The Show is UP: Rolling With Dice

You've been forewarnd: Parts of this week's interview are not suitable for those with delicate sensibilities. But only parts, and they're carefully noted. Otherwise, you know the drill: click on the date below to listen or right-click and save to your computer. Or subscribe (it's free!) via this iTunes link or via this Zune link. -sf

July 2: Rolling With Dice

Hide the kiddies, brace yourself and, if you’re easily offended, you may want to skip at least the second half of this week’s show. Andrew Dice Clay is coming to Vegas in July for another set of shows on the Strip that may portend a headliner residency, so the controversial and foul-mouthed comic is our guest tonight. Is he, as he likes to say, the Elvis of comedy, or is he, as Steve put it in their conversation much to Dice’s annoyance, an overgrown Fonzie? Judge for yourself this hour as they go at it about the 51-year-old’s overactive sex life, about ejecting hecklers and about why he canceled some recent shows in Utah. Plus, hear his version of what happened when Saturday Night Live player Nora Dunn quit the show because he was hosting.

In Banter: The Twin River racino, Michael Jackson’s death, Patti LuPone’s outburst, the Danny Gans 911 call, the tricky Brotastic ad, the survey about Vegas tourist walking habits and Lance Burton looks forward to six more years and (then?) the Monte Carlo’s implosion.

Links to stuff discussed:

Andrew Dice Clay’s website
Steve’s New York Times piece on the bankrupt Rhode Island racino
VegasHappensHere.Com photos of the Twin River casino in RI
Hear the Danny Gans 911 call
Norm Clarke on Lance Burton’s new deal
The billboard for Brotastic/Blue Man Group
Steve’s column on the Patti LuPone text-messaging incident
Hear KNPR on Michael Jackson’s death and his Vegas relevance
Steve’s column on rehabbing MJ’s image
The Las Vegas Sun on Boulder City Hotel’s money woes and the NYT travel on Boulder City
The Las Vegas Sun on the data related to walking tourists and Orbitz hotel bookings
Our episode with Whoopi Goldberg from Nov. 9, 2006
Wikipedia on the difference between a “video lottery terminal” and a slot machine
The L.A. Times’ tasteless blog headline on Billy Mays’ death

The Strip is LIVE tonight w/Andrew Dice Clay

Is he the Elvis of Comedy...or just an overgrown Fonzie? I asked Andrew Dice Clay that question -- he was not amused -- and much more and we're playing that conversation on this week's episode of "The Strip." Fair warning, though: This interview gets a bit bizarre and x-rated in places.

Why not join us at 7 p.m. PT at LVRocks.Com for the live stream, the chat room and the studio cam where you can see Miles and me record the program? And, yes, both of us are finally back in the studio -- without any health complaints and everything! Woo-hoo!

Plenty of Vegas news to mull over, too, from our two-week hiatus -- Michael Jackson, that racino and Lance Burton's announcement today come to mind. Also, the trivia question, the poll, listener feedback and, as always, the Top Secret Tourist Tip of the Week.

Come on down or wait for the podcast version, which should be out tomorrow. Subscribe (it's free!) via this iTunes link or via this Zune link.

The Strip is LIVE on Tuesday w/ LANCE BURTON

Sorry, Alanis Morissette fans. You oughta know you'll have to wait a couple weeks to hear her. I'm chatting with Lance Burton as he prepares to return to work at the charred Monte Carlo. And I've got one hand in my pocket for next week's show, even though I have no idea what that means. Isn't that ironic?

ANYHOW, join us at 7 pm PT for the live show at LVROCKS.Com. Hear all the funny outtakes! Chat with fellow fans! Drink when Miles cusses!

Or don't and you'll get the episode Thursday on the podcast feed. Your call.

Monte Carlo to reopen Feb 15

I'm sick today -- very uncomfortable -- but I woke from my afternoon sleep and found this in my email box just a couple minutes ago. Three things of interest below:

* Nothing like a profitable holiday weekend to get them moving, huh? Although they are missing Chinese New Year. Whatever.
* Apparently they've taken advantage of the misfortune (and insurance money?) to do more extensive remodeling of those 500 upper rooms. Smart.
* Not sure why they'd delay opening the buffet and brew pub if they're opening 2,500 rooms. Weird.

MONTE CARLO HOTEL TO REOPEN FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15

Round-the-Clock Effort Will Have Hotel Ready

To Welcome Customers for Presidents’ Day Weekend

Las Vegas, February 8, 2008 -- MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM) announced today that the Monte Carlo Hotel will reopen its doors for customers on Friday, February 15.

Monte Carlo President and COO Anton Nikodemus announced the news, saying, “After what can only be described as an incredible effort by the best team of employees and contractors in the business, the Monte Carlo family will be in place February 15 to welcome guests for Presidents’ Day weekend.”

Monte Carlo plans to open with no fewer than 1,200 guest rooms available and management anticipates an additional 1,300 rooms will become available by February 22. The remaining 500 rooms in Monte Carlo’s normal 3,000-room inventory are located on the upper floors and will remain out of service while undergoing more extensive redesign.

The majority of guest services will open on February 15, including the Monte Carlo Casino, meeting and convention facilities, the wedding chapel and the Spa & Salon Monte Carlo. All food and beverage outlets will open on the 15^th, with the exception of the buffet and the Monte Carlo Brew Pub, which will open as business demands, but no later than the 22^nd. Most retail outlets will open February 15, with all opening no later than the 22^nd.

