Yesterday I spoke to sheriff Bill Young for a feature on the rap controversy that will appear in "Las Vegas Weekly" on Thursday. During our interview I asked Young about the various interpretations of his letter written on June 5, 2005 to the Gaming Control Board. As previously written about on the Buffet, in that letter, Sheriff Young asked the Gaming Enforcement Division of the Gaming Control Board to help ponder "if we can influence the gaming industry to not book gangster rap here in Las Vegas."
The ACLU clamed that this (combined with a recent note sent to casinos by gaming authorities reminding them that they are responsible for any incidents that happened at their nightclubs) amounts to censorship. But Alan Feldman of MGM/Mirage told the Buffet the other day that his company interpreted Young's letter more as a head's up about having proper security in place. So, I began by asking the Sheriff whose interpretation was right.
Q: The ACLU says you are calling for casinos to ban gangster rap and Alan Feldman of MGM/Mirage told me he interprets your letter to mean that you only want to make sure casinos have proper security for those events, which he says they do. Which did you mean?
A: "My job is risk management; I'm more worried about safety and security than content. This isn't a First Amendment issue. If you know in advance that A is going to cause B ---and B is shootings, murders, bad publicity for the community and people hurt--- I think anyone with any sense would say maybe you want to prevent A from happening in the first place. If it was an occasional thing or one time thing I don't think it would be advantageous to us to take a position that we should not book these acts. But I based my letter on a lot of fact and history that is undisputable. You can go back to Las Vegas’ first incident when the number one gangster rap artist in America, Tupac Shakur, was killed here at the MGM. So, Mr. Feldman can have his position, but that company was unable to prevent the murder of the guy on their property."
VHI's "Supergroup" has been filming in Vegas featuring a made for cable band: Ted Nugent, Sebastian Bach, Jason Bonham, Scott Ian (Anthrax), and Evan Seinfeld (who is better known for being Mr. Tera Patrick than for his band Biohazzard). Best of all they've pulled out of history's dustbin Doc McGhee to manage the "group." After spending this week doing rehearsals and various Vegas ventures, the boys will be holding a concert at Empire Ballroom on Sunday. Don't ask me what it's like. I won't be there. I had of enough of Ted Nugent at his show here last year at House of Blues in Mandalay Bay. The Nuge came out waving Old Glory onto a stage back dropped by another American flag, whose stars and stripes were actually obscured by lettering: "Ted Nugent." A few songs in he took a short break to compare African debt relief to forgiving the Crypts and Bloods for their crimes, and all I wanted from the man was "Cat Scratch Fever" and "Stranglehold."
'Both clubs were informed they had violated county code. According to letters sent to the clubs, the county decided not to issue citations because operators had cooperated with county agents.'
Yet, while the clubs confessed to admitting the underage Stavros, no one seems to have mentioned whether he was served or not. Check out this photo from Robin Leach's Las Vegas blog covering New Year's Eve that seems to show young Stavros at Tao holding what looks like champagne. Maybe he was just gallantly holding his love's glass. According to the Review-Journal Tao maintained:
'Niarchos was denied entry into the nightclub and instead hung out in the adjoining bistro, according to business license investigators. The problem was the restaurant was closed. Tables and chairs were removed, and a disc jockey entertained revelers.'
Oh yeah, and the ---shall we say---sparkling cider was served.
Everybody in town wants to know who is closing in on buying the Hard Rock. Something is sure about to happen. Current owner Peter Morton has canceled the Hard Rock's $1 billion expansion that was to include exclusive condominiums and bungalows. And, one Hard Rock insider told me of the sale: "It's a done deal." But insider is a relative thing on this one; the person had no clue who the buyer might be. Norm guesses that the buyer will be someone who already has a strong local presence. I am leaning more toward the buyer being a relative outsider (though certainly with local partners). But it is safe to say one thing: I am not the buyer. The guesstimate value being bandied is $750 million and I was just telling a friend that there is no way I would go over $650 million for it. So, we will see...
Yesterday Senior VP of Public Affairs Alan Feldman of MGM/Mirage called the Buffet to clarify that the Nelly appearance at rumjungle at Mandalay Bay was neither something that slipped through the cracks nor an attempt to stand against authorities who have requested a ban on gangsta rap (we are leaving aside that only the sheriff considers Nelly to be gangsta).
Q: Did you have any reservations about holding an event featuring Nelly?
A: None whatsoever. We have been looking at any number of different kinds of acts for an awful long time and have developed, often in conjunction with law enforcement, a security program that keeps the comfort and security of our guests first and foremost in everyone's mind. And, we have complete confidence in our ability to implement those plans and stage those events accordingly.
Q: So, do you consider gangsta rap performers off limits to your casino and clubs?
