Celebrate Fat Tuesday with free pancakes from the International House of Pancakes.

One free short stacks per person (dine-in only) will be offered today from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at IHOPs across the country and, for your convenience, the following 16 Las Vegas locations:

2450 Pebble Road
Henderson, NV 89014-7089
(702) 933-0420

1230 W. Warm Springs Road
Henderson, NV 89014-8739
(702) 547-4096

1201 S. Boulder HIghway
Henderson, NV 89015-ND
(702) 558-5321

1401 S Decatur Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89102-8508
(702) 877-1316

3595 S Rainbow Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89103-1005
(702) 365-1004

2210 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89104-2527
(702) 384-6412

6870 W Cheyenne Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89108-4590
(702) 656-3220

352 N Nellis Blvd Ste G
Las Vegas, NV 89110-5336
(702) 438-2000

9480 W Sahara Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89117-5357
(702) 341-9009

3780 S Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89119-5651
(702) 737-0375

4860 Boulder Highway
Las Vegas, NV 89121-3018
(702) 454-1126

3260 E Tropicana Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89121-7316
(702) 433-8430

9651 Trailwood Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89134-6249
(702) 243-2587

5970 Centennial Center Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89149-4558
(702) 515-1791

5170 S Fort Apache Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89419-1717
(702) 871-6696

2026 W Craig Road
North Las Vegas, NV 89032-3030
(702) 638-6500

Posted by Poker Grub at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Casting agency Goldman & Associates is seeking paid audience members for the TV show "World Series of Blackjack."

Three 3 1/2-hour shows will be taped each day beginning today and running through Saturday, March 4, at the Las Vegas Hilton. Airdates will be in April on the Game Show Network.

You should be aged 18 to 50 and wear upscale nightclub attire.

You can attend more than one show, and payment is $35 per show, paid in cash after the show's wrap.

For more information, contact Julie Goldman at (702) 990-3210 or julie@gacasting.com.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 5:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As part of their Tu for 2 program, House of Blues at Mandalay Bay offers two-for-one tickets for the below shows. For every regular ticket purchased, a second ticket will be free.

The offer is only good for today, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

March 4: Styx with Del Castillo ($45)
March 7: An Evening with Dream Theater ($30)
March 9: Moenia with Blvd ($25)

Posted by R.C. Clark at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Department of Transportation released the top 24 traffic bottlenecks in the country, and Las Vegas made 22nd.

Clocking in at 11,152,000 annual hours of wasted time is the Spaghetti Bowl and US-95 west of I-15.

Coming in the top five were Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles again. Los Angeles was so popular that it made the list a record five times.

The DOT also noted that in the past 10 years, travelers have encountered congestion 67 percent of peak-period travel (vs. 33 percent a decade ago). Motorists used to spend an average 16 hours per year stuck in traffic; today, it's 47 hours per year.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to Italian magazine Autosprint, if negotations with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway fall through for this season's U.S. Grand Prix, Las Vegas has been suggested as one of the possible venues for a street circuit in 2007.

Last time the Grand Prix was in town was 1982 at Caesars Palace's parking lot, and Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone has hinted he'd like a track on the Las Vegas Strip.

The final race in its 2005 contract with the IMS is July 2.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tomorrow, Feb. 25, three casinos get together for an outdoor celebration of Mardi Gras.

Beginning at 4 p.m. and running every half hour through 8 p.m., a Mardi Gras parade will travel from Harrah's to O'Sheas to Flamingo and begin again. Led by a baton twirler, the parade will comprise a Dixieland Band, showgirls, stiltwalkers, and other fun participants.

Through their travels, showgirls will throw beads to onlookers. Coupons for Southern Comfort and other giveaways will be handed out, good at Carnaval Court, O'Sheas, and Margaritaville.

After the parade, the celebration continues until midnight with live entertainment at Carnaval Court, O'Sheas, and Margaritaville. Newly created Mardi Gras cocktails will be served, including a Southern Comfort "Harrahcane" and "Southern Comfort Lemonade." (Can you tell the event is sponsored by Southern Comfort?)

Guests must be at least 21 years old.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Style Network brings their new show "Fashion Frenzy" to Las Vegas tomorrow night.

"Fashion Frenzy" is an E! Networks show for women into fashion, style, hair, makeup, and shopping.

They're in town taping a show tomorrow night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Fashion Show Mall, and the public is invited. Prizes will be given to audience members.

If you're a woman between 18 and 40, you may be selected to spill your life's adventures and individual fashion style to a TV audience. Fill out the application for consideration.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is mulling over the possibility of selling their casino to a mystery buyer who may have made an offer too big for CEO Peter Morton to refuse. An amount in the billions would make anyone take notice, and he may be fielding offers from multiple buyers.

