We keep hearing it and we keep reading it so, in these days of bad news on every casino-related front, we take pleasure in passing along a Las Vegas success story occuring in the midst of all the tales of economic woe.

It appears that the new M Resort is a success--knock on wood--as customers continue to not only investigate the latest/greatest Vegas casino but to return over and over, to sign up for their players club in record numbers and to spread the word to their friends and family.

It's gone beyond the point of lookie-loos simply checking out a new resort--heck, the casino had to hire (and retained) an additional 250 people in the first week they were opened. Whereas Aliante Station has seen its opening surge of business settle down into a much slower pace, M hasn't experienced the drop-off.

Even M's big cheese, Anthony Marnell III, is surprised by the initial success. “This is the busiest I’ve ever seen a food and beverage department,” Marnell said about his self-named resort.

Here's a look at what M seems to be doing right...

Daydream Pool Club is the new M Resort's answer to Las Vegas fun around the pool. Daydream has a soft opening this weekend (4/2) with a grand opening the next (4/9). The pool won't be topless (but maybe M's smaller pool is--see comments) and it looks like non-hotel guests are welcome.

Here's a first look at the first major pool party those from Southern Cal will pass on their way to the Strip.

Not that the event was earth-shattering or anything but the MGM paid professional famous girl Kim Kardashian to help open their Wet Republic pool over the weekend and the R-J's Doug Elfman was there to help us all gain perspective on the occasion.

In a nutshell...
While Kim doesn't think she's the new Paris Hilton, she does admit she and J-Lo share a common characteristic (yes, both those babies got back), wants to help the country of Armenia and has no idea when she will marry boyfriend NFL footballer Reggie Bush (who looks just slightly, um, unnaturally buff, if ya know what I mean).

Exciting sutff, eh?

The LowLife Las Vegas Party Pools (more)

In 2002 nightclub operator Ivan Kane, inspired by his burlesque dancer wife Suzy Champagne, started a throw-back strip-tease joint in Los Angeles. The club was such a hit that a couple of years later Kane opened up a similar club inside (well, sorta inside) the Mandalay Bay Hotel here in Las Vegas.

Now, after five years of hot dancers strutting and shaking their fringe-covered booties on top of a sunken bar accompanied by a live combo, Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce in Las Vegas is going out of business.

For awhile, several lifestyle meet-n-greets were held at Forty Deuce although the music was always so loud that it made socializing somewhat of a chore. While the club closes its doors tonight (Sunday, 3/29), perhaps there will be more lifestyle activity in the location as a new club is planned for the space sometime this summer.

If you are a fan of college basketball, specifically the so-called "March Madness" going on right now, then you are probably aware that long-time CBS color analyst Billy Packer is no longer calling the games. Love him or hate him--most fans aren't neutral about the opinionated announcer--Packer was synonymous with the college basketball tournament for decades.

While this will be the first time he hasn't called a Final Four since 1974, Packer is still involved with the sport and, in fact, is doing his college hoops thing from Las Vegas inside the Wynn race & sports book.

While we miss sideline babe Erin Andrews more than Packer (she's not on CBS--see another photo of Erin below), Fox recognized his value and grabbed the 69 year old sportscaster creating a live Vegas show called "Billy Packer's Survive and Advance" where Packer teams with Hall of Fame coach Bobby Knight analyzing games and interacting with fans and special guests such as UNLV's Jerry Tarkanian, NBA great Bill Russell and the evil Christian Laettner of Duke.

(note: UNLV fans traditionally hate Duke for a multitude of understandable reasons but specifically a 1991 semi-final game when UNLV was undefeated and lost to a no-good, cheatin', whinin', scum-suckin' Duke team. Fortunately, I have journalistic integrity and can remain unbiased in the whole UNLV/Duke affair, unlike another well-known sports announcer named Dick Vitale--see graphic evidence below).

