Station Casinos has promised it for a long time. The Las Vegas casino developers who build off-Strip resorts purchased the 70-acre parcel in 2000 in the southwest part of town (near Durango and I-215) with intentions of building a hotel/casino there. It took them this long to unveil the plans.

Now that Aliante Station in the northwest is about to open (Nov. 11), Stations can focus on Durango Stations, saying the groundbreaking will begin next year and the project should be completed in 2011. Durango will be a lot like Green Valley Ranch looks currently meaning the retail portion--restaurants, movie theater, arcade and large shopping complex-- called "The District" won't be an add-on like with GVR but is part of the original Durango Station plans.

Company officials did issue the disclaimer that the proposed project will be "subject to market conditions."

Conservative Texas congressman Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, a so-called conservative "family values" kinda guy, held a fundraiser at Las Vegas burlesque-themed nightclub Forty Deuce (Mandalay Bay) last year and is getting shit from some of his former supporters back home.

While Sessions said it was a "PG-13 venue" and his chief of staff added "It's a retro club that's as risque as a 1940s film," the head of the Phyllis Schlafly-related Texas Eagle Forum stated "I don't think that it's representative of the constituents of the district."

Now, does she mean that the constituents in Dallas don't attend burlesque-type of shows or--and we shudder to think about it--strip clubs or even--OMG!--lifestyle functions? I think she would be surprised to learn that some very conservative-voting people are a bit more liberal in their sexual practices.

Maybe we can shed some light on the subject with the Forum survey LowLife member "Haberlv" created recently regarding "political leanings". Take a second to mark your preference and, if you have time, perhaps give a more in-depth answer on whether your sexual tastes have anything to do with your political tastes.

The Quest was over before many realized it had even begun. Doritos just wrapped up a campaign to unveil a new chip flavor called "The Quest" $100,000 challenge.

It began online with puzzles and gameplay, carried over to chip packaging for additional clues and just ended in Las Vegas with a series of "rigorous physical challenges including a breathtaking leap between two boats on Lake Mead and rappelling down the edge of Devil's Rock as well as intense mental challenges such as solving an anagram in a dark elevator lit with black lights at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino."

A 23 year old dude from South Carolina claimed the triangular solid gold artifact valued at $100,000. A look at the entire "The Quest" campaign.

You would think MGM Mirage wouldn't have any trouble finding $3 billion in financing for their massive $9.2 billion erection (or $11.2 bil. in another source) they are building on the Strip. I mean, if you go 50/50 with a partner like Dubai World you would think it would be pretty easy to come up with cash to complete the project, right?

I guess it shows just how tight the financial market is right now as not even the wizards at MGM have a sure thing. The MGM CFO is confident the money will come through and work at the most expensive private U.S. commercial development will continue as scheduled as he's talked to a dozen banks and about half have committed to it.

If not, the company's credit rating will drop (it's already under review) and the planned late 2009 opening could be in jeopardy.

Have you seen the CityCenter website? If all goes according to plan it will definitely be pretty cool...

Las Vegas Pools: Photos, Details, Parties and Topless (of course!) (more)

It's '80's retro time at the Planet Hollywood Theater this weekend as 5 fairly big name "new wave" bands hit Las Vegas for the second leg of a 20-city tour called the "Regeneration Tour 2008". The names include Belinda Carlisle (Go Go's), The Human League, ABC, A Flock of Seagulls and Naked Eyes.

They will be playing a bunch of songs that tend to stick in one's mind after a listen to an '80's radio station including: "Don't You Want Me Baby", "We Got The Beat", "I Ran" and "Always Something There To Remind Me"

The LowLife Event Listing

Hit Songs From Each Band (more)

In our seemingly never ending quest to clean up some of our databases, we'll be doing some maintenance Tuesday and maybe Wednesday of this week (7/29, 7/30). There's something that causes a database freeze now and then and we gotta replicate it to fix it. So, besides some slowness there might be a crash or two. Lovely, ain't it?

We'll do the testing during the day starting around 9:00 a.m.

Hang with us and hopefully we'll get through this relatively quickly...

If you are into watching marine life (no, the babes at the various Vegas pools don't count), then Las Vegas is one of the better places to do so. In fact, we boast one of the largest concentrations of marine life anywhere outside an ocean.

Downtown's Golden Nugget is a good place to start as you can play in the GN pool and shark watch in the 200,000 gallon saltwater tank at the same time.

You can also head South down I-15 to Silverton Casino where you can watch and listen to the specially-wired divers as they feed the sharks and sting rays.

