Suicide Sharron; Gossy-ness is back; Borgata’s buyer unmasked

Sharron Angle‘s latest kamikaze dive into the CityCenter aircraft carrier has sparked quite a bit of discussion in the S&G “Comments” threads. A couple of things spring to mind. One, if she is now alleging that MGM Resorts International imported 6,500 workers to fill jobs at CityCenter (perhaps smuggled in from — gasp! — Canada), what then are we to make of her previous claim (read: lie) that CityCenter generated no “real jobs,” merely “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic“?

Also, if Angle is making oblique references to eliminating the IRS, that means she’s probably pledged allegiance to the “Fair [sic] Tax Act,” which would replace income taxes with a 30% federal income tax. (Holy recessionary impact, Batman!) Maybe Angle’s not read the proposal, although it’s pretty short. My breakdown of it has been “scrubbed” from the Las Vegas Weekly Web site, alas. Anyway, one of the FTA’s salient poinst is that any business income derived from gambling would not be rebate-eligible … the only form of business income stigmatized thusly. Somebody’s making an Important Social Statement here and if Angle really would support this “Fuck you!” to Nevada’s leading industry, you have to question why anybody in the casino business — or anybody whose commerce is reliant upon casinos — would vote for her.

(Update: It finally happened. A high-profile Angle supporter proposed erecting a concentration camp outside Las Vegas. Seriously.)

Israeli mentalist Lior Suchard is a jerk, picking my wife out of a crowd on Tuesday night and asking her some very uncomfortable questions. How appropriate, then, that he’s playing “The Gossy Room,” sometimes known as the lounge at the Palms. Since the S&G dictionary’s definitions of “gossy” include “lametastic beyond description,” Suchard’s definitely found the right venue. His act consists of feeble shtick that Gerry McCambridge stopped doing in junior high. Here’s a hint, Lior: If you have to keep saying, “This is very, very, very, very weird, people,” it’s not weird at all.

Earth to MGM, Earth to MGM … come in, MGM. Fantasy has been headlined by Lorena Peril (who’s fantastic, by the way) for 11 weeks now. Recycled Percussion abruptly closed last week. However, the Excalibur and MGM Grand jumbotrons, respectively, continue to tout gone and half-forgotten Fantasy star Angelica Bridges and — you guessed it — Recycled Percussion. Call it “false advertising” or “bait and switch” or, most likely, simple ineptitude; the bottom line is that this unending farce makes MGM look like a company that can’t even tie its shoelaces. The Great Recession has become an excuse for all manner of slackness and slovenliness in Las Vegas, and MGM is no exception.

Speaking of MGM, its prospective suitor for Borgata has been revealed as investor Leonard Green. Judging by the names in Green’s portfolio, he’s no bottom-feeder, nor would Boyd Gaming have to share power with a rival gaming company. What’s not to like? Since Green’s purchase offer includes assuming half of $1.7 billion Borgata’s debt, he’s essentially pledging $687.5 million for his 50% stake — or 3.4X EBITDA. That’s still a pretty sweet deal for Green and helps illustrate why it’s been so difficult for MGM CEO Jim Murren to peddle assets in the present market. As for Boyd, it’s probably heaving a sigh of relief that, say, Penn National Gaming didn’t try to muscle in on Borgata, thereby forcing Boyd to exercise its purchase option. My best guess? Green gets it.

Partial demolition of the north motel wing of the Tropicana Las Vegas has been progressing for the last week or so. If memory serves, this will become a new grand foyer to Tropicana Avenue, part of CEO Alex Yemenidjian‘s ongoing conversion of moribund space into new amenities. The casino floor is now so white-on-white you’d think a Clockwork Orange retheming was being installed. Few Vegas casinos have actually improved their appearance during the last two years but the Trop is definitely leading the pack.