OK, where was I? Oh, yeah, Billy Packer. Anyway, it seems Packer understands the Vegas connection to college basketball as evidenced through these quotes:
"I realized quite some time ago what a big ally college basketball has in Las Vegas," Packer said. "I'm not so sure the (oddsmakers) wouldn't make a terrific (tournament) selection committee in regards to the value of the teams. They would have more to lose if they were incorrect, much more than the current committee." In reference to legalized sports betting Packer states, "the NCAA would never admit it publicly, but they know it to be true. Las Vegas is the biggest insurance policy the NCAA and college basketball has."

More Photos of Erin Plus A Scandalous Dickie V Graphic (more)

Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman is famous for getting waxed on his beloved gin martinis (Bombay Sapphire, by the way) but this time his penchant for drinking a stiff one has been memorialized for everyone to see long after he exits office.

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum at the Venetian is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a new mayoral addition to their Viva Vegas Exhibit, one that includes other Vegas icons such as Liberace, the Blue Man Group, Elvis and Evel Knievel.

The self-proclaimed "rock star" mayor--certainly one of the more famous mayors in the country--was measured by Tussauds over 200 times starting six months ago and this week the #1 all-time Vegas cheerleader appeared at the unveiling ceremony complete with his martini glass, unabashed Sin City exuberance and a couple of ever-present showgirls.

We've always been a big fan of Oscar and will certainly miss him once he's out of office (a victim of term-limits as he would otherwise most assuredly get re-elected) so it's good to see the old boy gettin' a permanent and public place in Las Vegas history.

It started with a toy drive in December and has turned into an extended engagement at a major (mid-major?) Las Vegas resort. It's an oddball collection of freaks and geeks and strippers and metal rockers and it's called the Monster Circus and it takes place at the Las Vegas Hilton on the same stage, ironically enough, where Barry Manilow calls home.

Rockers from Kiss, Quiet Riot, Great White, Twisted Sister and Velvet Revolver have gotten together for a different kind of show with scattered performances that extend into May. If you're a fan of the offbeat and, of course, sex, drugs, 80's rock n roll and women, you might want to catch this show.

As Twisted Sister's Dee Snider says "Monster Circus is the ultimate marriage of music and Vegas.”

The LowLife Listing for Platinum Masters' Monster Circus

The director and choreographer of "Peepshow", the (hopefully) sexy new topless show that opens at Planet Hollywood this coming Monday evening, sat down for an interview with a Las Vegas reporter.

Jerry Mitchell, a Tony Award-winning choreographer, thinks that despite the terrible economy and the closing of other bare-breasted shows like Folies Bergere, “there couldn’t be a better time for a sexy tease in a production show to come back than now. One of things I think is going to be great is that the girls are spectacular dancers and you get to see their beautiful bodies doing incredible choreography, and it’s all live.”

Well, we certainly like seeing beautiful bodies doing incredible things right before our eyes, don't we?

The production, starring Spice Girl Mel B and General Hospital star Kelly Monaco, begins previews next week and will feature a bevy of hot babes and an all-female band. It sounds as if the show is perfect for LowLifes considering this quote from the director: "We couldn’t do this show in New York City. This is a Las Vegas show, for sexy adult men and women who want to go out together and have an amazing time."

Now, that's a concept lifestylers wish more entertainment offerings would adhere to...

The LowLife listing for Peepshow

"The Federal Reserve says Americans last year lost $11 trillion dollars in household wealth. You know, that is our own stupid, greedy fault for putting money in banks. If we'd lost it in Las Vegas, they would have at least comped the room."
-- Bill Maher

(These days--for that amount--they would have gotten not only a suite but a free buffet, comps to a show, a 2-for-1 blackjack coupon and a $50 spa credit!)

After nearly 50 years of feathers, sequins and exposed breasts, the iconic Las Vegas showgirl show, Folies Bergere, closes its doors this Saturday at the Tropicana.

"It outlasted Elvis, the Rat Pack, the mob, the Atomic Age and the Stardust, Dunes and Sands casinos. It helped cement the showgirl as Sin City ambassador -- the mayor often appears with one on each arm -- and as pop culture shorthand for glittery, sexy Las Vegas.