Hard Rock sits on 16 acres east of the Strip and has most recently expanded and renovated for $100 million in 1999 and $8 million in 2004. It includes a live concert venue for 2,000 people, five restaurants, three lounges, a salon and spa, and a vast swimming pool.

Recently Hard Rock announced a $1.25 billion, 24-acre, 1,350 condo project that would include another live music venue, more restaurants and swimming pools, and another spa. It was to begin construction later this year with completion in 2008, but this would likely be called off if the property is sold.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

For the NASCAR Big Cup Race on March 12, Las Vegas Grand Canyon Tours offers visitors a stylish alternative to being stuck in traffic and finding parking... travel by helicopter.

Their Luxury A-Star Model 6 Passenger Jet helicopters will be made available for $199 one-way or $299 round-trip per person every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Pickups and dropoffs are made at the McCarran Executive Air Terminal.

Regular motorcoaches will also be transporting passengers for the other NASCAR events at $25 and $45.

An online tour agency, Las Vegas Grand Canyon Tours specializes in discounted tours from Vegas to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, Death Valley, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, and other destinations. They also offer free daily tours to Laughlin.

Reservations can be made at 1-866-218-3427, (702) 260-0796, and their website.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don H. Barden, owner of Fitzgeralds, mentioned that he's looking at the Las Vegas Strip to expand his business, which may include selling the downtown casino.

Barden's in town to celebrate Fitz's 4th anniversary today through Feb. 26. Though its actual anniversary is in December, Fitzgeralds celebrates in February to coincide with Black History Month. Barden is the first African-American to own a casino company, which in addition to Nevada also includes properties in Colorado, Indiana, and Mississippi.

The celebration includes a "Taste and Sounds of Soul" street fair focusing on African-American restaurants, a movie premiere, local entertainment, art and crafts exhibits, and celebrities Kim Fields, Richard Roundtree, and Omarosa (from "The Apprentice").

Posted by R.C. Clark at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Opening last night with a performance by the Goo Goo Dolls, the MAGIC Marketplace fashion show takes place at the Las Vegas Hilton through Friday, Feb. 23.

The show features two jewelry showcases, focusing on the jewelers and manufacturers from the United States and Europe, as well as a fashion show sporting the latest clothing.

Not only will the latest trends in fashion jewelry be showcased by Jewelry Marketplace and MODEUROPE, but some European exhibitors will be showing jewelry never before seen in the U.S.

A raffle will take place Feb. 23, where MAGIC attendees can win prizes including a two-carat Lieberfarb diamond and platinum ring worth $5,000.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

To follow-up and correct some facts posted yesterday on the seven-hour standoff at Harrah's, the man taken into custody was 22-year-old Curtis Billy Bonilla (pictured at right), who shot and killed 43-year-old Philip Anthony McElreath.

McElreath had been a guest at Harrah's since the weekend, and it was not evident why both were in the same room together, nor the reason for the shooting.

Bonilla is now being held at the Clark County Jail on a count of murder and attempted murder with a deadly weapon and three counts of attempted murder on a police officer.

The suspect has a prior criminal history. Four years ago he was convicted for a stabbing and shooting on the Strip.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you miss Paris Hilton's 25th birthday party this past Saturday?

You still have a chance to catch her sister Nicky at the Nicky Hilton Beverly Hills Chick Couture fashion show on Thursday, Feb. 23 at Bellagio's Light nightclub. Doors open at 10:30 p.m. and the show begins at midnight, with a party afterwards.

Speaking of fashion shows, Jaime Pressly ("My Name is Earl") hosts one of her own tonight at Pure (Caesars Palace). Resident DJ AM performs along with the Pussycat Dolls.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Earlier this morning, police shattered a 20th-story outside window at Harrah's in order to take into custody a 22-year-old man suspected of killing another man and shooting at police in a standoff that lasted seven hours.

About 12:30 a.m., a witness on the 20th floor of the Carnaval Tower called security after he heard gunshots and saw a 23-year-old Reno man bleeding in the hallway. That man later died as a result of his injuries.

Police, SWAT officers, and paramedics responded to room 2036 and found a gunman holed up inside, firing at them. Police did not fire back, and a tense seven-hour negotiation finally led to his surrender.

Guests on floors 19, 20, and 21 were evacuated and offered blankets and robes in the Flavors buffet and meeting rooms. No other guest rooms were available to house the displaced guests.

The casino remained open during the standoff.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The gals from ABC's "The View" are in Las Vegas and broadcasting from Caesars Palace today through Friday. Though the show is topical and usually broadcast live, the Vegas shows will be a combination of pre-recorded segments and live interviews from tapings today and tomorrow.

