The Luxor is about to get snooty and exclusive, a far cry from it's kid-friendly atmosphere of year's past. Tonight is the grand opening of LAX, the sister club of one of the places to be seen in L.A. Britney Spears is the guest host and may even sing a few songs from her new (and bad, we hear) album, "If she feels like it," a club exec says.
In addition to LAX, an upscale restaurant, Company American Bistro, and a tucked away, reservations-only bar, Noir Bar, also will open on the property.
"Money can't get you in," the exec says of Noir. "What happens in Vegas really doesn't stay in Vegas, we just put it out there. But at this place, it will. We're really going to keep it very, very exclusive, very private."
Take lots of pictures, fellow LowLifes, and send 'em our way as it sounds like they won't be letting us in any time soon...

Commissioner David Stern was in town to check out the NBA stars in action for Team USA and now seems to almost like Las Vegas, possibly because almost anything is better than talking about a tainted NBA referee.
"Our owners committee is going to meet in the next couple of weeks to discuss Las Vegas," Stern said. "They've been gathering information, and we've been in constant communication with Mayor (Oscar) Goodman and we're aware of what's going on (with the new arena proposal)."

We have such an honest bunch representing our interests...
Lynette Boggs, a former Clark County commissioner, became the latest southern Nevada lawmaker indicted on felony charges when a grand jury accused her of failing to live in the commission district she represented and of paying a nanny with campaign funds (paying a nanny? Throw the book at her!).
Three former Commissioners are serving time in federal prison for taking bribes from a former strip club owner and a fourth is due to report to federal prison Sept. 18 (she took 100's of thousands of $$ from a real estate "consultant" pushing casino projects). Yet another is the subject of an on-going police probe so we could end up with a 6-pack of convicted commissioners.
And to think, several of these Commissioners tried to outlaw lap-dancing at strip clubs...

July was McCarran Airport's busiest month ever with a 5% increase over June, something usually attributed to a hotel opening or special convention--neither of which happened. A good chunk of the growth is attributed to a new low-fare airlines called Allegiant Airlines, which has surged to the 6th busiest in Las Vegas, and will soon displace American Airlines for #5. Allegiant flies direct to small towns like Duluth, MN and Kileen, TX.
In another note, McCarran is operating over capacity, something you may have noticed in your travels...

The participants in the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars were leaked to the press and two of the dancin' celebs are Las Vegas residents. Mr. Las Vegas Wayne Newton and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. join NBA team owner Mark Cuban, Scary Spice, Marie Osmond and various other "stars" for the 5th season of the show. The Vegas dancers will be taped for the show at local dance studios.

We were so worried that with all her recent troubles Paris Hilton would stay away from the temptations of Las Vegas, leaving a tremendous vacuum that not even Britney, Nicole or Lindsay could fill. Much to our delight, Paris was spotted at a private party at TI.
Hilton is reportedly in Las Vegas to celebrate the launch of her Dollhouse clothing line, with parties at Social House and PURE Nightclub at Caesars Palace.
Oh, happy days...

Some say the reality show Ultimate Fighter saved the entire sport of mixed martial arts a couple of years ago. Whatever the case is, the popular Spike TV series is set for it's sixth season, with the format remaining relatively the same.
Ultimate Fighter 6 begins on Sept. 19 with 16 fighters, all competing at 170 pounds, in a tournament spread over three months on television. The winner gets a three-year contract with the organization. Once again, the finals will be on live television, set for Dec. 8 in Las Vegas. A look at the reality series.
A ranking of MMA's pound-for-pound fighters.

Or, is it "Old Comedy Club Re-Opens"?
A dozen or so years ago the room at the Palace Station was called Laugh Trax and was a comedy club. Then it became Sound Trax, a music venue. Then it became Las Vegas entertainer Earl Turner's home for awhile and then it wasn't used for much of anything.
Now, the 150 seat room is back on track (on trax?) and is the new home for something called the L.A. Comedy Club, a comedy show which features two headliners nightly.
The LowLife listing

A rumor going around the Strip (from an unnamed source, naturally), says Pamela Anderson is so infatuated with Las Vegas these days that she plans on doing much more here besides just getting jiggy with Hans Klok, the headliner of the show she's in. "Pammie is interested in several different ventures and is currently leaning towards a themed venue - possibly a casino," says this unspecified friend of Anderson who claims the new casino will be named Planet Pammie.
Just thought you'd want to know...

