, including Las Vegas itself. Recently, nearly 350 dancers auditioned for Vegas' various Cirque shows at the Fern Adair Dance Conservatory, several of which will be offered contracts immediately..

In an age of fancy smancy nightclubs and trimmed-down Broadway shows, there's still a glimpse of what Las Vegas used to be every time Tom Jones comes to town. Catch him while you still can and while he still just might be a sex bomb...
From a Review-Journal review:
"The great thing about Jones is that he doesn't always slam the brakes before hitting the wall of camp. This is a man who can make the innocuous phrase "at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas" sound lascivious, by adding the proper blend of eye-rolling and lip-licking. The fans still eat it up."
The Complete Review
The LowLife Event Listing

While you may not have been aware of it there was an Irish pub in the Rio called the Tilted Kilt. We never heard a whole lot about it which may be why it was closed to make way for a new Irish pub which promises to be a bit louder than its predecessor.
McFadden's Saloon opens this weekend and is supposed to be a sassy, fun, dance-on-the-bar kind of place. Their grand opening includes a "McFadden's Calendar Girl" competition with the finals being judged by Johnny Drama from HBO's "Entourage" series and hosted by Kevin Dillon.
McFadden's LowLife Listing

In other club news, work continues on the reconstructive surgery for TI's Tangerine. Closed after New Year's, the club is rumored to be going with an Asian theme to match the popular nearby Social House, both of which are owned by Pure Management Group. No word on an opening date.

According to the Air Force Times, that certain, super-secret air base that might not really be an air base near that dry lake bed that may or may not exist where extra-terrestrials may or may not visit now and then is no longer called "Area 51" but "Homey Airport". Of course, now that we've told you we may have to kill you...
So, the question is, will our minor league baseball team, the Las Vegas 51's, be changing their name to the Las Vegas Homeys (Homies?)??
Stay glued to this web site for late-breaking updates...
Late-breaking "Homey" news

Despite being portrayed as the bastard step-child to the Las Vegas Strip, downtown Las Vegas continues to improve in regards to new construction, new businesses and visitors. Property tax collections have nearly doubled from two years ago (a good measure of new construction) and new business licenses are up over 20%.
Click on the map for a look at the recent downtown developments.

An L.A. Times writer had less-than-glowing things to say about the new Palazzo. To wit:
"The design and the personality of the place don't advance the idea of luxury hotels, though its $199 to $499 rates make its rooms among the most expensive in the city, and those are just the introductory rates."

"The 50-story complex feels more like an inflated Four Seasons. The design's kind of fuddy-duddy, not Vegas wow."

"To put it in fashion terms, it's a well-bred woman in a beige Armani pantsuit, while its Siamese-twin sister, the Venetian, is a siren in a Roberto Cavalli cocktail dress."

And she isn't done... (more)

Good news from one of our favorite Las Vegas shows: John O'Hurley will again don his King Arthur crown on Jan. 28 as he rejoins the cast of "Monty Python's Spamalot" at Wynn Las Vegas for an indefinite engagement. This talented performer was a big draw when he played the role last year, before having to leave to honor previous commitments.

The LowLife listing for Spamalot

In Las Vegas, almost every nightclub has an "Industry Night", an evening dedicated to the Las Vegas locals who work in the "biz". These nights are non-weekend and there's an art to scheduling them although with so many new clubs popping up and so few off-nights available, things are starting to get interesting.
New Industry Nights include: The Bank on Sundays, CatHouse, 40/40 Sports Lounge and Prive' on Mondays, Teatro on Tuesdays and Spin on Wednesdays.

Know It A.L.L. first reported in late December some licensing issues with Jay Z's new sports bar/dance club at the Palazzo that threatened the New Year's weekend of lavish club. Then the official word was released and we were told there was no truth to that rumor.
Well, now we're hearing quite another story about the overall opening and, as reported by Xania Woodman of The Circuit/Las Vegas Weekly, it was anything but smooth:

"Trouble in playa-dise?... Things went smoothly enough up and down the Strip this New Year’s weekend at all the clubs and lounges joining the Las Vegas nightlife pantheon. But since the fireworks smoke has cleared, stories have begun to emerge from one new lounge that speak of anything but a happy New Year.
(more)

With an 18-0 New England Patriot team attempting to go undefeated facing a NY Giant team with lots of fans (both public and media), Super Bowl XLII is expected to top the $100 million mark in legal wagers for the first time in Las Vegas sports book history.
The Patriots are currently a 13 1/2 point favorite and the over/under total is 54. Will the Patriots cover? Should be an interesting Super Bowl although we're not sure we'll be able to stand the next two weeks of hype...

