Last month I interviewed music industry mogul Irving Azoff, and he told a story about a night in Vegas a few years ago with basketball great Charles Barkley and Tiger Woods. Azoff recalled that "a very drunk Charles Barkley challenged me to a game of golf. Tiger was going to place a large wager that I would beat Charles provided we went and played at once on that golf course down the Strip that was lighted. It was a very, very large wager, and luckily for Charles, who was so drunk he was cross-eyed, he chickened out at the last minute. Lucky for him, because we would have taken a lot of money." And, indeed that might count as luck in the life of Charles Barkley.
Sadly, Barkley has found plenty of other opportunities in town to place lopsided wagers favoring the house, and math has taken its course. Barkley made this point himself perfectly once on a TNT show: "But I've got to understand you can't beat the casino. You might win a lot of money from them but in the long run they are going to win more money from you." Back in 2006, Barkley estimated his own gambling losses at over $10 million on ESPN. Now, the Las Vegas Sun reports, Wynn resort has filed suit for $400,000 against Barkley for unpaid gambling markers the casino issued to Barkley last October.
Obviously, Barkley is not the only regular Vegas customer to face this predicament. As resorts hate press from these sorts of actions and especially because of Barkley's fame, you can bet the casino made every effort to collect from him before escalating to a court case.
I will add that I have interviewed Barkley twice in Vegas, and both times he seemed to be drinking heavily and talked about getting ready to gamble later.
He certainly is going to wind up having to pay Wynn. In Nevada, failure to make good on markers results in felony charges. But is it hopelessly naive to ask if there comes a point in a free culture where a resort should tell someone they need help instead of extending more credit? The resorts insist on calling gambling "gaming"; yet the reality is that gambling isn't a game: if you play too long you will lose, and that is not a fun or recreational activity. The case of Charles Barkley is not unique.
Her show does not need a name. Unlike Celine Dion ("A New Day"), Bette Midler ("The Showgirl Must Go On") and even Elton John (The Red Piano"), this experience needs only her moniker: Cher. I admit to my irrelevance at the outset. Cher's show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace is critic proof. This is the must-see show in Vegas right now and will probably be so until it closes. Get a running start if you want tickets, and don't expect any discounts.
I will tell you there are a lot of bad things to be said about the show called Cher. The reliance on footage you can see on YouTube during costume changes makes for significant drops in energy. Few have mishandled a Bob Dylan cover as inanely as Cher's halfhearted "All I Really Want to Do." A lot of the choreography is hopelessly stuck in the '80s, with flinch-worthy results. And, of course, there was the predictable duet with a video image of Sonny. At close to two hours, the show runs longer than the energy and ideas deserve.
But none of this matters. Cher has created a monstrously entertaining experience that (even more than "A New Day," which actually relied on a Cirque alumnae) captures a sort of ultimate state-of-the-art Vegas production show and places that in the midst of a Cher concert of resplendent diva glory. There are aerialists and contortionists clearly inspired from Cirque, eye-catching set changes of the sort passed off for illusions in magic shows on the Strip, a better use of the Colosseum's massive stage than any previous tenant. The sets head up to the lip of the audience, and the band glides on and off stage to make room for the props and dancers, and Cher comes to the stage via floating in a cage over the audience.
Unlike most divas, Cher is not possessed with a stellar voice capable of the big notes. But time has lowered her singing to a darker-hued sound that within her range is as powerful as a punch. And, her power is a large part of what makes the show so intense at its best points. She certainly does not hide behind her background singers and is game for mixing live vocals with hard choreography in ways that the Britney Spears generation abandoned long ago. Then there is Cher's insanely perfect appearance in an ever-changing array of Bob Mackie outfits that only Cher could get away with wearing. Perhaps, like Mick Jagger or Frank Sinatra does for men, Cher, 62, represents to her audience an ideal fantasy of aging.
