Access Vegas Insider Vibe – February 20, 2008

AccessVegas.com Insider Vibe

Welcome to the Insider Vibe! This is the official newsletter of AccessVegas.Com. We talk about the Las Vegas activities you really care about.

---

Book Online or over the phone! Call 800-696-5721 to book all Las Vegas Hotels, Shows, Nightlife, Tours and Golf. We live here. We know Las Vegas!

AccessVegas.com Quick Info Menu:

Las Vegas Essentials Las Vegas Hotels Las Vegas Shows Headliners and Concerts Limos, Airport Transfers Local Business Directory Las Vegas Nightlife (VIP and Table Reservations) Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties Las Vegas and Grand Canyon Tours Access Vegas Myspace Page

Featured Shows Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular Blue Man Group Stomp Out Loud Mamma Mia! Monty Python’s Spamalot Photos and Wallpaper Las Vegas Photos (Send A Free E-Card!) Wallpaper and Screensavers

Newkirk’s Notes – comments on Las Vegas from AccessVegas.Com publisher Ted Newkirk:

Hello From Las Vegas! Running a little late this week. We have been hard at work on a Vegas online map that should pretty much blow everything else out of the water. Some Las Vegas maps only show where the hotels are and others are far too general. We’ve taken your feedback to heart and think you’ll be thrilled with this new feature. We’re hoping (knock on wood) to debut it in about three weeks.

Click on above photo to view photo set

We have some great new photos of Caesars Palace in our photo Gallery! Flip through them and maybe you’ll find that slot machine you enjoyed, and remember that sports bet you placed, see the restaurant or lounge you enjoyed. Or… get pumped up for your next visit!

Las Vegas Nightclub Offices Raided By IRS – We occasionally get notes from people who want to know what the secrets are to getting into the major Las Vegas nightclubs. The answer is simple: Cash. And, all this cash has attracted the attention of the IRS:

• Offices of Pure nightclub targeted by IRS agents
• Feds take a look at LV cash flow

We’ll follow up as the story develops. It has never been a secret that the nightclubs seem only second to gambling as a cash cow in Las Vegas and the tips in that industry can be second to none.

Jimmy Hopper Returns – All-around singer and magician Jimmy Hopper is a favorite of long-time readers. Many times a year, we get a “what is up with Jimmy Hopper” email. After being gone from town for three years (he was a mainstay in the Fontana Lounge at Bellagio), he’ll now be performing in the Lava Lounge at Trader Vic’s (Planet Hollywood) Thursday through Sunday nights. He starts February 21’st. Welcome back Jimmy!

Last couple of issues, we have reported on the five year anniversary of Mamma Mia! here in Las Vegas. A tremendous run indeed! Mamma Mia! (Tickets) companies from around the world sent their best wishes and congratulations on this amazing milestone and you can view the video at http://www.mamma-mia.com/lasvegas5anniversary.asp

Click on above photo to view photo set

The Las Vegas NASCAR race is less than two weeks away. This is by far one of the biggest events of the year. The race is usually sold out and hosts one of the biggest crowds of any race on the NASCAR circuit. NASCAR Las Vegas Tickets: Las Vegas Pole Day, Sam’s Town 300, UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400

We made a photo run and grabbed some great photos of the interior of the NASCAR Cafe at The Sahara. Lots of full size replica cars, memorabilia, and the food/drink isn’t too bad. However… if you are coming in for the race, skip it. Enjoy the photos for now, and enjoy the actual Cafe another time. Just about everybody (literally) in town over race weekend is a NASCAR fan and you don’t want to fight anymore crowds than you’ll always have to.

PS I won’t call it The Sprint Cup. Sprint cell phones seem to have the worst reception in Las Vegas and their customer service is terrible.

Las Vegas Native Kurt Busch Meet/Greets – The driver of the Miller Lite #2 Dodge car is doing two meet and greets in conjunction with NASCAR weekend. The first one will be on February 28 at PT’s Sierra Gold Ultra-Tavern, 6515 S. Jones Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89118 from 7 – 9 PM (limited to the first 300 people in line). The second will be at The Palms, February 29 from 7:30 – 9:00 PM.

The Podcast Finally Returns… We’ve dusted off all the equipment, tested everything, and the Insider Vibe Podcast will return in about 10 days. So please… no more emails about bringing it back. We appreciate the interest, and are extremely close to cranking it up.

Enjoy This Issue!