The brand new, big-ass country music honky tonk that was supposed to have a huge grand opening this past Friday stumbled out of the starting gate a little bit as the County didn't approve Stoney's Rockin' Country's liquor license. But all is ok now and the mammoth 20,000 square foot mega-club is now open and the mechanical bull is buckin', just in case you were looking for a place to do a bit of two-steppin'.

With all the hooplah surrounding Luxor's opening of LAX over Labor Day weekend (with Britney pulling hosting duties), the opening of another club has been overshadowed a bit. Blush, the new "boutique nightclub" will open this coming weekend in the space Lure ultralounge used to be.
Here's an interview with Blush's top dog.
The LowLife Blush venue listing.

The outdoor activity version of the original magazine, National Geographic Adventure, names Las Vegas as the nation's #1 adventure town in which to live and play. And this designation has nothing to do with casinos, clubs or nightlife.
The mag notes that the three-hour perimeter around Las Vegas contains six national parks, notably the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon, two national recreation areas, 13 state parks and millions of acres of national forest to play in.

Pop star Britney Spears might surprise the audience at the MTV Video Music Awards again with her live music comeback, by opening the show.
Rumors are rife that the 25-year-old, who shocked spectators at the 2003 VMAs by kissing Madonna, is set to perform a new song at the VMA’s, in Las Vegas next month. According to sources, there is very strong chance that the ‘Toxic’ singer performs right at the start of the prize giving ceremony. Meanwhile, other singers set to perform at the show include Kanye West, Fall Out Boy, Chris Brown and the Foo Fighters.
MTV's Video Music Awards show will be held at the Palms Hotel on September 9th.
The LowLife listing of the event.

The grand dame of adult movies, Las Vegas resident Jenna Jameson, is retiring from starring in porn movies. To mark the momentous event, Jenna has had her breast implants removed.
"When I had implants, I felt uncomfortable. I would be shy at the beach," she told Us Weekly. "Even for women with naturally large boobs, getting a reduction is so freeing. I feel like I can stand up straighter … before, when I jogged, I had to hold my boobs. I looked like I was molesting myself!"
Jenna added that she was so "ecstatic" after the surgery that she "went home and cried."
We'll still see Jenna in all her glory as she has a ton of extra video footage she'll be releasing as movies in the upcoming years.

In 1976, Frank Fertitta Jr. started a little dive joint off of Sahara and Rancho called Bingo Palace. Bingo Palace, with it's 100 hundred slot machines, eventually morphed into the Palace Station and, under the next generation of Fertittas, became the public corporation Station Casinos, the largest locals casino chain which includes Red Rock Station and Green Valley Ranch. Now the Fertittas are going full circle, taking the empire private once again.

Las Vegas rumor dude, Norm from the Review-Journal, has this to say about a couple of local gentleman's clubs:
"Let the guessing game begin: There's a hot rumor out there that a well-known retired NBA player is in the hunt to buy Crazy Horse Too strip club. With the property value of the once-mighty club falling by the hour, owner Rick Rizzolo has a tough challenge: work out a deal from his prison cell by next month. Published reports had the property worth about $40 million at its zenith.
Meanwhile, there are rumblings that Penthouse is looking into taking over Sin, one of the many new topless clubs that popped up in recent years.
The strip club market has been battered of late by the growing popularity of nightclubs, according to a nightclub industry source."

While union membership declines across the country, the Culinary and Bartenders Union here in Las Vegas continues to thrive. Hot on the heels of their agreement with Harrah's, the union signed a similar deal with the even larger MGM Mirage which not only covers existing resorts but also MGM's future ones, including the 12,000 employee City Center due to open in 2009.

Beyonce had to lose weight for her movie Dream Girls but as soon as shooting was over she dove into the food and has since gained 12 pounds. The "bootylicious" diva feels right at home in Las Vegas and will be showing off her regained curves at the MGM this weekend.

