Category Archives: Cirque du Soleil

Blast from the Past

Posted on December 7, 2011 by David McKee

This week finds me up to my butt in page proofs of Rick Lax‘s forthcoming book, I Get Paid for This, a Michael Jackson The [sic] Immortal World Tour™ review for WizardOfVegas.com, profiles of developer Brett Torino and Mayor Carolyn … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Cirque du Soleil, Columbia Sussex, Downtown, Entertainment, Florida, Harrah's, history, James Packer, Lake Tahoe, Massachusetts, Movies, Tamares Group, The Strip | 1 Comment

“Michael Jackson™”: Mortal?

Posted on December 5, 2011 by David McKee

As the reviews trickle in from Saturday night’s Las Vegas premiere of Michael Jackson The IMMORTAL World Tour™ we may be seeing an inversion of the Viva Elvis™ phenomenon. In the latter instance, the out-of-towners raved and local critics yawned. … Continue reading →

Posted in Archon Corp., Cirque du Soleil, Current, Economy, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, The Strip | Comments Off on “Michael Jackson™”: Mortal?

Quote of the Day

Posted on December 5, 2011 by David McKee

“Only Cirque could screw up Elvis in Vegas … I’m from Vegas, and when you are from here, you watch Cirque and you feel like you’ve been raided.” — producer David Saxe, one of the few dissenting voices permitted in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Donald Trump, Entertainment, Marketing, MGM Mirage, The Strip, Wall Street | Comments Off on Quote of the Day

Sam’s Town: Sound and flurries

Posted on November 30, 2011 by David McKee

At the same time the cast of Viva Elvis™ was getting pink-slipped across town, Boyd Gaming was busting out its new-and-improved version of Mystic Falls, the amusement park centerpiece of Sam’s Town. (Or, to use the official nomenclature, “Mystic Falls … Continue reading →

Posted in Boulder Strip, Boyd Gaming, Cirque du Soleil, Dining, Entertainment, Oscar Goodman, Station Casinos | Comments Off on Sam’s Town: Sound and flurries

“Viva Elvis™”: It’s leaving the building

Posted on November 29, 2011 by David McKee

You’ve got slightly more than a year to catch Viva Elvis™, which Cirque du Soleil® will put out of its box office misery (60% attendance) at the end of 2012, seven years short of its planned, decade-long run. According to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, The Strip | 2 Comments

Election update: Evening the score; A Wynn-Winn situation

Posted on November 21, 2011 by David McKee

It’s five o’clock in Shreveport … or soon will be. Voters in Bossier Parish handed the casino industry a belated 2011 “win,” balancing the ledger in an otherwise disappointing electoral cycle. A Margaritaville-branded casino (employing a Lake Charles boat purchased … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Dining, Election, Entertainment, Harrah's, Isle of Capri, Louisiana, Marketing, Pinnacle Entertainment, Steve Wynn, The Strip, Tropicana Entertainment | 5 Comments

Coming soon …

Posted on November 9, 2011 by David McKee

Just when Dr. Conrad Murray was safely behind bars and you thought the Michael Jackson postmortem couldn’t get any squickier, Cirque du Soleil busted out … fetish gear! This is a brief snippet from The Immortal World Tour, which plays … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Entertainment, MGM Mirage, TV | Comments Off on Coming soon …

Ka-BOOM!

Posted on August 15, 2011 by David McKee

This just in: The race to become the first Strip hotel to be demolished without ever having opened has been won by … The Harmon. Details are sketchy but MGM Resorts International‘s decision will surprise few. Allegedly culpable Perini Building … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Current, MGM Mirage, The Strip | 1 Comment

Elvis & Eva have left the building

Posted on August 10, 2011 by David McKee

Two axes fell upon CityCenter in one day. It’s tough to decide which is more newsworthy. I’ll go with the Beso story because it has a not-so-hidden upside. Golden Nugget CEO Tilman Fertitta is feeling sufficiently bullish to plant his … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Columbia Sussex, Current, Dining, Economy, Entertainment, International, Marketing, Massachusetts, Texas, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism | 1 Comment

Ruffin it; Atlantic City: up in smoke?

Posted on May 31, 2011 by David McKee

“Nightclubs — we just didn’t fare well with them. There are so many nightclubs. Everyone’s got just one or two. Ours were just marginal.” That’s Treasure Island owner Phil Ruffin‘s argument for repositioning the pirate place for a mid-market, middle-aged … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic City, Boyd Gaming, Cirque du Soleil, Dennis Gomes, Donald Trump, Economy, Entertainment, Environment, Hard Rock Hotel, Harrah's, history, Horseracing, Kansas, Macau, Marketing, Massachusetts, Morgans Hotel Group, New York, Pennsylvania, Phil Ruffin, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Station Casinos, The Strip, Tilman Fertitta, Tourism, Tribal, Wall Street, Warner Gaming | 1 Comment

“Rat Pack” on the move?

