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Access Vegas Insider Vibe – December 13, 2006

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

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

Hello From Las Vegas! Our best wishes to Celine Dion who is taking some unscheduled time off to recover from a severe respiratory virus. She’s taking the time needed to heal and rest in anticipation of her 2007 gigs at Caesars. We have Celine tickets on sale through June of 2007, and her replacements (Cher and Bette Midler) have already been signed. If you have been putting off seeing Celine or want to catch the show again, do not delay in getting tickets now. Celine Dion Tickets

The rumble for New Year’s Eve is heating up in a huge way and as now is the norm, $500,000 worth of fireworks will be shot off from hotels all the way up and down The Strip. If being inside at what are sure to be the hottest club parties on the planet, you need to be snapping up tickets or making your bottle/table reservations now. ASAP.

The huge party is the Nightclubs.com Party at the Empire Ballroom and we have that and information on all the New Years Eve Las Vegas Nightclub Parties or we’ll have people on hand to personally help you with the 411 if you call 800-696-5721.

We have a new section for links to stories about the smoking ban at the end of our usual news story links section later in this issue. For those who just want an executive summary:

A judge has temporarily halted enforcement of the new rules until a hearing on the constitutionality of the law has been heard. The anti-smoking forces who wrote the law exempted casinos (nobody would want to take on that fight). But in doing so, the law may unfairly discriminate against the local bar and grills all over Las Vegas (which are essentially min-casinos).

Mayor Oscar Goodman makes it no secret that he loves his martinis. So much that he’s going to teach a one-credit class at Community College of Southern Nevada this February on how to make the perfect martini. (No, this isn’t a joke). Gotta love Vegas!

If you are thinking of coming for New Year’s Eve, it’s time go book. Now. Room prices will only rise, and tickets to the hottest events are already starting to get very tight. We have a ton of links and information in this issue, and as always, your best bet for hotel reservations is Las Vegas Hotel Deals.

Enjoy This Issue!

Important Note: During peak times, some of our news and event story links may take extra time to load. We are working on significant upgrades to handle this increased demand. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience during the extra few seconds a story may take to appear when you click on it.

Summer Ferguson Of ‘Crazy Girls’ In Ballet Number ‘The Heart’ – Summer Ferguson of “Crazy Girls” does “The Heart” the only ballet number in the revamped show that is in its 20th year at the Riviera Hotel & Casino. The 5-foot-9-inch statuesque dancer says, “Performing runs in my family. My mom and aunt were both Lakers’ cheerleaders with Paula Abdul.” I began my dance lessons at age two. I’d like to be a Victoria’s Secret model. After “Crazy Girls” I stay up all night.” With the recent press about the phasing out of shoeshine workers, Summer reports that she used to earn a good living when she was only 16 years old working at the hotels and once got a $2,500 tip. Click to Read The Full Story and Purchase Tickets …

Christina Aguilera At Mandalay Bay – Pop-music star Christina Aguilera launches her 41-city “Back to Basics” 2007 North American tour in February and will bring her high-energy show to the Mandalay Bay Events Center Saturday, March 3. Special guests The Pussycat Dolls, as well as Danity Kane, are scheduled as the opening acts for the evening set to begin at 8 p.m. Click to Read The Full Story and Purchase Tickets …

The Cannery Celebrates Elvis Presley’s Birthday on January 5 and 6 – Friends of Elvis to Make Special Appearance – The Cannery Casino & Hotel celebrates Elvis Presley’s life with a 72nd birthday celebration on January 5 and 6, 2007 hosted by Elvis expert Steve Christopher with special performances by Johnny Fortuno and The Stamps Quartet as well as a meet and greet with friends and co-stars of Elvis Presley. Tickets are $10 at the door and the celebration begins at 8 p.m. Click to Read The Full Story …

Barry Manilow tickets for his long-term engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton are available for his May-through-December 2007 schedule. Click for Barry Manilow Tickets

