A couple of months after Planet Hollywood hosted the Miss America contest, P.H. will host the rival Miss USA Pageant with M.C.'s Donny & Marie Osmond. Between now and the April 11th finale, you might see some of the 51 hotties around town (hopefully at local swing clubs!):

From the Las Vegas R-J: "The 2008 Miss USA Pageant settles in for an extended Neon Nirvana stay, culminating in a live NBC telecast April 11.
The pageant may be based at Planet Hollywood Resort, but the 51 contestants will "do a little sightseeing" before one of them is crowned Miss USA, according to executive producer Phil Gurin.

At the top of the telecast, competitors will introduce themselves in on-location segments taped in recent days at locales ranging from The Venetian's gondolas to the Fremont Street Experience's Viva Vision light canopy. (A gathering of all 51 contestants at the iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign also is planned.)

"The contestants themselves are very excited to be in Las Vegas," Gurin notes. "Most of them have never been here."
Besides, "there's no place quite like Las Vegas," Gurin comments. "We've tailored our show" to exude "a sense of fun" reflecting the setting, he says, complete with a "sexy, rock 'n' roll fashion show" vibe. "We're trying to make this the sexiest show we've ever done." "Sexiest show ever"? For some reason we like that idea!
Check out the photos of last year's swimsuit competition for some more sexiness... (more)

Building a bypass to Hoover Dam has taken longer to build than the damn itself and probably won't be done until late 2010. Originally, the project was scheduled for completion later this year but 17 months ago, amid 55 mph winds, two crane towers collapsed and threw the timetable for a loop.
When completed, it will be the longest concrete arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere with more than 17,000 cars and trucks expected to use the new bridge on a daily basis, a number expected to grow by 50 percent over the next 20 years.
The bypass update.

If you want a piece of the Strip there are still a couple of parcels available. Of course, you'll have to pay a pretty penny for the land--to the tune of maybe $18 million per acre for the old Wet 'n' Wild property, for example.
While times are tight for many of us, to others it's an opertune time to pick up a good deal. With more than $35 billion in resort development over the next few years Las Vegas seems to defy economic rules so if you can afford it, get your bid in on some of the last remaining Strip Front property.

In the past, when thinking about the word "green" and Las Vegas, it either referred to the color of money or the felt on a blackjack table. These days it refers to being environmentally friendly and our new projects are kicking it into high gear in order to get certified and, of course, save millions in tax breaks (that's the real green).
A total of 15 major new building projects in Sin City – including MGM Mirage's new 4,000-room CityCenter set to open in 2009 – are seeking the Green Building Council's stringent Leadership in Environment and Energy Design (LEED) Certification.

Mike Weatherford, the show critic from the Las Vegas R-J, generally has a pretty decent eye for what will be a successful show and for productions that won't make it. In this article he wonders if the bad economy will cull some of the weaker Strip shows...

As far as Las Vegas as a whole goes, we've traditionally been considered recession-proof. However, that line of thinking is being tested. The state's gambling revenue fell nearly 5% from a year ago, room booking cancellations have increased and attendance has dropped at major conventions.

Recession-proof? We'll see soon enough...

Trump has officially entered the Las Vegas market. After years of rumors and fun little rivalry games with Steve Wynn, The Donald will finally become part of the Las Vegas landscape with Monday's opening of the $1.2 billion Trump International.
It's a non-gaming property so you won't see slot machines and blackjack tables in the lobby but you will see ornate chandeliers, gold-accented features and enough Italian marble to decorate half of Rome.
Upstairs, Trump International's lavishly furnished 1,282 studio, one-bedroom and penthouse suites carry some of the highest single-night room rates on the Strip, starting at $349 and increasing depending upon location in the building and size of the unit.
Trump International Las Vegas is a combination condominium tower and hotel. Owners have the option of placing their units in the Trump reservation system and sharing in revenues generated from rentals.
Welcome to town, Donald!

If you're a Led Zeppelin fan you might not enjoy this concert. If you are a classical music aficionado you may turn up your nose at it. Then again, you might love it.
The show is called “The Music of Led Zeppelin: A Rock Symphony” and the more than two-hour production, which pairs a studio rock band and vocalist with a full orchestra, is touring the country and rocking auditoriums, complete with elaborate light shows and smoke effects.
It's at Planet Hollywood this weekend.
The LowLife event listing.

