Magician Steve Wyrick Postponed Again; Will He EVER Open?

That's not just my question. It's the one stalking the folks at the Las Vegas Hilton, too. There's some snag going on over there that goes beyond needing more time to perfect the show, and now I have a Hilton source telling me there are financial problems. Before it even opens, there are financial problems?!?

I had exclusively reported on July 26 the the journeyman magician's new headliner gig had been postponed from a 7/27 opening to an 8/5 opening, and the other day a ticket agent told me its new opening date was 8/6. Well, that's today, and the Las Vegas Hilton website has scrubbed those dates and a ticketing agent said it's supposed to open 8/9 but "I can't really predict the future."

Indeed. Don't hold your breath on that, either, because the resort's website shows Wyrick scheduled to appear EVERY SINGLE NIGHT UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2012 WITHOUT A SINGLE DAY OFF.

Yeah, right.

[Aside: By then will it even be "the Hilton" by then?]

If you try to book tickets for any of these dates, you evidently can do it, though. They're $39.95 to $125. Something tells me there'll be plenty of seats available on a walk-up basis, though, so I'd hold off on that.

Why does this even matter? Well, Wyrick's face is already plastered on a 20ish-foot-tall banner on the side of the resort where Barry Manilow's visage once gazed down upon the masses. Has there ever, in the history of Las Vegas, been a show advertised and promoted like that that has simply never opened?

Wyrick, of course, has a long history of financial troubles and disappointing shows. Most recently, he went bankrupt after the $35 million Wyrick Theater and bar complex in the Miracle Mile Shops failed miserably. And yet he keeps trying to come back, and that spirit and effort deserves a certain admiration from even those not impressed by his tricks.

There's one more bit of proof, though, that Wyrick is clearly not ready for primetime at the Hilton. This...


...is what you find out front at SteveWyrick.Com. Maybe that's a time-traveling DeLorean? THAT would be an awesome trick.

Pictorial: Holly's Backstage World

Last week, I went backstage at Peepshow for a piece I'm working on and hung out for a little while with this blog's very own pin-up, Holly Madison. While I was in her dressing room, I shot a bunch of photos because the place had all sorts of tchotchkes and wall, uh, art. It is quite colorful.

All my pix can be found in this Flickr set, but here are some of the highlights. That, above, is Holly about to glue on her false lashes.

I also learned while I was there that Holly's under contract through the end of December and sales for Peepshow have improved with the success of her new reality show, Holly's World. So various reports of the show's demise have been exaggerated, again.

Her famous dogs weren't with her, but when they are, here's where they chill:


The door...


...and her bobblehead, pez and some boobs:


Check out the Flickr set to see the sheep-humping art, the Peepshow Prayer and more.

Show is UP: Robert Earl

Here's the show, which has been in the feed since Sunday. In fact, most weeks the show is in the feed a day or more before it get it on the site or blog! Another reason to subscribe (it's free!) in iTunes or in Zune. Click on the date below to make it play or right-click to save it and listen at your leisure. Enjoy!

April 19: Robert Earl's Exit Interview

Back when he was unveiling the former Aladdin as the new Planet Hollywood casino, owner Robert Earl made some pretty lofty claims about what his resort would mean for Vegas. That was then. Earlier this year, Earl turned over control of the property to Harrah’s Entertainment, unable to keep his head above water amid these unprecedented, perilous economic times. Earl, naturally, has no regrets as he explains in this episode what his role will be going forward and why the old one-property entrepreneur model of Strip ownership is, for the most part, dead. Other topics on the agenda: CityCenter, Prive, the Palms and his memorabilia stash.

David McKee of the Las Vegas Advisor fills in for Vegas, bantering about Macau perils, CityCenter data, Matt Goss branding, surprising Strip charges and much more.

Links

David McKee’s blog, Stiffs & Georges
Matt Goss’ website
Caesars Palace’s Cleopatra’s Barge
RateVegas.Com on CityCenter’s damaging data
The NWiR episode with Steve debating Rich Velotta on whether it’s too soon to judge CityCenter
Bobby Baldwin admits to David Schwartz in Vegas Seven that the Aria casino is dark
MGM Mirage’s food seminars at Whole Foods courtesy (via SaveLV.Com)
Steve’s profile of Stephen Siegel and VegasHappensHere.Com post on Rumor
News of Prive’s closing, the big travel convention that’s coming and Philly Inq’s casino

The Strip Is LIVE Sat w/ Robert Earl

Ex-Planet Ho resort owner Robert Earl is this week's guest on The Strip, talking about why he had to cede control of the resort to Harrah's, what he thinks of CityCenter and what his role in Vegas is now. PLUS, guest host David McKee of the Las Vegas Advisor's Stiffs & Georges blog will fill in for Miles, who has to work. I've consigned the task of drumming up a Top Secret Tourist Tip of the Week to McKee, too.

Join us 5-6 p.m. PT at LVRocks.Com for to listen, watch via webcam and chat with other fans. The podcast edition, of course, usually posts for subscribers (it's free!) by the end of the weekend.

Also join us from 4-5 p.m. for two new episodes of The Petcast. This week, we've got Dr. Patricia McConnell, pet blogger/author and former co-host of NPR's "Calling All Pets" in the first half-hour and then Dr. Marlene Zuk, who researches animal behavior and was recently quoted in this New York Times Magazine piece on whether animals can be gay.

