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| Sunday, August 3, 2003 | PRIOR ISSUE - ARCHIVES |
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| Funny Bone Comedy Showcase Debuts, Fiamma Feeds The Strip, 3 World's Top Hotels, Dora The Explorer Live!, "National Lampoon's Funny Money" Stars, David Copperfield Reappears, Etta James Sings Blues, Prana Coes Crustacean, August Is Wine Month, Irish Pubs Popping Up, Score's Races In Primm, World Golf Record Set, Putting "Pot" Tourneys, More... | |
The Golden Nugget downtown will premiere the Funny Bone Comedy Showcase on Aug. 1 and continue the laughs every Friday at 9 p.m. in the hotel's Theatre Ballroom. The new showcase will feature the comic styling of three distinctive comedians who are being booked by Steve Schirripa of the Sopranos. Headliners already scheduled for August include Billy Garan, John Caponera, Bruce Baum, Jon Manfrellotti and Johnny Dark. The cost is $25 inclusive, call 800-634-3454 or 702-385-7111.
The year old, three-star Fiamma Osteria featuring Italian cuisines in New York will have a West Coast counterpart when New York restaurateur Stephen Hanson opens Fiamma, Italian for "flame," Trattoria, a stylish outpost at the MGM Grand on Aug. 28.
Hanson's restaurant group B.R. Guest has created 11 of New York's most popular and distinctive dining spots. Fiamma Osteria was nominated by the James Beard Foundation for the 2003 Best New Restaurant Award and Executive Chef Michael White was named Chef of the Year by "Esquire Magazine" in the November 2002 issue.
The noted architectural design firm of Yabu Pushelberg has utilized a palette of warm copper and espresso to complement rich zebra wood, maple and antique brown granite in the 7,000-square-foot eatery situate within the MGM Grand1s bustling Studio Walk. The dynamic contemporary design encompasses four distinct areas - a caf‚, bar and lounge, split-level dining room and private screening room, which together accommodate over 300 guests.
Fiamma Trattoria will join other MGM celebrated properties like Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak, Michael Mina's NOBHILL, Emeril Lagasse's New Orleans Fish House and Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe and Grill Room.
The August issue of "Travel + Leisure" magazine once again features its annual 2003 World's Best Awards Readers' Poll. Las Vegas is one of only two U.S. cities, the other is Chicago, boasting three properties in the Top 100 Hotels in the World. Hong Kong leads with four.
The Las Vegas rankings in Top 100 Hotels in the U.S. and Canada are: Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas at No. 6, Bellagio at No. 18 and The Venetian at No. 32. The Las Vegas rankings in Top 100 Hotels in the World are: Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas at No. 30; Bellagio at No. 59 and The Venetian at No. 96.
Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas consistently receives high rankings in "Travel + Leisure" polls including: No. 4 World's Best Spas for Service, Hotel Spas in U.S. & Canada; No. 13 Top Hotel Spas in the U.S. and Canada; and Best Business Hotel in Las Vegas.
The 424 room, non-gaming Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas located at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip opened March 2, 1999. It is the first AAA Five Diamond hotel in Las Vegas and the first hotel to be so honored by AAA in its first year of operation.
Nickelodeon and Clear Channel Entertainment have teamed up to create "Dora the Explorer Live! - Search for the City of Lost Toys," the first ever family-stage show starring a Latina heroine. The national touring show will stop at the Aladdin Theater Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 23-24 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Ticket prices for all shows are $17, $24 and $29, call 1-866-477-5267 or 702-785-5000.
"Dora the Explorer Live!" is based on the number one preschool show on commercial television. The popular Dora is a seven-year-old Latina heroine, whose adventures take place in an imaginative, tropical world filled with jungles, beaches and rainforests.
Dora and her best friend Boots invite the audience to join them in an exciting adventure. Each step of their journey consists of a problem or puzzle that Dora and the audience must solve in order to move on to the next challenge. Dora is proudly bilingual and uses her knowledge of English and Spanish to communicate with her friends, overcome obstacles and reach her goals.
Featuring familiar songs, a captivating storyline and all the characters children have come to love, Dora the Explorer Live! showcases her friends, special helper Backpack, best friend Boots, Map, Swiper the Fox, Tico and Benny. The 3 search for the City of Lost Toys' storyline was also the basis of the Nickelodeon primetime TV special.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year as the World's Foremost Desert Racing Series, the SCORE Desert Series returns to the U.S. for the last of three races in Southern Nevada. The 8th Annual SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 will be held Sept. 12-13. Nearly 150 vehicles, competing in 17 Pro and 2 Sportsman classes for cars and trucks, are expected to take the green flag in Primm, Nev., located 35 miles south of Las Vegas at the California border.
The race, run as a multi-lap race over a desert course of approximately 71 miles, will be split into two groups with the open wheel and VW baja bug classes starting at 6 a.m. and truck classes, along with the unlimited Class 1 open-wheel class, starting at 2 p.m. One vehicle will start every 30 seconds in the elapsed-time race, with an eight-hour time limit. The start/finish line area and main pits will be located behind Buffalo Bill's Resort in Primm.
Pre-race festivities on Friday, Sept. 12 include tech and contingency and the SCORE Manufacturer's Midway from 2 to 6 p.m. For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818-225-8402.
