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| Sunday, June 27, 2004 | PRIOR ISSUE - ARCHIVES |
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| Fremont Street Goes Hi-Tech, "The Casino" Debuts With Party, Puck Reopens, Plush Parties By Lagoon, Beatles Tribute "Fab"ulous, Vegas Play Like Monopoly Game, Rita Rudner Does 1000, "Ba Da Bing" Sets Move, Star Spangled Rock and Roll Weekend, "Friday Rocks in Roxy's" Lee Canyon Plans Concerts, Oli North Speaks, Venus Remodeling, Prime Rib Rates, Jillian's Treats Family, More... | |
| ALSO ON LVLG: |
| ATTRACTIONS |
| BUFFETS |
| CONCERTS |
| DISCOUNTS & DEALS |
| GHOST TOWNS |
| GROUP TRAVEL |
| HOTELS |
| LIMOS / CAR RENTALS |
| MAPS |
| NIGHTLIFE |
| PARKS |
| GOLF / SPAS |
| RESTAURANTS |
| SHOPPING |
| SHOWS |
| TOURS |
In pure Las Vegas Style, a big star-studded party was thrown Downtown to unveil two new light and sound shows and to premiere Viva Vision, a $17 million technological upgrade created by LG CNS Co. Ltd. of South Korea. It includes 12.5 million LED modules on the 90-foot-high Fremont Street Experience canopy that stretch about 500 yards. Over the past several months, workers have replaced nearly two million incandescent light bulbs with the new lamps.
The Fremont Street Experience upgrades provide much finer definition than the original light show, which was finished in 1996 at a cost of $70 million. The new system is similar to a vast plasma TV screen. The sound system was also enhanced.
One new canopy show is "Area 51," which is centered on an attack by aliens. Local Channel 3 news anchor Kendall Tenney opens the show warning of a mysterious cloud over Ls Vegas. His report is cut short as flying saucers soar overhead. This show has a fun ending with an Elvis twist.
"The Drop" is the second show taking spectators from the beginning with a drop of water that flourishes into a spectacular display of color and landscape shots of flowers, trees and aquatic life.
Another television show about Las Vegas debuted called "The Casino" on Fox the night of the party for the unveiling of Downtown's new canopy. The program is centered on the young new Golden Nugget owners Tim Poster, 36, and Tom Breitling, 35, who have been best friends since college. The show is produced by reality television's godfather Mark Burnett of "The Survivor" and "The Apprentice" fame.
In addition to following Poster and Breitling around as they run the hotel, the 13-epoisode series also chronicles side stories centering on Golden Nugget employees and guests staying at the hotel.
After a total makeover, the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill is open at the MGM Grand with a contemporary "bar and grill" menu and a whole new look by renowned designer Tony Chi, who has crafted a playful new space with the feel of the California beach lifestyle. Inspired by the culture of California outdoor dining, Chi has created a vibrant yet relaxing patio and bungalow restaurant.
The new Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill seats 200 and features five layers and has a permanent Wolfgang Puck sculpture out front. Entry to the restaurant brings guests to the first dining "layer," the U-shaped Puck Bar. Adjacent to the Bar is the Cafe, a place for causal dining and for a happy hour cocktail or nightcap. The façade of the café section features curly willow twigs intertwined to form nine giant wreaths, each nine feet tall.
In the second layer, there is patio dining with flooring of butternut/honey colored recycled timber and the "layer" is covered by a white, checked plaid awning. On this level is the "glass hedges," which are light boxes surrounded by glass images in layers.
The next "layer" has kitchen dining where a large butcher's block serves as one long communal table. It's a rustic look with a wood-burning oven.
Adjacent to the patio and at the opposite end of the café is the "Glasshouse dining layer," where the facade is shaped in a semi-circle of colored glass and gives the illusion of a rainbow. Adjacent to the truly exquisite Glasshouse is a Chi specialty, a dramatic wine cellar and tasting room.
Chi's work is well known in this town for his design of Aqua and Noodles at the Bellagio, Nobhill and Pearl at MGM and Shanghai Lily's at Mandalay Bay. The Puck Bar & Grill concept has been successful in Japan where Puck himself designed this restaurant to create a new dining scene for Tokyo.
The Plush Lounge located inside the Rampart Casino in the west part of the valley recently opened the outdoor Lagoon Terrace featuring three patios interlaced by ponds, waterfalls and fountains.
Plush is an upscale establishment consisting of exotic lounges, multiple bars, two dance floors, several VIP private areas and food. Happy hours are Wednesday - Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. with half price drink specials. VIP memberships are also available, call 702-869-2335.
"When We Were Fab," the multi-media tribute to The Beatles, hits the stage of The Hideaway Showroom at the Silverton, July 2 - 4 at 8 p.m. The members of the group are original members of Broadway's "Beatlemania" and have performed as The Beatles in New York, Los Angeles and throughout the world. Tickets are $9.99, call 1-866-946-4373 or 702-914-8557.