But months shy of its 50th year, "Les Folies Bergere" will soon close, a victim of slumping revenue and changing tastes."

The L.A. Times did a nice closing piece on the show so if you want to know a little more about the longest-running production in Las Vegas history have a look-see at this article and take a gander at this audio slide show.

And the bad news just keeps on coming...

When we first heard of the idea of a massive $9 billion construction project on the Las Vegas Strip we thought it was audacious but audacious in a good ol' Vegas-style way. Then, when we heard that MGM Mirage had partnered with money-rich Dubai World to help see CityCenter through to completeion, we thought it was gonna be a slam-dunk.

Not so fast... We thought maybe the "last mile" funding problems were just a bump in the road--surely MGM/Dubai could come up with a measely couple of billion or so to finish the thing, couldn't they? And when they sold the T.I. we figured that $750 mil. would just about do the trick.

Now it appears that MGM is the one getting slam-dunked on as their Arab partners are suing the Las Vegas-based gaming giant citing "the current path of the project is simply unsustainable.''

Yikes! The hits just keep on comin', don't they? What a way to start the week...

If you passed the Luxor and wondered what the hell the sign on the side of the pyramid was, you're not alone. The people at the Luxor want you to try and figure out what the ambiguous sign is.

It looks something like what you might see viewing the famous "Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas" sign through a video camera. It even has a red recording light at the top of the sign.

The Luxor calls it their "focus campaign" and want people to look at and think about the Strip resort. I suppose it works to a degree but it sure seems kinda dorky...

One thing we've always hated about Las Vegas are the obligatory high winds that hit us every springtime seemingly without fail. It looks like this weekend will be no exception (see dreaded wind advisory below).

In the old days, before much of the valley's desert floor was developed, dust storms occurred on a regular basis. Las Vegas' rapid population growth brought about a ton of desert-disturbing construction along with endless streams of fully-loaded, uncovered dump trucks bouncing along the town's highways and byways. A large gravel pit just a couple of miles from the Strip added even more dirt into the air when strong breezes came.

It was not uncommon during high winds for the Strip to look like something out of an old western movie with zero-visibility dust in the air and sage brush rolling past Caesars Palace. While the paving of Summerlin and Green Valley helped the situation (plus the relatively recent law about covering dump truck loads), all the construction on the Strip of recent years--much of it left unfinished due to the economic situation--has caused us to take a few steps back in our progress towards a less dusty windy season.

Were not sure how bad this one will be but if the air quality officials are issuing a warning, it just may get ugly. It might be a good time to stay inside and partake in indoor activities...

The Wind Advisory (more)

"What about Celine? What about Celine?" That's the question on so many of you LowLife's lips. It just isn't the same around here without the queen-of-high-ticket-prices, is it?

Well, fear no more Celine-iacs, there's a bit of hope on the horizon. Despite all the bad Vegas news in the daily papers--including the 12th consecutive drop in passanger count at McCarran Airport--if we can all hang on for just a measly 18 months or so...(drumroll, please)...Ms. Dion will be returning to Caesars Palace! Woo hoo! All will be right in the universe once again (provided Caesars is still around by then).

From the sounds of it, Celine, who has just wrapped up an extremely successful concert tour, is taking 18 months off from all entertainment activity, will take her tucked-away eggs out of the freezer, go through the in-vitro pregnancy process and have herself another baby.

Then, the word is, she'll return to the Colosseum and be in the performance rotation with Cher and Bette.

There ya have it. I knew you'd want to know...

Celine Done Good On Tour (more)

And a sneezin', snifflin', coughin', congested shame. Yes, it's allergy season once again in Las Vegas and pollen counts are rocketing off the charts with the fruitless mulberry tree being the biggest offender these days. The reason we bring this up every year is because visitors to Las Vegas, even the ones that might not normally exhibit allergy symptoms, may suddenly feel the effects. It may also bring out an asthma condition you may not have known about as Las Vegas' pleasant spring conditions often mask an evil underbelly of breathing-difficulty issues.

