On the heels of Five Guys' opening a large branch at the Grand Canal Shoppes, complete with a full bar, the burger chain will open another casino outlet at the Plaza this summer. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the 2,200-square-foot restaurant will seat 60 with an outdoor patio and will be Five Guys' 12th location in Nevada.
We're a little behind the curve on this one, but Infinity Museum opened in the Boulevard Mall on S. Maryland Parkway in late August. Even if you enjoy digital immersive attractions, this one looks unlike anything you’ve seen before, with the world’s largest walk-in kaleidoscope and dodecahedron infinity rooms. The website claims, perhaps without too much hyperbole, that "every selfie is a masterpiece." Infinity Museum is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and tickets cost $30 for adults, $20 for children. Get a gander of some of the attractions at the website.
It's all over but the shouting: Klint Kubiak, the Super Bowl-bound offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, will be named the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after the Big Game. Kubiak, 38, is the son of former NFL coach Gary Kubiak and played safety for Colorado State. He's been a coach with the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, and New Orleans Saints, but this will be his first stint as a head coach.
Calling him "the last of a dying breed in Las Vegas: the independent casino mogul," Forbes.com posted a profile of Derek Stevens in its "Daily Cover" feature. The high concept: Stevens and his younger brother Greg "took a big gamble on remaking downtown Las Vegas. They now have a portfolio of properties worth more than $1 billion." It's worth a read if you have a spare 10 minutes.
The big national entertainment news so far this week is that Sylvester Stallone's production company is adapting the book Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas Poker into a television series. The screen treatment of Doug Swanson's book has long been rumored and it now looks official. Cole Hauser, known for his rugged roles, particularly as the fiercely loyal Rip Wheeler in the hit Paramount series "Yellowstone," will star as a young Binion, as he "helps shape modern day Vegas, for better or worse." Deadline wrote, "The upcoming portrayal of Binion will capture his unapologetically bold style, from violently outsmarting rivals to building a family empire and bending the law to his will." No timetable has been released thus far.
Last month came in as the fifth-warmest January in Las Vegas in 89 years, since temperature records began to be kept in 1937. The average temperature was 52.1 degrees, 2.6 degrees warmer than normal. Precipitation totaled only 0.14 of an inch, .42 of an inch below the long-term average. As for February, the normal range of high and low temperatures provides for comfortable outdoor experiences, with highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s; the averages are 63 and 41 degrees. The record highs and lows, however, can veer wildly in either direction. The record high for the month is a sweltering (for February) 87, set on the 26th in 1986, while the record low is a chilling (even for February) 16, reached on the 7th (1989). February typically sees the most precipitation of any month of the year, .7 of an inch.
Talk about a big move. AREA15 has announced that it will add nine eateries to its roster of a dozen or so, all in the second quarter of this year. The new places will be Alien Pizza Party, The Bowl (with high-tech robots preparing the food), Chilangos Tacos, Cosmic Pretzel, Fuku (from Momofuku's David Chang), Good Company Burgers, Museum of Ice Cream, Nacho Daddy, and Saint Honoré Doughnuts & Beignets.
The Westgate will host the Las Vegas premiere of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, the new film from Oscar-nominated director Baz Luhrmann. The screening will take place on Tuesday February 10 at 7 p.m. in the International Theater, the very stage where Elvis made entertainment history by selling out 636 performances. And though the showing is sold out, this premiere gives us a chance to report that the film will hit IMAX theaters on Feb. 20 and regular theaters on Feb. 27.
An excellent animated YouTube video tells the 26-minute story of how Tommy Glen Carmichael, a locksmith and TV repairman from Tulsa, Oklahoma, turned himself into the most successful slot machine cheater in history. For 16 years, he engineered a series of homemade devices so powerful they fooled casinos in Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, and cruise ships, earning him more than $16 million — before the FBI finally caught up. It was the longest running (known) casino heist ever. After his arrest, Tommy became a paid consultant, hired by the casinos he once robbed, to help them stop cheaters like him. The documentary breaks down the entire timeline: Tommy's introduction to the cheating world, his invention of the devices, his methods and evasion tactics, the FBI operation, and the final deal that changed the casino industry forever. We highly recommend this well-done video, total edge-of-the-seat stuff. (And thanks once again to Canada Roy for finding and sharing it.)
Scotty's Castle in Death Valley National Park closed in October 2015 following a massive flash flood that severely damaged the infrastructure and roads. Then in 2021, the visitor center caught fire. Earlier this month, the famous castle in the middle of nowhere reopened on a limited basis for "flood-recovery tours" on select Sundays between Jan. 4 to March 29 for $35 per person. But in a sign of how high interest remains in Scotty's, all the $35 flood-recovery tours are sold out. No word on when or whether more will be added, but we expect they will be; all the proceeds are going toward completing the restoration, which will cost around $90 million and take several more years to complete.
Carlos Alcaraz is a -310 favorite over Novak Djokovic in today’s Australian Open men's tennis final. Djokovic is seeking his 11th Australian Open title and a 25th major win. Alcaraz is going for his first Australian Open title, which would give him the career Grand Slam, winning all four majors, and his seventh major title overall. Note, this line was posted with the match in progress.