I also tried to explore the Cher store but was turned back by so many clashing odors of overdone perfume worn by the adoring fans who filled the store that the place should have an air-quality warning from the health department.
Anyway, Cher is here. And, her show is the perfect Vegas spectacle. If there is a place in your heart for this style of entertainment, Cher offers a version that is light years (and a light show) in front of the competition, offering a more on-game diva than Midler is presenting in "The Showgirl Must Go On" and along with her massive star power, Cher is able to throw in plenty of examples of the mix of aerialists and acrobats that is often the main attraction of any Cirque production. You will get the complete old-school Vegas experience of entertainment with Cher updated to the best of 2008 taste and technology. Of course, at $250 for the best seats, remember that everything about Cher is outsized.
"Star Trek: The Experience" has proven an enduring attraction at the Las Vegas Hilton. "The Experience" is also one of the few family-friendly entertainments left in Vegas. It also is one that people will see again and again when visiting Vegas. When I was dragged there by a tourist friend, I watched him practice Klingon with one of the well-trained actors. "The Experience" also includes a museum, a very theatrical ride (revamped with new gizmos in 2004) and a bar. But like other franchises from last century, "Star Trek's" vision of the future is receding into the past. I have heard rumors that the Hilton has decided that the mission is accomplished and this geek haven will be closing for good at the end of the year. I reached out to the Hilton to find out if in fact it plans to close the "Star Trek" restaurant, bar, museum, ride and souvenir shop. I also wanted to know if it does close "Star Trek," what will become of the massive amount of floor space that becomes available to the casino. In response, I got the noncommittal: "Their ["Star Trek: The Experience"] lease ends in December. Nothing to announce beyond that."
The Palms studio is becoming the place of choice for artists with epic unfinished projects to waste the hours. Rumors that for months Michael Jackson was holed up at the Palms studio working on a new disc have resulted in no title or release date. And fellow '80s memory Axl Rose went to the Palms studio supposedly to put finishing touches on the still unreleased Guns & Roses comeback "Chinese Democracy." Again, the disc is not in stores, and don't hold your breath.
Now comes a report that Britney Spears has been meeting with an old friend, Palms' owner George Maloof, about a summer performance at the Palms Pearl venue. Michael Jackson, Axl Rose and Britney Spears. Is My Bloody Valentine finishing the new one there too?
Anyway, my guess is that none of these projects will see the light soon. But it is impressive that Maloof manages to keep his property the subject of endless celebrity buzz, especially with stars whose own careers seem forever lost in space.
Of course, even Maloof has his limits. After O.J. Simpson's Palace Station memorabilia mission resulted in police coming for the former football star at his Palms Suite, Maloof let it be known that Simpson was no longer welcome at the Palms. (Photo by Sarah Gerke)
"America's Got Talent" winner Terry Fator has been getting a lot of attention for his show at the Hilton. Now that the Mirage is packing impressionist Danny Gans off to the Wynn, resort executives are left with an empty theater. The usual corporate solution is not available since the Mirage already has a Cirque show with "Love." So faced with the challenge of a fresh decision in entertainment the brain trust, it seems, has decided to replace an impressionist with a ventriloquist/impressionist.
So, as Danny Gans leaves, then enters the era of Terry Fator. I am trying to confirm details with MGM Mirage now. In the meantime, here is a YouTube video I looked up of Fator before fame found him doing an impression of future fellow Strip headliner Cher with the aid of an audience volunteer. Have I mentioned what a lame period this is for Vegas entertainment?
When you work for a resort in Vegas, people will pitch all sorts of barter to get special treatment or access.
On Friday afternoon I got a call from a representative of the Hard Rock. She wanted to share a story about the oddest trade she has yet to be offered for a show happening that night.
It seems the teen girls who grew up with Duran Duran posters on the wall are now adult women with careers and childhood crushes that have yet to fully evaporate. On Friday night Duran Duran was set to play the Hard Rock, and one Duran Duran fan from the '80s reached out to the Hard Rock. She is now a prominent plastic surgeon and her offer: In exchange for meeting the band, the Hard Rock's representative could have a free work. "She said I could have anything like Botox." The twentysomething Hard Rock representative declined the offer. Of course, with Duran Duran, the surgeon may not have been a fan so much as looking to get its business.
