STINKIER for 194!!!

Check it out. STINKIER for 194 on Scrabble thanks to landing a bingo on two triple-word scores in one move AND having the K (a 5-pt letter) on the double-letter score. That K alone is worth 60 points.

Yes, this is what I do when I'm sick. This opponent was pretty annoyed by losing 545-333 and challenged me again. In that round, I got a bingo with ZENITHS for 97 points and won 402-247.

I play, as I've said before, on the game through the Internet Scrabble Club.

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. ”

Getting Scooped Right And Left

Kudos to Mike Weatherford for breaking the big story about Roseanne Barr setting up as a headliner at the Sahara in today's Review-Journal. It woulda been nice if that lovely Sahara PR contact who was so helpful about the really expensive, unlisted suites at the property had clued me in, but -- as I text-messaged back to a friend today -- you can't win 'em all.

Which, of course, brings us to Cher. Yes, I've known for at least two weeks now that the big Cher reveal was coming today. But I've got something really cool going on with the Bette show that I can't talk about yet, so I didn't see the point of jumping the gun and pissing someone off (as I did by beating everyone to the Bette punch way back when) on a story (Cher) that everyone knew was coming forEVER. Heck, even the press release today acknowledged that it was hardly news with this opening line:

The legendary Cher today confirmed a long-lived rumor that she will headline in Las Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace beginning May 6.

Robin Leach has some terrific coverage of the Cher announcement on his blog, but I am baffled by his exuberant claim that: "Ticket sales immediately caused a buying frenzy when they went on sale this morning at 7 a.m. (THURS)—some 100-minutes before her West Coast breakfast-time announcement on ABC-TV’s Good Morning America program. Some buyers were backed up waiting on the Internet as long as 30-minutes. As an unabashed fan, I snagged my four ducats by 7:05 a.m. for the front-level orchestra on her premiere night!"

To me, that all defies logic for Vegas, where there really is no such thing as a genuine blitz on tickets for a show that will be on about 100 times a year for three years, especially when people have to consult not only Ticketmaster but their travel agents before buying. To confirm my suspicion, I just went to the Caesars website for the show and was able to buy (though I did not) sixth-row-center seats for opening night. So maybe GMA produced a bunch of traffic that slowed the site, but so far as I can tell there are no sellouts to speak of.

All that said, I've no doubt Cher will do great business. Look at those costumes! They're ALL Vegas. And, more importantly, is there any question with a lineup of Cher, Bette and Elton John that the Colosseum is officially the gay Radio City Musical Hall?

New Live Show TONIGHT - with Wolfgang Puck!

Thanks for all your patience! We'll be back in the saddle tonight at 7 pm PT with a fresh episode of "The Strip" featuring my chat with WOLFGANG PUCK as well as the interview I did a few weeks ago with Frankie Avalon. Yes, it's a SUPERSIZED episode of "The Strip," so pull up a chair, grab a drink (to chug when Miles cusses) and listen LIVE at LVROCKS.COM.

Or, be that way and wait for the podcast which, because you're all so nice, will be posted on Wednesday this week instead of Thursday to make up for being away. Aren't we great?

Where's The Vegas Paparazzi?

A while back, I started wondering why the celebrity media in Vegas wasn't more aggressive, why there is no paparazzi here the way there is in LA and NY. And so, as I am wont to do, I turned my question into a major New York Times piece that appears on Sunday.

The piece is already online, so check it out here.

Of course, no sooner than we put this piece to bed did something happen to slightly contradict the premise -- or forward its conclusion? See Richard Abowitz's blog item about a pic of Michael Jackson and his kids that made it onto one of the big celeb-news wire services.

This Blog In Pig Latin. Or Something.

As most extremely vain journalists with too much time on their hands do, I like to Google myself every so often to see where my work is appearing and what people are saying about it. But today I found something that just baffles me.

My Cindy Adams posting was reposted on some other blog. It looks like some sort of blog-bot, nothing real and apparently German in origination , except that something odd happened to what I wrote. Some of the words were inexplicably replaced with others.

A few examples.

I wrote: Cindy Adams is one of the grande dames of New York gossipland. She's also, so it seems, a total idiot.

They turned that into: Cindy Adams is a specific of the grande dames of New York gossipland. She's also, so it seems, a compute idiot.

Me: She inexplicably waded into a long blather about Vegas and Macau, behaving as though she alone has unearthed and is breaking this little trend. And the list of errors in her screed are so freaking bizarre that it's a wonder anyone would ever publish her work ever again.

Them: She inexplicably waded into a big gibber around Vegas and Macau, behaving as for all that she abandoned has unearthed and is breaking this smidgen trend. And the enter of errors in her screed are so freaking offbeat that it's a reasonableness of anyone would perpetually bruit about her exertion all the time again.