The big daddy of them all is the 1.3 million gallon Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay which has 2,000 varieties of fish and draws more than a million people per year. The front viewing window is an impressive convex window that extends 25’ X 12’ and is one of the largest single pieces of curved acrylic in the US.

The fourth aquarium of decent size was the first one to hit Las Vegas and that was almost 20 years ago (damn, the Mirage is almost 20 years old?!). If you've ever stayed at the Mirage you've seen it over the shoulder of the front desk people. It may not make the check-in lines at the resort any faster but it certainly makes the wait a bit more soothing...

It must be the Mormon factor. With adult-minded shows such as Second City and Spamalot biting the dust, could shows such as Danny Gans (coming to Encore) and Donny & Marie (coming to the Flamingo September 9th and produced by Gans) be a portent of things to come?

With most shows hurting on their ticket sales, Donny & Marie have already have sold about $850,000 in pre-sales, or about 8,500 seats at an average ticket price of $100. That sort of flies in the face of the Sin City, adult-Disneyland thing, doesn't it?

Las Vegas is probably a logical location for it and, even though the Guggenheim Museum shut down recently, maybe the soon-to-open Erotic Heritage Museum will be a success.

At least they are making a serious attempt at it. The owner of the Deja Ve strip club chain donated a 24,000 square foot building next to his club on Industrial Road (at Desert Inn) and the movers have been hauling in top notch erotic art pieces--paintings, sculptures, photographs, video displays--in anticipation of a Sunday (8/2) opening.

There will be 48 TV monitors continuously broadcast selections from seven decades' worth of adult films, beginning with 1915's "A Free Ride" -- considered to be the oldest-surviving pornographic film made in the United States -- and ending sometime in the 1970s.

The aim is to make the museum "the finest erotic art museum in the world. It's a melding of the best of our erotic heritage from the standpoint of art, from the standpoint of what was contributed through the adult industry."

Current exhibits include "Trannylicious Dishez", "WellHung" and "FirstKiss".
The LowLife Venue Listing. Also: Grand Opening Gala Announcement

The Second City comedy revue will be leaving the Flamingo this Friday so if you haven't seen the troupe and always wanted to you'll need to hustle in this week.

While the ever-changing troupe was one of the best comedy acts on the Strip, the Flamingo showroom with its 200 seats--actually a converted lounge--was just too small to bring in the larger name comics. Even though they stuck it out for over 7 years in that location they had been looking for a new venue for years. Hopefully, they will find a suitable stage here in Las Vegas in the near future.

Las Vegas has been proclaimed the second sweatiest city in the United States according to a survey conducted by Old Spice. At least we aren't as sweaty as those in Phoenix who have been proclaimed the sweatiest.

However, when you combine our ranking in this survey with our ranking as the fattest city in the country and also the one with the most personal debt, well, we must have a lot of fat, sweaty broke people running around. Not a pretty sight. Not nearly as pretty as a sweaty Anna Kournikova.

We found this on the net and since the internet is always right we thought we'd pass it along...

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES star EVA LONGORIA PARKER is reportedly expanding her nightlife empire, with a new hotspot in Las Vegas. The actress' Los Angeles restaurant Beso is such a hit, she's in talks to create a second branch in Sin City. A source tells OK! magazine, "She's really excited to have a place to party in Vegas with all her friends."
--
Well, OK! If it means having the babes of Desperate Housewives visit Vegas more often then we're all for it...

When celebs come to Las Vegas, they will sometimes use aliases when staying at hotels and making dinner reservations, often selecting some humorous names.
With the NBA basketball stars of Team USA into the Wynn, gossip dude "Norm!" took a look at the practice:

"Members of Team USA are keeping an age-old tradition of celebrity aliases alive. Spies tell me that one of the star players goes by the alias "Bruce Wayne," the alter ego of "Batman," and another has taken the name "SpongeBob SquarePants," the animated cartoon character from the hit TV show of the same name. Several Team USA players have been using their favorite aliases during their stay at Wynn Las Vegas this week.

In the stands, when the U.S. Olympic squad faces Canada's Olympic men's basketball team tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center, could be Michael Jordan, who has been known to use the name "Clark Kent" and "Mr. Sterling" at Las Vegas hotels and restaurants.

More on Vegas Aliases (more)

A new restaurant and nightclub called LAVO is due to open in August at the Palazzo. LAVO is brought to you by the team behind Tao over at the Venetian.

