by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

Went downtown Monday night to see what all the excitement was about. You know the new $17 million overhead light show called "Viva Vision" that goes for four blocks. Also, at the same time, stopped in and took a look see at the Golden Nugget.

After all I spent many a day and evening downtown during my days as a Publicity Flack for the old Mint Hotel and during those early days of the Steve Wynn era. And, guess who I ran into at one of the viewing rooms set up to premiere the new "The Casino" television show? Steve and Elaine Wynn! It was wonderful to have a few minutes to chat with my former boss and his lady.

Met the two new owners of the hotel when they walked the red carpet inside the lobby of the Nugget. I asked them if they had any control over what was going to be shown during the Fox Series (local channel 5). They, Tim Poster and Tom Breitling, both replied: "the only control we have or had was for legal liabilities and gaming rules and regulations. And that was handled by our attorney's, not us!"

Some of my favorite people were on the red carpet. Among them was Ms. Sheena Easton (looking fantastic I might ad), Rich Little and his lady Marie, Steve Rossi, George Wallace and of course Siegfried who had a great smile during the entire process of walking the carpet. Tony Sacca was there with his television cameras and interviewed just about everyone and anyone regardless of fame-he even asked me a question.

Then we went outside to watch the big new show. Now I have to be perfectly honest with you, I was impressed with the show. What impresses me the most, however, is the technology that went into making the two shows we saw: "Area 51" and another one called the "Drop." I'm not an electronic genius (barely able to operate my computer) but those lights up there are something else.

The Mayor is very high on this new venture (well an old venture, now upgraded) to bring more people to the downtown area. He might be right this time. Anyhow, if you want to spend a few minutes watching a very unusual visual show, then head for downtown Las Vegas one evening. It's free too!

As that show finished we went back inside the Nugget and settled down in the new ZAX room to watch "The Casino" TV show. I thought it was interesting and could build into a good show during the next few weeks. It's produced by the same guy who created "Survivor," etc., so the credentials are there! One thing I must say, however, was the way Matt Dusk (supposedly a new rising star) reacted to the presence of our Lt. Governor Lorraine Hunt and her companion that evening (the TV show), radio personality and singer Dennis Bono. They are not "Karaoke" singers or amateurs as he remarked on the side as they were performing on stage. These are two very established people in our community who earned the title "Entertainer." I first met Ms. Hunt (she was then known as Perry) when we hired her to sing at the "Top of the Mint" back in 1967. Dennis has been singing since he was a kid and his radio show on KJUL every Friday has been a hit for a number of years. I would say Dusk owes both a big apology.

I like the two new owners. They are young and naturally aggressive thinkers who want to bring back the "good ol' days of Vegas." That, I believe, is what downtown needs: aggressive promotions, continuous publicity and do not forget the locals. The strip has the tourist and downtown used to have the locals and some tourist. Now our residents have more choices of where to go for entertainment, etc. I can remember (here we go again) when one could actually bring the fish they caught on the lake to the Horseshoe Casino and the chefs would cook it for you for a couple of bucks and include the side dishes. Of course that could not happen today.

There are, however, a lot of things that can be done to bring the people downtown once again. The Stations, Boyd's and Coast casinos promote continuously and offer great food and drinks at affordable prices. And guess what? They stay busy. Downtown just has to remember they are not the strip. Competition is the name of the game.

That's it for this week. I'm outa here!

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