While we always look forward to the arrival of the pleasant weather with a grain of salt as spring in Las Vegas brings the breezes which, in turn, sends the pollen of the mulberry, Russian olive and sage our way. So, just in case you are experiencing symptoms you don't have at home and were wondering what's up--now you know...

There are lots of "facts" about Las Vegas that have circulated for a long time and, now that the internet makes dissemination even easier, still have a life of their own. This article takes a look a seven of them and tries to straighten them out.

One supposed fact we have heard for many, many years was that Las Vegas had more churches per capita than any other U.S. city. Perhaps it was the city's way of trying to balance out all the sin in town but in any case, it's nice to see that long-time assertion finally put to rest.

For a look at more Las Vegas myths such as "Bugsy Siegel envisioned modern Las Vegas", "there are bodies buried in Hoover Dam" and, "the Imperial Palace Hotel is laid out like a swastika", check out this Review-Journal article.

Las Vegas-born porn movie superstar Jenna Jemeson became a mother yesterday, delivering twin boys. The father is mixed martial arts fighter Tito Ortiz.

The former Bonanza High School student says she has no plans to marry Tito and will, instead, focus on having more children. "I think I'm gonna stay unmarried and just go for the babies!" Jameson told Us Magazine. "I'm following in Angelina's footsteps!"

Hmmm... It'll be interesting to see how this new family turns out. Tito's better days in the MMA are behind him and Jenna, the former "Queen of Porn", is semi-retired from the adult acting biz, although quite wealthy and working on the management side of the industry. Gotta believe there will be more interesting news outta these four over the years...

The historic North Las Vegas, all-nude, Palomino Club and its locally-famous first-amendment-lawyer-now-owner Dominic Gentile, are the subject of a reality TV series being shot for Playboy TV.

The Palomino Club has had a soap opera setting for many years, including muder charges against the former owner and Gentile receiving the club as payment for representing the accused. Dominic's son, Adam, runs the club and his ex-wife manages the books.

Konwing of the Gentiles and having an intimacy of the Palomino Club, we certainly agree with the article's author when he says: "The Gentiles are a colorful lot already and would make good TV even if just tailed by a video crew for a month. When you mix in the salty setting of Las Vegas’ only all-nude club that operates under a full liquor license and the club’s rich history, it was only a matter of time before someone with an eye for reality-based TV would show up on the scene."

Shooting continues through April and the show is scheduled to air in October.

The same Vegas insiders and media people who saw the preview for Criss Angel's "Believe" show and were mostly turned off, were, reportedly, quite happy about Terry Fator's new show at the Mirage. In fact, many attendees were surprised that the show was so good.

Las Vegas has been on the receiving end of a lot of body blows of late--i.e. tanking gaming stocks, CityCenter woes, possible casino bankruptcies, unfinished resorts, cancelled conventions, Cirque du Soleil a failure, etc.--so any positive news goes a long way.

While a bunch of talking puppets may not be the town's savior, at least we didn't get hit with another bitch slappin'. Terry Fator's new show, which officially opens Tuesday, joins the ranks of some of the other feel-good news of late: the glowing reviews of the brand new M Resort and recently-opened Encore, the expansion of the Golden Nugget, and the almost-finished, state-of-the-art The Joint at the Hard Rock.

Hopefully, we won't have to wait for mid-May when The Lion King opens at Mandalay Bay to receive another dose of good news...

Wait a minute, this reviewer doesn't like the show...

The Hard Rock is looking at changing the way they book concerts for The Joint version 2.0. In the past, they have signed bands to traditional one-night stands like most concert halls do. However, with the success of the method Caesars Palace uses--i.e. long-term residencies--The Joint is looking to book acts to extended performances anywhere from two week stints to 50 or more shows per year.