Tickets are sold out, but you may get lucky in the standby line. Look for the "standby" signs at the Caesars' Roman Plaza and get in line today by 7 a.m., 11 a.m., or 3 p.m. Tomorrow, be in line by 7 a.m. or 10 a.m.

Scheduled guests this week include:

Monday, Feb. 20
James Denton ("Desperate Housewives"), Las Vegas cocktails; Maurice Benard ("General Hospital"), musical guest the Pussycat Dolls

Tuesday, Feb. 21
Roseanne, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, high-end shopping spree with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Wednesday, Feb. 22
Jaime Pressly ("My Name is Earl"), actress Jennifer Tilly, one of the top money-winning celebrity poker players teaches the co-hosts about poker

Thursday, Feb. 23
Marg Helgenberger ("CSI"), magicians Penn & Teller, comedian Carrot Top

Friday, Feb. 24
Celine Dion, co-host Joy Behar goes behind-the-scenes of a popular all-male revue show; a performance by the "Thunder From Down Under" all-male revue dancers

Posted by R.C. Clark at 12:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Flamingo has completed converting their Connection Card player's club to Harrah's Total Rewards. All points previously earned on Connection have automatically transferred to Total Rewards. If you earned 10,000 tier credits ($50,000 playthrough on slots) in a year, you'll automatically upgrade to Diamond status.

What's in a Diamond?

Separate check-in, separate Total Rewards and cashier lines, priority valet, free show tickets to George Wallace, 25 percent off souvenirs at the gift shop, free health club, and best of all -- the Diamond Lounge.

Located across from the Wildlife Habitat near the sportsbook, Flamingo's Diamond Lounge took a page from Harrah's and provides a relaxing place for players to hang out, watch TV, have a free drink, and eat loads of free food. All without the pressure to gamble -- there are no slot machines, table games, or keno runners in the lounge.

Harrah's lounge is a private affair, with a closed door that passersby can peek in when someone enters or exits. Flamingo's is completely open, with an inviting open archway entrance reminiscent of a nightclub.

Inside is a large square room set in low lighting with an emphasis on mahogany tables, chairs, and dark red leather booths. The center of the room contains two round tables that seat eight, with a Lazy Susan in the middle. On each table is a candle and ashtray. There's no designated nonsmoking area, but likewise there's no reserved seating.

Plasma TVs align the walls, with three on the south wall and two on the west wall. Each TV is hung low and tuned to a different station. Red leather armchairs and small glass tables face the TVs, a perfect vantage point for catching three basketball games simultaneously. Unlike most casino TVs, the lounge TVs have sound turned on, and each is surprisingly distinct despite competing stations.

Servers take drink orders, which arrive in larger glasses than what's served on the casino floor. I rarely saw the servers being tipped.

A buffet table against one wall offers sub sandwiches (toothpicked together with an olive), vegetables, cheese, fruit, tomatoes and mozarella, and tortellini. Bagged Lay's potato chips were also available. Hot trays were set out with the promise of more food to come during dinner hour, approximately 6 p.m.

Dinner varies from evening to evening. When I was there last night, they served plump hotdogs (and sauerkraut), chicken wings, and vegetable soup with mushrooms.

Dessert is set out at about 7 p.m., with fruit tarts, strawberries dipped in chocolate and white chocolate, small Napoleans, strawberry shortcakes, and many other treats I didn't want to be too much of a pig to partake.

Still sporting a new-car smell, the lounge is a welcome respite from the cacophony of casino action. Indeed, one person took a long nap on one of the armchairs... and was still snoozing when I returned two hours later.

Flamingo's Diamond Lounge is open weekdays 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Diamond card and photo I.D. are required to enter, with one guest permitted.

Posted by Poker Grub at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Over the Christmas holiday, the Station Casinos (including the two Fiestas) offered an additional jackpot to their regular $100,000-$150,000 jumbo jackpot for playing slots. Over the course of two weeks, they awarded up to $25,000 to one lucky slot player every day. Once it hit, it reset to $15,000 and had to hit by $25,000 or day's end, whichever came first.

Station found the promotion so popular that they brought it back over Super Bowl weekend.

And now it's back again, today through Monday.

Play any slots at Station or Fiesta and you may be that random player to win between $15,000 and $25,000. Once it hits, everyone who's currently playing with a player's card will receive $25 in free slotplay.

This is in addition to their regular $100,000-$150,000 jumbo jackpot, which pays $50 in free slotplay to every player when it hits.

How do you know when it hits? With all the speakers installed throughout the casinos, believe me you'll know.

The six Station Casinos are Palace Station, Boulder Station, Texas Station, Sunset Station, Santa Fe Station, and Green Valley Ranch. The two Fiesta casinos are Fiesta Rancho and Fiesta Henderson.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The puppets have left the building.