We keep hearing announcements for a new NBA/NHL-quality arena to be built in Las Vegas and now it seems that all that talk might actually come to fruition. AEG, the largest worldwide player in sports facilities and events (think Staples Center, L.A.), has announced a joint venture with Harrah's to build a top notch facility just off the Strip, behind Bally's. It looks like it will actually be built this time for one very good reason: "We have never announced a deal and not built," says an AEG spokesman.
While we are excited by the possiblity of the project, we shudder to think of 20,000 extra people trying to get to an event near the Strip on a regular basis.
What the NBA and NHL think about the idea.
How Jerry Bruckheimer figures in.

The word on the net is that Light, the popular nightclub in Bellagio, will close it's doors on September 2nd for a complete overhaul--possibly going two stories--and hopes to be open in time for a huge New Year's celebration.

Despite it's hard-to-live-down reputation as being da pits, downtown Las Vegas is really starting to come around with all sorts of new bars, clubs and physical improvements. The latest touch-up to the area is the completion of a $5.5 million "streetscaping" project on Fremont Street, East of Las Vegas Blvd., in the Beauty Bar/Griffin bar neighborhood.
Improvements include the creation of wider sidewalks and more pedestrian-friendly streets; landscaping; lighted gateways and four 40-foot-tall, retro-looking neon signs.
There will be a lighting and dedication party this Friday complete with live music and a festive atmosphere.
The LowLife Listing for the event.

In NYC it's damn near inpossible to get a reservation at Rao's, the legendary Italian restaurant. In Las Vegas, it appears to be a different story. While the Caesars Palace eatery started out being a tough ticket, things have calmed down and now signs placed around the restaurant say “No reservations. We promise.” That, combined with the fact that the restaurant recently terminated its daily lunch offerings, indicate a decline in demand. For better or for worse, companies from out-of-town always find out it's different in Las Vegas.
Rao's LowLife listing.

Current NBA stars and a few future NBA maybe-stars spent the past week in Las Vegas competing for spots on the United States national team. The roster was pared down to 12 members by Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski, with lots of the youngsters missing the cut and several long-distance sharp-shooters added to better compete in the international style.
The team will represent the country in the FIBA Americas Championship which starts Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack. The top two teams from this tourny will automatically be qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

According to Norm, the Review-Journal's gossip dude:
"The first "Midsummer Night's Dream" turned into a dream event for the Palms. More than 2,000 revelers paid between $100 and $200 to attend the inaugural Las Vegas version of Playboy's annual soiree at Hugh Hefner's famous Los Angeles mansion.
Palms owner George Maloof said the poolside lingerie and masquerade event Saturday night exceeded expectations and will become an annual event.
Attendees included NBA stars LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire; rapper Nelly; Criss Angel; UFC star Chuck Liddell; porn icon Ron Jeremy; former Duke basketball star J.J. Reddick and Playboy's Alison Waite, runner-up for 2007 Playmate of the Year."

Besides the Mirage's volcano, TI's sexy sirens and the Bellagio's fountains, another form of free Strip entertainment are the fights and gunfire. A mini-riot erupted outside of Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville over the weekend and, of course, someone pulled a gun and started firing. Four people were wounded in the melee, the 3rd Strip shooting in the past 6 weeks.
These things are becoming quite popular and we're disappointed we can't get you a schedule of the shootings so we can list 'em in our Parties/Events feature. Once we finalize a venue, however, we'll be having our own event so be looking for the listing for The LowLife Strip Shootout--coming soon. FYI: It'll be BYOG--bring your own gun.

Not only is a virgin coming to Las Vegas but she will also leave Las Vegas a virgin. There's a new airlines launching in the United States and they will be flying to Sin City regularly.
Virgin America is scheduled to launch three daily flights between San Francisco and McCarran International Airport beginning Oct. 10. The airline, which licenses the popular Virgin brand, will offer introductory main-cabin fares of $44 between Las Vegas and San Francisco and $149 first-class fares.

The Palm's weekly pool party "Ditch Fridays" has become an extremely popular event rivaling the Hard Rock's Sunday party "Rehab".