The Hard Rock hasn't announced who will be the rock 'n' roll version of Cher, Bette and Elton but it's an interesting concept to think that a Bon Jovi, Kid Rock or maybe a Motley Crue might opt for an extended stay in Las Vegas over a one-night stand.

A look at the new concert philosophy at The Joint.

Katy Perry, the sexy li'l minx who sings the hit song "I Kissed A Girl", was in town this past week shooting scenes for her new music video "I Licked A Girl" (she was also taping some scenes for another music video called "I Strapped It On and Banged A Girl...And I Liked It". Vegas pornster Morgan Ray is the co-star in the vid and on the receiving end. With a banana in her mouth. A child-proof, safe-sex banana. Without spoiling the plot of the video, let's just say Morgan came twice, Cherry ChapSitck was used for lube and Katy becomes the first pop star to use the term "bi-curious" in a song as in "...he made me so furious I became bi-curious...").

Ok, ok, I might be lying here. As with most lies, it starts out small and then balloons into something out of control. Ask Bernie Madoff. So, before the Katy Perry girl-girl rumors get too crazy, I'll get back to the facts. Ms. Perry was, indeed, at the Palms shooting a scene for her new music video "Waking Up In Vegas" (our sources tell us it was going to be called "Waking Up In The Green Door" but that was nixed. Ooops, there I go again. Stop it!)

Let's see, where was I? Oh, yeah, Katy was in Sin City this past week taping a Vegas-themed music video in the valet area of the Palms Casino and in a Sky Villa suite in the Palm's Fantasy Tower. There, I got it out, Dragnet style, i.e. just the facts. Katy comes to town frequently of late, including for the opening of Rok Vegas at NY NY.

"Waking Up In Vegas" is a clever 'n' catchy little song about waking up in Sin City after a night of partying, wondering if she got married the night before, possibly wearing Elvis outfits, losing the room key--you know, the typical Vegas experience. The chorus goes like this: "Shut up and put your money where your mouth is, that's what you get for waking up in Vegas. Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now, that's what you get for waking up in Vegas." Here's the song on YouTube with a nice little slide show. (I Fixed the link!)

Some More Sexy Photos of Katy Perry and Complete Lyrics to the Song (more)

Adult movie star and local swinger, Morgan Ray, is crossing over to some semi-mainsteam television as she makes an appearance on Showtime's "Deeper Throat" series, doing something she appears to be quite accomplished at: oral sex.

In this segment of Deeper Throat, Ms. Ray instructs a wannabe porn starlet--"Ariel"--on the fine points of giving blow jobs. Since Morgan also holds a Master's degree in Human Sexuality, it would make sense she would play the role of the teacher. This particular show will air nationally Saturday, March 14th at 11:30 on Showtime.

If you want to watch Deeper Throat with Morgan Ray, Ariel, and event co-host and reality TV star Robert Interlandi, then plan on attending Morgan's birthday party at LAX Saturday night. There will be deep throat contests (with bananas, silly!) and lots of Deep Throat swag, courtesy of Deep Throat Energy Drinks. Admission is free if you RSVP.

It's tough all over these days but especially tough on those po', po' billionaires who derive most of their net worth from the gaming industry.

Consider the Las Vegas Sands' (Venetian, Palazzo) CEO Sheldon Adelson. He was number three on the Forbes list a few year's ago (at $28 billion) bragging how he was going to be number one pretty soon. Last year he slipped to number 12 and now, on Forbes newest list (they come out with so many of these kinds of lists), he's fallen all the way to #178 on the list of the world's 793 billionaires with a net worth of only $3.4 billion.

Investor Kirk Kerkorian, who controls MGM Mirage, is estimated to be worth $5 billion, down from 16 billion from a year ago and Steve Wynn of Wynn Resorts is estimated to be worth $1.5 billion, down from $3.9 billion.