From the press release: "The journey from lounge to restaurant to nightclub begins with an entry into the lounge surrounded by worn tile walls and water stained plaster. Twenty foot ceilings of old wood and low chandeliers crown an area featuring a curved bar, leather seating and Moroccan tables. The restaurant is highlighted by a spectacular glass and wood screened bridge and is bordered by a grand carved stone wall.

The nightclub features vaulted glazed tile arches opening to a domed ceiling above the dance floor. Revelers can enjoy a sexy, elevated VIP area with posh banquettes, embossed leather walls and mirrored mosaic tile niches." The Complete PR Text

Interestingly enough, Tao and the Sands (parent company of Venetian and Palazzo) have been involved in a lawsuit with each other which appears to have been settled.

Looks like we may get to see more of Kobe, LeBron, Carmello and other NBA players around Vegas in the future. Team USA, the all-star basketball team assembled to represent the United States in Beijing for the summer Olympics, says they are lovin' their relationship with Las Vegas. While the original 3-year commitment is now over, both sides want it to continue so look for an agreement on down the road.

It only makes sense, doesn't it? While it's all fine and dandy to represent your country and go for the gold, it sure makes it easier to entice multimillionaire hoopsters to join the team if they know they can have a little fun in Sin City at night and be treated like kings while staying at Wynn.

Now, if the "Redeem Team" (as opposed to the '94 "Dream Team") can only get the gold medal back, the experiment will have been a complete success.

If you want the cheapest gas prices in town then you should check out this website before filling up. Volunteer spotters read the signs at Las Vegas gas stations and report back to the site so it's updated constantly.

As of this writing, the lowest price in town is $3.84/gallon (for regular) at Huey's on Decatur & Las Vegas Blvd. in NLV. You can customize the search to find the closest pumps to you.

Another Denise Richards Gas Pumpin' Picture (more)

It's a good time to visit Las Vegas!

All of these hotels had rooms under $30:
Palace Station, Arizona Charlie's Boulder, Binion's, El Cortez, Fiesta Rancho, Golden Gate, Plaza, Sam's Town, Silverton, Stratosphere, Texas Station, Tropicana and Vegas Club.

Even the upscale hotels have some great deals:
Golden Nugget, $54; Bally's, $59; Luxor, $59; MGM, $59; Tuscany, $59; Flamingo, $60; Monte Carlo, $60; Hard Rock, $69; Green Valley Ranch, $76; TI, $76; Mirage, $81; Palms, $82; Planet Hollywood, $89; Paris, $90; Red Rock, $95; Rio, $99; Loews Lake Las Vegas, $103; Mandalay Bay, $100; and Caesars Palace, $110.

Get 'em while they're hot! Call 'em for specials!!

Mr. National Treasure, Nicolas Cage, looks like he could really be "leaving Las Vegas" as he has put his house up for sale (see pictures below), asking $9.95 million. It's a 14,000 square foot house with seven bedrooms, eight baths, a commercial elevator to all three floors, a pool and a 16-car garage, all on 1/3 of an acre. He purchased the five-year old house last year for $8.5 million.
The property is at 5100 Spanish Heights Drive near Tropicana and Durango.

Cage must be really done with Sin City as he sold his other Vegas house (which was down the block from the big one) for $2.3 mil. last year.

Click for House Photos (more)

Clark County, NV, the county where Las Vegas resides, has passed the 2 million mark in population with over 620,000 people moving here since 2000.

More Facts About Clark County (more)

There's not a lot of live jazz in town, especially at one of the major hotels. The Hilton is bucking that trend with their "Group Therapy Thursdays" in the Tempo Lounge. A quartet called "Nova" rips out the jams, which range from easy listening jazz to jazz with an edge--and maybe a little bit of R & B--and might include crowd pleasers such as Al Jarreau, Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones and the Yellowjackets.

If you are looking for an alternative, maybe this is the place.

Americans are turning to video games to better enjoy their "staycations" this summer, as the dour economy forces them to push real vacation plans to the back burner. Sales of game consoles rose 54 percent in June, according to an NPD Group report, and Nintendo's Wii is the console to beat. Nintendo sold 666,000 of its still-hard-to-find Wii consoles in June, with Sony's PlayStation 3 coming in second at 405,000 units sold. Meanwhile, Microsoft sold nearly 220,000 units of its Xbox 360.

So, if you want to do the Vegas thing without spending $4.25/gallon, now you can. Gamble, drink, dance, pick up hot babes, race fast cars on the Strip and even get into a nightclub fight or two with an upcoming Midway/Surreal release called "This Is Vegas". There's an evil bastard who wants to turn Vegas into a family-friendly place (we think Danny Gans is somehow involved) and your job is to put as much sin back into Sin City as you can.