Stand-up comedian Margaret Cho is playing at the Palm's Pearl Saturday night and the R-J has an interview with her.
An excerpt:
"The comedian visits the Palms on Saturday with a new stand-up tour called "Beautiful." She says the title is both sincere and ironic; the latter because the show is "so raunchy and so dirty and so filthy. It's a test of how far can I go. How gross can it be?" she says. "Just seeing how far I can take it."

It's a stand-up version of "The Sensuous Woman," the burlesque show Cho did off-Broadway last fall. She showed off her own newly tattooed body and shared the stage with all sorts of strippers and a drag comic."
Sounds like our kind of show--visually, at least...
The entire interview

With the recent IRS investigation into Pure Management Groups' Pure and LAX nightclubs, the Nevada Gaming Control Board is starting to look into the relationship between casinos and their nightclub partners. Ya just know the resorts are loving this whole thing.
The resorts themselves are a bit peeved at the clubs for a practice called "underpricing", where a club will advertise a minimum entry fee but have, in reality, created an environment where it costs most people much more to get into the club than the listed price. The difference, of course, was pocketed.
Since the hotels have revenue-sharing deals with the clubs (except Wynn--they own their clubs outright), this is a slick way to avoid paying the tenant its percentage of the gross sales (admission charges are part of gross sales).
While tips in general are not counted in the talley, tip money is considered revenue if there’s a requirement to pay a tip to gain entrance.

$166,667/month in rent + 10-20% of gross?! A look at a couple of lease agreements. (more)

"Last Comic Standing" is coming back to town. Returning May 22 for a sixth season on NBC, the show will tape semifinal episodes at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Paris Las Vegas, as 30 stand-up contestants vie for the title. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Free tickets will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Paris box office.
Audiences will see "a great mix" of comics -- and comedy styles -- during the two 90-minute shows, promises executive producer David Friedman.
If you want to be on the show, here's the website for LCS.

It's late notice but if you aren't doing anything tonight and are into fetishy stuff, you might check out a special show happening at Krave tonight.
The creator of the Attitude Girls has gathered quite a few Las Vegas Strip dancers for a one-time erotic dance extravaganza.
We saw a sample from the show over the weekend and it was quite good.
If latex, leather, vinyl, goth & glam is your thing, then you might want to see what "Fetish" is all about.
LowLife Event Link
Note: $10 entry if dressed in fetish attire

For some strange and unknown reason, energy drinks like Red Bull are booming in Las Vegas. We wonder if it might have anything to do with extreme partying and lack of sleep. Nah, couldn't be--we're sure LowLifes wouldn't do that (yeah, right).

Anyway, one club owner estimates that 75% or more of their table service involves Red Bull and 10-20% of all drink orders involves the juiced juice. Ya think Red Bull is making a few bucks off those expensive 8 oz. cans?

For the most part, energy drinks contain less caffeine per ounce than coffee does although some of the kick-ass drinks (like "Spike Shooter") contain 3X the jolt of a cup of java.

Additionally, most of these drinks are loaded with sugar (we prefer the Diet Red Bull) and some of these drinks add a bunch of B-vitamins and the herbs guarana, ginseng and taurine (and, as the article states "guarana works synergistically with caffeine" for an additional boost).

More On Caffeine Plus a Handy Chart!!!!!!!!!!! (sorry, we're buzzin' on coffee right now) (more)

If you follow nightclub disc jockeys who have gone on to be bigger than the music they play, Paul Oakenfold is at the top of the list. And it appears that the master mixer will make Las Vegas his home--or, at least, part-time home, later this year. It also sounds like the Palm's Rain nightclub will get a much-needed face-lift and that the definition of plain ol' club DJ might be changed forever.

According to The Circuit and Las Vegas Weekly columnist Xania Woodman:
"Accepting his first residency in 10 years, since appearing at Home in London, DJ/producer Paul Oakenfold has entered into a landmark promotional partnership with N9NE Group to re-brand Saturday nights at the Palms’ Rain nightclub.

More on the Mighty Oak (more)

It would be amazing if you've heard of him--we hadn't--but Johnny Cash sound-alike Jackson Cash has an interesting story to tell so we thought we'd lend him a LowLife hand. He and his band are playing over at the Sahara's NASCAR Cafe (of all places), subsisting on free meals, tips and CD sales.
If you read the reviews from when he played Branson you'll see he's pretty good and if you want visual evidence, you can check out the YouTube video where his rendition of "Folsum Prison Blues" made Johnny Cash's sister tear up.