Frank Fertitta III and his brother Lorenzo Fertitta of Station Casinos, both estimated to be worth $1.3 billion last year, did not make this year's list. But one of their partners in the company, Thomas Barrack of Colony Capital, is on the list with an estimated worth of $1 billion, down from $2.3 billion.

In all, Forbes said the number of billionaires declined from 1,125 to 793 as the economic slowdown decimated stock values. The world's richest person, Forbes said, is Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, estimated to be worth $40 billion. That's down $18 billion from a year ago. Gates had a run of 15 straight years at the top of the list but that string was interrupted last year as Warren Buffet briefly held the top spot. Mr. Buffet had a bad year and dropped back into second place to $37 billion, losing $25 bil...

Wow. I knew it was bad but this sure spells it out for ya. I guess I should have some idea when I saw Sheldon take advantage of Denny's free Grand Slam Breakfast offer following the Super Bowl...

In a supposed world record (although it hasn't been verified by Guinness, yet), tickets for aging ex-Beatle Paul McCartney's grand opening bash* at the Hard Rock's bigger-and-perhaps-better "The Joint" concert venue sold at the rate of 600 per second. (who holds the current record of 40 seats per second? You might be surprised--see below)

The 4,000 went on sale on Valentine's and sold out 7 seconds later. Are you out of luck in seeing the April 19th show? From the buzz around town it sounds like you can still land a pair but you'll have to pay a premium as, supposedly, ticket scalpers scooped up a bunch of the tix. That theory makes sense as McCartney matches a demographic that should still have some money left in these hard times and, combined with the hoopla of the grand opening of the exciting new venue, it just might be a memorable occasion worthy of spending a substantial amount over face value.

(However, if Guinness Book of Records is actually going to try and verify the claim, they definitely ought to investigate exactly how many the Hard Rock kept for themselves to dish out to high rollers and VIPs. We would bet that at least a quarter of the tickets will be used by the resort for PR and goodwill purposes.)

As far as the concert itself, Sir Paul McCartney (he received knighthood in 1997*) is stoked for the event, according to Paul Davis, vice president of entertainment at the Hard Rock: "The reason Paul McCartney took this gig is that he wanted a down and dirty, real old-fashioned rock show with minimal seating. He wants to come out and look at the crowd and feel the entire crowd staring at him – a real rock show with a real rock 'n' roll feel to it."

Hopefully that means we won't hear any silly little love songs...

The Guinness Record (more)

Mel B, formerly known as Scary Spice (she was the Spice Girl with tats and a sassy personality so we assume that was the scary part), is getting into character for her upcoming role in a new Strip production called "Peep Show" which opens at Planet Hollywood at the end of the month.

Mel B is the "Peep Diva" of the show and will help transform innocent and timid Kelly Monaco into a "confident and sensual woman" (i.e. a lifestyle party slut).

Anyway, all the ladies in the show--and there are supposed to be about 20--will be either topless and/or in lingerie (Mel and Kelly won't show dem boobies, however) and Mel has gotten into the spirit by becoming the face of Ultimo Lingerie, The U.K.'s #1 selling lingerie.

We thought we'd give you a "peep" at what Mel B has that's soooo scary...

Some More Lingerie Pics of Mel B (more)

McCarran Takes the Lead in Mobile Boarding Passes
A new and potentially time-saving feature now offered at McCarran Airport could really come in handy for travelers who have the right kind of phone. For those who print out their boarding passes before coming to the airport and if you have an Internet-friendly smart phone or a personal digital assistant, some airlines allow you to download a bar code that serves as your boarding pass.

Some U.S. airports allow mobile check-in if a participating airline has a dedicated checkpoint. But only McCarran is equipped for mobile check-in for multiple carriers at the same checkpoint. For now, the service is limited to the D concourse and the carriers who offer the service include Continental, Delta and Northwest with American providing it in a couple of weeks. Three other airlines and additional concourses will be online soon.

