ENTERTAINMENT: Mandalay hosting Jackson news conference

It’s been fairly obvious that Cirque du Soleil’s upcoming Michael Jackson show will go into Mandalay Bay, at least since last October’s announcement that “The Lion King” will close at year’s end. 

Unless they are pulling the ultimate ruse, the location of Mandalay Bay for a Wednesday news conference about the Jackson show seems to confirm it will be the host site for the permanent installation, which begins life this fall as an arena tour called “The Immortal.” 

The touring version also plays Mandalay Bay for most of December, but it will be in the multipurpose arena, not the smaller theater hosting “The Lion King.” That theater is the one sure to be renovated for the permanent version of the show. The schedule for that is likely what they plan to talk about Wednesday.