Donald Trump has announced his intention to build a second 64-story, $300 million, 1,300-room luxury-condo high rise on the Frontier property because he claims 80 percent of the $500,000-$1.2 million units in the original tower have been sold. Trump is pushing up the first tower's groundbreaking to this April. At $1,000-$1,200 per square foot, Trump condos are
the most expensive residential real estate in Las Vegas.
Column Continues Below Advertisement
In a related development, Phil Ruffin, owner of the Frontier, is selling two casino properties in the Bahamas to finance the redevelopment of his Las Vegas property. He plans to start construction on a new 3,000-room mega-resort in 2006.
Basketball superstar Michael Jordan will be a partner in the proposed $600 million, 825-unit Aqua Blue Hotel and Resort, which will be located east of the Strip near the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane. The property will include the 65,000-square-foot Michael Jordan Athletic Center with two basketball courts, a tennis court, a running track and
aerobatics rooms, plus two Jordan restaurants.
Hootie & the Blowfish, the popular easy rock group of the '90s, has partnered with the Silverton located three miles south of the Strip off I-15. The collaboration began this month with a performance on Jan. 8 and will include two more shows in July and December.
Hootie & the Blowfish, with lead singer Darius Rucker, rocketed to stardom in 1994 with the release of their major label debut, "Cracked Rear View." In 2004, the band released its latest effort; a collection of their greatest hits, "Hootie & The Blowfish."
The deal also allows the band to take over name rights of the Shady Grove Lounge. The 24 hour lounge featuring billiard tables, big screen plasma televisions, Bowling and overstuffed leather couches and chairs will officially be known as Hootie & the Blowfish's Shady Grove Lounge, and will add specialty drinks and food to the menu in honor of the band.
The Silverton recently completed major renovations to both its interior and exterior, updating nearly all its amenities to become a more upscale, contemporary Adirondack lodge-theme property. The resort's remodel includes the 24-hour Sundance Grill, the Twin Creeks steakhouse, the Shady Grove Lounge as well as 300 newly renovated deluxe rooms and suites.
In addition, the Silverton's phase one expansion includes the 165,000-square - foot Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, an additional 30,000 square feet of gaming, a revamped Player's Club and the Mermaid Restaurant & Lounge featuring a 117,000 gallon salt water tank
with over 8,000 tropical fish and a new attraction - live Mermaid shows performing daily. For information, call 702-263-7777.
Forever Plaid - 'A Heavenly Musical Hit' has returned to Las Vegas with performances nightly except Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Gold Coast Showroom. The Broadway smash hit debuted in New York in 1990. It is a story of four young men who are killed in an automobile accident, and
then through a chain of bizarre events, get one last opportunity to a final show. The musical is a mix of 1950s and 1960s rock 'n' roll songs blended with comedy.
Ticket prices are $29.95 plus tax for the show or $34.95 plus tax for the show and dinner package, call 702.251.3574.
The SKYLOFTS at MGM Grand were unveiled at the start of this month. The sophisticated two-story lofts provide the utmost in personalized service and amenities. Located on the top two floors of MGM Grand, each of the 51 lofts features 24-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows providing dramatic views of the world's most famous skyline from every angle.
Priced from $800 to $10,000 per night, SKYLOFTS accommodations are available in one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans and range in size from 1,400 -6,000 square feet. The elegant SKYLOFTS are outdone only by the extraordinary level of personalized service provided by the staff.
Some of the personal service includes airport transfers, a personal Butler who is available 24 hours a day, dedicated Concierge who contacts each guest prior to arrival, 24-hour Business Center services, laundry / shoe shine services and maid service with twice-daily Loft refreshing.
Extraordinary custom amenities include pre-engraved personalized stationery and business cards, daily fresh fruit, daily delivery of major national newspapers and Internet editions of hometown newspapers and unique daily morning and evening turndown amenities.
The Stardust has extended the Cuban revue "Havana Night Club" until April. The cast made news when 43 members filed for political asylum in the United States. The show is a mainstay on week nights and often shares week ends with headliners. Comedian George Carlin canceled his February engagement so "Havana" will take over his time slots. When Wayne Newton returns from Jan. 24-Feb. 13, he will do an 8 p.m. Show and "Havana" will follow at 10:30 p.m.
Tweeter Home Entertainment Group, the nation's premier specialty retailer of entertaining consumer electronics solutions, will unveil its new prototype store in Las Vegas at 8950 W. Charleston Blvd. tomorrow. This new retail concept allows consumers to interact with a team of highly trained "Entertainment Architects" to develop the most state-of-the-art, high end,
personalized entertainment solutions in a store with home-like settings.
"Forbes" magazine has named the MGM MIRAGE one of the "Best Managed Companies in America," as part of its annual Forbes Platinum 400 list of top-performing big corporations. The MGM MIRAGE was cited alongside only 25 other companies and was recognized as first in the "Hotels, restaurants and leisure" category. The MGM MIRAGE, headquartered in
Las Vegas, owns and operates 11 casino resorts.
TOP OF NEXT COLUMN
|
Chicago, the innovative eight-man band that has successfully fused jazz, rock and blues music for the past 37 years, will appear at the Stardust, Jan. 19-22. Tickets are $69.95 per person, plus tax, call 702-732-6325.