So chill with us from 4-6 pm PT tomorrow. It's fun and we enjoy the company.

This week's LVW col: Robert Earl

Here's this week's LVW column. The full Robert Earl interview will air on the podcast either next week or the week after, postponed by the live Elaine Wynn event this weekend. Enjoy. -sf

His name is Earl
He may have lost control of Planet Hollywood, but a wiser Robert Earl is no Vegas flop

By STEVE FRIESS

Vegas is a tough town to break into. Because the gaming business is seen from afar as an easy-money racket, all manner of showboaters, dilettantes and charlatans believe all they need to make it on the Strip is money and an oversized ego. The story of those hubrists’ flops are both repetitive and legend.

That’s why I must stand up for a man I fully expected to fail, who arrived from—almost literally—another planet, with the kind of unearned bravado that so typified all the previous wannabes who became never-had-beens. He was loud and proud and believed that just because he knew other hospitality-related businesses he could conquer Sin City, too.

He fell short, ’tis true, and his Planet Hollywood resort is now being absorbed into the Harrah’s universe. But I’m here to say that, while it may seem otherwise, Robert Earl was no Vegas failure.

The fact is, Earl did everything he promised back in 2003, when he acquired the moribund, desperate, horrifically designed Aladdin for $800 million. He took a place with a theme rendered radioactive by 9/11 and spent $1 billion making it bright and accessible on the outside, sultry and hip on the inside. He vowed to deploy his star-laden Rolodex in the service of rebooting the Planet Hollywood brand and he did so beyond anyone’s expectations, with constant film premieres and those big beauty pageants and one ubiquitous mascot known as Holly Madison.

Earl formally lost control of the property last month as Harrah’s, which had bought up Planet Hollywood debt, commandeered the company. The enterprise was heavily financed and then beaten to a pulp by the Great Recession, the same situation faced by almost every operator in Vegas.

Unlike the others, though, the 58-year-old Brit ran out of time. He did nothing wrong, per se; that $1 billion he plunged into the transformation of the Aladdin to the Planet Hollywood was completely necessary to make the place viable. Earl just hit a bad beat and didn’t have the depth to weather it.

“In a nutshell, the days of individual entrepreneurs on the Las Vegas Strip, with the exception of Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson, are over,” Earl said by phone last week from the CanyonRanch SpaClub in Tucson, lest anyone worry about his ability to make ends meet.

Read the rest at LasVegasWeekly.Com.

Jason Alexander Hates You

I've spent the past three days running all over the Los Angeles region doing interviews and digging up public documents for what may turn out to be the most significant magazine piece I've done since I slept on the floor of a central China hut next to the puke pan of a woman infected with HIV by illicit blood sellers for this Poz piece.

Certainly, these conditions are far better. I've been crashing on Vegas travel freelancer Eric Gladstone's couch and taking down time in adorable cafes where that ubiquitous California species, the aspiring screenwriter, appear in great number.

So I should be sleeping right now because I have another crucial interview in five hours in Riverside, but I had a run-in tonight and can't get something out of my head.

Jason Alexander hates you.

You might recall that the Seinfeld star came to Vegas to perform his one-man show, "The Donny Clay Experience," in the Peepshow theater at Planet Hollywood. On media night, I was introduced warmly by Vegas-based publicists hired to promote the show as a significant journalist with several major outlets. Alexander's co-producer was friendly and told me we'd arrange a phone interview in the coming days.

Then it didn't happen. The Vegas-based publicists asked who I'd be using the interview for. I'd already run the question by editors at a few major national papers and websites but, quite frankly, Jason Alexander isn't of all that much interest anymore.

My answer: We'd do an episode of "The Strip" and some blogging here and, depending on what came out of the conversation, it was totally possible that it could go farther. Take it from Smokey Robinson, Joan Rivers, Hal Prince, Dennis Miller and Lily Tomlin, to name a few from the past eight months or so who have submitted to a thoughtful conversation with me only to find it used in a list of publications and venues around the world. There's no reporter in Vegas capable of attaining as wide exposure but sometimes, like when you're Jason Alexander and you're not that big a deal anymore, you have to do the interview first so I know what the story is.

A few days later, I finally heard back from the Vegas-based publicists: Jason Alexander doesn't do podcasts or blogs.

Huh?

It was such a bizarre notion that anyone would simply dismiss any medium out of hand that I didn't believe it could seriously have come from Jason Alexander. I presumed it was his personal publicist or partners or something; the level of arrogance and ignorance it takes to say such a thing rarely comes from the celebrity himself.

It was also a demonstrable lie. Jason Alexander has been interviewed by poker bloggers and podcasts and Jason Alexander was interviewed by at least one Vegas journalist whose primary publication outlet is a blog, Robin Leach. Not to mention the publicity shot above? Found it next to an interview for a blog.

Anyhow, my interview never happened. The Vegas-based publicists asked me for data related to the reach of this blog and the podcast, which I provided. But the size of this audience didn't matter. Jason Alexander finished his run in Vegas and that seemed like the end.

Except then, tonight, it wasn't.