Dr. Scott Lewis Takes Advantage – Las Vegas will be packed with holiday revelers and a packed town means packed Box Office. Riviera headliner Dr. Scott Lewis reminds, “while most shows are on vacation, I’ll be performing four extra shows between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, each night at 7 p.m. I hope I can mesmerize my holiday visitors on Wednesday through Saturday, December 27, 28, 29 & 30. I meet and greet every audience member after the show. Maybe one day, they’ll be an on-stage participant in my show!” Click to Read The Full Story and Purchase Tickets …

Music Legend Eric Clapton At MGM Grand – Music legend Eric Clapton will return to the United States for the second leg of his 2006-2007 U.S. Tour following a number of sold-out shows overseas. The MGM Grand Garden Arena will host Clapton’s performance Saturday, March 10 at 8 p.m., which will feature Robert Cray as the opening act. Click to Read The Full Story and Purchase Tickets …

One-of-a-Kind Baldwin Piano Painted By Peter Max Available To Highest Bidder For Charity – World-renowned artist Peter Max unveiled a one-of-a-kind Baldwin Baby 5’2″ Grand piano during Thanksgiving weekend at The Art of Peter Max Gallery in the Forum Shops in Las Vegas as part of a charity campaign to raise funds for The Gibson Foundation and Max’s Global Works Foundation. The piano is on display between the hours of 10am and 11pm PT daily. Click to Read The Full Story …

3121 Jazz Cuisine Expands Hours – 3121 Jazz Cuisine and Chef Lena Morgan invite guests to continue the party after experiencing a night on the dance floor in 3121 with a new late nite menu. The new menu will be offered from midnight until 5 am every Friday and Saturday night with Late Nite Snax including crispy plantains with seared diver scallops, Jamaican jerk jam and mango coulis; petite Kobe burgers with Vidalia onions, melted brie cheese and sweet potato fries; Creole spiced seared shrimp with avocado salsa in a tortilla cup; a selection of flat bread pizzas; and much more. Click to Read The Full Story …

Gambling Talk: Playing Big Pairs in Tournaments — Part One – with Victor H. Royer. Over the next series of articles, I am going to ask you to consider some of the big pairs in Poker and how you should (could) play them in poker tournaments. As odd as this may seem, there are many different ways in which you can (or should) play big pairs, including pocket Aces. This also includes hands like Ace-King.

Many players think (feel) that these are the kinds of hands that play themselves. While it may be OK for you to play like that at home, that’s not what you should (ought) to do in poker tournaments. Even big pairs like Aces aren’t always candidates for the same kind of consideration, and most certainly so for poker tournaments. So, here we are going to explore some of the possibilities, and some of the reasons for them. Click to Read Complete Article

Vegas Photo Set Of The Week: Sirens of TI Pirate Show – The Sirens recently celebrated the third anniversary of their free show in from of Treasure Island (TI) Las Vegas. They are taking a couple of weeks but will return strong in time for New Years Eve. In the meantime, enjoy great photos from this popular show.

Vegas Streaming Video Of The Week – Jet Nightclub Grand Opening Preview (December 2005) – One year ago, Jet Nightclub at The Mirage opened to the public with Kid Rock at the turntables. This is Las Vegas and too much of a good thing is never enough, so Kid Rock is back fresh off of his split from Pamela Anderson and he’ll again be hosting the New Year’s Eve party at Jet! Jet Reservations, VIP Tickets and Bottle Service/Table Reservations call 800-696-5721.

  • Click To View Jet Nightclub Grand Opening Preview (December 2005): Broadband (only)

Members Mania – We Love Our Readers!

Readers Write:

Really enjoy the newsletter, finding it very informative.

The thing that bothers me, is, all the old names are dying. The Dunes, Sands and Hacienda have all been razed and the property rebuilt upon with the new properties having new names (not a bad idea when it comes to the Hacienda).

Now it’s Stardust. I used to be a frequent guest and would much rather it retain it’s name, rather than the proposed Echelon Place. This property isn’t changing ownership so a name change will do nothing but distance former patrons.