Chicago has demonstrated an amazing consistency in the constantly evolving pop music field, recording 26 consecutive hit albums and surpassing the 120 million mark in total record sales. The foursome who founded the ensemble in 1967 is still going strong. They pioneered the concept of a rock band with a dominant horn section.
The hit Off-Broadway show "Dragapella!" starring The Kinsey Sicks, will return to Las Vegas for one show at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at the Westin Theatre. Tickets are $30.00 plus tax, call 702836-9775,
The show combines award-winning acappella singing, biting wit and over-the-top drag and earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Lyrics and two Lucille Lortel nominations, including for Best Musical of 2001. The group was recognized by the "Hollywood Reporter" as a breakout hit at the 2002 Montreal Comedy Festival and they have recorded four CDs:
"Dragapella," "Boyz 2 Girlz," "Sicks in the City," and "I Want To Be A Republican."
Reunited metal band Motley Crue has added a second concert at the Hard Rock on March 27 because tickets are sold out for its March 20 concert. Tickets are $103 and $128.
"Sentimental Journey - Remembering Billy Eckstine & Sara Vaughan" is an original new musical featuring Freddie Eckstine (Billy Eckstine's son) and Rea TurRee. Tickets for the show that will play on Feb. 27 and March 27 at the Suncoast Showroom start at $19.95 plus tax; call 702-636.7075.
The latest live poker room to come onto the scene has opened at the Santa Fe in northwest Las Vegas.
The new 2,700-room Wynn Las Vegas Resort will be hosting the Nevada Commission on Tourism's 2005 Governor's Conference on Tourism, an annual conference that brings tourism and travel industry leaders together, Dec. 12-14.
Mega-resort trendsetter Steve Wynn is scheduled to open his $2.5 billion hotel on April 28, on the site of the former Desert Inn. Wynn Las Vegas will feature an 1,800-seat water-based theater "in the round" with 2.5 million gallons beneath the audience, a championship golf course, lagoons, 200,000 square feet of meeting space, gourmet restaurants and much more.
Sorry to learn that the Antique Sampler Shoppes at 6115 W. Tropicana Ave. closed yesterday after being in the same location for 10 years. The 40,000-square-foot antique retail environment had 222 retail stalls. Loss of the lease because of new owners is to blame.
Earlier this month, Gracie Salinas, a 33-year-old dental assistant from Corpus Christi, Tex., borrowed a dollar from her mother to play the $3 maximum on her second spin of the Wheel of Fortune ® dollar machine at New York-New York and, as a result, she hit a $3.8 million MegaJackpots® top award.
Wheel of Fortune ® is based on the world's most popular game show and is one of 25 Nevada MegaJackpots ™ systems operated by IGT, a world leader in the manufacturing of gaming machines and proprietary software for progressive gaming systems. All IGT MegaJackpots ™ top awards are paid in annual installments upon verification, except
MegaJackpots Instant Winners Jackpots ™ and Rapid Riches MegaJackpots ™ awards, which are paid in their entirety upon verification.
A Waipahu, Hawaii resident traveling with Boyd Gaming's Vacations-Hawaii won $1 million at the Fremont Downtown on New Year's Eve. He played the Fremont Million Dollar Keno wagering one dollar per game for 25 games and hit the winning 10 out of 10 numbers on his last number, which was 65, in his 15th game.
Million Dollar Keno is backed by SCA Promotions of Dallas, Tex., the world's leading source for keno and other gaming prize promotions.
Canadian Patricia Tonks started 2005 off just right with a $50,000 slot jackpot at the Imperial Palace on Dec. 31. She is a regular visitor and was playing a $5 Five Star slot machine when the jackpot hit.
Sammy's Woodfired Pizza will be hosting fundraising events this week on Jan. 18 and 20 to benefit United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and help the tsunami victims in Southern Asia. On Jan.18, all 12 Sammy's locations in Southern California, Nevada and Arizona will donate 10 percent of gross sales to UNICEF. In addition, the company's 850 employees will
make donations that company will match.
On Thursday, Jan. 20, Sammy's Woodfired Pizza, located at 6500 West Sahara, will host an "Off the Wall Sale." Customers will be able to purchase the copper wall decorations and plants from the restaurant's walls for $5 and $10 dollars and the money will go to UNICEF. The décor sale will kick off a remodel project and new menus with 23 new dishes for the
two Sammy's locations in Nevada.
Kim Flowers' John Robert Powers talent school will hold auditions next Saturday with top Los Angeles talent agent Bonnie Ventis, who represents youth actors and has helped build the careers of young actors including Drew Barrymore and Corey Feldman when they were young, and more recently Elijah Wood ("Lord of the Rings") and Jonathan Taylor Thomas
("Home Improvement"). For information, call 702-878-7300.
CONTINUE ON TO...:
>THIS WEEK'S LAUGHLIN SEGMENT
>LAST WEEK'S LAS VEGAS SEGMENT
>VEGAS VIEWS FULL ARCHIVES
>Return to "Heard Around Town"
>Return to Las Vegas Leisure Guide
|