A good friend is starring in "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum" at the Freud Theater at UCLA. The show's run begins officially today, but on Monday was a full dress rehearsal. Serendipitously I was in L.A. and was one of my friend's guests. It's a fabulous production that features several Vegas-related actors including ex-"The Producers" star Larry Rabin and ex-"Jersey Boys" star Erich Bergen, so if you're around, totally take it in.

And guess who the show's Artistic Director is? Why, that fine thespian, Jason Alexander. What were the odds?

I had to talk to him. I really had to know whether the actor himself has killed our interview or if it was an overzealous publicity person's doing. And so, as my friend and I were parting, I spotted Jason Alexander putzing around on one of these scooters in the parking garage near his car. (Odd, I know.)

I approached. I reminded him that we'd met at his "Donny Clay" reception. I reminded him that I had been promised an interview.

"Yeah," he said. "I don't do that."

Do what?

"I don't do the blogs, the pod, any of that," he said. "I don't even like doing print anymore. They fuck it up even more than any of them."

Now I know you think what Jason Alexander is saying is that he hates me and my journalist ilk. Which is why I'm going to explain to you what he's really saying, and it's that he hates you.

Jason Alexander doesn't even know what a podcast is. Or, at least, he clearly doesn't know what mine is. We have in-depth, lengthy, serious conversations on "The Strip" that are posted virtually unedited. It's really hard to "fuck it up" -- by which someone like Jason Alexander actually means he'd be misquoted or taken out of context -- when the entire discussion is published.

No, no. All Jason Alexander knows is that it happens on the Internet. That's the only thing podcasts and blogs have in common. And the people who write blogs or publish podcasts couldn't possibly be competent professionals. As for the people who read blogs and listen to podcasts? Why, you're simply unworthy of the mighty Jason Alexander's attention altogether. Never mind that you're the people who care so much about Vegas and Vegas entertainment that you seek out such information, that you will go through the trouble of downloading a podcast, synching it and spending hours taking it in. You're precisely his potential ticket-buyer and he has no respect for you.

The anti-print-journalist bias is a bizarre extra. Once you've ruled out podcasts and blogs and all print media too, what's left? Television! And we all know how celebrity reporters on TV obsess over keeping everything in context and having serious, revelatory conversations!

Another peculiar thing about all this is that I can't figure out where his antipathy for the media started. Lousy reviews for his two post-Seinfeld sitcom bombs? Really? He's turned on all media because critics rendered their opinions? So far as I can recall, Jason Alexander has never had a scandal, never appeared in tabloids, never had to apologize for something that only celebrities ever have to apologize for. The media has had a lovefest for all things Seinfeld forever. When has he even been wounded in such a mortal way?

Oh well. I'm sure that if Jason Alexander ever reads any of this, he'll use it as proof that bloggers, podcasters and print journalists are all evil-doers out to attack and harm their prey. It won't matter that he lied about not doing blogs or podcasts, it won't matter that he's not basing his choices on the quality of the journalist or the size of the audience. He's a media bigot, and no sort of bigot comes to their bigotry rationally.

One more little thing. In the "Forum" program, Jason Alexander's blurb indicates that he will be bringing his "Donny Clay" show to Vegas "for an extended run." Except that his run is over and no future dates are scheduled.

In that UCLA parking garage, I asked him whether he'd be returning to Vegas.

"That is still yet to be determined," he answered with a doubtful look before scooting away. (Odd, I know.)

Hmm. If Vegas doesn't work out for him -- and as I've been told by P-Ho execs that they have no itch to have him back any time soon -- I'm sure Jason Alexander will have a Seinfeldian explanation.

It's not him, it's us.

Planet Hollywood Towers: A Special Preview

Because Planet Hollywood (@phVegas) actually understands the significance of New Media, Hunter Hillegas of RateVegas.Com and I got to take a first-look tour of the Planet Hollywood Towers by Westgate today along with a group of lucky attendees of Saturday's Vegas Podcast-a-Palooza at the Palms. Vegas Bill (@VegasBill), who keeps tabs on all sorts of Vegasy goings-on on Twitter and his site, was one of those attendees as well.

This building, it must be said, is a very odd place. I'm not sure if I mean that in a good or bad way; it will take on a different life when it opens in December. But P-Ho-To is a different animal isasmuch as it is a fractional-ownership condo-hotel with 1,201 units. That means some people buy shares in it, others buy them outright and others just book on Travelocity or wherever.

It starts out well with the front desk...


...and a nice swimming pool just off the naturally-lit lobby:


But, strangely, they're saying only guests of the tower get to use this pool. I say that's strange because I asked P-Ho owner Robert Earl once whether he planned to renovate the hideous pool areas he inherited from the idiot Aladdin developers and he said that it wasn't really doable but that the new towers would have better pools. I'll have to dig up the quote, but I'm sure he was saying that guests of both P-Ho and P-Ho-To would get to use them. Hard to imagine it now because the pool at P-Ho-To was nice but not really big enough to accommodate thousands of guests.

Anyhow, the fun of a first-look tour is seeing stuff still underwraps. This is the lobby...


...the escalator from P-Ho-To's valet entrance...


...the elevator faceplate...


...the 10,000-square-foot ballroom (dunno what this mound of furniture's for)...


...and the hallway.