It didn't take Monte Carlo too long to recover after the fire that hit the hotel's upper floors on January 25th. On Feb. 15, MGM Mirage reopened 1,200 rooms, the casino and a few restaurants. Within a week, all of the restaurants, another 1,300 rooms and all of the hotel's public space were back in operation.
Repairs to the Monte Carlo's water-damaged hotel rooms are still on hold. The 500 rooms that were shut down by the fire have been stripped bare and sealed off.
MGM Mirage accelerated by nine months a planned $80 million to $90 million renovation of the Monte Carlo's 3,000 hotel rooms. Instead of starting room remodeling in the first quarter of 2009, the process will begin in 10 to 12 weeks, starting with the rooms currently shut down by the fire.
So there ya go, Monte Carlo is pretty much back to her old self and will eventually be better than before...

We've got some good news and some bad news about Lake Mead. First, the good news: Looks like the water level will actually rise about 10 feet in the coming months due to a very wet winter in Colorado (Lake Powell will rise 50 feet). Right now, we're down nearly 90 feet from 2000 with the level sitting at about 51% capacity.
The bad news is that Lake Mead, the source of 90% of Las Vegas' drinking water, continues to dry up.

Do we really care when an "actress" like Tara Reid or a "singer" like Kevin Federline hosts an event at a club like Studio 54 or Pure (as both did over the weekend)? A reporter from the R-J was wondering the same thing as he checked out a couple of celebrity-hosted events to try to determine the appeal.

American LowLife is getting so famous they're starting to write songs about us. Well, while our whacked-out little site is becoming more popular all the time, I guess we're really not a household word just yet.
However, some rapper dude named "R.A. The Rugged Man" has, indeed, written a song called "American Lowlife". Not sure it entirely fits our brand of LowLifes but it's kind of fun to see a song with the same name.
"[Chorus]
American lowlife, dirtbag, my team
Smelly ?, bad breath, low igene
What do I mean? Smell me, rock my belly
Call my celly up and tell me (Yo, yo, you dirty)
I'm unhealthy
American lowlife
{*girl singing*} - Your dirty, crusty, ass, lowlife
Lowlife, lowlife
American lowlife
{*girl singing*} - Your dirty, crusty, ass, lowlife"

Entire Song (more)

It's that time of year again: watery eyes, coughing, sneezing, congested lungs. Those of us who live here know about this time of year but many visitors will discover allergies they didn't know they had. No, it wasn't the excessive alcohol, the lack of sleep or the bad drugs--it's probably those damn Pine or Mulberry trees spittin' out that yellow powder you might see on cars and sidewalks.
The Clark County Pollen Report

Perhaps the highest saturation of sinful business establishments in Las Vegas is in Commercial Center (located off of East Sahara and Maryland Parkway), a very large piece of property home to all sorts of shops, clubs, restaurants and other businesses. It has swing clubs, gay bars, a transgender club, a couple of gay bath houses, a fetish-wear store and a place to buy smoking supplies.
Clark County would like to buy a portion of Commercial Center, which just so happens includes the property where the Green Door and many other of the sinful establishments are located.
While most would agree that much of Commercial Center is rather seedy, we always question the motives of our elected officials when it comes to controlling sin in the name of the so-called "greater good".
(Disclosure: Green Door, The Rack and Hawks Gym are advertisers on AmericanLowlife.com. Discount coupons available for all of these sinful venues!)

While the Blue Man Group has a history of being in other's commercials (Intel for one), now they will actually have sponsorship mentions within the show at the Venetian itself.

Allegiant Air, a small but growing carrier (it's now McCarran's 7th busiest) has struck a deal with the boys of blue that just might portend the beginning of product placement deals in major Strip productions.

Are you ready for this? (more)

It's not for everyone but March Madness, especially the first four days of the annual NCAA basketball tournament, is becoming more and more popular in Las Vegas. Droves of (mostly) men are pouring into casino sports books for non-stop action to bet on and cheer for 48 games over the Thursday - Sunday span.
The atmosphere is "electric" in the Palms, just as it is in Caesars, The Mirage, and most everywhere else with a few TV screens and a betting counter. With total betting handles rivaling that of the Super Bowl, Vegas is definitely mad about March.
More on the tournament from a Vegas angle.

From "Norm", The R-J Gossip Dude...
"When a blackout hit the Excalibur on Tuesday night and auxiliary power failed, comedy veteran Louie Anderson improvised. He told his audience he would stay if they did. The crowd gave him a big ovation, and, after stagehands came up with three high-powered flashlights, Anderson continued his show in the Thunder From Down Under showroom. He even gave the crowd an additional 15 minutes. The blackout also knocked out power at the Luxor, Mandalay Bay and the Four Seasons."