Sounds like something LowLifes are perfectly suited for! Too bad they don't have a mode for swingers...

A Written Preview of "This Is Vegas"
A Video Preview of the game

Lots of Changes at the V Theater inside the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Hotel

Gordie Brown, who is a good guy with a good show, has been chosen to be the opening act for Celine Dion when she goes on tour. The "Gordie Brown" show will go on hiatus while on tour and his show will return to the V Theater sometime in early 2009. The last scheduled performance of the "Gordie Brown" show will be Saturday, August 23, 2008.

The acapella group "Toxic Audio" will close at the V Theater this month after a short-lived 6 month production. The last performance of "Toxic Audio" will be Wednesday, July 30th.

Another change at the V: "Scarlett The Deceiver" will open as an afternoon magic show beginning Friday, August 1. "Scarlett's" schedule will be Friday - Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. (Dark Thursday).

If you are heading to Burning Man next month you might want to participate in a forum topic that a very low LowLife has started on the subject. Start the party early!

Billed as an “anti-club,” Wasted Space will open Saturday night, in Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Co-created by Carey Hart of Motocross fame, it’ll be all rock nightly.

One signature drink will be the “Hart Attack” with Jagermeister and Red Bull included among its ingredients. This club is part of the Hard Rock’s $750-million renovation.

Per the Hard Rock website: Wasted Space "...will be the only place in Las Vegas where you can truly get up close and personal with rock legends as well as the hottest new bands before they break."

Lake Las Vegas, that relatively unknown-to-tourists residential community and resort development tucked away far off the beaten path near Lake Mead, has filed for Chapter 11 protection.

In one of the potentially largest bankruptcies in Nevada history, the 3,592-acre Lake Las Vegas, reported debts that total between $500 million and $1 billion and assets that total between $100 million and $500 million.

Lake Las Vegas broke ground in 1987, constructed a dam, grabbed some water from Lake Mead, built some beautiful homes, golf courses and high-end hotels, added a shopping area and became a non-Vegas: a serene and laid-back community only 25 minutes from the Strip but worlds away by most every other measure.

Hopefully they can pull through this as it's a cool place to get away from the glitz of Las Vegas to see an outdoor concert, watch fireworks explode over the lake and even ice skate on the floating rink they construct during the winter.

Will Mariah Carey become the new Queen of the Las Vegas Strip? Sources claim that Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino has offered the 38 year old newlywed pop superstar $100 million to perform nightly at the resort. We'll keep you posted...

We hope so, if only for the fact that she's still a babe and we would much prefer digging up hot photos of her than posting pics of the other Strip divas: Cher, Bette Midler and, um, Elton John.

An airlines advisory council told the Clark County Commission not to go ahead with plans to build a new terminal at McCarran as the industry will not quickly recover from the current situation and therefore won't be able to afford additional landing fees that will be assessed to them once the terminal opens.

Oakland International Airport, for example, has dropped plans for their new terminal as they have lost 3 airlines recently and have 2 more pulling out in September.

However, does Las Vegas really have a choice? We have 30,000 hotel rooms opening up in the next few years whether we like it or not. We can't fill those rooms without increased capacity at McCarran so we're kinda stuck, aren't we?

It seems to us that Las Vegas is, to use a poker term, "all in". We're building a ton of rooms during a time when the airline industry is ready to implode, gas prices are sky high so people are driving less, there's a recession that is causing people to spend less on Vegas-style fun and Lake Mead is ready to dry up.

What do we do, just leave the resorts half-built? We have no choice but to go ahead and hope that our biggest gamble yet gets dealt a couple of pretty good cards...

Added: Corresponding USA Today Interview (more)

A new survey shows that Las Vegas hotel room rates are lower than they’ve been in five years. The survey found that half of the 84 casino hotels surveyed offer July rates of $49 or less per night; 30 casinos have rates of less than $40/night. There’s even a super-cheap rate, $19.99/night, offered by Palace Station.

Luxury hotels are slashing their prices too, according to the survey. Among the low nightly rates found (similar rates may no longer be available) were: Monte Carlo $60, Hard Rock $69, Treasure Island $76, Mirage $81, Rio $99, Loews Lake Las Vegas $103, Caesars Palace $110, Bellagio $159, Palazzo $159, Trump $196, Venetian $199, Wynn (shown above) $199 and Four Seasons $275.

The good old days are back (at least in terms of room rates)!

