Lots goin' on in our town, from the now-infamous David Hasselhoff video, reported by my colleague Norm in the print side of the Review-Journal to some very cute butts getting ready to have their special day. I hope all of you read Norm's column, "Norm! Vegas Confidential" (www.normclarke.com). Nobody does it better when it comes to the inside skinny on what the celebs are doing in our town. Okay, now to my somewhat less spicy news of the week.
Roast suckling pig, mai tais and the fire knife dance. That means it must be luau time again at the Imperial Palace. For the 16th year, the Imperial Hawaiian Luau returns to the Shangri-la Pool on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday evenings through Sept. 29. Entrees include Haleiwa BBQ pork ribs, baked salmon, pan-seared tuna, pork loin, short ribs and huli huli chicken, a Hawaiian specialty. The feast is followed by the romantic call of the conch shells and then a colorful Polynesian music and dance tour through Tahiti, Samoa, Hawaii, Fiji and New Zealand. This year you'll be able to participate in a Tahitian dance contest. For more information or tickets, call 888-777-7664.
QUEEN OF THE NILE
As a part of a seven-city tour, the exclusive Lladró boutique inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian unveiled a $135,000 piece called the Queen of the Nile this past week, and it is scheduled to be onsite for at least three weeks. Queen of the Nile is a breath-taking piece recreating the look of an Egyptian boat. All the intricate details took five years to develop, 400 hours to paint and approximately 150 hours to assemble. Ten percent of the proceeds from each High Porcelain piece purchased from Lladró will benefit Operation Smile, a worldwide children's medical charity whose network of global volunteers are dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults.
CARS, STARS & GUITARS
Hooters Casino-Hotel will host the 12th annual Cars, Stars & Guitars Motorhead Festival this Friday and Saturday, May 11-12. During the two-day event, Hooters will feature a display of specialty cars and bikes, silent auction items, as well as some great entertainment. You'll be able to see custom bikes, classic limos, exotic sports cars, muscle cars, drag boats, antique cars, Model As, GT40s and a lot more. All events are free to the public and run 1-9 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.
NO IFS, ANDS OR ...
The Riviera's Crazy Girls bronze statue of its showgirls' butts -- called "No If, Ands Or ..." -- will mark its 10th anniversary May 13. This was the very day, 10 years ago, the world's largest life-cast bronze statue (1,540 pounds) was unveiled at the Strip resort. Since then it has attracted media attention throughout the world. The sculpture was cast after the City of Las Vegas asked that the Addy Award-winning campaign be stopped. The statue is anchored to the front wall of the Riv. Sculptor Michael Conine even created a web site attributed to his greatest creation. They say that patting or rubbing the butts brings good luck! Fair enough, but don't linger too long. People might get the wrong idea.
ICEMAN COMETH
Magician Nathan Burton will encase himself in a gigantic M-shaped ice sculpture for 24 hours May 21 in front of Miracle Mile Shops' north Las Vegas Boulevard entrance (formerly Desert Passage at the Aladdin, which was officially changed to Planet Hollywood last week).
Even though temperatures in May average 90 degrees, Burton will have to withstand freezing cold inside the ice. The frozen "M" is so massive it can last up to three days in 100-degree weather. Weighing nine tons and having 10-inch thick walls, Burton will not be able to escape until several Miracle Mile owners break open the ice to set him free at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 22.
Burton will be joined by 96 showgirls rotating in and out of the ice to keep him company. Visitors cruising the Strip will be able to touch and inspect the "M," which is shaped as such to celebrate Miracle Mile Shops' ongoing multi-million-dollar makeover focusing on de-theming the center's original design. Sounds like fun, and hey, with 96 showgirls milling around, it makes it easy on the eyes.
NEW TICKET OUTLETS
It seems like any mention I make of half-price ticket booths gets more reader reaction than most anything else I write about in this column. So here's a new one: All Access Ticketing is a young venture with two locations. Oddly enough, both are inside Circus Circus. The first opened about a month ago near the hotel registration desk, and a second was to open this week on the Las Vegas Boulevard side of the casino.
The venture is headed by Metin Durmus, who still is part of the original half-price outlet, Coca-Cola Tickets 2Nite at the Showcase Mall. He says the new operation is separate but affiliated. So far, the outlet carries 24 to 30 titles a day. The same rules apply as the other same-day discount booths: You can't call to find out what shows are on sale or buy tickets online.
Good luck and I'll see you on the Strip. And don't forget to check out www.valleyblogs.com.
If you have a question or a Las Vegas experience you would like to share with my readers, please e-mail me at lennylv@cox.net. Please include your full name and the city or town where you live.