If you've attended a Las Vegas Strip show, you couldn't help but notice the after-show sales efforts that go on for branded merchandise. Sometimes it's simply a hawker of cd's or dvd's (sometimes, for a smaller show, it's the talent themselves dong the hawking) and sometimes it a full-blown "company store".

There are currently 16 of these stand-alone retail outlets on the Strip devoted entirely to entertainment attractions (17 if you count the "Jersey Boys" store, which will open sometime before the show at the Palazzo on April 4).

While resort execs speaking glowingly of the store traffic, none interviewed for this article will reveal specific sales figures and some experts suspect many don't return much of a profit--that they are part of the package deal required to get the show and their main function is to add to the overall ambience of the show-going experience.

The Shows With Stores (more)

As the investigation into the Pure Management Group by the IRS continues, some other issues are starting to rear their ugly heads.

For example, supposedly now there's a "growing tension" between PMG and celeb investors like Celine Dion, Andre Agassi and Shaquille O'Neal who have squeaky clean reputations. OK, that's understandable. Not a big deal.

However, an angle that might have some real legs is just coming to light: was the Clark County Fire Department on the take? Did they really make a deal with Pure not to continue the practice of having a fire marshall present on the night shift? There's some evidence of back-room dealing on this.

The County Inspector Angle (more)

Luxor is picking up two nongaming attractions from the Tropicana.
Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions announced Tuesday it signed a 10-year agreement with the Luxor to covert 50,000 square feet of the resort's atrium level into exhibition space for "Bodies ... The Exhibition" and "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition." Both shows are now on display at the Tropicana. No dates were announced as to when the shows would be relocated.

Since last year, MGM Mirage, which owns Luxor, has been renovating the pyramid-themed resort named for the historic Egyptian city, adding several restaurants and nightclubs. Luxor President Felix Rappaport said last year the atrium level would also be remodeled.

More on the Move (more)

In the biggest news to hit this town since, um, since Roseanne Barr landed a gig at the Sahara, we just found out Donny & Marie Osmond will be hosting the Miss USA pageant to be held in April at Planet Hollywood. We knew you would want to know as many of us in the swing world have partied with the pair at swing clubs around the country. (j/k)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Donnie and Marie Osmond will host the upcoming Miss USA pageant. The Miss Universe Organization says the brother-and-sister, song-and-dance stars will perform on the NBC Universal show April 11 from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The network owns the pageant with real estate mogul Donald Trump.

More on the Pageant at P.H. (more)

If you are a pinball wizard you might want to stop by the Pinball Hall of Fame later this month (28th-30th) for the Pinball World Championships where 64 of the top pinballers will be pitted against each other battling for supremacy on six decades of electronic games.
Even if you can't make the tournament, you might want to check out the Hall of Fame itself--it's pretty cool as you can play on more than 200 fully functional machines from the 40's to present.
It's on Tropicana not too far from the airport entrance so leave a couple hours early and stop by for some flippin' good action! (there's a link to the Hall within the event listing above)

The NCAA college basketball tournament is over and therefore so is the 2nd Annual March Madness LowLife Challenge. "Bob" came from behind to post the victory and will be showered in glory for years to come! Way to go, Bob! You have now entered the LowLife Hall of Fame. We'll place your star on the Walk of Shame later this year in an elaborate ceremony.

("Walk of Shame" you ask? You know, that walk through the casino ya gotta do when you leave a Las Vegas hotel room at 4 in the morning after a night of playing with other lifestylers and your hair, makeup, clothes and even your smell all exhibit signs of recent raw sex? Yeah, that walk. We'll place a star in one of the hotels for you, Bob.)

(Note: Biff was 29th in the contest. Just sayin'...)

See the complete standings in this Forum post: LowLife Challenge II Info

A vanishing breed here in Las Vegas is that of a slot-machine attendant. With all the coin-based machines being replaced by the ticket-based macnines it's a good bet that if you carry coins around the casino floor your job security is becoming more and more worrisome.
Some of the attendants are retiring or heading to other professions but some are heading back to school to keep up with the new technology. The College of Southern Nevada now has a program within their School of Applied and Advanced Technologies where one can earn a degree as a slot-technician.
Only in Vegas...