A Card Counting iPhone, More Phone Stuff (more)

A few years ago we mentioned in one of our Know It All blurbs that our neighbors to the north (Utahans)--despite the squeaky clean imag--were really a bunch of perverts as an FBI study revealed that Salt Lake City led the nation in internet searches for porn. Now, in another study, it appears all those searches led to actual conversions as another study indicates Utah is the top state for paid subscriptions per capita of online adult entertainment.

Some interesting results of the study: States where the majority of people agreed with the statements "AIDS might be God's punishment for immoral sexual behavior" and "I have old-fashioned values about family and marriage" purchased a much higher percentage of porn subscriptions than states that disagreed with those statements. Also, 8 of the 10 states which voted for McCain in the 2008 election were among the top online porn consumers (which led the author of the article to suggest that the Republican National Committee might want to advertise on porn sites for upcoming elections!).

So, what can we surmise from all of this? Well, aside from all the usual social conclusions one can draw from the study, the important thing to us is the fact that there are quite a few LowLife members from Utah on this site and, while they may look all nice and wholesome, you had better watch out as they are really crazy-wild sex freaks ready to pounce on the unsuspecting when they hit Las Vegas...

The annual Nightclub and Bar Convention was in town this past week and, while the club owners, bartenders, distillers and bar suppliers did their traditional heavy partying--and even a bit of conventioneering--the news we were particularly interested in came from the vendors who are trying to minimize that evil thing called a hangover.

For some dang reason, the older we get the more those occasional after-party bouts of alcohol poisoning get harder and harder to deal with. Yeah, yeah, I know the best hangover cure is abstinence but that philosophy didn't work for us when it came to sex and it doesn't seem to work when it comes to alcohol, either. Hey, this is Vegas, baby!

It seems that quite a few others are in the same boat and so, as these things usually go in a capitalistic environment, some enterprising entrepreneurs will try to come up with a solution. Or two. Or six.

This year's Bar & Nightclub show featured quite a few new entries into the hangover prevention/cure product lineup. Some you take before and/or while you are drinking and some claim to be helpful after you are already at the I'll-never-drink-again stage the next day.

Here's a look at some of the recent "cures" for the common hangover, which is especially common in Las Vegas.

Also, here's a look at some of the samples of new product handed out at the show, in case you wanted to stay current with nightclubbing trends...

Or, at least, it sure seems like Las Vegas will always have Paris. Paris Hilton, that is. Most people thought that Ms. Hilton would have but 15 minutes of fame yet after all these years the girl continues to confound the pop culture experts.

We're not sure what the attraction is, exactly, but we do admit that every now and then we catch ourselves, if just for a second, unable to resist the little wench despite her calculated, over-the-top, famous-for-being-famous persona.

Every once in awhile we'll catch glimpse of a photo where we say "ya know, she's kinda sexy" or we'll find ourselves dancing to a catchy tune in a nightclub and be stunned that it's a Paris Hilton number, and then be unable to take our eyes off the extremely provocative video.

We're sure she's a total bitch but, then again, we'd love to get her in the middle of a bangin' three-way, yank on her hair and force her to munch on the missus. Say what you want, we're guilty as charged.

Anyway, Paris spends a lot of time in Vegas. She opened the Palms 8 years ago when she was just 20 (see photo below) and seems to always have a birthday party somewhere in town. This year she'll celebrate her 28th birthday at Body English (Saturday) and y'all are welcome to attend.

We won't make it but we just might take a glimpse at the PR photos the next day...

A Las Vegas Sun reporter looks at the Paris-in-Vegas phenomom.

Paris In A Million Dollar Dress (more)

We're not sure if it's a trend just yet but it's a trendy thing, at least. It's called "Dark Dining" and it just may hit Las Vegas soon.

Dark Dining--also called Sensory Dining--is a sight-depravation experience where diners are blindfolded prior to receiving food and remain sightless throughout the dinner, relying on smell, touch, taste and sound only, making for a sensual delight.

There are several dark dining restaurants in Europe--some utilizing blind or visually impaired waitstaff--and the movement has now hit New York and California (where else?). The rumor is that "Opaque", a SoCal group that puts together regularly scheduled culinary "journeys of taste, sound and touch, all in the dark" will be bringing dark dining to Las Vegas.