Whether it's global warming or the Almighty's reaction to all that sin happenin' in Sin City, it appears things will get worse for Las Vegas when it comes to precipitation. According to a recent study, not only will we have less rainfall in the upcoming year but the downpours we do have will be more severe which means more flooding, soil erosion and less ground-water recharge.
And Lake Mead won't be seeing much help in getting that water level raised as the states upstream on the Colorado River will experience some increasingly weirder conditions, too.

While it still isn't making enough money to break even, the Las Vegas Monorail saw a decent increase in ridership in 2007 to perhaps give some confidence to potential financing sources. Since opening to the public on July 15, 2004, the $650-million, four-mile line with seven stops on the east side of the Strip has failed to turn a profit. The monorail is looking for some money so they can build a leg from McCarran to the Strip which, to this uninformed LowLife, seems like it should have been included in the original plan. But that's just me...

Even if you don't bet on sporting events you've seen the "Las Vegas Line" (betting line, that is) everywhere in the media: New England favored by 14, the Clippers a 9 point underdog, Brian Boitano a 3 point favorite over Brian Orser (ok, maybe not that last one but you know what I mean), etc. So who, exactly, sets those point spreads?
His name is Kenny White and 90% of Nevada's sports books (and ultimately the national media) say his word on a game is THE word.

The Greek Isles is a small, 14-story, 202 room hotel on Convention Center Drive between the Strip and the LV Convention Center. It has an all-slot casino and a tribute show to the Rat Pack. It used to be the Debbie Reynolds Hotel back in the day but sometime this year it will become just another entry in the book of Las Vegas history as the hotel will be imploded to make way for a 780 room resort.

It's the single most-anticpated event in Las Vegas in recent history. And it's not New Year's Eve on the Strip or the porn convention. No, it's the arrival of Hannah Montana "Best of Both Worlds" concert tour at the MGM this weekend! Like you, we would kill (or at least maim) for tickets. Right?
Um, ok, well, maybe not. At least not in Sin City. While the tour is selling out all across the nation and the overall gross is rivaling the big boys (i.e. Bruce Springsteen, The Police), Montana is finding that Las Vegas is less-than-excited. In fact, while the MGM shows are officially near sell-out, the secondary market has a boat-load of tickets and are selling them for as low as $14--the least expensive ticket for the entire tour.
It's a buyer's market as lots of resellers (including parents) have lots of tickets available for the Las Vegas shows so maybe we'll see y'all at all three shows! Woo hoo!

The Palazzo is the first new hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in three years and is opening during a time of economic uncertainty. Well, uncertainty for many but not for Palazzo's big cheese, 74-year-old CEO and majority shareholder Sheldon Adelson. Adelson says of his competitors . "We will cannibalize them, we're going to take customers from other hotels."
Less certain of success are the retailers in the new stores at the Shoppes of Palazzo which include Barney's, Tory Burch and Charlie Trotter's.
A look at the Shoppes at the Palazzo.
Palazzo Grand Opening Concert with Diana Ross and Seal? (more)

(Per the Las Vegas Review-Journal)
After hanging tough in two nongaming venues for a year and a half, "The Soprano's Last Supper" will land in the Riviera Comedy Club on Jan. 31; the last show at the Empire Ballroom is Jan. 22. Steve Schirripa, who booked the comedy club before he became famous on "The Sopranos," is supposed to show up for a grand opening Feb. 12.
The interactive affair will have an early 6 p.m. time slot, not affecting the usual stand-up shows. There will be two ticket prices -- $65 and $95 before taxes and add-ons -- and those who want to dine with the cast for the higher price can do so at 5 p.m. in the appropriately authentic Ristorante Italiano, one of the rare places on the Strip to retain the same retro decor it had when Frank Sinatra dined there.

More (more)

The American Kennel Club has announced their "Top 10" most popular AKC registered dogs nationally and in Las Vegas. The Labrador has led the list for 17 straight years.