Despite growing pains unlike nearly every other U.S. airport, McCarran Airport has traditionally done a pretty good job of keeping up with demand. While there have been construction-related issues regarding parking, traffic flow and gate access, most of the problems seemed to get solved in relatively short order while other airports often have the same delays going on year after year. We have delays but ours keep changing!

I suppose the revenue from having the 6th busiest U.S. airport and charging some of the highest domestic landing fees (not to mention the cash derived from our coveted advertising demographics and, of course, the gaming concession ) could certainly help hasten the process. Let's hope the next mess doesn't hurt too much as it will hit locals the hardest.

The Next Set of Delays (more)

Here's a rundown on topless pools at Las Vegas resorts and whether they are open to the general public or not.

* BARE Pool Lounge (Mirage) - open to the public
* Beach Club 25 (Stratosphere) - open to the public
* GO Pool (Flamingo) - open to the public
* Moorea Beach Club (Mandalay Bay) - hotel guests only
* Sapphire Pool (Rio) - open to the public
* Sunset Pool (Wynn) - hotel guests only
* Tao Beach (Venetian) - open to the public
* The Pond (Green Valley Ranch) - hotel guests only
* The Tank (Golden Nugget) - open to the public
* Venus Pool Club (Caesars) - open to the public

The list we found appeared to be very recent however these things seem to change all the time so let us know if you discovered any these actually aren't topless anymore.

Note: We know Tao Beach and Go started out topless and went to covered. This list says they are back to being topless. Can it be?

The World Series of Poker going on over at the Rio is definitely a man's game with only 3% (210) of the 6,844 players entered in the main event being female. However, a hot-looking lady did pretty well for herself as she busted out in 17th place and won a record $334,534 in what is considered poker's signature event.

Tiffany Michelle, and aspiring actress whose most recent role was that of a ball girl in Will Ferrell's forgettable "Semi-Pro", has spent the past three years working in the media for WSOP and decided to get into the game this time around. She's played lots of other much smaller games but when someone offered to sponsor her and pay the $10,000 entry fee she jumped at the chance.

Michelle wasn't the highest placing female in history--that honor goes to Barbara Enright who finished fifth in 1995--but her win total shows how the WSOP has grown. Even though Enright made it to the final table of nine, she only won $140,180.

Seats for the final table should be decided today with the championship round being played in November. The winner will take home $9.12 million...

It's a Go-Go Girls Gone Wild Party -- Complete Club Takeover
It's Swing!, Baby, Swing!
We're having another "Swing! On the Strip" party this Friday starting at 11pm! These things rock with lots of energy, free shots, sweaty, up-beat dance music and good vibes.

The theme for this party is "Go-Go Girls Gone Wild" so girls whip out them li'l booty shorts and barely-there tops and do the shimmy shimmy cocoa pop as we take over Krave Lounge all the way!

The Swing! On the Strip party listing including RSVP's. (Note: Online discount for couples)
Check out a Question and Answer posting on Swing! What to wear, free shots--that sort of stuff.
Read a couple of good reviews of the last Swing! On the Strip

Party with us and you also get 1/2 price tix on PurrfectLV's Hip Hop Night Saturday 7/26 at Asia.

A man who compiled a calendar of shirtless Mormon missionaries was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this past weekend by a 12-member Las Vegas church council.

"Men on a Mission," which has sold nearly 10,000 copies at $14.99 each, included pictures of 12 returned missionaries wearing black slacks, but not their trademark white shirts, in modest poses. The men are also photographed in traditional missionary garb and share their religious beliefs in biographical sketches.

The calendar's creator, Chad Hardy, who has been a non-practicing Mormon for the past 6 years, might actually make a few bucks out of the whole thing as the website where he sells the product has been swamped since receiving the national attention (good luck getting in!).

Not that there's any connection or anything but there are several Mormons on the County Commission so we would assume that if they don't like a shirtless calendar then they really ain't gonna like a dungeon or a swing club... Ya think?

American LowLife members and owners of a kick-ass (spank-ass?) dungeon here in town called Libertine are getting a lot of shit from the County who are trying to close them down. A lot of the problems stem from a nearby business owner who doesn't want that sort of "unseemly" stuff near her business. She has connections through a County Commissioner who just happens to be Senator Harry Reid's son. Powerful people to go up against.

Libertine's lawyer is the top ACLU attorney in the state who also defends businesses like the Green Door and the Red Rooster so they are in good hands but this will definitely be a tough fight. We're pulling for you, Libertine!