Cindy: A 20-minute helicopter ride from Hong Kong or a slightly longer hydrofoil schlep through the South China Sea, this former Portuguese colony was a rathole 20 years ago with a junky casino owned by a man named Stanley Ho.

Them: A 20-record eggbeater in from Hong Kong or a degree individual device drag from stem to stern the South China Sea, this bygone Portuguese body was a rathole 20 eld past with a addict cards owned close to a mortals titled Stanley Ho.

Me: First off, I am sooooo tired of people thinking they're clever mocking the use of the word "gaming" as a euphenism for gambling as if (a) they believe the gamers think they're fooling anyone and (b) it's something new.

Them: First free, I am sooooo whacked of grouping outlook they're intelligent playful the squander of the in the final analysis "recreation" as a euphenism someone is concerned recreation as if (a) they maintain the gamers of they're light anyone and (b) it's something new.

Me: OK. So she's bouncing off the recent reports of 2007's Macau revenues. Fine. But wait, there's more!

Them: OK. So she's peppy sour the just out reports of 2007's Macau revenues. Fine. But minister to, there's more!

Me: Or, for that matter, had even a nominal awareness of Vegas. The Venetian is not some little joint, it's one of the most successful and famous Vegas resorts in our history. Adelson built a steroid-sized Venetian Macao, which opened last summer. And this woman, who "knows" because she's "been there," goofs it up because she evidently MISHEARD it.

Them: Or, in return that theme, had unruffled a supposed cognisance of Vegas. The Venetian is not whatever inconsiderable combined, it's joined of the most in the money and prominent Vegas resorts in our history. Adelson shapely a endocrine-fourpenny Venetian Macao, which unsealed eventually summer. And this maid, who "knows" because she's "been there," goofs it up because she manifestly MISHEARD it.

OK, calling Cindy Adams a maid is just out-and-out funny. My suspicion is it was the maid who wrote her column that day. But just a few more...

Me: She just glossed over the fact that the Chinese economy has been rapidly privatizing and expanding at 8-12 percent a year since the late 1980s, that the industrial sector has exploded, that our "outsourcing" has been Asia's "insourcing."

Them: She even-handed glossed concluded the certainty that the Chinese curtness has been before you can say 'Jack Robinson' privatizing and expanding at 8-12 proportionality a assemblage since the example 1980s, that the industrialized facet has exploded, that our "outsourcing" has been Asia's "insourcing."

Me: what's the difference between drug lords and casino kingpins?
Them: what's the remainder between dope lords and cards kingpins?

Cindy: Take them with you to the can, to bed, to the pool, to who cares.
Them: Take them with you to the crapper, to bottom, to the gather, to who cares.

Other new phrases I love: Squiffy rollers. The lieutenant-large recreation weekend of the assemblage. Shadowy lateral deals. Dilatory present emotive.

You know what they got right, though? They didn't alter this line from dear Cindy: "I met him. I was there. I know." I guess that's ignorant arrogance in any language.

So how does this happen? Anyone?

Staycation Follow-Up: The Sahara's Fancy Digs

It turns out, the $185-a-night Alexandria Suite that Miles and I enjoyed/endured early in January is NOT the top of the line for the aging, classic Sahara.

I was contacted this week by the publicist for the Sahara Hotel-Casino who, it turns out, is a reader of this blog and a listener of the podcast. She calls them "very witty and refreshing." (That's so nice, especially since she must've winced at my description of their troublesome elevator.) And she wanted me to know that there are penthouse suites at the Sahara that are "not listed online." She enclosed this photo which, I agree, is very pretty and very unlike the room we had last time out.

Intrigued? So was I. She wrote back to say that their three 2,000-square-foot suites are called the Ambassador, the Presidential and the Penthouse. "They’re very quirky and retro-glam, with wraparound patios overlooking the Strip. And, of course, the requisite hot tub in the master bedroom." Of course! She even threw in the tidbit that Elvis and Ann Margret stayed in the Presidential Suite when filming "Viva Las Vegas." I really should've held onto that for a weekly trivia question, but I couldn't help it.

The publicist said these are aren’t available online because "they’re usually in high demand and booked up by groups or casino players. But anyone can call Sahara room reservations and request one of them! The rates are very affordable and the spaces are huge."

How much, you wonder. So did I. Here's the price list:

Penthouse: $1250 - $1750
Presidential: $750 - $1000
Ambassador: $500 - $750

Now I dunno. A Bellagio penthouse for Thursday night will run $950. The smallest SkyLofts at MGM Grand can be had for $800 next Thursday night. (They were full-up this week.) Given the amenities and elegance of each of those, not to mention the total packages that are those resorts, I think the Sahara's prices here seem a bit steep.

That said, I did take the opportunity, also, to find out the future of the Sahara. Or when we'll learn more about the future of the Sahara. The publicist said they're "developing plans for a major renovation, slated to begin this year" that will be completed in 2010. No word on whether that'll involve an implosion.