Ted Newkirk
CEO/Managing Editor

Associate Editor: Amy Rayner-Cooley
News Researcher/Editor: Mark Jacobs

---

MAMMA MIA!, the longest-running, most successful Broadway musical to play the Las Vegas Strip, marks its fifth anniversary this week. (Tickets) To celebrate, Mayor Oscar Goodman took chance as a spandex-savvy Dynamo. – The show opened in the ‘entertainment capital of the world’ on February 13, 2003 and set a new house record within a week of opening at the Mandalay Bay Theatre. In five successful years it has played almost 2,000 performances and been seen by more than 2,000,000 people in Las Vegas.Las Vegas Strip To Host NASCAR Hauler Parade On Feb. 28 – On Thursday, Feb. 28, the colorful NASCAR team haulers, transporting the Sprint Cup race cars that will compete later that week, will parade north on the Strip. The transporters will be staged at approximately 2:30 p.m. at the south end of The Strip. The haulers will then move north using the middle lane of northbound Las Vegas Boulevard.

The haulers will proceed the roughly five miles to Sahara Avenue before returning to Interstate 15 and the short ride north to the speedway. Race fans will be able to watch the hauler parade from both sides of the Strip and from any of the properties along Las Vegas Boulevard.

Our tip? The convoy is expected to start rolling and will have a police escort (no red lights) so the entire trip is only going to take 15-20 minutes. I’d be on the east side of The Strip no later than 2:45 PM.

Panic At The Disco To Perform At The Pearl At The Palms June 13 – The Honda Civic Tour returns to the Palms Casino Resort featuring Panic at the Disco. (Tickets) Along with special guests Motion City Soundtrack, The Hush Sound and Phantom Planet; Panic will perform inside The Pearl Concert Theater on Friday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m. Las Vegas natives Panic at the Disco made their debut in 2005 releasing the album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. Their single, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” became a hit on the music charts and propelled the band into stardom. Click to Read The Full Story …

Get Your Motor Running, Head Out To Fremont Street Experience Looking For Adventure At Race Jam – The Fremont Street Experience roars its engine for the annual Race Jam beginning Friday, February 29. The racing weekend will feature free live concerts, NASCAR merchandise booths and plenty of fast-paced fun. (NASCAR Tickets) The annual Race Jam brings two days of rocking entertainment to Fremont Street with Blake Shelton, LoCash Cowboys, Bruce In the USA and Garage Boys.

Bellagio Gallery Of Fine Art To Present ‘American Modernism’ Beginning February 2008 – Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art will showcase the best of “American Modernism” February 8 through October 15, 2008. Organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), the exhibition will feature masterworks by American modernists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Stuart Davis, Marsden Hartley, Arshile Gorky and others. An engaging retrospective, the carefully chosen display will showcase more than 30 of the MFA’s most renowned paintings. The contemporary presentation will advance Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art’s dedication to enhancing the cultural landscape of Las Vegas. Click to Read The Full Story …

Gambling Talk: Video Keno – Part Five – with Victor H. Royer. Top and Bottom Keno – This is quite a popular game, one that got its video version interest from the Lounge Keno version. In the Lounge Keno game, there are two versions of precisely this same game. The original version was the classic Top/Bottom ticket, where you bet on how many numbers would appear either at the “top” of the ticket — the “top” numbers 1-through-40 as shown on the ticket layout — versus the “bottom” portion of the ticket, showing the numbers 41-through-80, as printed on the keno tickets, and as being displayed on the keno board, and also on Video Keno screens. Click to Read Complete Article…

---

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

I absolutely wait for your newsletter each week. I’m flabbergasted it’s free but I love that because it is the best source of unbiased reporting of all things Vegas around. I make one to two trips a year to Vegas and read a Vegas paper everyday but your newsletter keeps me up on what to do and what to avoid when in Vegas. Bravo!

Michael,

I’m flabbergasted we can do this also! I keep telling Mark and Amy (who do so much of the news research and story prep) and all of the new writers coming on board that the newsletter is at no charge so they should work for free. For some crazy reason, they don’t quite go along with that one.

In reality, we all do work very hard and appreciate the great advertisers like Las Vegas Hotel Deals, Blue Man Group, Stomp Out Loud, Mamma Mia!, Monty Python’s Spamalot and Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular.

á

Two huge things that you and every single reader can do which will help us maintain the sheer amount and quality of our information, and keep it all completely free:

• Please tell as many people as possible about our newsletter. They can sign up on any page of AccessVegas.com and check us out. If it isn’t their thing, we have a working unsubscribe button at the bottom of every newsletter.The costs to produce the newsletter are pretty much fixed. We might as well have as many people as possible reading, which keeps our advertisers happy. Happy advertisers pay the bills and the newsletter remains available to all!
• Patronize the advertisers and booking information listed here in the newsletter and at AccessVegas.com. We only work with top hotel providers and shows. The biggest Las Vegas shows advertiser here, often with discounts to our readers (see the upper right sidebar on this newsletter).Las Vegas Hotel Deals has some of the best prices you will find anywhere, for every major Las Vegas hotel. You can kill two birds with one stone by getting some great rates and show prices, and showing your appreciation for the top Las Vegas companies and shows that keep this newsletter coming your way.