Las Vegas only appears to be "Sin City". In reality, our sin is very controlled and we're really not allowed to be too sinful at all. And, as our town "grows up", things only seem to be getting more restrictive. While it will never happen, what Las Vegas needs is a "red-light district" where all the adult businesses can be watched and regulated yet people are allowed to have the kind of fun they want as long as they aren't hurting anyone.

One of our favorite local perfromers got some press in her hometown paper and we thought we would pass it along. Kritsine Weitz, better known as Kristine W, is a high energy dance-music diva who had a bunch of club hits--topping the Billboard dance charts with 11 No. 1 singles (nine of those were consecutive). She also used to headline a show at the Hilton for many years called Kristine W. and The Sting.

Unfortunately she had a major setback a few years ago as she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2001. As you can imagine she went through a lot and has come out on the other side, performing again and has a new album coming back. As she says, she's got her "mojo" back and we're glad to hear it.

See you soon, girl!

Kristine W's Top Singles (more)

According to Norm, the R-J gossip dude...

"Caesars Palace headliner Cher has a new beau: a 6-foot-5 biker/adventurer who appeared in a 2006 Disney Channel miniseries about a Mount Everest climb.

He's 38-year-old Tim Medvetz and, according to The National Enquirer, a Las Vegas wedding is in the works for later this year. Medvetz was introduced to Cher through the owners of Chrome Hearts, a high-end jewelry store in the Forum Shops at Caesars. He appeared in the Discovery Channel's "Everest: Beyond the Limit.""

Cher is 62...

The opening of new fire stations aren't really our thing (although the Mrs. does like firemen quite a bit, especialy ones like in the photo), but the newest station to open is kinda different. First of all, it's right in the heart of the Strip smack dab on resort property which is unique. 2nd, the $28 million facility was built not with County funds but as part of a deal the MGM had to accept to get the massive CityCenter plan approved.

So now we can all sleep better--especially the tourists in the resorts--as the new fire station will allow for a six-minute response time to any location on the Strip, provided the firetrucks can get through Strip traffic, of course...

So she worked as a cocktail server at Green Valley Ranch and was just hanging out with friends at GVR when she bumped into George Clooney. Later on, Sarah Larson was working as a server at Moon when Clooney came to town for the Ocean's Thirteen premiere and he checked her out again. A month later he asked her to go to Italy and she went. Then came the whirlwind romance which included world premiers, the Academy Awards red carpet treatment, the meeting of the parents and the well-publicized motorbike crash.

Then it was over with no real explanation. But the good life didn't end for Ms. Larson. The Clooney connection landed her a job with a modeling agency and recently she became the "it girl" for fashion dude Christian Audigier, who just so happened to open a nightclub with his name on it this past weekend at TI.

While she was expected to attend the club opening and rumors were swirling as to why she didn't, a billboard with her picture wearing Audigier's clothing just went up on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood so things must be ok.

Fairy tales do come true in Las Vegas sometimes...

A group of researchers ran around asking men to whack off in vials and came up with the conclusion that men who are overweight or obese have worse sperm than normal-weight men.

Fat men had a 60 percent higher chance of having a low volume of semen, according to the lead whack-off man's research. They also had a 40 percent higher chance of having some sperm abnormalities.

Now, if the woman is of normal weight her fertility will compensate but if both partners are heavy that could be a problem since obesity is known to decrease women's fertility.

No studies were done on differences in taste, at least in this research.

There was a radio advertisement playing on some of the Las Vegas stations recently (it was also in the newspaper) that talks about "owning lakefront property on Nevada's 3rd largest lake" and how there is "great fishing for the renowned Lahontan cutthroat trout". It's Walker Lake, five hours from Las Vegas near Hawthorne, and you can "buy lakefront lots for $149,000 and lots with views but no shoreline for $49,900!" Sounds great, eh?

What the ads fail to mention is that this is the same Walker Lake in which the water level has dropped 140 feet in the past 120 years, the same lake that’s so saline every species of fish but the Lahontan cutthroat has all but died off. It’s the same lake that fishermen and loon lovers have been trying to rescue for the past two decades, a lake many have declared dead.

With the lake receding about a yard per year and the level of minerals in the lake becoming so concentrated that the water is now toxic to all other fish except the Lahontan cutthroat trout (and they are the small ones--there haven't been trophy sized ones since the 70's--and even they will die out in the next few years if something isn't done) the sales pitch might be considered a bit misleading, to say the least.

A look into "lakefront" lots at Walker Lake.