On the 30-something floor, we visited a 1-bdr suite and an attached (if you want it that way) studio. The 1-bdrs have these beautiful kitchens:


The whole kitchen thing led to a discussion amongst us tourists (tourers?) about whether people staying at, say, Trump or Signature actually use those kitchens. Hunter says yes. I'm dubious beyond maybe the fridge and microwave. Where do they shop? (Soon, P-Ho-To will have Whole Foods at The Crystals at CityCenter, tis true.)

Here's the bathroom -- that's a shower to the left, a WC to the right:


And here's the living room area:


One of the coolest features I'd never heard of before is that these suites will have blackout curtains for the windows upon which the TV can be projected if guests so desire. They'll watch movies or TV or whatever. That's pretty clever.

You know a British guy owns the place when the trash chutes are labeled thusly, huh?:


Next we went to the 55th floor (right, guys?) and saw the 2-bedroom suites. Before I show that, though, I ought to show an exterior of the building. Note below the pink pointy tip jutting out?
Well, this is what that pink part looks like from the inside:


It's a pink zone! Here's what it looks like with people in it...


...and this is what CityCenter looks like:


I came really close to titling this post "Planet Hollywood Towers by Barbie." I mean, wow. And, yes, it was a bit warm in that space, too. It's just...strange. Elle Woods would be thrilled.

I didn't take particularly good photos of the furnishings, much of which weren't in the suite anyhow. I'm sure that Hunter has some great stuff that he'll undoubtedly post on the blog of RateVegas.Com. He's already posted several on @Hunter Twitter feed.

But, as I am wont to do, a few more oddball observations. First, this is the view of the Marriott Grand Chateau and Polo Towers.


You may not be able to see it, but I did not know that both have rooftop pools. Why don't more of the Vegas resorts do this, I wonder. Seems pretty awesome to me.

Second, this is the carpet in the hallway on the higher floor we visited:


It's getting trashed by bits of construction crud and movers and such. Wouldn't it make sense to lay the carpeting last, after all the hard work is done so it doesn't look hagged out before you even open?

I just loved VegasBill's Blackberry case...


Summation: I dunno. The views are terrific, the furnishings seem modern and sleek, the kitchens looked fabulous and...I don't know who's coming. Or what they're eating, since the building will only have one restaurant and they're not even sure if (a) it'll be open when P-Ho-To opens or (b) what sort of fare it will offer.

Since they're not going to be able to sell many fractionals for quite a while, it's essentially another 1,200 hotel rooms added to the oversupply at the same time as thousands more open across the street. If CityCenter really drives in new Vegas tourism, then P-Ho-To is in a great position to be the more affordable new experience with great access to the other one. Time will tell and five years from now I suspect both skeptics and optimists will see evidence that they were right.

Podcast-a-Palooza FOR YOUR LIFE!

OK, folks! As you can see above to your right, the Podcast-a-Palooza is approaching this SATURDAY at the Palms.

If you're unfamiliar, this is the second annual event during which Five Hundy, The Strip and the Vegas Gang perform 30ish-minute versions of their shows live in The Lounge (aka The Gossy Room) at the Palms. Admission is free and runs from 4-6 pm PT, will be LIVE-STREAMED online starting at 3:45 p.m. and will feature Queen of Vegas Holly Madison as our guest and MGM veep Gordon Absher chatting with the Vegas Gang. I suspect Five Hundy's guest will be Jack Daniels. Our emcee is Wings For Wheels and Popdose podcaster Dave Lifton and Scott Whitney of the Living In LV show will join the podcasters' roundtable and Q-and-A when it's all over.

Thing is, I didn't know until today what VegasTripping's Chuck Monster (a Vegas Gang member) posted the other day. Planet Hollywood is really getting into it with some pretty nifty giveaways!

According to Chuck, here are some of the prizes we'll be drawing to give away:

* A small group of winners to take a guided tour of the still-under-construction PH Towers, a fascinating sneak peek two months before it opens!

* Six (6) pairs of tickets to see Peepshow.

* A two-night stay at Planet Hollywood, with two (2) tickets to see either Peepshow or America's Got Talent Live and a meal for two at the Spice Market Buffet. Specifics TBA on that one.

* Some other gift bags, too, with books, music and other swag.

So! Not only do you get to hang out and observe three of your favorite Vegas shows live for free but you could win, win, win!

Take a GOOD look, Aubrey O'Day...

...cuz if ya keep this crapola up, this is the only sort of Peepshow that's gonna hire you. (I walked by that earlier tonight in New York and thought it would be funny, given the drama I'm missing back west. Something weird ALWAYS happens when I'm gone!)

If you haven't heard yet, O'Day -- whose claim to fame I still am unclear of -- called in sick on her second night as the singing lead of "Peepshow" at Planet Hollywood because someone in the audience took a photo of her topless and posted it online. Then she posted this bizarro YouTube clip...



...that defies logic and reason. And, Aubrey, trying to make sense of what you say is not being a hater. It's an earnest effort to figure out if you have any brains, is all.

In that vid, Ms. O'Day goes on about being insecure about her body. Yet she's the lead of a topless show in Las Vegas, a role that I'm pretty sure she consented to perform. Whatever might have been in the illicit photos -- and I honestly don't care enough to find them and see for myself -- had to have been what the audience saw at the show, so how exactly is she the new Erin Andrews?