A: No. What we need to do is be prepared for whatever may come up at an event. It could be Jimmy Buffett; it could be the Rolling Stones; it could be 50 Cent or Nelly; it is just a matter of having the proper plan in place.
Q: So, you didn't perceive the sheriff's letter as saying you should not have these acts...
A: I think what we heard from the sheriff was an expression of concern that relates to events that frankly have nothing whatsoever to do with events or concerts, or anything up and down the Las Vegas Strip. It has to do with the incredibly tragic and unnecessary murder of a police officer (Sgt. Henry Prendes was killed responding to a domestic violence call by an aspiring rapper). These things are unrelated but the sheriff very understandably is concerned; he wants to protect everyone and he wants to be certain that his officers are protected and the public is protected. After what he and the department have been through he wants to make sure everyone is thinking about these things. I am not sure what the ACLU understands the letter to say, but what we got out of it is that if you can't handle dealing with these events then don't do them. I suppose there may be a reading of the letter that said 'just don't do them.' But our reading of it was to be sensitive to if in certain circumstances there are security needs that are different than other circumstances and that is not new. We have known that for a very long time. I feel our company is capable of assuring the safety and comfort of everyone.
"It really doesn't matter whether there has been an attempt at an outright ban or merely an attempt to influence these properties (Strip casinos). We're still talking about action that is taken under the color of the law and is therefore government action that is, frankly, censorship."
Tonight Nelly will be judging the model search "Miss Apple Bottoms" at rumjungle in Mandalay Bay. Normally, beyond a smirk, this would not be worth noting. But either this event has slipped through the cracks or host property Mandalay Bay (owned by MGM/Mirage) has decided not to be intimidated by the sheriff's request to keep rap performers out of casino's nightclubs. Of course, only Sheriff Bill Young would think that party-rap like "Hot in Herre" is at all gangsta. But he does; the most serious incident leading up to the sheriff's warning came from shootings that followed a Nelly concert at the Aladdin. Who would think judging "Miss Apple Bottons" would turn into a moment to thumb your nose at the MAN?
Norm is reporting that comic Rita Rudner, after 5 years here, will be closing her show at New-York-New York in June. The casino is planning to turn the showroom into a nightclub. This follows the closing of longtime headliner Gladys Knight's show late last year. So, when Rudner departs that will leave Celine Dion as the last woman headliner on the Strip.
The Hard Rock is in the midst of a major expansion and so the timing of this seems very odd. Maybe the expansion ran into more costs than The Hard Rock had anticipated or, more likely, someone made an offer (say, Jann Wenner, who already checked out the hotel across the street for a possible Rolling Stone casino) large enough to make Hard Rock owner Peter Morton take some notice. There is also the distant possibility that the Hard Rock management is sick of constantly tangling with gaming regulators who have gone at them of late for suggestive ads and, most recently, it is said, are looking into stories about underage celebrities and wild times at Body English (The Hard Rock's nightclub). It is clear to all that The Hard Rock will not be given the benefit of the doubt if there is another "incident." By the way, I honestly think the Hard Rock has a right to feel a bit persecuted by gaming authorities, because The Palms is every bit as racy yet never seems to get told it crossed any lines while the Hard Rock lives under a microscope.
Back to the possible sale: I've put out some e-mails and calls and will let you know if I learn anything.
Yesterday, I saw Duane "Dog" Chapman address the Professional Bail Agents of the United States convention at the Luxor. Chapman became famous after his successful capture in Mexico of Andrew Luster, a fugitive cosmetics heir convicted of rape. Chapman was then arrested by Mexican authorities for violating extradition laws (the charges were eventually dropped). Just before the start of his speech, I made a wrong turn and walked into a private room where Chapman's entourage was holding hands in a circle and praying. I was embarrassed to have interrupted such an intimate moment. But then I saw the cameras; this was all being taped for his A&E show "Dog the Bounty Hunter."
You hear a lot about Phyllis McGuire when you live in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas resident is the youngest of the singing trio of sisters who had lots of hits back in the 50s. Thanks to ridding piggy back on Hilton headliner Barry Manilow, McGuire is currently on the top of the charts again, probably, for the first time since the Eisenhower Administration. On Manilow's number one album "Greatest Songs of the Fifties," McGuire has a guest spot with a duet on a cover of the McGuire Sisters' signature hit "Sincerely."
But in Las Vegas Phyllis McGuire is best known for her philanthropy and her extraordinary social network. A recent example of the former was the $1 million she donated to Keep Memory Alive to help build the Frank Gehry designed research center (previously written about on the Buffet). Of the latter, Norm reports that on Friday McGuire hosted a little get together at her place where the guest list included boxing promoter Bob Arum and web legend Matt Drudge.