Penn Jillette, of the comedy team of Penn and Teller (Rio), has been working out religiously (perhaps the wrong word for a well-known athiest) and has lost 50 pounds since he first accepted the offer to go on ABC's Dancing With The Stars. We'll see this week if it paid off.
An oddsmaker at Wynn doesn't think so and has listed him at a 30-1 underdog. Jillette thinks that's a bit pessimisitic as he has dance experience--he took dance classes at clown college years ago. He says he's going to come up with a few things that will get the judges to notice as, afterall, "I'm the oldest, the fattest and the tallest" contestant, he says. "None of that's good."
Penn will be on DWTS Monday (8 pm) and Tuesday (9 pm) nights on local channel 13.

Steve Davidovici has become a legend in the world of Las Vegas nightclubs. As co-owner of Pure Management Group, "Stevie D" has seen his nightclub and restaurant empire grow to include Pure, LAX, and Coyote Ugly (complete list below).

It all started with Club Rio at the Rio Hotel in the mid-'90's which was pretty much the first mega-club inside a casino. If you can believe it (considering what the Rio is now days), Club Rio was the place to be and there was always a huge line for the club snaking its way through the casino.

Then it was C2k at the Venetian which also was a very popular hotspot until a Henderson woman who had been partying at the club died of an Ecstasy overdose.

More on the Nightclub Kingpin (more)

Steve Davidovici has become a legend in the world of Las Vegas nightclubs. As co-owner of Pure Management Group, "Stevie D" has seen his nightclub and restaurant empire grow to include Pure, LAX, and Coyote Ugly (complete list below).
It all started with Club Rio at the Rio Hotel in the mid-'90's which was pretty much the first mega-club inside a casino. If you can believe it (considering what the Rio is now days), Club Rio was the place to be and there was always a huge line for the club snaking its way through the casino. Then it was C2k at the Venetian which also was a very popular hotspot until a Henderson woman who had been partying at the club died of an Ecstasy overdose.

More on the Nightclub Kingpin (more)

The credit crunch is really messing with quite a few Las Vegas building projects and the $3.9 billion Cosmopolitan Resort Casino is the latest to feel the heat. Deutsche Bank, the lender on the Cosmo's senior loan, has notified the developer that it will begin foreclosure proceedings. There is still hope the condo-hotel, wedged between the Bellagio and City Center, will come up with additional financing and construction is supposedly moving forward but ya just know the developer has a severe case of acid indigestion right now.

The word is, there were enough people in town who bugged Iman of PurrfectLV for a party tonight so she quickly arranged for a get-together at Sapphire Gentleman's Club.
Here is the party listing.
Here is the PurrfectLV venue listing.
Here is the PurrfectLV profile link.

As you might expect, Las Vegas has a pretty active Ecstasy drug scene and, of course, Metro Police are trying to do something about it. In 2006 Metro seized 24,000 tabs of X. Last year it was 225,000! The drug is becoming more and more popular in town so, in the coming weeks, Metro officers will be holding training seminars for casino nightclub owners, teaching them, among other things, how to recognize a person using Ecstasy or selling Ecstasy.
Think it'll do any good? Probably not but knock your socks off, officers...
Also: The police don't like websites like pillreports.com which claim to give straightforward information on Ectasy, including photos of pills, strength and purity.

What is Ecstasy, What Does it Do? (more)

"On their Web site they ranked the girls from one to seven diamonds. The diamonds represent how many you have to buy for your wife after you get caught."
-- Jay Leno, on the call girl company used by ex-New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer

If Spitzer would just get into swinging with his wife he wouldn't have to go through all this...

His mom puts him in his place instantly by calling him "Mr. Showbiz", even if the request is something like turning the A/C on in the car. David Spade says he is trying hard to not let Hollywood swallow him up and to stay somewhat balanced ("I don't want to get all Britney Spears.").
Spade is performing at Planet Hollywood this weekend and here's a look at Joe Dirt, a.k.a. "Mr. Showbiz".

Comdex, the now defunct computer show used to be the biggest convention in town with 200,000+ attendees. Now days the Consumer Electronics show is generally the largest with maybe 120,000+ people attending. Both shows also had a lot of freight to haul in and set up for displays.
However, a show that comes to Las Vegas every three years is larger than CES as far as attendance goes (140,000) and larger than Comdex was with regards to freight.
If you drive anywhere near the Las Vegas Convention Center (and we'd recommend you don't), you will see cranes, cranes and more cranes in the air which are part of the nearly 18 billion pounds of equipment that has been shipped here for the ConExpo-Con/Agg show, the construction industry show.
Organizers were expecting an off year due to the poor US economy but dem damn foreigners are swooping down in droves and buying equipment on the spot.
What it means for us? $3 mil. in rent to the convention center, $233 mil. in non-gaming revenue, a clogged Paradise Road and nary an available taxi cab.