Sure, nobody should've taken photos and posted them, but what exact damage was done? Daniel Radcliffe appeared in "Equus" and was not at all surprised when photos of [NSFW link ahead!!!] Harry Potter's magic wand ended up online. What century does this O'Day babe think she's living in? Even Patti LuPone coulda told her this was gonna happen. And then she slaps back and scores one for the female race by, uh, showing off her boobs on YouTube? (Aha! So NOW you're going to click on that video, is that how it is?)

Beyond that, her consternation over the predictable leakage of these photos was enough for her to skip a show?!? But my favorite part was what Richard Abowitz learned as he reported on the situation for his L.A. Times blog: Only two ticketholders asked for refunds. So what's worse, Aubrey, the fact that one audience member thought your goods were exciting enough to post online or the fact that 1,700 didn't care if you were there or not?

Finally, I just wonder. Is it just me or does this image of the clearly quite modest and insecure O'Day from her website...


...kinda remind you of...


...Lucy the Slut from Avenue Q?

OK, that qualifies me as a hater. Guilty as charged.

Erich Bergen's Last Stand As Bob Gaudio

I found the YouTube clip of the Vegas "Jersey Boys" appearance on America's Got Talent earlier this month. This would turn out to be Erich Bergen's final performance as Bob Gaudio.



There he was at the end with the presence of mind to remind the millions in the audience that the show is at the Palazzo. That was a good and unrehearsed move because the host was so busy pushing the AGT show at P-How that he never mentioned where to see JB on the Strip. Right up till the end -- and beyond, really, given his statement -- Bergen was a persistent salesman for the production. All class.

From the Files of It Had To Happen Eventually

The weekend papers contained three stories that were interesting, but not surprising to me. They just seemed preordained to occur one of these days.

1. Ex-dealer sues over exposure to smoke. Saturday's Howard Stutz piece in the Review-Journal about the former Caesars Palace blackjack dealer who is suing because after suffering precancerous stomach cells and told by her doctor she couldn't keep sucking in second-hand smoke on her job, the resort allegedly refused to reassign her to a nonsmoking gig. I hadn't even realized that Caesars had once had nonsmoking gaming areas until 2005, when Harrah's bought the joint and got rid of them. But this won't be the last lawsuit by a cancer-stricken dealer, to be sure. MGM Mirage's Alan Feldman told me last year he expects all Vegas casinos to be smoke-free within 10 years. Maybe they're hoping the courts force it so they don't have to take the blame from the public?

2. Liquor licenses for nightclubs denied. On the heels of the $500,000 fine to P-Ho for infractions at Prive nightclub, the club itself now lost its liquor license. Again, just the first of many chips to fall in a perilous business.

3. Player heaps scorn in Series' suits. Stutz's column today about the WSOP finalist who is attacking the tournament itself was a great read. Card Player magazine editor Jeff Shulman is presently in 4th, has already won $1.26 millon and now waits with the other eight for the Final Table in November. But while the WSOP chiefs wanted the November Nine to spend the time talking up the tournament and game, Shulman says he'll toss his bracelet in the trash or auction it for charity if he wins. That it would be the editor of a publication in direct competition with the magazine that is the official sponsor of the WSOP is a script we could never predict, but it seems now predictable that sooner or later someone would use their position to devour the hand that is feeding him. Shulman's complaint is the tournament is too big, to reliant on luck, too corporate. And yet he still plays in it, covers it in his publication, took his $1.26 million? Here is again one of the charms and problems of the WSOP -- anyone can win. And anyone who can win can say and do whatever they wish. A member of the Yankees who speaks out about what an asshole Steinbrenner or a Wimbledon player who tells a reporter the Queen of England is a hoary bitch can face consequences. But the World Series of Poker has no such control over its players and that's both a good and bad thing. What a total nightmare for them if Shulman wins, though.

The Show is UP: Holly Madison

Sorry I'm so late getting this up! It's been a very long day with two NYT assignments and lots of MJ benefit conference calls. Now I'm heading out to see Charo at the Riv. Don't be mean about that; I hear she's really good. There's a prospect I'll fall asleep, I'm so exhausted, but I'll grab a Red Bull or something. As for the Holly chat, the live chat room fell silent during this conversation when we played some of it then. When I wondered about the silence, one listener wrote, "This is really surprisingly interesting, so I'm just listening." Cool, huh? Check it out. 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 16: The Smartest Little Dumb Blonde in Vegas

Holly Madison admits it: She wants to be famous. And she doesn’t mind being famous just for being famous – in the tradition of Pam Anderson and Marilyn Monroe, she says – but she wants to try her hand at a few things first. To that end, the ex-Playmate who appeared as Hugh Hefner’s No. 1 babe on “The Girls Next Door” and spent a few months as Criss Angel’s girlfriend, now stars as the innocent-turned-naughty Bo Peep in the Planet Hollywood burlesque production, “Peepshow.” In this conversation, Madison discusses her ambitions, the situations in which she is not comfortable being nude and – as odd as it may sound – what she’s reading right now. You’ll be surprised that it’s not in English.

In Banter: The big MJ tribute benefit concert, Peep v Crazy Horse, WSOP and Twitter, Welcome to LV sign vandals, Prive/PHo fined, Harrah's latest Big Idea, MGM's CSI attraction and more.

