STRIP SCRIBBLES
*In overnight news from Wall Street Luxe Life learned this morning that hotel mogul Steve Wynn will open his Wynn Macau expansion on Monday, December 24 (one month earlier than planned). The expansion—to meet ever increasing demand from Asian customers—will include an additional 85 tables and 551 slots, bringing the total casino to 390 tables and 1,190 slots. It’s now an official go-ahead for the proposed $5-billion recreation of the famed New York Plaza Hotel on the Strip. Elad Group received approval from the Clark County Planning Commission for its project on the 34.5 acre site of the former New Frontier opposite the WYNN on the Strip. The Clark County Commissioners will now grant the approval documents on January 16 . The New York Plaza, which is set to open in 2012 will feature seven hotel towers and will include 4,100 rooms and 2,600 condominiums, in addition to a 175,900 sq ft. casino floor. The megacity is financed by an Israeli real-estate development company that owns the Plaza in New York. Be sure to read Luxe Life tomorrow (FRI) to find out all the other foreign investment money pouring in to acquire Vegas land and hotels.
*Be sure to watch The View tomorrow on ABC-TV daytime because there’ll be a special salute to the high-priced holiday treats that only Vegas could show off. Co-hosts Joy Behar and Sherry Sheppard will display the Macallan 50-year Scotch that’s served on the rocks at the Bellagio complete with a custom 2″ ice-cube. The cost? A mere $695 per glass! Ca-ching!
But it’s the $5,000 burger from Fleur des Lys celebrity chef Hubert Keller’s restaurant that has them all abuzz. Ca-ching! Whoopi Goldberg, who wasn’t in the taped segment, was so curious she came out to taste it and loved it so much she wound-up eating the rest of it!
*Racecar champion driver Alex Tagliani was so enthusiastic after watching Stomp Out Loud at the Planet Hollywood resort casino that after the show he asked to meet the cast face-to-face. After thanking them and asking questions as to how they made the amazing music from such an oddball extraordinary collection of everything from brooms to trashcans, he posed for a souvenir photo.
Alex is seen here with Donisha Brown, Ivan Delaforce, Alex Tagliani, Guillaume Carreira, Jim Holdridge, Michael Oakley (back row l to r) with Cammie Griffin, Rochelle Patterson, Jason Nious, Harmony Cost (front row l to r).
*MGM opened its first gaming property in the Chinese enclave of Macau—near Hong Kong—on Tuesday. The $1.27 million MGM Grand Macau is a joint venture with tycoon Pansy Ho and features 600 rooms, 375 gaming tables and 900 slot machines. MGM is already in talks with the Chinese government for a second gaming resort there on the Cotai Strip.
*Vegas crooner Brian Evans, who has opened for everybody from Jay Leno to Social Distortion, got to perform for presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Senator John McCain on a visit to Austin, Texas.
Brian, now recording his major label debut in Los Angeles, actually ran for the US Senate once in Hawaii where he also has a home. His career here began 10-years ago at the former Desert Inn which became the new WYNN resort.
*Famed vocalist and guitarist Dusty Hill from legendary band ZZ Top took time out to enjoy the sexy adult-topless beauties’ revue FANTASY at the Luxor.