LAS VEGAS 2007......................NATIONWIDE 2007
1. Labrador Retriever....................1. Labrador Retriever
2. Yorkshire Terrier.......................2. Yorkshire Terrier
3. Shih Tzu....................................3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever.......................4. Golden Retriever
5. Bulldog.......................................5. Beagle
6. Poodle........................................6. Boxer
7. German Shepherd.....................7. Dachshund
8. Dachshund................................8. Poodle
9. Boxer.........................................9. Shih Tzu
10. Miniature Schnauzer..............10. Bulldog

The Cosmopolitan, a $3 billion dollar hotel-condominium development under construction on the Strip, has received a notice of default after payments on a $760 million construction loan came due. The project is located on the Strip between the Bellagio and the also under-construction City Center.
A Cosmo management team has been traveling the country in recent weeks seeking an equity partner so banks will extend another loan.
If you purchased one of the high-residential condos, I'm sure everything will be ok. No need to sweat, right?

Being the pervs that we are, when we hear that cornholers are coming to Las Vegas our thoughts quite (un)naturally tend to run towards visions of Mazola, vegetables with pleasure bumps and anal fixations. So, imagine our surprise to find that there is actually an American Cornhole Association and that they will crown their "King of the Cornhole" in Las Vegas later this month during the Cornhole Nationals.
Gotta get me a t-shirt from this one...
The LowLife event listing

It's supposed to be hallucinogenic and can drive one to madness. Legend has it the potion had a hand in Van Gogh cutting off his ear and is blamed for epilepsy and delusions. The "Green Fairy", better known as absinthe, is a drink with a bad past, a true LowLife of alcoholic beverages.
Because of all the infamy surrounding absinthe, it has been banned in the US since 1912. However, with strict content controls, the ban has been reversed and the drink is in vogue in trendier bars and lounges in Las Vegas.
Look for it in the Platinum Hotel, Wynn's Blush and Tryst, the Luxor's Liquidity and at Lee's Discount Liquors.
A history of Absinthe.

Even in a down market, City Center doesn't seem to be having problems selling it's residential units. Roughly 50 percent of CityCenter's nearly 2,650 high-end residential offerings have been claimed by buyers since MGM Mirage's $24 million sales pavilion on the Strip opened a year ago. The sales have generated $1.63 billion, almost 60 percent of CityCenter's forecasted sell-out revenue of $2.9 billion.
More on the sales statistics.
A look at the overall project and descriptions of each tower.

As most of us know, a "john" is a person who solicits a prostitute to engage in a sexual act. Clark County is now offering a class for johns for a mere $450. Unfortunately, the class doesn't teach you practical things like the art of negotiation, how to avoid getting robbed or the best rooms to book by the hour.
No, this class shows things like photos of dead prostitutes and slides of sexually transmitted diseases. While it is an elective class, the alternative is jail so it's probably best to consider attending. Besides, upon successful completion of a five-hour class, the record is expunged so it ain't a bad deal.
Beware: Prostitution is illegal in Clark County, and there are hot females cops posing as hookers (one arrested 25 in a night!). In fact, an acquaintance of ours thought he was getting into a three-way with a sexy couple at the Mandalay and ended up in handcuffs. He claims entrapment and the case is pending. If money is ever brought up, run like hell!

If you are itchin' to get away to Las Vegas or are a local and are having trouble hooking up with those hot visitors that always seem to come to town when there's no babysitter around then maybe you need to outsource your child care.
This news video takes a look at a growing trend towards using overseas workers to help with child care: Report: Many U.S. Parents Outsourcing Child Care Overseas
(FYI: video + sound)

Many visitors to Las Vegas don't realize it but they can get away for some skiing or snowboarding and be back in time for a dinner meeting. The Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort (formerly Lee Canyon Resort, i.e. "Ski Lee") is only 45 minutes away from the Strip. While it's not a large area and won't challenge those that savor the black diamond runs, it's a good place to keep sharp between trips to mega-areas or to simply get away from the glitz of Vegas and satisfy the need for some downhill action.

A Look at Las Vegas' Only Nearby Ski Resort: (more)

Actor Kevin Burke is da man in the show at the Golden Nugget called "Defending the Caveman". While it holds the record as the longest running solo show in Broadway history, Burke is an ironman in his own right, having completed 1,000 performances of the production.
He does "Caveman" at the Golden Nugget seven nights a week. He won't have a scheduled day off until Super Bowl Sunday. By then, he will have done 50 in a row (counting a two-show Sunday) since his last break ended Dec. 16.