Links to stuff discussed:

Holly Madison’s website
Tickets for Peepshow
Las Vegas Celebrates The Music of Michael Jackson homepage
Sparky in Las Vegas, who worked up the current VegasLovesMJ.Com site
Daniel Negreanu’s sometimes offensive @RealKidPoker Twitter feed
Cirque’s Elvis show website
Howard Stutz’s piece on the Planet Hollywood’s $500,000 fine
VegasHappensHere.Com on Prive’s lawsuit against Michael Politz
Las Vegas Sun on Harrah’s Project Link
MGM Mirage’s press release on CSI: The Experience
The Review-Journal on the Boulder Dam closure
The LVA item on the closure of Lamborghini in at Vegas
VegasHappensHere.Com on Crazy Horse v Peepshow

Soy Esteban!

That headline, my friends, is about as much Spanish as I know. Years ago, the Review-Journal had a college instructor come to the paper to teach a half-credit basic Spanish class and from that I have retained the ability to declare my name and say the phrases "tarjeta de credito" and "pero, est muy importante." The most Hispanic thing about me are those cute dogs, and we went and stripped them of their ethnic identities by renaming them as Black and Jack when we got them from the pound. They were Cheech and Chong.

Evidently, though, the fine folks at Survey America at Planet Hollywood don't much care. Last night, I earned $6 for being Hispanic! Bravo! (That's Italian, isn't it?)

Survey America is one of those polling outfits that reside at Vegas resorts. There's also one at Venetian and MGM Grand, the logic being that corridors of Las Vegas, with its mass-market draw, are great places to find survey samples of just about any description. So they either pull you in based on whether you appear to fit what they're looking for or you ask the nice lady standing outside in the uniform if there's anything going on.

That's what I did last night. I had just come from observing "Peepshow" rehearsals but had four hours before I was going to see the show itself. So I wandered by, saw the lady outside, and asked if I could do a survey or something. I figured maybe it might be a good Top Secret Tourist Tip of the Week. She said yes and led me up a flight of stairs.

As we were ascending, though, she turned to me and said, "You're not Hispanic in any way, are you?" And I said, "No, I sure am not." Her reply: "Eh, it doesn't matter."

At the top of the stairs, I filled out a paper with the heading "Hispanic Shopping Survey" or something like that. The form did not ask whether I was, in fact, of such descent. I was then led into a room with a series of computers and seated at one where I filled out a survey about shopping. Few of the other folks there looked Hispanic either, by the by, but you never can tell. Some Hispanics, apparently, look just like descendants of Austrian-Hungarian Jews!

Our survey was all about my grocery shopping habits with, oddly, an emphasis on my "beef experience." It went on and on about how much fun I have or don't have buying beef, whether this or that store had a good beef selection, how friendly the staff was at the meat counters. Only one question was specifically about Hispanics, though, the one that asked whether Albertsons, Vons, Smiths or Ralph's "really gets needs of Latinos." We have a Mexican-American neighbor named Maria whose leafblower I borrowed (and broke) who had a lot of Albertson's bags in her house, so I gave them good marks.

That was it. When I was done, they gave me a $6 check and I was on my way. No 'buenos noches' or 'hasta la vista' or whatever. I felt modestly guilty accepting the money, so I went and grabbed some dinner at Taco Bell. Does that count?

BREAKING: Shoshana Bean Replacing Mel B in Peepshow

Gotta run now to the Gans presser, but wanted to get this out.

Broadway actress Shoshana Bean is en route to Vegas to take over from Mel B the lead role of emcee/narrator/PeepDiva in the Jerry Mitchell burlesque "Peepshow" at Planet Hollywood. Bean has starred in Wicked and Hairspray. She starts on June 22, as does Holly Madison, who replaces "Dancing With The Stars" star Kelly Monaco as Bo Peep.

Here's Shoshana's site. Mel B's role had no nudity, so it's unlikely Shoshana will be called into topless duty, either. Jerry Mitchell will be in Vegas next week to work with Madison. No word when Bean gets here.

Both Bean and Madison are on three-month contracts.

Peepshow Tussle: What Counts As Topless?

Mike Weatherford beat me to the punch today in reporting that "Peepshow" at Planet Hollywood has dispensed of the pasties for full-breasted toplessness. He just didn't have the story behind the story.

This comes from several sources involved with the show: The deal between the "Peepshow" folks and Planet Hollywood is that P-Ho buys 10 percent of every show's seats. After the opening, though, despite impressive reviews, P-Ho management felt they hadn't received a true topless show. No matter that the dancing and singing are great, that the set pieces are fun, that the show hardly slows down, that it's a refreshing take on a stale concept. None of that mattered in the face of covered nipples, dammit.

Negotiations ensued. Some of the dancers went into the deal expecting to be covered by the pasties, so the producers agreed to pay them a little more. At least one woman quit. But when a show costs $400,000 a week -- yes, that's an accurate and never-before-published figure -- to produce and you're relying on the hotel to guarantee a certain piece of that, you tend to comply.

I've tried to get an official response to this version of events. A P-Ho publicist responded once, to indicate she was ill and would get back to me soon. That was six days ago. In this case, silence speaks volumes; if this were flatly untrue, the response would've been a faster and easier, "Are you nuts?"