---

Seeking Vegas Family for Prime Time!My name is Rachelle Mendez, Casting Associate Producer for Wife Swap (airing on ABC). I work with families to learn how their households run, what their philosophies are, to answer any questions about the show, and hopefully help families get cast on the show!I am currently hoping to cast from Vegas who embodies the Vegas lifestyle. Maybe you know a family who works in the gaming industry. Maybe you’ve moved your family to Vegas because you’re following a dream that you can only achieve in Las Vegas.Wife Swap is a hit family program airing on Disney-owned ABC. The show focuses on different family dynamics and parenting philosophies across the country.

This is a unique opportunity that can be life changing experience for everyone involved. We hope this is an experience where families share their lifestyle and experience a different family’s way of doing things.

All families featured on the show receive a $20,000 honorarium.

Potential families can live anywhere in the United States, but we ask that families applying for the show consist of two parents and have at least one child, age 5 or older, living at home.

To submit for the show please call: 646-747-7948, or email a family photo and description to: rachelle.mendez@rdfusa.com

Thank you!
Rachelle Mendez
Casting Producer
ABC Television’s “Wife Swap”/RDF Media
1790 Broadway, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 646-747-7948
Email: rachellemendez@gmail.com or rachelle.mendez@rdfusa.com

This sounds really cool, and with so many readers I’m sure there is someone (or someone who knows someone) who would be perfect for this. Plus, the $20,000 for the participants isn’t a bad chunk of change.

á

So Rachel knows you are a legitimate inquiry, make sure you mention that you read about the casting in the AccessVegas.com newsletter. And if you or a friend of yours gets picked, make sure to let us know!

---

Hello,I have a question from this weeks newsletter regarding The Producers ending in February. It seems that Las Vegas shows stick around for a while, and The Producers is closing only after a year. Is there a reason behind that, was it not profitable? If it has to do with profitability, what would this mean for future Broadway shows coming to stay for a long while in Las Vegas? Just curious, thanks for your time.Sandra KorbarThere isn’t any one single answer. Mamma Mia has been successful for years. Phantom is doing solid business, although it is somewhat of a derivative with the theater itself playing a role in providing the wow factor. (We don’t want to ruin it for those who have not seen it).

á

With The Producers, a run of a year isn’t bad. Shows that are complete failures don’t last that long. Numerous factors go into a show having a buzz and being successful. Just as one can’t pick a guaranteed winning slot machine ahead of time, there is no way to know what works in Las Vegas until someone tries it.

---

More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

• The 43rd Annual Academy Of Country Music« Awards Country Music’s Party Of The Year To Be Held Sunday, May 18, 2008 At MGM Grand Garden ArenaAcademy of Country Music Awards Tickets

• Comedian Howie Mandel Performs At The Mirage April 18 – 19, 2008Howie Mandel Tickets

• Rockstar Taste Of Chaos Tour Comes To The Pearl At The Palms April 8 – Festival Includes Atreyu, Bullet For My Valentine And BlessthefallTaste Of Chaos Tour Tickets

• Cher To Headline The Colosseum At Caesars Palace, Las VegasCher Tickets

• Collective Soul To Perform “Unplugged” Show Inside The Mandalay Bay Theatre Friday, March 28Collective Soul Tickets

• Las Vegas Show ‘Love’ Takes Home 2 GrammysLove Tickets

• Lusty Gusto – ‘Fantasy’ balances nudity, dance, personalityFantasy Tickets

• Monte Carlo to re-open Feb. 15Monte Carlo Resort & Casino Info and Reservations

• The Seventh Annual Pure Aloha Festival Brings The “Hawaii Nei” To The Cannery Casino & Hotel

• Taste Love Potion Number Nine With The Searchers At The Cannery Casino & Hotel On Saturday, April 26

• Boa Steakhouse Earns “Best Romantic Date Spot” Title In Las Vegas By Citysearch

• Stephen Hendee, Be My Suicide February 20 – April 27, 2008

• Keep Memory Alive Raises Millions For The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute

• Mighty Mighty Bosstones To Perform At The Pearl Inside The Palms February 29

• Scene Opens at Treasure Island

• Sushi Roku: Famous Places Attract Famous Faces – Restaurant Brand Draws The Hollywood Elite

• Suite 160 Opens At Mandalay Place

• Get In Your Vehicle To See Ides Of March At The Cannery Casino & Hotel

• Extreme Thing Harnesses Music And Action March 29 – Pennywise Headlines Extreme Sports Music Festival