The Golden Gate on Fremont Street brought the 50-cent shrimp cocktail to Vegas in 1959, and nearly 50 years later, you can still get one for 99 cents in the hotel’s San Francisco Shrimp Bar & Deli. Las Vegas serves more shrimp coctail than any other city and tiny Golden Gate serves more then a ton a week themselves.
A look at the famous, oh-so-Vegas shrimp cocktail special at Golden Gate (hint: try the "BIG Shrimp" at $1.99).

Body Suspension, i.e. putting meat hooks through your skin and then dangling a few feet off the ground, doesn't seem it should be part of the porn world but, if you attended the Adult Entertainment Expo you couldn't help but notice it.
Mack Zane broke a world record (held by magician Criss Angel, by the way) when he hung by 6 hooks for 6 hours right there on the convention floor.
“That is disgusting,” a passer-by says. “That’s just ... there’s something so wrong about that. How could he do that?”

In addition to about 30,000 pornography producers, performers and fans, the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo is attracting more than its fair share of thieves.
Show organizers say badge theft is more rampant than ever at the event.
"I looked down and it was gone," said Mateo, the only name he gave, of his pass to the event.
He said he was posing for pictures with a group of women shortly before he noticed the pass was missing.

More on AVN pass pilfering... (more)

An excerpt from the Las Vegas Sun on the Adult Entertainment Expo (sponsored by AVN Magazine) going on at the Sands Conventions Center:
"For 10 years now, more than 30,000 visitors have wandered through an instant, temporary city devoted to flesh and flash and above all, cash. Showcasing more than 400 exhibitors at the Sands Expo Center, the five-day AVN Adult Entertainment Expo winds up Saturday night with a glitzy awards show (tickets are $107, but the best show is arguably just watching the red carpet arrivals for free) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center."
The entire article.

There's a new show in town that will appeal to those fans of Menopause The Musical (i.e. older farts like ALL's Mr. Admin). It's called Hats! and goes along with the philosophy of the Red Hat Society, a large group of older women (1.5 million strong) who have decided to face their golden years with gusto rather than becoming invisible members of society. Which explains the wearing of red hats, the purple dresses and, of course, those wild senior citizen orgies (see "Senior Sex Night" listing in Lifestyle Parties/Events).
The 6:00 p.m. start time might interfere with some early-eat dinner specials but it'll get ya to Harrah's slot machines and to bed in a reasonable time.
Hats! LowLife Listing
Menopause The Musical LowLife listing

Hank Wetzel and ALL's own Lowest LowLife have a lot in common. It ain't easy being the King of the Group-Sex Scene. "I didn't think anyone would understand but Hank does," says the Lowest LowLife. "Next time you see me banging away at two or three hotties don't envy me--pity me. I'm really a very loney sex machine."
Here's the story of what it's like being the Life of the Orgy.

In the super-competitive world of the Las Vegas club scene, newer is better and that theme is making the lifespan of nightclubs and lounges shorter and shorter.

While we are LowLifes, most of us enjoy living the high life when we choose a hotel, if posible: nice restaurants, topless pools, wireless in-suite internet, room service, mini bar--that sort of stuff.
However, if you want to be a lowlife without the capital L's, we've got a place that will be right up your alley. According to Trip Advisor, THE worst place to stay in Las Vegas is a motel called the Good Day Inn down on Fremont Street.

Some of the "glowing" reviews and more photos: (more)

Las Vegas is always full of all sorts of interesting people, depending on where you watch from and the time of day. This L.A. Times article takes a look at favorite places to view the wide variety of humanity along the Strip and on Fremont Street.

You probably missed the big grand opening of Las Vegas' newest casino. Most people did. "It's certainly not the caliber of grand openings that we're used to," Station Casinos spokeswoman Lori Nelson said. "We usually like to be a little more lavish and have a few more bells and whistles."
If you were expecting Station Casino's newest resort to be another Red Rock or Green Valley Ranch you'd be extremely disappointed as this new casino is a trailer with 16 slot machines sitting in the middle of a concrete and dirt lot where the Showboat/Castaways used to stand (on Boulder Highway & Fremont).

More on the grand opening... (more)

"Meet The SnakeBabe at the Adult Entertainment Expo
See America’s Sexiest Magician, the SnakeBabe, at AVN’s Adult Entertainment Expo January 10-12, 2008 at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas.
Stop by the SexZ Pictures booth (# 1013) to meet Maria the SnakeBabe and several of the hottest stars in Adult entertainment. Maria will be autographing photos daily. All photos are FREE courtesy of SexZ Pictures.
Insiders Tip: Tell her you heard about her on American LowLife and get a sneak peak at her private home videos too hot for her website.
Hugs and Hissessss,
Maria"

(Note: We like to give our members publicity whenever we can so if you are appearing at the show, send us some info!)