Also, coming out that night to support the old new wavers were new new wavers Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning, from local hit makers the Killers, who joined Duran Duran for "Planet Earth."
These are strange times indeed. The Venetian's Sheldon Adelson is in court fighting the operators of his own resort's wildly successful Tao. Tao nightclub has become a celebrity haunt, creating long lines and regular buzz. But that just scratches the surface. Last month, for example, Tao Bistro at the Venetian was also named the top grossing resturant in the country. And last year Tao expanded into the equally successful Tao Beach. Thus with Tao, the Venetian now has a triple threat: a top nightclub, a financial juggernaut of a restaurant and a leading seat on Vegas' latest bandwagon, the pool nightclub.
I was at Tao a few months ago, and the place was packed. I met owner Richard Wolf, who explained to me his philosophy about nightlife is to find the "perfect energy."
I don't know what that means, but I know he found his "perfect energy" with Tao at the Venetian. Before Tao opened at the Venetian, the resort made numerous entries into nightlife that did not get "perfect energy." The best of these efforts never managed to generate much buzz and the worst, C2K, was closed by the resort in 2000 with a casino argument against the nightclub at the time, "alleging drug use leading to overdoses, fights and other violence."
So, it made total sense that the people behind Tao would create a club at the Venetian's expansion, the recently opened Palazzo. In fact, while the name for the club has not been announced, it was general knowledge that a club from the creators of Tao was slated for Palazzo. I have even heard the name and am working now to confirm the planned club's name.
Anyway, the club never opened when the Palazzo opened. Lots of places didn't (and haven't), including the Lamborghini dealership next to Jay-Z's 40/40. But something else was going on with the new club, And the explosive problem appeared in a discreet column item in the Sun earlier this week that tracks the court system. Venetian honcho Sheldon Adelson and Tao founders Richard Wolf and Marc Packer are in court with a nasty landlord/tenant dispute over the new space. Adelson wants them gone from Palazzo. On March 10, Adelson decided to end the nightclub operators' decade-long lease on the Palazzo space. Adelson even changed the locks.
What is going on here?
I reached out to both the Venetian and to Tao to find out the nature of the dispute between the resort and the operators of what has become the signature business at the Venetian. I requested an interview with Wolf and was told he was traveling. As for the legal case against the Palazzo club, Tao's publicist said there would be no comment while the case was still active. The Venetian did not respond to a request for comment.
On the subject of bad economic times, true to the word of the publicist, I attended a lecture over the weekend for a Las Vegas Weekly column by Dr. Frank Stile at Scores, in which more than 250 dancers were told how to recession-proof their bodies. This was the first mandatory meeting of all Scores dancers since December, and to ensure their presence there was a $5,000 fine for missing the meeting.
In addition to Dr. Stile's 15-minute lecture, other issues related to the club were discussed. There was even a moving tribute to a dancer who died of natural causes since the December meeting. The owner of Scores invoked Metaphysical poet John Donne and quoted Shakespeare and Gertrude Stein. The tribute ended with "Panis Angelicus" sung by Luciano Pavarotti. A few women wept.
Dr. Stile had one subject on his list with the time allotted: breast surgery. “We are going to talk about the truth of breast surgery. Let’s face it: Plastic surgery is sex, sex is plastic surgery. If you can’t handle that you are not talking the truth.” This motivational pitch to the dancers, by the way, was called a “consultation” by Dr. Stile.
Afterward talking to dancers, the breakdown of their opinion was pretty consistent. Those who already had the surgery were big believers that it boosts their profits, and those who had not had the surgery thought they were doing fine without it. They also thought the boost was caused by the raised ego of the recipient and not the increased size. One woman speaking for her table snapped at me: "If you looked like us, would you consider plastic surgery?" Another woman pragmatically noted that the low lighting of the club was more helpful for concealing physical imperfections than any cosmetic change.