"When We Were Fab" is a historical perspective of the 60s, centered on a tribute to The Beatles. The show's format offers brief video accounts of the state of the country during various periods followed by the musical commentary of The Beatles most famous songs during those times. You travel from their arrival on American soil doing the Ed Sullivan Show, through the psychedelic era, to The Beatles poignant time with albums like "Let It Be" and "Hey Jude."
The Silverton is located three miles south of the Strip, off I-15 at Blue Diamond Road.
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In the game of Monopoly players buy and sell hotels, but probably not any faster than what's happening in Las Vegas. A couple weeks ago the MGM Mirage was negotiating to acquire the Mandalay Resort Group (MRG) for a price of $7.65 million or $68 per share. Ultimately, MRG rejected that offer. The following week, the MGM came up with the bid of $7.9 billion, or $71 per share, which the MRG quickly accepted. Only time will tell what a mega-merger deal like this means for Las Vegas. MGM Mirage owns Las Vegas' MGM Grand, New York-New York, Bellagio, Mirage, and Treasure Island. The Mandalay Resort Group owns Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, and Circus Circus. The two companies co-own the Monte Carlo. If the merger goes through, the MGM Mirage will become the world's largest gambling company, with annual revenues of $6 billion, eclipsing Harrah's and Caesars Entertainment and controlling about four percent of the slots and 44 percent of the table games on the Las Vegas Strip, as well as 36,000 of the 73,000 total rooms on the Strip. The Las Vegas Hilton sale closed and the Nevada Gaming Control Board unanimously approved the takeover by Colony Capital, which bought the mega-resort earlier this year for $280 million. Colony has the right to use the Hilton name a few more years. The Las Vegas Hilton was originally developed in 1969 by Kirk Kerkorian, now majority shareholder in MGM Mirage, as the International. The 30-story tower on Paradise Road opened with 1,512 rooms, making it the largest hotel in the world at the time. Colony intends to remodel the resort's bars and restaurants and to develop a clientele around the convention industry. Plans call for spending $30 million on room renovations, $22 million on redeveloping the casino and public access areas and $7 million to replace the slots. Comedian Rita Rudner celebrated her 1,000th show at New York-New York on June 19, thee years after signing an exclusive contract. With a new contract extension, she is now signed to June 2006. The intimate 431-seat Cabaret Theatre that was recently remodeled was built exclusively for the award-winning comedian. "Ba Da Bing," the interactive dinner theater show, after moving from The Orleans to the Desert Passage at the Aladdin earlier this year, is looking to move next month to the Stardust in space formerly occupied by the Tres Lobos restaurant. The Cannery in North Las Vegas will host the Star Spangled Rock and Roll Weekend featuring Gene Pitney and special guests Lovin' Spoonful on July 2 and 3. Tickets are $29.95 and $39.95 plus tax and applicable fees, call 702- 617-5550. "Friday Rocks in Roxy's" is a new Friday night music series inside Sam's Town on Boulder Highway. Every Friday from 10:30 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., Roxy's Lounge hearkens back to the good old days, featuring some of the area's best cover and tribute bands singing golden oldies and classic rock hits. "The Who" will be one tribute act from Los Angeles. Enjoy music in the mountains at Lee Canyon, a ski resort located 45 minutes from town, when the Music Society of the Americas, in conjunction with the Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort, produce outdoor concerts on July 10, 24 and Aug. 8. For each event, the gates will open at 10 a.m. and the first band of five bands will play at 11 a.m. General admission is $20, kids 6 to 12 are $10, and kids 5 and under are free, call 702-593-9500. War Hero Oliver North will be speaking in the South Pacific Ballroom at the Tropicana on Aug. 28. Tickets for the event are $150 per person and include a dinner buffet, drinks, and an autographed copy of Mr. North's book, "War Stories: Operation Iraqi Freedom." North will speak for approximately one hour. For tickets, call 702-739-2411. The New York Times best-selling author, Fox News Channel war correspondent and television host, former U.S. counter-terrorism coordinator, and Freedom Alliance founder and decorated combat hero, Oliver North, will share his riveting eyewitness account of heroism, courage and undaunted patriotism in the campaign to liberate Iraq. North was born in San Antonio, Texas, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and served 22 years as a U.S. Marine. His awards for service in combat include the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and two Purple Hearts for wounds in combat. As a New York Times' best selling author, his other books include "Under Fire, One More Mission" and two novels, "Mission Compromised" and "The Jericho Sanction." A new two-story nightclub is planned for the Mirage with an open patio area on the Strip. For now it is being called Touch. Venus the Nightclub at the Venetian will be closing for six weeks for another remodeling session. Jerry's Nugget in North Las Vegas is bringing back its prime rib dinner special for $5.49 in July and August at the Canal Street Caf‚. The complete meal that includes an 8-ounce cut of beef is served Sundays through Thursdays from 4 to 11 p.m. Jillian's, a restaurant-bar-entertainment venue located in downtown's Neonopolis, is having family days every Wednesday through July. Each week they show a different movie, offer a round of bowling and a video game card, and provide a buffet lunch for $5 per kid. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information. call 702-759-0450.
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