After quite a bit of negotiating, a 1,064-foot-tall tower to be built on the site of the old Wet 'n Wild water park on the north Strip has been approved. The approval, based on the Federal Aviation Administration's consent, allows the developers of Crown Las Vegas to build the tallest hotel tower in the U.S. (though it's 85 feet shorter than the Stratosphere Tower which doesn't have rooms).
If all goes according to plan, the Crown building will have 5,000 rooms and a 250,000-square-foot casino, and cost about $5 billion. The first phase could open as early as 2011, with the build-out completed two years later.
Things are getting interesting on that end of the Strip with Fontainebleau, Crown Las Vegas, Echelon Place and the Project Circus-Circus Center all planning mega-resorts (see map for locations--click to enlarge).

It would have been Elvis' 73rd birthday today so we'll raise a toast to the King. The Review-Journal prepared a cool interactive map in his honor, detailing all the places he hung out while in town.

A Few Elvis-related Parties: (more)

Unless we are media, have a CES pass and/or are invited, most of us won't be able to attend these events. The best way to get an invite is to go to the booth, grab some marketing material, seem interested for a minute or two and ask about the event. Act like a "buyer" (even if you don't have a Buyer badge)--those guys are real popular, for some reason. Without a CES badge ya have to get more creative which a real LowLife could probably do...

The CES Party List: (more)

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates used to give the keynote address at the largest trade show in Vegas (or anywhere else)--Comdex, a computer show--where over 200,000 attendees crowded the town. When that behemoth finally imploded a few years ago, CES became our largest convention. With the convergence of the computer and consumer electronic products, it only made sense to have Billion Dollar Bill give the keynote at CES, too.
This year was probably his last year since he's bowing out of Microsoft to concentrate on giving his money away.

More on Gates' always much-anticipated keynote: (more)

While LowLife members had a steamy year in 2007, getting into all sorts of hot situations, temperature-wise, Las Vegas experienced it's hottest year since records started being kept 70 years ago. Vegas' growth contributed to at least some of the record with officials at the weather service attributing the unusually warm weather to the city's "heat-island" effect, where buildings and streets trap heat during the day and don't cool down at night.
We had 11 days above 110, 2 above 115 and one day where it never got below 90 degrees.

It's been called the most popular musical in the world and with worldwide box office sales of over $2 billion not too many will dispute that. Las Vegas will help add to that total with an announcement that the production of Mamma Mia! at Mandalay Bay has been extended from its announced August closure to January of '09. Already the longest-running Broadway-type show in Las Vegas, Mamma Mia! will celebrate its 5th anniversary in February.
Additionally, a screenplay has been written and a feature film adaptation will be released this summer. Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast featuring Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth.

The Palms has often come up with some interesting ways to use their rooms for marketing by branding them with some themes such as the Real World Suite and the Playboy Suite.
Now, the Palms and AXE, the men’s grooming brand, have partnered to create another unique party experience at the hotel. For a limited time, the Palms will offer a penthouse suite designed with the AXE lifestyle in mind, creating a high-end bachelor pad for the ultimate Vegas experience.
The AXE Suite is a 2,000 square-foot, two-bedroom penthouse on the 52 floor of the Palms Tower. In addition to all the first-class touches expected in a suite at the Palms, the AXE Suite includes a bar, in-room blackjack table, X-Box 360, his/hers/hers monogrammed towels, premium lingerie, a whipped cream and gourmet chocolate filled refrigerator and much more to offer guests a whole new level of the AXE effect.
We like the wishful thinking of the his/hers/hers towels...

Most Las Vegas shows don't get the attention from the resort's CEO like Le Reve does but then again, Steve Wynn has never been the traditional owner. While a big nightclub can make a hotel $70 million a year, Strip shows, on the other hand, might clear $15 million after paying performers and stagehands. So why does Steve Wynn micromanage the changes to Le Reve? A look at the process.