...and she's fine with that.
After bombing in Las Vegas years ago to the point of being "banned" (as she puts it), Roseanne Barr is back and doing stand-up comedy, this time at the Sahara. Barr is using her elderly status--she's 55--to spread her cranky message via the stage, blogging and even an internet radio show and getting away with it this time.

"I think I've worked it out now, how I can do it and not be banned," she ventures of her new gig. "I think this old age (stuff) is working in my favor. When you're an old woman, you can really be a big old bitch. You can fart and people think it's kind of cute. You can be grumpy and old, and you're just grumpy and old."
The complete Roseanne Barr article

Krave Lounge, the smaller, more intimate venue next to Krave Nightclub (part of the Planet Hollywood complex) used to have a Vegas version of L.A.'s girlbar every Saturday night which was pretty much the only place to find lipstick lesbians.

girlbar and Krave had a falling out so girlbar exited and now CandyBar has taken its place at Krave. DJ Lisa Pittman (of Tao and Studio 54 fame) is the DJ and CandyBar runs both Tuesday (local lesbian night) and Saturday, 11p until 2:30a (when Teatro takes over the space)

For you guys and gals who don't like wearing much, Bare pool adult lounge at The Mirage opens for the season Thursday, March 13. You can enjoy European-style sun bathing in its two luxury pools while a DJ spins the latest in party music. You don't have to worry about anyone looking in as you'll be secluded by towering palms.

Bare really does offer the ultimate in poolside pampering, with its private daybeds and cabanas on the main level, a raised VIP section overlooking the entire experience featuring a glass infinity-edged pool. European-style bottle service and exclusive pitcher service is offered with made-to-order cocktails and specialty frozen drinks. There's also a menu of specialty food items and cocktail service is available throughout the pool area.

VIP Services/Prices (more)

The Las Vegas Sands Corp., better known for owning the Venetian and the Palazzo, is in the process of retrofitting two passenger airplanes (L-1011) to become flying casinos. Of course, there will be many rules, regulations and tax procedures to comply with.

Most of us won't get to use the flying casinos, much less see the inside of them, as the intent is to use these private jets to chauffeur high-roller guests between Vegas and the Sands’ properties in Asia and vice versa.

Will people come to Las Vegas to see, um, pieces of art? The Bellagio was the first to do it on a large scale as Steve Wynn (of course) put art in the Bellagio's lobby when he owned it (the glasswork ceiling was kinda cool) and when he put an actual museum in the hotel to show off his personal pieces it allowed us LowLifes to get at least a bit of culture (and also allowed Steve to make a few bucks off his investment).
The Venetian tried it with the Guggenheim which closed pretty quickly but has reopened (and stayed open) while working with the Hermitage Museum.
Now some other pretty big players are getting involved in commissioning artwork for their properties--to the tune of $60 million. Check out what the in-progress City Center and Fontainebleu will have when they open.

What's that photo (as if you didn't know)? (more)

"When Vegas billionaires stage epic contests of one-upsmanship, the real winner is you. For the most splendid erection this city has yet seen, check out the Trump International.

Trump is LV's tallest, most ludicrously appointed resort: 64 stories, with 1,200+ rooms and 50 penthouses, all decked out with gold-infused windows, Brechhia Onecciata marble, Italian crystal chandeliers, bathroom mirrors doubling as HDTVs, and custom beds featuring Trump's proprietary "sleep system" -- a silk/wool/memory foam trifecta that rivals even the Wynn's vaunted beds."

Trump Luxury Continues (more)

At times we long for the good ol' days of Las Vegas when the sin wasn't quite so controlled, comps were plentiful and rooms were cheap, subsidized by the gambling.
One thing that has definitely gotten better, however, are the hotel rooms themselves. If you've been coming here for awhile, you'll remember a time when it seemed like they designed rooms that made you want to leave them and go somewhere, anywhere, just to get away from the sparse amenities, the hideous carpet and cheesy decorations that went along with the hotel's theme.
Oh, and while other hotels across the nation started catering to the internet crowd, it was difficult to even find a dial-up port in Sin City.
The Changes (more)

Xtreme skate boarder Danny Way was spotted at The Luxor with engineers developing a ramp that would make it possible for Danny to skate board down the side of the Luxor and jump the Sphynx in front.