• Be A Part Of The “Rock And Roll Band” With Fran Cosmo, The Amazing Voice Of Boston At The Cannery Casino & Hotel On Saturday, April 5

• Las Vegas bets big on Lunar New Year

• Las Vegas hotel fire to cost about $100 million

• Power struggle for Hughes’ empire reached epic proportions

• Las Vegas Water Plan Blasted

• Buyers sue Pinnacle Las Vegas condo developers for undone project

• Valley Homeowners May Receive Help

• Hearing opens on plan to pump rural Nevada water to Las Vegas

• Tule Springs a relaxing oasis admist a sea of development

• Las Vegas water source could run dry by 2021

• Median prices fall, supply of homes holds in January

• LV visitor count rises to 39.2 million people in 2007

• Jewelry Center asks judge to settle name dispute with World Market Center

• Opposition heard to water pipeline – Las Vegas input mostly favors plan

• Las Vegas leaders are in a tizzy over multichapel brawls

• Viva budget Las Vegas – beyond the Strip

• Las Vegas Motor Speedway is ‘going green’

• Las Vegas Fattest City 2nd Year In A Row

• Vegas rocker Freddie Bell dies at 76

• AirTran makes seasonal cutback on Vegas routes

• Las Vegas close to getting UFL football franchise

• Six developers submit plans for arena in Las Vegas

• Lake Mead Marina moved

• Visitors to Las Vegas Higher in 2007

• Heidi Fleiss arrested in Nye County

• For Vegas deals, the odds are in your favor

• Visitors to Las Vegas edge 0.7% higher in 2007

• Officials Worry About McCarran Capacity

• Sands says Vegas “recession resistant”

• Moulin Rouge Redux Slated for Las Vegas

• Trial by fire at the Monte Carlo

• New Vegas Restaurants Turn Sexy

• In Las Vegas, chocolate seduces the senses

• Southern Comfort: Flavorful fare at Louis’s Fish Camp bound to keep ’em coming back

• Jimmy John’s may not be gourmet, but they make a fine sandwich

• Vegas Production of ‘The Producers’ Ends

• Cher’s got Vegas, babe, for three years at Caesars

• Siegfried & Roy will return for one night only

Coming Hot Holidays – The following dates are huge times to be in Las Vegas, and rooms are in high demand. Booking in advance is the best way to save. Visit our friends at Las Vegas Hotel Deals and spend one of the following hot dates having fun in Las Vegas:

• St. Patrick’s Day March 17
• Easter Sunday March 23
• Cinco de Mayo May 5
• Mother’s Day May 11
• Victoria Day, Canada May 17-19 (3 day weekend)
• Memorial Day May 24-26 (3 day weekend)
• Father’s Day June 15
• Canada Day, Canada July 1
• Independence Day July 4-6 (3 day weekend)
• Civic Holiday, Canada August 2-4 (3 day weekend)
• Labor Day, U.S August 30-September 1 (3 day weekend)
• Labour Day, Canada August 30-September 1 (3 day weekend)
• Grandparent’s Day September 7
• Jewish New Year September 30
• Yom Kippur October 9
• Columbus Day October 11-13 (3 day weekend)
• Thanksgiving Day, Canada October 11-13 (3 day weekend)
• Halloween October 31
• Veteran’s Day November 11
• Thanksgiving Day November 27-30 (4 day weekend)
• Hanukkah Dec. 22 – Dec. 29
• Christmas December 25
• New Year’s Eve-Day December 31 – January 1
• Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, U.S (Observed) January 19-21 (3 day weekend)
• Chinese/Lunar New Year January 26
• Lincoln’s Birthday, U.S February 12
• Valentine’s Day February 14
• President’s Day, U.S (Observed) February 14-16 (3 day weekend)
• Washington’s Birthday, U.S February 22

Link To Us! – Have a home page, web page, or blog? Link to us, and give yourself and your friends a quick link to find us from your site. Simply link to http://www.accessvegas.com and name the link Access Vegas!

RSS Feed – We now have an RSS/XML feed! Most RSS programs let you visit AccessVegas.com and automatically pull the feed. For those who want to enter it manually, the feed is:
http://www.accessvegas.com/xml/whats-hot.xml

Share the info: Click to Email this newsletter to a friend!

---

For comments or questions regarding our content or this newsletter write us at allvegastv@aol.com.New to the list? See our Newsletter Archives for back issues and subscription info. Don’t hesitate to forward this newsletter to friends and associates.

All contents copyright 2008 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.

February 20, 2008 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us Privacy Policy

Proud Member:

No related links found