Beer Pong is a fun drinking game where ya try and bounce a ping pong ball into a cup on the other end of the table. If you succeed, your foe has to drink the alcohol (usually beer) in the cup and the cup is removed from play. The rules vary widely but generally it's a 2-on-2 game and most often each team starts with 6 cups of beer aligned in a triangle.

Beer Pong is big on college campuses and, because about the only skills required are "aiming, taunting and alcohol tolerance" (as Wikipedia says--so it must be true), it has wide appeal. So wide, in fact, that there's a World Series of Beer Pong with $50,000 in prize money. Where is this monumental event being held? Las Vegas, of course, at the Flamingo on January 1-5 (New Year's Day?? Now that's tough...)

Well, a Las Vegas company who has produced a Wii video game version is getting some shit from the usual suspects: state attorneys general, drug-free coalitions and anti-underage-drinking groups.

More on the Beer Pong Controversy (more)

Ahh, yes, those flights into Las Vegas. Such high expectations of fun and craziness that the plane itself is often one big party. A reporter from the Arizona Republic boarded one of the many Southwest Phoenix-to-Las Vegas flights and had a look for herself:

"What happens in Vegas often starts on the plane. Or maybe in the airport bar. The drinking, the rowdiness, the taste-takes-a-holiday atmosphere, even when all in good fun, present an array of challenges for airlines.

At a minimum, the penchant for pomp and pre-partying on the under-an-hour flights means a scramble to serve everyone in a short time period. "When you're going to Vegas, everyone wants a drink. On the way home, they all want pillows, blankets and water," flight attendant Renee Peel said."

Some flight attendants love the Las Vegas routes and some avoid the prime party flights. There's a lot of energy on the flights but there's also a lot of work such as trying to make sure so many drinks are served on a short flight, denying boarding to already-drunk passengers, getting the scantily-attired to cover up and watching for couples trying to join--or renew their membership in--the "mile-high" club.

A look at the festive Las Vegas in-flight atmosphere.

And on the return flight? Take a look... (more)

We've mentioned the Pinball Museum in this space before but since we ran across this in-depth LA Times article on the place, a look at owner Tim Arnold and how he came about owning 1000 pinball machines (including one each of all 384 produced by his favorite manufacturer, Gottlieb), we thought we'd give the museum some more exposure.

Besides, we've purchased a few games from him over the years so maybe he'll fix our Twilight Zone machine for free!

The Pinball Museum website

We owe, we owe, so it's off to work we go... Las Vegas leads the nation in all sorts of dubious categories--home foreclosures for one--so it makes sense we would lead the nation in being broke.

Web site MensHealth.com has named Las Vegas America's top city for the amount of personal debt -- credit card balances, auto loans, home loans and other consumer financing -- its residents carry. And those considerable obligations could worsen an already stagnant local economy, experts say.
The entire gloomy article

The Top 10 Indebted Cities
1. Las Vegas
2. Aurora, Colo.
3. Atlanta
4. Sacramento, Calif.
5. Detroit
6. Jacksonville, Fla.
7. Riverside, Calif.
8. Denver
9. Modesto, Calif.
10. Phoenix
(Based on foreclosure rates, housing costs, bankruptcy filings, credit scores, levels of credit debt and credit usage)

Cities With the Lowest Personal Debt (more)

TI dumped their Tangerine ultralounge to make way for "Christian Audigier The Nightclub" and it finally opens tonight with all sorts of stars, including--supposedly--Michael Jackson. Audigier made his name as a fashion designer, primarily for jeans, for such brands as American Eagle Outfitters, Diesel, Lee, Levi's and Von Dutch. We owe him a lot as he is the one who pushed those big ol' Elmer Fudd trucker hats. Where would we be without him?

Anyway, Tangerine has been completely redone in blacks and reds and jewel-encrusted skulls. The patio has been enlarged so it's a good place to view the Sirens of TI show.

Here's the inside scoop on the new Christian Audigier nightclub, a partnership with Pure Management Group.

It's official: Star Trek: The Experience will end its impressive run at the Las Vegas Hilton this September.

From the R-J:
"It's as official as an entry in the Captain's Log. Star Trek: The Experience will end its 11-year run at the Las Vegas Hilton on Sept. 1. The demise of the attraction had been rumored for months, but it wasn't until this week that managers told about 160 workers the lease at the Hilton won't be renewed.

The announcement likely means one final surge of Star Trek fans on Las Vegas and after that an outer-spacelike void when it comes to finding a complete science-fiction theme experience in Sin City. The Official Star Trek Convention is Aug. 6-10 at the Hilton, just three weeks before the attraction closes. Enthusiasts already expect an attendance boost from fans making one last pilgrimage."