In 1997 Danny broke the world record for the highest air on a skateboard, did a 12-foot kick flip, and became the first (and still only skateboarder) to drop out of a helicopter into a ramp. The Bomb Drop was born. Danny repeats the Bomb Drop in 1999 with a dislocated shoulder for MTV's Sports and Music Festival. Despite his injury he stays on to compete and win in the high air contest.

More on Danny's Daredevil Feats (more)

A writer from the Arizona Republic newspaper gives a quick review of each of the five Cirque du Soleil productions in town plus a tip on where to eat (and what to have) before each one.
Going to see "O"? Catch a bite at Michael Mina's. Ka? How about Craft Steak.
Dinner and a Cirque? Sounds like a pretty good night out...

A local couple wanted to give their college-aged daughter and her school mates a night out in a hot Vegas nightclub. They chose the new LAX at the Luxor because the daughter had a friend that worked there. So they made reservations and showed up like they were supposed to.

That's when the expensive "fun" began...

They tipped and tipped and tipped some more simply to get in the door, more tips to get a table, and more to have the honor of buying $375 bottles of liquor (their card was charged $500 for each bottle).

More on the scam... (more)

For what it's worth: According to surveys of the magazines' readers, 63% of Glamour's audience is into anal sex compared with 39% of Cosmopolitan's.

Lots of LowLifes make their way over to the Mandalay Bay complex 'cause it's generally a pretty fun place to party. A good spot to arrange an initial rendezvous used to be the Island Bar in the Mandalay. That bar is gone but "eyecandy" has taken its place. It's kinda cool, is high-tech, has dancing and, best of all, is free.
Here's a look at some of the nifty features the lounge offers...
The eyecandy LowLife Listing

From the R-J gossip dude, Norm:
"Katie Rees' 3 a.m. ice cream cravings have turned into a legal nightmare for the dethroned Miss Nevada. She's facing an April 9 trial on six misdemeanor charges, including resisting arrest and various traffic counts.

Accompanied by her attorney, Michael Cristalli, Rees, 23, showed up in Judge Joe M. Bonaventure's courtroom Friday looking like someone on her way to a cocktail party. She wore high heels and a sexy white sundress that featured a plunging neckline (see photo to left, if you haven't already. Check out her booking photo inside!).

More on Katie (more)

Las Vegas offers quick marriages and relatively quick divorces (6 weeks for no-fault and possibly in as little as 16 days). But a big business these days is people celebrating their new-found freedom with a divorce party in Las Vegas. While men have always come to Vegas for some post-marriage bawdiness, women have been coming in droves the past few years to get in on the action.
An L.A. Times look at the phenomenon.

Amazing Johnathan is a wacky, off-beat comedian who recently moved his act from the Sahara to the Harmon Theatre (where Krave is next to Planet Hollywood). There was lots of speculation as to why he moved but on Johnathan's MySpace page, he gives his side of the very interesting story.

"I am currently playing full time in Las Vegas and up until January 25 I was headlining at The Sahara. Then a few odd things happened to end that two year run. One of the odd things was the President of the casino ordering secret cameras to be installed in my dressing room, especially where my girls get changed each night. It seems the upper management has a penchant for peeping.

More on the split (more)

Irony? Karma? While the topless club that used to be his sits empty in the Feds hands with no buyer in sight, former Crazy Horse Too owner Rick Rizzolo checked into a federal halfway house only 6 blocks down Industrial Road from the club to serve the remaining month of a 366-day sentence for tax evasion.
The 49-year-old Rizzolo was furloughed from the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, where he has spent the past 10 months. He has received some time off for good behavior.
At the 120-bed center, the only private halfway house in Las Vegas that contracts with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Rizzolo will be evaluated to determine whether he is suitable to work outside the facility.
So, if he is found suitable for outside employment, you may see Rizzolo at a local McDonalds flippin' burgers or greeting customers at Wal-Mart.
Yeah, right...

Hey, ladies--got a great bod that you don't mind showing off? If so, LAX Nightclub at the Luxor will be crowning the first-ever Miss LAX April 9 along with $100,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs. LAX is looking for the hottest swimwear models in the country and they will be taking a look at the contestants every Wednesday until the finals. The winner will take home $50,000 as well as a guest appearance on the A&E hit, "Criss Angel MINDFREAK." We'd love to have a LowLife win!
Register at LAXtheNightclub.com. You also can show up any Wednesday evening between now and April 9 at LAX.

Hot News Flash: The Red Rooster swinger's house was raided today (Wednesday, 3/5) by cops, fire marshalls, and county licensing.
The Rooster lawyer was able to do some manuevering so the club will be open for business.