Master Magician Lance Burton will resume his long-running show February 15, in the 1,200-seat Lance Burton Theater.

Remediation work continues both inside and outside the hotel, which was evacuated and temporarily closed January 25, after a fire damaged portions of the building’s exterior façade. Clark County firefighters, supported by emergency personnel from around the valley, quickly extinguished the blaze. Fire suppression efforts caused water damage to a number of guest rooms and suites.

Approximately 5,000 guests and 1,000 employees were safely evacuated from the hotel with no serious injuries. Preliminary results of the Clark County Fire Department’s investigation have determined that welding activity on the hotel roof started the fire. A total damage figure has not yet been determined.

“Monte Carlo President Anton Nikodemus and the entire Monte Carlo team are to be commended for their tireless efforts,” said Bobby Baldwin, President and CEO of CityCenter and Chief Design and Construction Officer for MGM MIRAGE. “Without the leadership, dedication and perseverance of these individuals, along with the professional support of the entire MGM MIRAGE family, this rapid turnaround would not have been possible. This accomplishment is no less than a testament to their commitment – both to our customers and to one another. ”

The Gays, The Jews and Vegas

There is a pathetic creature out there who reads this blog religiously and never seems to miss the podcast but who is nonetheless livid that Miles and I are gay and that we talk about our lives as if -- get this! -- they were normal. He even spends his time posting homophobic messages on this blog under old posts that nobody is reading anymore (I get email alerts to all new posts or I'd miss it, too) and has debates with himself, pretending to be more than one poster. It's very odd. And always loaded with bad grammar and spelling because kooky fundamentalists are uniformly averse to the English language.

Still, even wacky, virulent homophobes have their days, and this may just be his. Thinking he was hurting my feelings, he passed along this very useful link from a Swedish newspaper reporting that Swedish magician Joe Labero (pictured above) bitched to an in-flight magazine about why he can't get work in Las Vegas:

"I don't mean to sound prejudiced of course, I'm just cynical. A blond Swedish Viking will have a hard time breaking through the hierarchies that control Vegas, where power rests in the hands of Jewish business syndicates, American dollar millionaires and homosexual booking agents."

Fascinating. Did you know this? Planet Ho is installing a Dutch magician, Hans Klok, who is reportedly not gay, American or Jewish, and he's been hired by P.Ho CEO Robert Earl, who again is none of those things. There's Steve Wyrick, Nathan Burton, Lance Burton, David Copperfield and Criss Angel -- none are gay (not openly anyhow) and none are Jews. True, Siegfried & Roy are gay but would never admit it, but they sure weren't Jewish or American. We're not entirely sure they were even Earthlings.

Could it be that Mr. Labero is just not very good? Look at this clip below -- he's cutting a woman into pieces in a box. Gosh, Vegas really needs its 18th version of THAT trick. And the close-ups of him -- what's with the 1980s-hair-band look? -- I wonder about his protestations of heterosexuality anyhow.




Interestingly, He did go on to apologize for the remarks yesterday. You know, because he didn't mean to sound prejudiced. Of course.

Anyhow, being gay and Jewish myself -- and left-handed and hearing impaired, what a list! -- I'd like to speak on behalf of this city when I answer this other comment made by Mr. Labero:

"But I will get there, sooner of later."

I'm thinking not.

Two Interesting Pieces of Vegas Show News

Since I'm so quick to point out when something looks like it's not doing well, it seemed only fair to report that "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular" does seem to be holding its own. Not setting the world on fire, but the cast was called into a meeting recently and told not to worry about some of the lighter crowds. Apparently, according to a source, the show has made money every week it's been here. They're at nine shows a week now but it's likely it'll go down one or two, with the two Sunday shows consolidating because the early one sees the weakest attendance. The cast principles have all been signed to another year, I believe, so they're in it for the long haul. And heck, a Broadway show staying in Vegas for more than a year is now the definition of success unless you're that anomalous phenom known as "Mamma Mia!"

While we're on the topic, an interesting development over at "Lance Burton: Master Magician." For the first time that I know of, a hotel is offering a discount on tickets if you buy them online at their website. At Monte-Carlo.Com, they give you $10 off. I don't know whether this is just a logical innovation nobody had thought of or that Lance is showing signs of wear and tear after so many years of headlining. He sounded good when we spoke to him a couple months ago for "The Strip" Podcast.

You know, I say it's an innovative idea and I mean it. At the same time, though, don't most people buy their show tickets through the show's website? Hmmm... sounds like the making of a new poll!

New "The Strip" Episode Up - Vegas' Magician March Madness

The latest episode of "The Strip" is up with lengthy discussion of our wedding, honeymoon and reaction to one homophobic -- but evidently devoted -- listener. Also, there's a fun interview with Lance Burton on the spate of new magic shows that are opening or have been announced for The Strip. Lance also discusses his own involvement in the dualing magician flick "The Prestige" starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. Plus, we discuss Legoland Vegas, the Grand Canyon Skywalk and the news that Miss America lost its TV contract yet again.

Listen by clicking here -- or right-click here to download the file and listen to it at your leisure.