The real question, of course, is what defines topless. Is a thingie on the nip so intrusive? Really? I mean, look at the male stripper shows. When those guys are done shaking it, you've seen nothing you couldn't have observed at a Michael Phelps swim meet. They still call them strippers and they show nary an inch of genitalia skin. But gosh, the guys gotta see their titties or it's a fraud!

Weatherford referred to the use of pasties as "false modesty." Maybe it's because I'm gay, as is creator/director Jerry Mitchell, but I found them a minor and classy instance of restraint that helped keep the show from feeling sleazy. "Peepshow" still has plenty to elevate it from sleaze and I still think it can succeed, but I'm just baffled as to how this could be an issue. I'd be surprised if P-Ho got loads of complaints from straight guys who sat through a fun and entertaining 90 minutes and felt cheated because they didn't get to see nipples. Could they really be so juvenile?

Funny sentence

I'm still recovering from yesterday's headache -- going to an eye doc later today to see if maybe all these headaches are coming from eye strain or just bad karma -- and the time I lost on that, but I did want to send a hearty kudos out to Mike Weatherford of the R-J because this sentence made me LOL:

Little Bo Peep will be working the Strip with Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks next spring. Don't confuse them with "The Lion King."

C'mon. That's clever. And there's so little clever in the R-J.

Weatherford was referring to the announcement yesterday of a new $12 million topless show called "Peepshow" to open at the increasingly appropriately nicknamed Planet Ho. You can read Mike's report here and then check in on Norm's speculation about who might go topless in the production here.

But here's a question: Does Mel "Scary Spice" B (left) count as a "pop superstar" anymore? The press release hyping the announcement last week said it would be a “lavish multi-million dollar adult show starring a pop superstar and a siren of the small screen." Mel B is that "pop superstar" and the "siren of the small screen" is Kelly Monaco, a "General Hospital" actress who won the first season of "Dancing With The Stars." That's her above. I figured I owed my straight male readers a little something yummy. If she poses like that, odds are pretty high the former Playboy model will show the rest in Vegas come spring, right?

Oh, and this was also pretty humorous, albeit unintentionally. Monaco, when asked whether she might move to Vegas, told Weatherford it's possible and that raising kids here received high marks from her pal Toni Braxton. Braxton told Monaco: "Trust me, the schools out here are great for kids." HAHAHAHAHA.

To be fair, Braxton's oldest kid is only 6, which means he was 3 or 4 when Braxton moved here. But the Clark County School District is nothing short of a disaster. There are some good schools and many excellent teachers, but it's underfunded, overcrowded and about to get worse. There are many good reasons to live in Vegas. The public schools? Not one of them.

ELECTION: P-Ho's Brilliant Idea, Geo Wallace's Illegal One

UPDATE: GEORGE WALLACE'S FOLKS CALLED. PER FEDERAL ELECTION LAW, ANYONE CAN GO TO THE BOX OFFICE FOR A FREE TICKET. TRYING TO GET MORE DETAILS.

(Update: It's been brought to my attention that George Wallace did announce his ticket giveaway during early voting. OK. But it's still, evidently, against federal law.)

The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood will air CNN's live Election Night coverage starting at 3 p.m. PT on Tuesday on the 130-by-40-foot LED video screen outside the mall. There'll be full sound, too.

As a journalist about to plunge into coverage of this election for three different national outlets, I cannot overstate how smart this is. Does it even matter if many tourists on the Strip will be riveted? They probably will be, but who cares? The worldwide media will be seeking an unusual visual, of course. What could convey the importance and worldwide obsession with this news event quite like the notion that it has swept up even the most unserious people on Earth, vacationers on the Strip in Sin City? I predict Planet Ho should get quite a lot of what they call in the business "impressions" from this entirely free move.

Meanwhile, on the flip side, Flamingo comic George Wallace announced today he's giving away one free ticket to his show to each person who brings in an "I Voted" sticker to the box office by Nov. 11. That sounds like a nice idea, except for two things. First, Starbucks just abandoned its plan to give away free tall coffee to just voters on Election Day because of fears that that could be in violation of federal election law because it's illegal to reward people with stuff for voting. Starbucks spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil issued a statement tonight that said: “To ensure we are in compliance with election law, we are extending our offer to all customers who request a tall brewed coffee." So free coffee for everyone, folks!

But the other reason why Wallace's idea is just a cheap promotional stunt: He announced it today instead of, say, two weeks ago. In Clark County, 53 percent of eligible voters have already voted. Only 80 percent are expected, so about two-thirds of those planning to vote are done. And very few of them still have their "I Voted" stickers. Fewer still are the tourists who will bring theirs from points unknown. I'm betting that fewer than a dozen people, if that, take him up on this offer.

P.S. I'm scheduled to be Dave Berns' guest on KNPR at about 10 a.m. PT Tuesday for a little while talking about what I'm finding at the polls, so you can listen live at knpr.org. I'll also be Twittering throughout the day, but may not be able to blog. My Twitter updates appear to your left on this blog, in case you haven't noticed that before.

The Strip is LIVE tonight w/ ROBERT EARL!