An addendum: (more)

The Thrillist is an internet publication that lists cool things in different cities, including NYC, LA, San Fran and soon Chicago. They also send out a weekly listing of some spiffy things to check out in Las Vegas.
The most recent Thrillist gives a nice little blurb on PurrfectLV saying "Purrfect runs meet-n-greets for sexually liberated "beautiful people" at Mix, Blush, and other swank clubs."
Purrfect occasionally lets us attend so not everyone is "beautiful"--a few attendees, at least, are on the "mangy & cranky" list...
Also on the Thrillist: A drink called "Alcohol Killer" which seems to stop your blood alcohol content from rising above .04. We will be investigating this product with vigor (and with cheap vodka)!

The West Coast Conference, a collegiate athletic conference is likely heading to Las Vegas to play their end-of-season basketball tournament. Currently, the WCC plays their conference finals in San Diego on the court of one of its members, San Diego University. Looking for a neutral court in a location with sex appeal, the WCC appears to have chosen Las Vegas' Orleans Arena for a 2009 test, with options for 3 additional years. Other members of the WCC include Gonzaga, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara.
We've been trying to get the NCAA to hold some of its March Madness tournament here so maybe this will be a precursor for that.

Want a hunting decoy duck to be floating in your friend's hotel bathtub when he checks in? Would you like a mariachi band to follow you around the casino as you gamble? How about a last-minute Jewish wedding...at the Grand Canyon (which needed 6 helicopters to fly all the guests out)?
Concierges in Las Vegas receive all kinds of requests...

Not so long ago it was San Remo. At one point there was talk about a certain potential buyer and that the property would become the first all-gay casino in Las Vegas. Many wondered if the name would change perhaps just a little bit to San Ream-Oh!
None of that happened and the property remained as it was for many years until the Hooters chained bought the joint and tried to make a go of it. They gave it a good effort but to no avail--Hooters lost a lot of money on the venture.
Now a new owner is stepping in and promises to completely change the image to a trendy, upscale boutique hotel complete with high-end restaurants and top nightclub.
Darn. This certainly spells the end of offering Boone's Farm wine on the menu (I kid you not--you can order a bottle of Boone's Farm at Marino's Steakhouse and they serve it to you in a paper cup).
~sigh~ Yet another cheap place to grab a room in Las Vegas is falling by the wayside...

NBC saw that we were on a "fattest city" list and decided to come back and do a "The Biggest Loser: Couples" casting call looking for overweight Las Vegans for their sixth season.
Casting officials are looking for two-member teams with "a strong bond," explains casting producer Allison Kaz, whether parents and children, engaged or married couples or lifelong friends.
About 500 are expected Saturday; if more than 500 show up, the first 500 in line are guaranteed interviews. Lines form three hours before tryouts start; those auditioning should bring nonreturnable photos.
Interviews take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Towbin Hummer, 5550 W. Sahara Ave.

If you're a Southern Nevada boater and rent a slip for your boat at Lake Mead then you are probably aware of a relatively new problem that seems to be getting worse and worse: Quagga mussels. They coat hulls, clog cooling water intakes and cause engines to overheat.
The problem with the invasive, zebra-type mollusks has multiplied since they were discovered a year ago. These bastards originally hitched a ride on foreign ships and ended up in the Great Lakes. Somehow, they made it to our neck of the woods and, because of the warmer water temperatures and the calcium content of local lakes, reproduce three times faster than they do up North.
This is also an issue at Lake Mojave and Lake Havasu. Of course, as all boat owners know, any solution will be fairly expensive because, after-all, it IS a boat and "boat" seems to mean "Bring Out Another Thousand (dollars)", doesn't it?

Las Vegas has had more than its share of scandals and unsavory behavior by politicians, mobsters and celebrities. This article lists what the authors feel are our "Top 10 Las Vegas Scandals" which include things like having the only federal judge to be convicted while on the bench, the Stardust Casino money skim, the unsolved murder of Tupac Shakur, UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian's battle with the NCAA and even O.J. Simpson's recent troubles. It's a quick look at our interesting past.

A writer from Newsday gives some pretty good tips on how to throw a mighty fine bachelor party. Check out suggestions for hotels, nightclubs, and restaurants.

Also...
A Brit returns to Vegas after 15 years and writes his reflections. During his previous visit he thought Vegas was a "seedy, slightly down-at-heel desert mirage of sin and decadence". Now? "What a difference 15 years can make! This time I stayed at five-star hotels and ate at fine cuisine restaurants."