Dr. Stile, however, was content to speak to the already convinced. He explained to me afterward that the average procedure could require three touch-ups during a lifetime. In fact, one dancer I spoke to needed a third operation to fix problems she said were caused by a botched initial operation. She had never heard of Dr. Stile before his 15-minute talk at Scores, but she was now seriously considering him after the "consultation." "He really understands the danger, and he seems careful," she said.
Dr. Stile estimates that about 10% of his practice comes from dancers in Vegas at clubs like Scores. (Photo by Sarah Gerke)
The economic slowdown is the No. 1 topic in Las Vegas now in conversation and in media. The Tropicana filed for bankruptcy. While the drop in tourists may be blamed, I have reported on the Buffet about the problem-plagued property for some time.
The last time a major casino declared bankruptcy on the Strip was the Aladdin in 2001. In that case, the post-9/11 environment was cited as well as it being a resort with a Middle Eastern theme. I always hated the insinuation that somehow racism was at fault for Aladdin's failure.
The Aladdin had so many design problems when it reopened that Planet Hollywood is still spending millions to fix the place. And I am being generous by not dwelling on management decisions before Aladdin filed for bankruptcy protection. In short, the Aladdin's bankruptcy may have been accelerated by the economic downturn in Vegas after Sept. 11, 2001, but one felt that the process of the resort's fall was well underway before terrorists attacked New York. And it is meaningful that no other casino went bankrupt during that period.
Similarly, the Tropicana's problems date back to a bidding war that the new owner won, but at what most experts felt was a grossly inflated price. Problems continued through workforce reductions and continue at the Tropicana to this day as the resort is the only one on the Strip that has yet to renew its contract with the Culinary Union.
These are certainly hard times for Vegas. Among the casino companies to announce layoffs are MGM-Mirage and local giant Station Casinos. Only Steve Wynn has announced that his property will have no workforce reductions. Meanwhile, huge new resort projects like Cosmopolitan are haunted by uncertainty; Donald Trump has put off building his second condo/hotel tower; and the Plaza resort that was to replace the New Frontier also may not break ground anytime soon. There is also the problem of the residential mortgage crisis that is taking place in the suburbs outside the scope of this blog.
Much has changed since a few years ago, when even Trump's former wife had the towering Ivana planned for luxury Vegas living. That said, Palazzo at the Venetian has just opened. Encore at the Wynn is about to open. CityCenter by MGM is coming along with incredible alacrity, as is the little-discussed Fontainebleau resort. In entertainment, big projects like "Jersey Boys" at Palazzo and Cher at Caesars Palace are opening at a regular clip, including Cirque's plan to invest $100 million into a Criss Angel show later this year.
The Tropicana can certainly blame the economic slowdown in Vegas in part for its bankruptcy. But plenty is still happening at other companies on the Strip. And, while there may be sales, I doubt any other Strip properties will need to resort to bankruptcy.
By the way, the Trop continues to have one of the best locations on the Strip: next to MGM Grand and New York New York, with easy access to Luxor-Excalibur-Mandalay Bay.
Times staff writer Tony Perry has a story today in the paper about a drug raid at San Diego State. One sentence leaped out at me:
"One suspect, Kenneth Ciaccio, 19, a member of the Theta Chi fraternity, sent out a mass text message early last month to 'faithful customers,' saying that he was traveling to Las Vegas and would not be able to make his normal cocaine sales, the DEA said."
According to the article, this particular student recently has also drawn in addition to law enforcement the attention of the school's public relations department, which, according to the article, praised him as a "model student."
As this case develops I wonder if we will find out if this allegedly cash-heavy student was able to find a casino in Vegas where he could gamble and clubs to drink at during his underage vacation. Any bets on what the answer to that one is likely to be?