Stoney's Rockin' Country, a 20,000-square-foot honky tonk, opens its doors to the public Saturday night.
Kicking off the grand opening will be Michael Austin and the Thunder Road Band, who were nominated for the Southern California Music Awards and Orange County Music Awards this year.
Owner Stoney Gray promises lots of national acts in the weeks ahead, including Rockie Lynne on Aug. 31.
The club includes an elevated 2,500-square-foot dance floor, a mechanical bull, pool tables and three 44-foot minibowling lanes.
Stoney's LowLife Listing

Fletch, from Vegas Pop, has compiled a list of his top 25 songs about Las Vegas (or ones that should be about Vegas). And no, Viva Las Vegas isn't #1.

If you bet on football, you may want to visit a Las Vegas icon, the Gambler's Book Shop, for a little help. The 43-year old book store has all the information a gambler--of any sort--can use and now that the pigskin books are out it's a good time to check it out.

While somewhat mild to most in the lifestyle, Zumanity does it's part to mess with the minds of the conservative crowd with it's gender-bending depictions and same-sex interactions. However, one feature in the show that causes many to take pause and reconsider their definition of sexiness are the two plus-size ladies who frolic around on stage in their lingerie--the Botero Sisters.
An interview with the duo
The LowLife Zumanity listing.

The dowdy Tropicana's transformation from an aging 1,880 hotel/casino to a 5 tower, 10,000 room mega-resort has been put on hold for awhile due to a "volatile debt market and rising construction costs".

The smoke is settling on the new anti-smoking law and places that are restaurants during the day and nightclubs (with smoking) at night will be next to feel the heat. Officials say that even if smoking doesn't happen at the same time as food is served, there are still risks from lingering second-hand smoke. Places like Tao, Rum Jungle and Asia and other places are trying to figure out their next move.
While we understand a smoke-free eating environment, it seems a bit anti-Vegas to take issue with smoking that happened maybe 12 hours prior, especially considering the new supped up ventillation units most of these clubs have.

In Las Vegas these days when ya say "the NBA is in town" it means it's time to hide the women and children and wear the Kevlar to the strip clubs. This time, however, it's all business as Team USA is back in town trying to get our international team in shape. Carmelo, Kobe and LeBron lead the way...

Here's an article which takes a look at some downtown restaurants that you might not know about including: Chicago Joe's, Potato Valley Café, Dona Maria's, and Island Flavors Café.

Matt Lewis is one of the better Elvis impersonators in town so it's nice to see him get some publicity.
He's part of the "Legends in Concert" show at the Imperial Palace.

Marriott International has acquired (or has agreed to acquire) a bunch of land across from the Las Vegas Convention Center, giving them control of most of the block between Convention Center Drive and Desert Inn and between Paradise and Debbie Reynolds Drive. Marriott plans to build an upscale Marriott Marquis hotel on the land.
Included in the deal is the land where The Beach nightclub was, giving us one last memory of those hot beer girls and wild body shots on the bar.

A Los Angeles couple came to town with 400 fake $100 bills. They had a good time playing the slots for a few days and when they tried to leave the casino with winnings of $26k in real bills, they were detained by security and are now having a little chat with the Feds.
A few things we learned from this article: 1) The money readers in casino slot machines aren't set strict enough to detect high-quality counterfeit money (although the counting room machines are) and 2) It's not a good idea when passing fake money to use your players club card which this couple did (I feel a Darwin Award nomination in the works).

Here's a slide show with photos of 10 pools in Las Vegas (including Bellagio and Caesars), including a few you might not have seen (Red Rock, Green Valley).

A reporter for the Las Vegas Sun has noticed that he's getting the grand inquisition when trying to make a simple sports bet in area sports books.

Would you ever confuse the low-end Plaza Hotel & Casino (formerly Union Plaza) downtown with the high-end Plaza Hotel in New York City? Maybe not but LV's Plaza wants to protect their name so is suing NY's Plaza as they intend to call their new hotel--the one that will be built on the grounds of the New Frontier--the Plaza, too.

Las Vegas is about to be besieged by lots of old farts who are still alive and who can still belt it out: Tony Bennett, Elton John, Tom Jones, Willie Nelson, Barry Manilow, Wayne Newton and Tony Orlando. Fletch takes a look at the invasion...

Porn mogul and producer of the Strips' "Fashionistas: The Show", John Stagliano, won a record $16.6 million in a DVD piracy court case, the largest amount ever awarded in an adult industry piracy case.
Maybe he can now afford to keep pumping money into the show and to produce another Strip show he has been thinking about...