Thanks

Jim O’Hara

Chicago

Ted Responds:

Having lived here since 1993 (long enough to get used to the actual hotels you are referencing), I couldn’t agree more. In a few more years, most newer visitors and new residents will probably think the street names “Sands” and “Desert Inn” were some cute street names thought up by home developers.

I am pleased to see that Tropicana Ave. will continue to lead to The Tropicana for now (the upgrade of the property by new owners at this time doesn’t appear to involve a name change).

However, I do wish that Venetian owner Sheldon Anderson had done something more to let The Sands name live on (outside of keeping the convention center so named). It would be nice if the Encore addition to Wynn Las Vegas had a “Desert Inn Lounge” and similar with Stardust.

Couple of interesting quick notes:

  • I was among the first to note what a lousy, stupid name Echelon Place is, a comment that is echoed by many local pundits. They still have time to change it and I hope they do.
  • Of all the names you mentioned, The Hacienda actually lives on. A small hotel/casino between Boulder City and Hoover Dam now has the name, as a result of some of the former Hacienda parent company owners being involved the hotel by Hoover Dam.

Bottom line: The new Vegas is exciting, but some connections to the past would be welcome. If anything, the vibe people of all ages come here for is the swinging times that were originally made famous by the Rat Pack.

Hi Ted,Love reading your column. My friend and I (both in our 60’s) stayed at Wynn Resort recently. It was fabulous and spoils me for staying anywhere else! I have been going to Vegas since the 60’s and used to stay at the Sands…..then Harrah’s. By the way, what have they done to Harrah’s? We loved Rita Rudner’s show but the casino was awful and used to be so nice and low-key.

Thanks,

Sara

Ted Responds:

Harrah’s has “cranked things up a few notches” over the past few years to achieve a party atmosphere to attract a younger crowd. But that does raise some interesting questions to our readers near or in their retirement years:

1. With so many hotels wanting to be “hip” and cater to people barely old enough to drink, what hotels do you no longer visit, and more importantly, which hotels do you love and feel very comfortable at?

2. Now that are are at (or near) retirement, do you come to Las Vegas as much as you used to, more often, or do you feel that Las Vegas isn’t so much your cup of tea and don’t visit so much? If not so much, where else are you going on vacation (gambling city or otherwise)?

We have set up an area of our message boards for you to weigh in:
Is Las Vegas Still OK If You Aren’t 21?

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More Las Vegas News – Concerts – Events

Important Note: During peak times, some of our news and event story links may take extra time to load. We are working on significant upgrades to handle this increased demand. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience during the extra few seconds a story may take to appear when you click on it.

Special Section: New Year’s Eve 2006-2007
Parties, Events, Dining
Special Section: Nevada Smoking Ban Stories Updated

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:

  • 2006

  • Christmas December 22-25 (3 day weekend – Christmas on Monday)
  • New Year’s Eve-Day December 29 – January 1 (3 day weekend – New Years on Monday)

  • 2007

  • Martin Luther King Day January 13-15 (3 day weekend)
  • Presidents Day February 17-19 (3 day weekend)
  • Christmas December 22-25 (3 day weekend)
  • St. Patricks Day March 17 (Falls on a Saturday)
  • March Madness (NCAA Basketball Playoffs) March 15-18, March 22-25, Final Four March 31-April 2
  • Victoria Day (Canada) May 19-21 (3 day weekend)
  • Memorial Day May 26-28 (3 day weekend)
  • Mothers Day May 13
  • Fathers Day June 17
  • Independence Day July 4
  • Civic Holiday (Canada) August 6 (3 day weekend)
  • Labor Day September 1-3 (3 day weekend)
  • Columbus Day (USA), Thanksgiving Day (Canada) September 6-8 (3 day weekend)
  • Christmas December 25 (4 day weekend – Christmas on Tuesday)
  • New Year’s Eve-Day December 29 – January 1 (4 day weekend – New Years on Tuesday)

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All contents copyright 2006 Ted Newkirk. All Rights Reserved.

December 13, 2006 ISSN: 1529-2770 About Us

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