While we look forward to dark dining making it to Sin City, we think a "Dark Swinging" party would be much more fun. An evening consisting of a dark dining party followed by a dark swinging session sounds like a whole lotta fun.

Despite the troubles the Fertitta brothers are having with their Station Casinos properties, something that is doing well and that doesn't seem to be affected by the economy is their Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brand of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). As consumers skimp on other forms of entertainment, television has gotten a rise in ratings, including UFC's pay-per-view handles (see info below).

Encouraged by their successes in non-American countries such as Canada, England and Ireland, the UFC has announced that UFC 99 will take place this summer in Cologne, Germany--their first event on continental European soil. Since the Germans like their rough-and-tumble sports--it was the only place the now-defunct World Football League thrived--we anticipate a rousing reception to the expansion.

If the Germany event is successful and the proposed deal for a major card in Mexico happens, maybe the Fertitta's will just say "fuck it" to the casino business, sell off their shares of Station Casinos and concentrate on global MMA domination. After all, company president Dana White has boasted that UFC will become bigger than the NFL so it makes sense to us.

At some point, though, the UFC will have to stop being so stingy in regards to paying their "talent" or they will have trouble on their hands (see below).

A Look at UFC Pay-Per-View Numbers and Fighter Paydays (more)

Despite three straight years of revenue drop in downtown Las Vegas , the class of Fremont Street is plowing ahead with a new tower. Even when Landry's Restaurants bought the place in 2005, the Golden Nugget was the best thing going in that neck of Las Vegas. But the hotel didn't rest on their impressive string of AAA Four Diamond awards and, instead, embarked on a three-phase expansion and renovation plan.

The first phase, unveiled in late 2006, cost $100 million and included new restaurants, a renovated casino floor, a remodeled lobby, poker room and sports book, and an expanded pool area, including an aquarium with sharks.
The second phase included a new conference facility, gaming area and dance club to the west of the old casino floor. That cost $60 million.

Last spring Landry’s embarked on the third and final addition to the currently 1,900-room Golden Nugget — the new hotel tower, a $150 million, 500-room project on the west side of the property (due to be completed in December).

It's good to see a casino operator who says they are still gung ho on Las Vegas and backs the words with deeds. If you haven't ever checked out the "new" Golden Nugget you might put it on your list of hotels to consider the next time you come to town. While it's not on the Strip, it's still a pretty nice joint...

Whether you are a NASCAR fan or not, it's still kinda cool for a Las Vegas resident to win the city's annual Sprint Cup race in front of 140,000 fans.

As the Review-Journal says: "Imagine Greg Maddux pitching in a pivotal game and getting the last strikeout for a major league victory on his old Valley High School diamond. Or Andre Agassi pounding a match-winning groundstroke to win a major tennis title here. Neither of those great athletes, who call Las Vegas home, ever had that chance."

But Durango High graduate Kyle Busch had that chance and made the most of it. Good job, Vegas stock car boy!

We received a heads-up on a situation that reportedly happened at the Power Exchange last night (Saturday, 2/28). A LowLife was heading to the club but when they arrived they noticed the parking lot was full of police cars.

We wondered what happened and received an eye-witness report (see "comments" below) saying it appeared the police were looking for someone in particular and not a raid in general. In fact, the police reportedly had no interest in the sex going on around them which is something we like to hear.

Looks like the cops were looking for a "Fugitive" perhaps? Brings to mind one of our favorite lines (with an added twist) from a classic movie...
"Alright, listen up, people. Our fugitive has been on the run for ninety minutes. Average foot speed over uneven ground barring injuries is 4 miles-per-hour. That gives us a radius of six miles. What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse, doghouse AND PARTY HOUSE in that area. Checkpoints go up at fifteen miles. Your fugitive's name is Dr. Richard Kimble. Go get him. "