Category Archives: Entertainment

Trouble at Wynncore; ‘Phantom’ exorcised

Posted on January 12, 2012 by David McKee

Steve Wynn (no introduction required) and old pal — and major investor — Kazuo Okada are having a falling-out that spilled into the files of the SEC. Okada has lined up heavyweight Las Vegas law firm Lionel Sawyer & Collins … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Entertainment, Harrah's, International, Macau, MGM Mirage, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Wall Street | 2 Comments

Hans Klok, come back!

Posted on January 6, 2012 by David McKee

Sometimes one experiences an experience so awful that its sheer awfulness is awfully far beyond the power of words to describe. That’s what happened last night at the premiere of Vegas Magic Theatre at Gold Coast. (How bad was it? … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Donald Trump, Downtown, Entertainment, Florida, Isle of Capri, The Strip | 1 Comment

The Last Hoot

Posted on January 5, 2012 by David McKee

I’m whaling away on a couple of non-gaming fronts today but I wanted to at least drop in and say that Hooters Casino Hotel goes on the block next month, so bust open your piggy banks. But seriously … Creditor-in-Chief … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Current, Entertainment, Hooters, Station Casinos, The Strip | Comments Off

Vegas’ newest low-roller joint; Is the Lion extinct?; Another classy Sands moment

Posted on January 4, 2012 by David McKee

Move over, Longhorn and Vegas Club. The spirit of Nevada Palace (R.I.P.) hath descended upon the Palms. If recent sackings of Bunny dealers portended a sea change at the former George Maloof property, during my latest visit I practically collided … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Current, Dining, Entertainment, George Maloof, Harrah's, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Pennsylvania, Sheldon Adelson, The Strip | 3 Comments

Iowa’s biggest loser …

Posted on January 4, 2012 by David McKee

… is Texas. With the presidential aspirations of Gov. Rick Perry (R) tottering on their penultimate leg, that’s very bad news for Lone Star State lawmakers who’d like to pass casinos — or at least racinos — into law. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Current, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Louisiana, MGM Mirage, Oklahoma, Penn National, Racinos, Sahara, Sports, Texas, The Strip, TV | 2 Comments

Merry Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2011 by David McKee

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. José Feliciano …

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‘Twas the night before Christmas Eve

Posted on December 23, 2011 by David McKee

For those of you who have to work on the holidays …

Posted in Entertainment | 2 Comments

A very Vegas “Nutcracker”; The vanishing Bob Earl

Posted on December 15, 2011 by David McKee

Well, slightly Vegas anyway. Holly Madison has managed to become the single most ubiquitous celebrity in town (unless you count food-stained wretch Robin Leach, which I don’t). This year, she’s gracing Nevada Ballet Theater‘s The Nutcracker, which is playing a … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, Entertainment, Harrah's, MGM Mirage, Planet Hollywood, The Strip | Comments Off

[your restaurant here]

Posted on December 8, 2011 by David McKee

Leave it to the marketing geniuses at Comme ça (in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas) to come up with the dopiest — no, not “dopest,” dopiest — publicity photo of 2011. How do you publicize your fine, French bistro where … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmopolitan, Dining, Entertainment, Marketing, The Strip | 2 Comments

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

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

Casinos in Kentucky … soon?; Tenants to Sands: Let my people go!

Posted on December 2, 2011 by David McKee

Per S&G‘s prediction, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) wasted little time after winning reelection before resuming his push for casino legalization. You’d never think that he beat opponent state Senate President David Williams (R) like a drum at the ballot … Continue reading →

Posted in Current, Dining, Economy, Election, Entertainment, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Sheldon Adelson, Station Casinos, Taxes, The Strip | Comments Off

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

“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

Morgans: They’re baaaaaaack!; Un-win at Cosmo

Posted on November 18, 2011 by David McKee

Just when you thought it was safe to invest in Las Vegas again, the city went to bed last night to the news that masters of disaster Morgans Hotel Group had purchased nightclub operator Light Group. Given Morgans’ propensity for … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd Gaming, Cosmopolitan, Current, Entertainment, Florida, Marketing, MGM Mirage, Morgans Hotel Group, Sahara, Technology, The Strip, Tribal, Wall Street | 2 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

There’s life after the Mob Experience

Posted on November 1, 2011 by David McKee

So the Las Vegas Mob Experience has sacked 90% of its staff, cut ticket prices by 75% (making it a bargain play), had its malfunctioning “interactive” exhibits repossessed by a creditor, closed off the theme-park portion of the attraction and … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Yemenidjian, Current, Entertainment, The Mob, The Strip, Tourism | 1 Comment

Quotations from Chairman Steve; Elvis catches fire

Posted on October 26, 2011 by David McKee

Perhaps due to his eagerness to get Wynn Cotai jump-started, Steve Wynn has become an even more pliant sock puppet for China‘s central government than was Sheldon Adelson. It must be a source of great amusement among the ruling elite … Continue reading →

Posted in Cordish Co., Current, Economy, Entertainment, Harrah's, International, Macau, Maryland, Penn National, Pennsylvania, Racinos, Regulation, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Taxes, TV, West Virginia | 3 Comments