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The stars of Game Show Network's hit show "National Lampoons Funny Money," Jimmy Pardo, Graham Elwood and Marc Price, will headline Harrah's 350-seat Improv Comedy Club, Aug. 19-24, at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Tickets are $24.95 plus tax. As host of the hit TV show, Pardo arrived in Los Angeles in 1995. He has starred in the award-winning short film, "Some Kinda Joke," his one-man show, "Attention Must Be Paid: The Jimmy Pardo Story," and, most recently in the live presentation of "Jimmy Pardo's Dance Party." Pardo is currently the mock host of "Movies at our House." Co-headliner Graham Elwood is a part of the revolving cast of comedians featured in "National Lampoon's Funny Money" and the host of "Strip Poker," the outrageous new game show currently filming its second season for USA Network. Harrah's Improv host Mark Price is creator and executive producer of "National Lampoon's Funny Money." Price reached national prominence playing the nerd-next-door Skippy on the hit NBC sitcom "Family Ties," hosted 150 episodes of Disney Channel's "Teen Win, Loose or Draw" and starred in the features "Trick or Treat" with Ozzy Osbourne, "The Rescue" and "Killer Tomatoes Eat France." Ready for new challenges, Price produced and starred in "The Funniest Kids in America," "The Making of the Making OF" and the "Midnight Hour." In the early 90's, Price produced man-on-the-street segments for "The Rikki Lake Show" and worked on Dick Clark's "Donnie & Marie Show." Most recently Price created and co-executive produced "Comedians Unleashed" for Animal Planet and is currently the producer / developer on "Star Date," on E! Television. Master magician and illusionist David Copperfield returns to MGM Grand's intimate 740-seat Hollywood Theatre with his latest stage production show, "An Intimate Evening of Grand Illusion," Aug. 21 - Sept 3. Show times are 7:30 and 10 p.m. nightly, with Saturday matinees at 3 p.m. and an additional matinee during Labor Day weekend on Sunday, Aug. 31. Tickets are $97 inclusive and $79.90 for matinees, call 800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777. The matriarch of rhythm and blues, Etta James will bring her powerful voice to the Las Vegas Hilton Theater, Aug. 15-16 at 10 p.m. James is joined by her band of 17 years, The Roots Band, which in part, consists of her two sons, Danto and Sametto. Tickets are $25, $35 and $45 plus tax and handling fee, call 800-222-5361 or 702-732-5755. Over 45 years ago, James, then known as Jamesetta Hawkins, began her career by recording her first live album on a one-track tape machine that sat in the middle of the floor. Her first R & B hit "Roll With Me, Henry" put James on the musical map in 1954. In the 1960s, she racked up 28 Hot 100 hits and a dozen She has been honored with Grammys, W.C. Handy Awards and has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. James recently recorded "Burning Down the House" live at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. Asia Restaurant at Harrah's has introduced a new diversified menu-a flavorful and enticing complement to their unique blend of Chinese, Asian, Thai, Indian and Japanese cuisine. Many of Asia's signature dishes are stir fried and prepared with a traditional wok. The distinct dining experience at Asia is enhanced by the restaurant's elegant decor, intimate ambiance and flawless service. Asia is open at 5:30 p.m. Friday through Tuesday; call 702-369-5084. Prana located inside the Desert Passage shops at the Aladdin is planning to use the name of their popular California restaurants. The impressive 18,000-square-foot, bi-level restaurant will be called Crustacean and the nightclub will keep the name Prana. An amazing family of Vietnamese refuges owns these impressive eateries. Every Monday this month, all wines by the glass or bottle are 50 percent off at all three of Gustav Mauler's signature restaurant: Spiedini inside the J.W. Marriott Resort, Sazio at the Orleans, and BullShrimp at Green Valley Ranch. Las Vegas now boasts six casino-based Irish pubs: J.C. Wooloughan's at Rampart, Brendan's Irish pub at the Orleans, Fado's Irish pub at Green Valley Ranch, Jack's Irish Pub at Palace Station, Rio's Tilted Kilt and the newest one that opened last month Nine Fine Irishmen at New York-New York. On July 16, Long Driver Greg "Sweet Pickle" Stafford set the World Record of hitting 1,000 300-yard drives in a 12 hour period. The Long Distance / Endurance charitable event was held at the Callaway Golf Learning Center in Las Vegas in temperatures that reached 114 degrees. The Greens of Las Vegas, a golf-putting attraction that opened July 7, is hosting a series of individual putting "pot" league events every Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. and Saturday at 7-10 a.m. and 6-10 p.m. through Aug. 28, leading up to its first $25,000 "Putt For Dough" Championship tournament on Aug. 31. The top money and point winners of these "pot" league tournaments will be invited to participate in the "Putt For Dough" Grand Opening Invitational. The putting tournaments are one-day events open to all golfers. Four additional tournaments are scheduled Oct. 11, Nov. 9 and 29, and Dec. 6. The Nov. 9 tournament is in conjunction with "Golfweek Magazine." Participants will play 23 holes of stroke play and two additional "lag putts," which are used as a tie-breaker. Each "Putt For Dough" tournament in 2003 will carry a purse of $25,000, with the first-place champion taking home a $5,000 cash prize. For information, call 702-949-2010.
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