Two big Vegas players are included on the money end of the Jackson saga. Colony Capital, a partial owner of the Las Vegas Hilton (where Elvis performed), bailed Neverland out of foreclosure. And AEG, which books and produces Cher and Bette Midler at Caesars and Santana at the Hard Rock, was the promoter behind the London concerts. Both companies seem to be caught having to choose between losing millions and/or engaging in desperate acts to squeeze money from what has been left behind (rehearsal footage and an empty mansion). No doubt anything they do to recoup their money many will see as in questionable taste.

Remember Jackson declared in a statement released after Neverland was searched that he would never consider the place home again. Did he ever even return there? And releasing any of the rehearsal footage of a perfectionist is not at all an appropriate coda. And even as a tribute show, there is no Michael Jackson concert in London without Michael Jackson. That is the thing about unique talents: They are irreplaceable.

Certainly, given the Vegas angles, this city is as obsessed with Jackson as any other place right now. But there is other news in the Entertainment Capital of the World. For starters the city is gearing up (click for complete list of activities) for July 4 weekend in a rough economy. And when, like me, you live across the street from a casino you get letters like this in the mail:

"Dear Neighbor:
On Saturday July 4, 2009 a special event will take place at Green Valley Ranch. This event will feature a fireworks display, and due to your close proximity to Green Valley Ranch, we would like to make you aware of the event. The fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m. and last approximately 10 minutes..."

The Las Vegas Sun and Review-Journal have stories on what seems the incredible incompetence that in part led to abandoning building many floors at one of the towers at CityCenter (pictured) on the Strip. The local word among politicians and casino insiders is that the success of this mega-resort of all mega-resorts is the best hope to revive Las Vegas. The idea is that interest in the new destination resort will fill the city with so many tourists that all boats lift on the rising tide. Surely a tide metaphor is a dangerous place to be in a desert landscape?

Every day we have thousands of rooms on the Strip going unused in this economy, and while how many rooms CityCenter adds to that total depends who you ask on what day the answer is certainly thousands more rooms. Therefore isn't this more likely to be a problem than a solution? We will see. CityCenter at least is set to start opening before the end of the year, unlike two other multibillion-dollar projects in Vegas with one defaulting on loans (Cosmopolitan) and the other going into bankruptcy (Fontainebleau).

Lance Burton, the longtime headliner at Monte Carlo, put to bed rumors of his retirement by announcing a new contract that will keep him at Monte Carlo for as long as six more years. Burton does the best traditional magic show in Vegas. If you have kids who have never seen a magic show, then Burton is the big-production show that you should make their first experience. I am thrilled he is staying in the neighborhood.

Speaking of things kids will love, I finally made it to "The Lion King" at Mandalay Bay.  It has not received the Vegas treatment like "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular." This is a replication of the Broadway show including intermission. Therefore I feel no particular need to review it with detail. But I found "Lion King" fun and joyful, and I suspect based on a thick crowd on a Monday, a traditionally slow night on the Strip, the show will enjoy a long run in Vegas. Whatever Broadway-Vegas problems other shows at other casinos have faced, Mandalay Bay has proven immune, previously enjoying a long run for "Mamma Mia" also at full production length.

This blog has been honored with two recent mentions in the news. One of my favorite blogs is David McKee's Stiffs & Georges. His focus is on the big picture of casino operations, and I was pleased the Buffet was named by him one of the essential Vegas blogs. Check out his entire list, and be sure to read his blog if you care at all about who is winning your money at the top of the food chain and what they are doing with it (these days, stay one step ahead of debt, mostly). Also, Review-Journal's Norm Clarke quoted this blog this morning while covering Criss Angel's shameless season-opener plan for his cable series.

Photo: Sarah Gerke