Frankly, we're surprised it lasted 11 years. Nothing against the attraction--we've seen it, we enjoyed it--but this is Las Vegas and the "Experience" was showing its age. Ya just expect that something newer and better would come along, even if it was a newer and better Star Trek experience. Doesn't look like it, though. Complete Review Journal article.

Now, what will happen to Quark's Bar and Grill? Probably time for Quark to get beamed up, too...

We know the cost of gasoline is at a record high but who knew that the same holds true for firewoks. While the threat of wildfires are cutting back some of the celebrations, budget cuts at cities and counties--large sponsors of such fireworks displays--are causing the shows to be shortened and done with less spectacular (i.e. costly) effects if not cancelled altogether.

The average aerial display lasts about 15 minutes and costs $10,000. Larger cities spend about $100,000 for bigger shows. In the Las Vegas Valley, a popular fireworks show, the "Red, White and Boom" fireworks and music festival at Desert Breeze Park on Spring Mountain Road, has been canceled for the second consecutive year by Clark County officials because of budget woes. The show attracted as many as 25,000 people in the past. The event cost the county about $250,000.

A Chinese Fireworks Shortage + Las Vegas Display Listing (more)

Steve Wynn is getting into the yacht game. The Wynn Casino boss was recently spotted in the port of Nice, France with his new aquisition: the 183 foot Allegro.

If you want to buy your own mega-yacht--ones that are two to three times the size of most houses--they start out at around $30 million.

While the U.S. economy slows — if not enters a recession — the demand for these toys for the ultrarich has never been stronger. Several luxury shipyards have seen sales double in the last five years. The rich are not just buying more yachts, but larger and larger ones.

While an impressive size, Wynn's Allegro isn't even in the top 100 for mega-yachts. The largest yacht in the world is the 524' Dubai owned by the Crown Prince of Dubai. The largest non-head of state-owned yacht is 456' and is rumored to have 13 foot ceilings, 82 rooms and a hospital onboard. Larry Ellison, the big guy at Oracle software, owns the #2-ranked 452' Rising Sun and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen owns #3, the 414' Octopus (which carries a submarine for undersea fun). The listing of the World's 100 Largest Yachts and the Top 5 State-owned yachts.

A slide show of mega-yachts and their luxuries.

American LowLife Buys a Yacht! (more)

If you are a connoisseur of the "filet mignon of round meat" and are actually aware that July is National Hot Dog Month (and what's 4th of July without a hot dog?), well then maybe you get an urge now and then to gobble down a delicious tube steak (minds out of the gutter, please) that tastes like it came from your home town.

So, just where in Las Vegas do you find the perfect New York hot dog or the most authentic Chicago dog, among others? This article on the top dogs in Vegas should help with your hot dog cravings.

We get so darn many people asking us where they can find a good luau in Las Vegas that we'd thought we let them in on our personal favorite: the Imperial Luau at the Imperial Palace.

If you are carried to the heights of ectasy by hulas and get a buzz in your loins every time you watch a fire knife dance then you really need to stop by and watch the Drums of the Islands dance company do what they have been doing poolside on the roof of the IP for 17 years.

The luaus are held twice a week during the warmer months — at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays from May 3 to Sept. 30 and you get to wear a lei, sip mai tais and pina coladas and dine on roast pork and other South Seas delicacies as you watch the troupe of entertainers re-create a Polynesian feast on a tropical island (surrounded by the IP hotel rooms).

What more could you want besides beautiful female hula girls, tattooed fire knife dancers and a mai tai? That's enough for us...

Sin City Ink Fest, the tattoo festival at the Riviera this past weekend, had a collection of "interesting" characters to begin with but the sideshow called Electric Acid Theatre was the topper. E.A.T. was a collection of three performance groups--one a Las Vegas sideshow called Swing Shift SideShow--where performers drilled nails into their heads, ate glass, twisted skewers through their arms, shot darts out of nonmouth orifices (Kelvikta plays a mean game of "vagina darts") and swallowed swords.

One guy had a concrete block placed against his scrotum while other performers smashed the concrete with a hammer. Two performers bit down on apples, blindfolded themselves and used a chain saw to cut the apples out of their mouths.

A look at the Electric Acid Theatre where the blue-tinted M.C. "Enigma" with horns inplanted under his scalp exclaims: "Finally, a show worthy of Vegas!"

Las Vegas' own Swing Shift Side Show
More fun at the Electric Acid Theatre's website