“I’m not dead yet!”

Taking its cue from Monty Python‘s interpretation of the death of Mary, Queen of Scots, management of the Riviera refuses to roll over and die. Its latest enhancement is somewhat out of the box as far as Strip watering holes go: a quasi-British pub promising “pints, footy and bangers.” The brainchild of a chef (Mark McGarry), a tattoo designer (Nick Elliot) and a butcher (Nick Jones), Queen Victoria’s British Pub opened late last month and has no doubt been resounding with the sound of the vuvuzela, as a full slate of World Cup games was promised.

(I recently heard an audio clip of two vuvuzelas attempting Maurice Ravel‘s Bolero. Too funny … but not half as hilarious as page of music paper purporting to be the opening of a vuvuzela concerto: bar after bar of whole notes on the same pitch, with a crescendo here and a luftpause there to mix it up.)

Hall of Fame redux? A quiet casualty of Aztar Corp.’s benign neglect of the Tropicana Las Vegas was the Casino Legends Hall of Fame. However, it may be down but not out. Owner Steven Cutler has published an open solicitation for “a gaming company, or individual investors, who may be interested in further developing the brand into a world-class attraction.”

This is, in my experience, highly unusual (trawling for investors via press release). Cutler promises a high-tech experience in his resurrected Hall of Fame, although that would appear to depend on the depth of the pockets he’s able to loosen. CityCenter could use something, anything to pump life into Crystals but would probably look down on the project, as would Steve Wynn. Over at Harrah’s Entertainment, they promise much, deliver little — and have a bagful of money problems of their own. The Sahara has space aplenty but an empty wallet, judging by the relentless downsizing of the property. The Las Vegas Hilton still hasn’t found anything to take the place of Star Trek: The Experience but, again, you have ownership (Colony Capital) that is loath to reinvest in its properties.

Boyd Gaming has money but no Strip presence. Phil Ruffin might roll the dice on a project like this; he’s not constrained by conventional thinking but may be hamstrung for space. Perhaps next-door neighbor Sheldon Adelson might be tractable: He needs an attraction to push more traffic through his Venelazzo complex but he’s been burnt on the museum front a few times already. It seems as though Cutler — and his 100,000-piece collection of casino memorabilia — are the right idea at the wrong moment. Which is a crying shame. But let’s keep our fingers crossed.