Getting married in Las Vegas is easy but vying for those weddings can be a dangerous endeavor. If you've ever gone downtown and bought the required marriage certificate, you've probably encountered more than a few handbillers and wedding salesmen who want to send you to their chapel.
Now, the battle for customers is getting a bit violent, not for the bride and groom but for the chapel employees.

Tony Danza, star of the long-running TV show "Who's the Boss" will join the cast of The Producers next week playing the fast-talking lead Max Bialystock.
Tony is no stranger to Las Vegas as he has played at the Mirage, the now-imploded Desert Inn, Suncoast and Orleans over the years.
It will be an interesting experiment to see how Tony does in this role but with the show struggling, hey--it can't hurt! He's booked through December.

Ya know, for a free show, dem Sirens of TI are pretty damn hot...
Our listing with action photos.
The official Sirens web site with glamor photos of each of the ladies (and the Pirates, too).

Krave, the only alternative club on the Strip, is adding a bunch of new options to their lineup of entertainment. It'll take too long to explain about all their plans for the venue (you'll have to read about 'em) but the first show to hit the boards will be Aug. 16 with a 5 p.m. epic called "Little Legends," featuring little people (i.e. midgets) performing tributes to Britney Spears, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Tina Turner, Milli Vanilli and Sonny & Cher.
We've been told li'l Britney is actually kinda sexy and do-able...

Downtown is trying to make the Fremont Street Experience more exciting by adding some new acts downtown, mostly involving high-flying acrobats. These performers will compliment the nightly live bands, the Riders of the Thunderdome and, of course, the Viva Vision canopy that blasts video and audio from overhead.
Fremont Street is turning into a real, well, experience...

TI's sexy club/lounge Tangerine will close its doors September 1st with a going away party hosted by rock star Dave Navarro.
"We have enjoyed an amazing three years with Tangerine at TI," said Pure Management Group managing partner Robert Frey. "While we are sad to say goodbye, we are very excited about the transformation that will begin shortly."
The club, which opened July 4, 2004, will close its doors for a major renovation during which the venue will be expanded, redesigned and reborn on New Year's Eve 2007 as an entirely new, top-of-the-line nightclub.

For the first time in it's history, MTV's Video Music Awards will be held in Las Vegas. The September 9th show will take place throughout the Palms Casino and the show itself will be held in the resort's new state-of-the-art concert hall The Pearl. MTV has carte blanche at the casino and Palms owner George Maloof might have allowed MTV more freedom than he first envisioned.
"They're doing a lot more than I thought, just in the sense of construction and things that they're doing in the casino," Maloof says. "We're taking out 500 slot machines, 12 table games."
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards nomination show was Tuesday.

Sultry Toni Braxton, singing these days at the Flamingo, allegedly put a stop payment on a check to her costume designer and he's so pissed he can't sew straight.

Until recently, wineries were illegal in Clark County just as it used to be illegal to bring more than three bottles of wine into Nevada. Now, with the help of some winos in the state house (and that's a good thing), the stranglehold the liquor distributors have on what you can drink in this state is slipping a bit.
In fact, now you can make a barrel of wine on your own for a mere $2,100 ($8.70/bottle)

A company called Zero Gravity Corporation is setting up shop in Las Vegas and by April of '08 will be charging customers $3,675 to experience the feel of zero gravity.
The company takes a modified Boeing 727 to 32,000 feet at a sharp angle and then plunges 8,000 feet so passengers can experience 25-second snippets of zero gravity during the descent. As the plane climbs, passengers experience 25 seconds of being pushed down hard, as they feel 1.8 times the normal pull of the Earth. This is repeated 15 times.
So there's a Mile High Club--will there be a Zero Gravity Club?

It was a tough day at work for a "Dateline NBC" reporter, who found herself being chased away from a Defcon hackers' conference in Las Vegas when it was revealed she was trying to film people using a hidden camera. Michelle Madigan, an associate producer for "Dateline," turned down offers of a press badge, opting instead to show up as a regular attendee. In one session, she became the subject of a game, "Spot the Undercover Reporter," during which she bolted and was chased from the Riviera to her car by a jeering mob.