Posted on May 27, 2011 by David McKee

Rumor has it that The Rat Pack is Back is going to pull up stakes from the Union Plaza and take root at The Rio, where it will follow Larry Marshak‘s ersatz Platters/Coasters/Marvellettes revue in the Crown Theater. I’m not … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Donald Trump, Downtown, Entertainment, Harrah's, Marketing, Phil Ruffin, Riviera, Sahara, Tamares Group, The Strip, Tourism, TV | Comments Off on “Rat Pack” on the move?

Trump plays the Strip

Posted on April 25, 2011 by David McKee

It looks like Phil Ruffin tired of Mystere and needed a new clown show. In other news: Bad tidings for Steve Wynn; his presidential candidate of choice, Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) is folding his tent.

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Donald Trump, Election, Entertainment, Marketing, Phil Ruffin, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 8 Comments

Caught between a skank and a Hard Rock; Kasich vs. casinos

Posted on April 11, 2011 by David McKee

Morgans Hotel Group may have skedaddled out of Las Vegas, tail firmly between legs, but it’s not free of trouble linked to its calamitous Sin City sojourn. During Morgans stewardship of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, it offered $300,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Economy, Entertainment, Florida, Harrah's, Illinois, Indiana, International, Internet gambling, Iowa, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Ohio, Penn National, Politics, Racinos, Regulation, Steve Wynn, Taxes, The Strip, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Cantor’s new brand: Slots for tots

Posted on April 6, 2011 by David McKee

Other than as a medium for sports betting, mobile-gambling devices have resolutely failed to catch on in Las Vegas casinos. Provider/operator Cantor Gaming has made a few inroads but mostly at one-off properties like M Resort and the Hard Rock … Continue reading →

Posted in Cantor Gaming, Cirque du Soleil, Cosmopolitan, Cretins, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Hard Rock Hotel, Harrah's, Internet gambling, M Resort, Midnight Jim Gibbons, Politics, Problem gambling, Regulation, Reno, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Technology, The Strip | 2 Comments

Just another night at Aria

Posted on March 18, 2011 by David McKee

This TV spot has been out a while but I didn’t chance upon it until I was home yesterday, nursing a Combo Meal of maladies. Isn’t it nice that that the oversexed young couple has 4,000-room Aria all to themselves? … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Current, Dining, Marketing, MGM Mirage, TV | 1 Comment

The second coming

Posted on March 16, 2011 by David McKee

To follow the local media, you’d think Jesus Christ was returning to Earth at Caesars Palace. Instead, it’s Céline Marie Claudette Dion, who owns a just slightly smaller fanbase. Back when her first Caesars residency was announced, at a time … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Current, Economy, Encore, Harrah's, history, The Strip, Tourism, TV | 8 Comments

Macao rally boosts Sands, Wynn & Melco; No “Triumph” at Hilton

Posted on February 28, 2011 by David McKee

Publicly traded casino operators in Macao got a dose of good news today. A late-month rally in play means another record month at the tables, a 51% increase from last year. Roughly half the $2.5 billion haul will be divided … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Colony Capital, Cordish Co., Current, Detroit, Economy, Entertainment, Macau, Maryland, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Penn National, Sheldon Adelson, Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn | Comments Off on Macao rally boosts Sands, Wynn & Melco; No “Triumph” at Hilton

Las Vegas Sands: Who’s minding the store?

Posted on February 15, 2011 by David McKee

Investors would do well to ask that, not least because of CEO Sheldon Adelson‘s attitude of, ‘The buck stops here … except when it doesn’t.’ To hear Adelson tell it, everything that goes awry at Las Vegas Sands and Sands … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Genting, James Packer, Lawrence Ho, Macau, Marketing, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Pansy Ho, Politics, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Singapore, Sports, Stanley Ho, Station Casinos, Steve Wynn, Technology, The Mob, Tourism, Wall Street | Comments Off on Las Vegas Sands: Who’s minding the store?

The case of the ‘missing’ Moore; Waiting for Macao

Posted on January 20, 2011 by David McKee

Recent photo coverage of the makeover of CityCenter‘s famous/notorious “pocket park” made it appear as though the Henry Moore sculpture (best thing in CityCenter, IMO) had gone missing. Was MGM Resorts International retreating from its commitment to public after a … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, CityCenter, Current, Entertainment, history, Lake Tahoe, Macau, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Reno, The Strip | 1 Comment

Saved!

Posted on January 12, 2011 by David McKee

Illinois‘ casino industry just dodged a bullet the size of a 747 when the lower house failed to bring a gaming-expansion bill to a vote last night. A new Legislature is sworn in today, sending this colossally bad and ill-timed … Continue reading →

Posted in Cirque du Soleil, Current, Economy, Entertainment, Florida, Harrah's, Illinois, Internet gambling, Macau, Melco Crown Entertainment, Pennsylvania, Politics, Problem gambling, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, The Strip | 4 Comments