What a difference a year makes! Last fall, the Planet Hollywood CEO Robert Earl vowed never to speak to me because of an article in the UK media about the brand relaunch upset him. But last month, we buried the hatchet and this week he granted his first podcast interview in which he discusses our feud, his latest business dealings and, yes, even whether that "Planet Ho" sign was intentional!

Join us in the chat at LVRocks.Com from 7-8 p.m. PT for this week's live show. Plus, we'll discuss Vegas news, catch up on listener feedback, have a new poll and, as always, the Top Secret Tourist Tip of the Week. Or wait till Thursday for the podcast.

It had to happen sooner or later

Many of you are familiar with my distaste for Michael Politz, the publisher of a Vegas food-industry magazine who makes outlandish claims on his blog and is known to view himself as a legitimate journalist despite obvious examples of blatant shilling. He also feuds with everyone from Norm Clarke the the Greenspuns. Everyone's out to get him.

Now Prive, the nightclub at Planet Hollywood, has sued Politz for a panoply of defamation, extortion and copyright infringement claims. You can read the 16-page complaint here. A couple of lawyers have blogged their bafflement over what they view as weak copyright infringement charges here and here.

That may be so, but that's not the really interesting stuff here. No, I like the part where Prive pulls the curtains back a bit on how they believe Politz does business.

According to the complaint, Politz "has originated, written, and/or posted positive reviews and laudatory content on TheVegasEye.com regarding individuals and/or entities doing business in the local entertainment industry who have given cash amounts or granted favors to Defendant Politz, and has originated, written, and/or posted false and damaging content on TheVegasEye.com regarding individuals and/or entities doing business in the local entertainment industry who refused to give cash amounts or grant favors to Defendant Politz."

Wow. That's pretty intense. Also, given what's seen on Politz's site, totally believable. The claim says Politz panned Prive in January after being denied entry -- I'm guessing because he wanted to get in for free? -- then asked the owners for money to get back on his "good side." There's no telling until a trial whether Prive has any actual evidence behind those claims -- a smoking e-mail, maybe? -- but they go on to state:

"In March 2008, Defendant Politz contacted another member of Prive management and admitted to originating, writing and posting negative content in exchange for a cash payment from a competitor to Prive."

Wait! It gets even better! Four hosts quit Prive in the spring and went to work at competing clubs. Prive sued them, alleging they had breached non-compete clauses in their contracts and alleging that at least one of those hosts took a valuable, proprietary client list with him/her.

Politz pounced on Prive for this flap. In early August, he published on his site an anonymous letter he claimed was sent by a former employee to the Nevada Gaming Control Board that contained a long list of outrageous and, thus far, unsupported accusations against Prive owner Justin Levine and manager Frank Tucker.

The letter Politz posted alleged drug use and dealing, verbal harassment of staffers, underage drinking and theft of wages and tips. I'm being deliberately vague and not linking to the letter because it's so bizarre that I fear that even I could be in legal trouble for pointing you to it. (In reality, though, probably not since Prive reiterated all the allegations in their own court filing which is a public document.)

It's probably impossible to prove whether Politz wrote the thing himself as the Prive lawsuit suggests, but there are some clues that something's fishy with it. Among them, it's awfully unlikely a former employee would misspell a name as simple as Levine. It's more likely that whomever fabricated the letter to embarrass Prive did so to make it seem in some way authentic. Further, Politz himself misspelled Justin Levine as Justine Levine in an 8/19 post. These are really easy names so either he's doing in intentionally or he's really, really stupid. Or both! (Misspellings are actually really common in Politz's writings; he referred to Norm in that post I linked to above as having "inadequit" social skills.)

Either way, Politz is responsible for the letter's contents because he chose to publish it. It wasn't even posted as a comment on his blog; it was posted by the owner of the website himself. This is the fundamental principle that he seems to simply deny by claiming he didn't write it.

Politz wrote on 8/18, six days after he initially published this letter:

"I must make this clear to everyone that we don't endorse the anonymous letter or anything that is stated within the letter. The publishing of this letter does not reflect the opinions of anyone working here. We simply put the letter up for our readers to read and judge for themselves."

Uh, no, you yutz. That's not how libel law works, as any journalism-school freshman is taught. Can you imagine what the publishing world would be like if anyone could publish any allegedly anonymous statements and not be responsible for it? The Internet already allows for that to some extent because it's so easy to both publish something and be anonymous about it. But this is clearly Politz's site and he is clearly liable for the content he posts on it. And proving actual malice, the legal standard by which Politz wanted to harm Prive and its reputation and that this wasn't just some inadvertent error, seems exceedingly easy here.

Memo to Prive: Go get 'em, boys. I've never been in your club and I probably wouldn't much enjoy it. Not my thing. But anything you can do to foster more journalistic responsibility amongst schmucks like this who poison the well for the rest of us, I'm all for.

The Strip Is Live Tonight At 7 PM PT!

The Strip is LIVE tonight at 7:05 p.m. PT with funnyman David Spade, who performs at Planet Hollywood on Aug 30-31 and, in general, twice a month. We'll also be chatting about the hooker that slapped Wynn, the pause that will refresh Echelon and why, oh why, people go to Vegas nightclubs.

Come into the chat room at LVRocks.Com at 7 p.m. or wait until later in the week for the podcast version. Your call.