No wonder Pamela Anderson has decided to give up movies and television to stay with the Han's Klok magic show at Planet Hollywood--the two are an item:
"Hollywood siren Pamela Anderson has confirmed that she is seeing Las Vegas illusionist Hans Klok. The Baywatch beauty is currently performing with Klok as his assistant in his magic shows. She told American TV chat show host Craig Ferguson: 'There's a lot of love backstage. It's very physical, it's very loving.'"
Other quotes she could have said but didn't: "I like the way he levitates me." "He has the best toys!" "He makes the wet spot disappear." and "I love screaming 'Give me some Klok!!'"

Via a slide show, Forbes Traveler takes a look at 10 sexy shows on the Strip, including Crazy Horse Paris, Pussycat Dolls, Forty Deuce and Fantasy.

Elvis has released a new album (well, Sony has) and it's sooo Vegas, baby. The 16 track ‘Elvis: Viva Las Vegas’ album includes 15 live tracks of Elvis's greatest Vegas hits from his prime Vegas years including “See See Rider,” “The Wonder Of You,” and “Polk Salad Annie.” The first track on the album, “Viva Las Vegas,” is from the movie of the same name.

Nutshell version: So there's this group of people in Caesars and some guy in another group makes a derogatory comment about a woman in the first group and a fistfight ensues and it breaks up and one of the guys comes back with a gun and two men end up shot. Might be gang-related. There ya have it...

A British man visted Las Vegas for the first time. An excerpt:
"Any more than three or four days self-medicating on alcohol, on big spending, on soft nudity, sunshine and oxygenated gaming rooms, on adrenalin and absolute excess, and your morals and behavioural norms slip. You want to stop indulging but enjoy it too much. You should cut the booze, even for a day, but freak out at the horrible reality that sobriety might expose. So you drink through the nausea, dry throat, headache, sweating and paranoia. Only a non-negotiable return plane ticket can safeguard you against irreversible decline: without that you'll stay 30 years and end up driving cabs. Yet against my expectations, and against this backdrop of madness, we had an absolute riot."
Fairly typical reaction, perhaps?

If you are going to the Hinder, Papa Roach, Buch Cherry concert tonight at the Pearl, this article about Papa Roach might be of interest to you.

Former Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson is having so much fun on stage in Las Vegas she says she's found her true calling and is quitting TV and movies. At least through December. She has signed on to continue performing in the Hans Klok's magic show at Planet Hollywood.
There's also a slide show of Anderson pics in the article, in case something like that would interest you...

Today is Snow Day at the Palms' Ditch Friday, with 25 tons of artificial snow being created by a snowmaking machine for sledding "hills" in the pool area. The pool is open from noon to 4 p.m. for the Miller Brewing Co. promotion, which features its new beer, Chill.

Due to the city's continued growth, Las Vegas is on a cop-hiring frenzy with plans to hire as many as 400 policemen a year for the next 5 years.
With the war in Iraq going on it's been difficult to find qualified candidates. Of the finalists for the 400 available jobs this year, a staggering 70% are expected to fail the required background and polygraph examinations for attempting to conceal a range of criminal activities, from prostitution to fraud and drug use.

In a theme that has been part of Nevada lore for years, a war over water is brewing between Nevada and a neighboring state. Traditionally, we've gone to battle over the Colorado River allotment as the original deal that was struck came at a time when Las Vegas was but a wee li'l town and Arizona and California received the lion's share of the flow.
Now a plan for Vegas to pump water down from reserves within Nevada's borders has met with some opposition both from farmers upstate and more recently from those pesky Utahans who, not so coincidentally enough, need water to fuel the growth of their Southern I-15 corridor.

Britney Spears has turned her latest ordeal into a positive, creative experience. Instead of behaving like a spoiled brat over the battle with celebrity photographers at Wynn Las Vegas, Britney said she is maturing by channeling her angst into a new album, tentatively called "Pop-A-Razzi". Some of the songs from the album include: "I'm Gonna Kill You", "Unfinished Business", "Baby Bottle Blues", "Wynn, Lose or Draw", "My Body, Guard My Body", and the probable first single release "Hit My Baby One More Time".
Um, ok, maybe not--one could only hope.~sigh~
The full story on the BS incident at Wynn.