In yet another sign of the "new Vegas", the organizers of the Consumer Electronics Show are accusing Las Vegas of gouging conventioneers with overly high prices on rooms, food and facilities. For example, some properties that normally charge $79 to $159 a night for rooms during less crowded weeks are asking $500 to $700 a night during CES and are requiring a three- or four-night minimum stay (as New Year's visitors know all too well).
CES is looking to move the convention--and it's 140,000 Vegas visitors--to another city after the contracts expire in 2011 unless the convention authority can adaquately address the issue with resort owners.
This is part of a larger issue, however, with Las Vegas no longer a cost-effective destination in general, are we going to kill the golden goose?

The Las Vegas Review-Journal rates the Top 10 Las Vegas stage shows and the Top 10 Las Vegas concerts of the past year:
SHOWS....................................................CONCERTS
1. "Monty Python's Spamlot"..................Vegoose
2. "Love"................................................Fire Fest Day 1
3. Ray Romano/Brad Garrett.................Bjork
4. "Phantom"..........................................Bob Seger
5. Celine Dion "A New Day"...................Dimmu Borgir
6. Penn & Teller....................................Smashing Pumpkins
7. "O".....................................................Heaven and Hell
8. "Stomp Out Loud"..............................Dillinger Four
9. Blue Man Group................................George Strait
10. The Second City..............................True Colors Tour

In 2002, MGM Mirage and a partner built Signature, a luxury condo-hotel on MGM Grand property, where owners could rent out their condos like a hotel room when they weren't staying there. With comparable rooms on the Strip going for $400+/night, a great location and the MGM name in on the deal, it seemed like a good investment, especially given the glowing sales pitch.
Unfortunately, for many who bought the units things haven't gone as planned. Signature rooms have generally rented for less than $200/night and with owners getting only 60% of that quite a few can't cover their monthly nut.
Hence, a lawsuit, of course, with a claim the verbal promises of net profit were misleading...
On the other hand, it might be a good place to check out if you want an upscale room at a good price.
The LowLife Listing for Signature

Brace yourself. There won't be many available hotel rooms next week, Strip restaurants will be full and the nerd factor will be high.
While the upcoming porn convention is big news in the lifestyle, spawning parties and general debauchery in Las Vegas, the town will also be overun with over 140,000 gadget-heads in for the Consumer Electronics Show, all who will be prowling 1.7 million square feet of exhibit space to find never-before-seen phones, TV screens, chips and other devices that defy conventional gadget categorization.

Some of the highly anticipated new products: (more)

While some really like the production, others feel it's the worst of the typical Cirque shows. Perhaps the changes to "Ka" Mike Weatherford of the Review-Journal is reporting will make the show more palatable to the detractors:
"Cirque du Soleil is making several changes to "Ka," which is perceived to be the weak link in the five-show dynasty on the Strip. Attendance is strong compared to most non-Cirque titles, but "Ka" is the most expensive Cirque -- it cost at least $165 million to open in late 2004 -- and less-than-capacity attendance doesn't amortize it any quicker.

The changes: (more)

The Hard Rock Hotel will be a little louder these days as the demolition teams are rockin' on the jack hammers and crow bars. With the hotel showing it's age, the new owners have decided to reinvigorate the property by doubling the resort's size and adding 950 hotel rooms.
Plans call for two new hotel towers, new restaurants, a spa and health club, new retail space, 60,000-square-feet of convention and meeting space as well as a new, larger The Joint concert venue by mid-2009.
The Hard Rock will stay open during the construction.

Two new condominium towers are progressing towards completion with one due to open soon. The avant-garde Cosmopolitan, sandwiched on the Strip between the Bellagio and the massive City Center project won't be the most luxurious nor the most expensive but it will be the most densely built. The tower is comperable in size to the major casinos but built on less than half the normal acreage.
North of that project, in the Wynn neighborhood, Donald Trump's Vegas condo and hotel, is set to open its first 64-story, 1,282-unit luxury tower - complete with a marble-filled lobby, plasma screens inside the bathroom mirrors, valets with white gloves and a golden glass exterior.

Daredevil Australian Robbie Madison jumped his motorcycle to a record 322 feet at the Rio Hotel new year's eve, gaining a place in the Guiness Book of World Records. If you missed the televised event on ESPN and just gotta see it, here's a video of the feat from beginning to end.

The Strip was packed, Fremont Street was jumpin' and the clubs were hoppin'. And, as it seems to do every year, the wind died down just enough for the massive Strip fireworks display to happen. New Year's Eve brought over 300,000 people to Las Vegas and it appears the whole party came off without a hitch (i.e. no deaths, destruction, or terrorist acts other than charging to see the Hilton sisters).
Police Report: Arrests low compared to last year.