Long-predicted and long-rumored, Avenue Q will have its final performance at Wynn Las Vegas's Broadway Theatre on May 28, ending a nine-month run.

In January, changes were made to the show in an effort to increase sales. The intermission was cut, 2-for-1 tickets were offered to locals, and the show was trimmed to 95 minutes, the typical running time of all shows in Las Vegas. Phantom of the Opera, which arrives June 24 at The Venetian, will have some 25 percent excised, but at the helm of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The $40 million, 1,200-seat theater was custom-built for the show but since its Vegas debut in September, it's been consistently playing at a little over half capacity on weeknights. In a smaller theater such as the 796-seat John Golden Theatre on Broadway (where Avenue Q is still running), that crowd would be acceptable. At Wynn, it was turning a profit but not the profit they'd hoped.

With the closing Wynn will also relinquish their exclusivity outside of New York, and Avenue Q will be able to tour after May, which it had expected to do before Wynn snapped up the rights.

The theater will be renovated (designed by set and costume designer Tim Hatley and creator Eric Idle), expanded, renamed ("Spamalot Experience and Grail Theatre"), and reopened March 2007 for 2005's Tony Award winner for best musical, Monty Python's Spamalot. Avenue Q won three Tony Awards the previous year, including best musical.

Tickets for Avenue Q can still be purchased at (702) 770-7000, (888) 320-7123, or www.wynnlasvegas.com.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which spent $85 million marketing their 2002 slogan "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas," is launching their new ad campaign "Be Anyone" with a trip sweepstakes.

Their site also gives the user a chance to create a new identity. Mine was Lolita from South Dakota, and I'm a hip hop producer. The handy character guide describes how to be who I am, complete with what I should wear, how I should act, how I should talk ("Celizzle Dizizzle has some mad pipes"), my own website, and other fun stuff. I can even print a business card with my new identity.

Through March 27, enter the sweepstakes to win roundtrip airfare for two to Vegas with accommodations.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A couple years ago, the NFL put its foot down on Super Bowl parties at Las Vegas casinos, saying that their mere existence violated the league's copyright of the game.

The words "Super Bowl" can't be used without the NFL's permission (a defiant "no") and to even whisper it in a public place would be considered trademark infringement, along the lines of whoever sings "Happy Birthday to You" without throwing some birthday cake to the Hill sisters.

The NFL regularly sends cease-and-desist letters emphasizing the fact that you can't air the game on multiple or big-screen TVs unless you've normally shown sports that way (sportsbooks are off the hook), and you can't charge admission. But within that letter is also a mention that they can at any time revisit their ruling and come down harder on establishments, which basically means they could prevent any NFL game from airing in sportsbooks or casino bars.

Yep, they mean business. And Vegas is complying, because the Super Bowl is the biggest sports betting day of the year, with almost $100 million in wagers.

No, that's not the reason we didn't mention Super Bowl events in these pages, it's just that while there were many hosted by casinos, they just weren't advertised and were mostly confined to private parties to special invitees. The strip clubs were the brave pioneers, using words such as the "Big Game" or "Super Sunday" or "Super Game" or "Super Balls, not just the ones in your pants" (okay, we made up that last one, but wouldn't it make a good promo?).

The rift between the NFL and Vegas is big enough that you may also have noticed you haven't seen and won't in the future see any ads touting Las Vegas during the Super Bowl.

So much is the NFL trying to distance themselves from gambling and Las Vegas, that not only can NFL players (and officials) not gamble on any sports, they can't visit Las Vegas during the season.

And in the oddest move yet, NBC (which has Sunday night football) recently announced that they're moving their TV series "Las Vegas" away from its regular Mondays at 9 p.m. timeslot to distance itself from the NFL on Sundays.

See, NBC would want to advertise "Las Vegas" on Sundays, and they can't because it mentions Las Vegas. So the show's heading to Fridays at 9 p.m.

And if you believe that, we have a Vegas Brooklyn Bridge to sell you.

This is a spin if we've ever seen one, with NBC capitalizing on the NFL and Vegas feud. Free publicity touting their show and its new timeslot, making good news out of bad.

Because the bad news is what NBC isn't telling you -- that in its current slot, "Las Vegas" is rated quite a distance behind its competing shows "24" on FOX, "Two and a Half Men" and "Courting Alex" on CBS, and "The Bachelor" on ABC.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's still over 300 days away, but if you like to plan in advance, registrations are now being accepted for the Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006.

Cost is $95.

Last year's registrants are automatically registered for this and future years.

To register and for more information, visit www.lvmarathon.com.

For stats on last year's finishers and race results, click here.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)