This is the last entry on the old blog system.

Please alter your book marks to reflect the new WordPress site:

dmckee.lvablog.com

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This will be the last S&G posting before we relaunch our new format. In the immortal words of Lt. Col. Jack O'Neill, "Well, I suppose now is the time for me to say something profound. [pause] Nothing comes to mind."

See you over at WordPress.

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From the latest news bulletin "blasted" by the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

"Las Vegas police are investigating a shooting on Sahara Avenue near Nellis Boulevard in which a man was struck in the head by gunfire today.

"Police spokesman Ramon Denby said the man appeared to be seriously injured."

No kidding.

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"If C.C. Sabathia starts game one of the World Series, the Yankees will know they have won tonight." -- Fox Sports baseball analyst Tim McCarver, sinking to bathyspheric depths of belaboring the obvious, early in Sunday's game six of the ALCS. (The Yankees won and it probably won't take until Wednesday night for them to realize it.)

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Look what just fell into the S&G mailbag:

Beginning January 1, 2010 Penn National Gaming will partner with RPM Advertising to develop and execute a brand identity for Hollywood Casinos.  The full service assignment will incorporate research, brand development, media planning/buying, creative execution, production services and direct marketing.  Penn National, one of the top five gaming companies in the world, owns and operates seven Hollywood Casinos across the country including facilities in Aurora, IL; Bangor, ME; Baton Rouge, LA;  Grantville, PA; Lawrenceburg, IN; Bay St. Louis MS; and Tunica, MS.

Forgive me if I have a coughing spasm after reading Penn National describe itself as "one of the top five gaming companies in the world." I suppose it would depend on your definition of "top" (number of facilities and/or employees, market cap, etc.) but in an industry that contains MGM Mirage, Harrah's Entertainment, Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, Boyd Gaming, Station Casinos and even woebegone Trump Entertainment Resorts, the best Penn could hope for in terms of name recognition would be eighth place. (Enter RPM, stage right.)

As for the marketing alliance, given the timing of the belated decision to try and unify the brand, it looks like Penn is going to attempt a Harrah's in reverse: acquire a Strip property (Fontainebleau) and then create a company-wide brand-loyalty program to incentivize customers to visit its shiny new megaresort.

Sounds a bit cart-before-horse to me but, after today's bulletin, it's no stretch of the imagination to suggest that F-bleau could soon become Hollywood Las Vegas or some close variant thereof. At least in terms of brand equity, it would represent a step or two up from F'bleau, whose name recognition factor is now entirely negative.

Green shoot? Weekday room rates for early December at Vdara have nudged upward to $145/night (from $129) according to J.P. Morgan analysts.

What's wrong with this picture? The media night for Wayne Newton's new Tropicana show, Once Before I Go (could we have that in writing?) looks more like a Dancing with the Stars tour stop. In addition to former contestants Sabrina Bryan and Jennie Garth, four DWTS regulars -- including Cheryl Burke and Kym "Tina Sparkle" Johnson -- will be on hand.

Except for Ms. Johnson, who's presumably in town to rehearse current partner Donny Osmond, the quartet is available because they've all been eliminated. (For instance, Alec Mazo helped Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin dance her way to a premature exit.)

Trouble is, they'll be in the audience and the Wayner will be onstage. Wouldn't you prefer the reverse proposition? And since Newton is strictly a short-term proposition for the Trop (six months and out), would it be too much to hope for a Vegas offshoot of DWTS as his successor?

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Moral: A posh accent may make you sound smart but does not confer actual knowledge upon you.

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"Steve Wynn was the worst offender on that score. Last year, he used his aircraft for a $1 million of personal travel, which Wynn [Resorts] shareholders paid for. To do $1 million worth of travel, I worked it out that you’d have to fly to Hawaii and back every week for a year to rack that kind of a cost up." -- investor activist Eric Jackson, founder of Ironfire Capital, on the subject excessive perks in the casino industry.

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The time has come, the walrus said, to switch over to WordPress, so regularly scheduled S&G mirth and merriment will be temporarily suspended whilst we learn the new setup. My apologies for the temporary lack of service.

Secondly, thanks to those of you who have been e-mailing Question of the Day suggestions. However ...
... the keeper of the QoDs, Webmistress Jessica, requests that you fine ladies and gentlemen use the regular question-submission form (found here) rather than employing S&G as a back channel. I apologize if this causes any inconvenience or hard feelings, but that's the word from upstairs.

Well, actually, it's from downstairs -- but you know what I mean. Anyway, I'd like to keep the people who sign my paychecks happy, so I'd be much obliged if you'd do as the lady requests. Are we OK?

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"For some people, just being a woman is a pre-existing condition." -- Dr. Nancy Snyderman on the subject of HMOs and their propensity to cover Viagra ... but not in-vitro fertilization or birth control pills.

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Penn National Gaming "has not lost its senses and, [contends] that at the right price and through the right vehicle (and only with a sizable strategic partner who would bring something special to the project, presumably some hotel experience), its involvement in Fountainebleau could make sense.” -- quote from Penn's 3Q09 earnings report, according to J.P. Morgan analyst Joseph Greff. This is the first we're hearing about joint-venture F-bleau partners, though.

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