Madonna has announced her "Sticky and Sweet" tour for up to 60 concert dates around the world.

Madonna holds the title of having the highest grossing concert by a solo female artist, and this tour looks to be no different. At least, that's what Live Nation is hoping, which has Madonna under partnership for $120 million. Her last tour grossed $260 million, and this time she'll be in larger stadiums.

Her tour begins right after her 50th birthday. It begins Aug. 23 in Wales and different parts of Europe before landing in North America (New Jersey) on Oct. 3.

She performs at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Nov. 8. Tickets are not yet on sale, but check her website for advanced ticket information.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 1:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Trek exhibit at the Las Vegas Hilton could end by the end of the year.

Since 1998, fans of the TV series have traveled to the Hilton from around the world to see "Star Trek: The Experience," which encompasses two shows (including "Borg Invasion 4D" since 2004), Quark's Bar themed bar/restaurant (home to our favorite warp core breech drink) with actors in character, a museum, and a store.

According to TrekMovie.com, owners CBS and Cedar Fair said there are no plans to renew the exhibit, which expires at the end of this year.

A final decision is expected at the end of May. If The Experience does indeed close, it would be in early fall in order to have time to remove everything from the Hilton and return to CBS.

Las Vegas Hilton is host to an annual Star Trek convention, largely because of The Experience. There's no word on whether the conventions will continue at the Hilton.

For a limited time, the Las Vegas Hilton has two of the only Star Trek-themed slot machines in existence, located right outside of The Experience and featuring "adaptive gaming," in which players can create logins and pick up where they left off. We suspect those machines may be all that is left of Star Trek at the Hilton by next year.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 12:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our friends at CineVegas has a free pass for 2 to an advanced screening of the movie Son of Rambow.

Written and directed by Garth Jennings (who last directed The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Son of Rambow is the coming-of-age story between two boys who get inspired by Rambo: First Blood.

The screening takes place May 13 at 7 p.m. at the Brenden Theatres at The Palms.

Download the pass at this link

Posted by R.C. Clark at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Megabucks hit yesterday morning for $21 million, this time at The Palms.

Last time it hit was May 19, 2007 at the Fremont.

Connie Thiele, 58, said she played through $150 before switching machines, where she threw one more $20 bill in and hit it on the first pull. The cost per pull while being eligible for the progressive is $3.

The lucky Austin, Texas woman and her husband both were playing and had their player's cards inserted trying for points for a buffet.

We think they'll now be set for as many buffets as they can possibly eat.

As for Megabucks, it's already been reset to a paltry $10 million

Posted by R.C. Clark at 12:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sixty dogs will be shown at The Animal Foundation's sixth annual "Best in Show" at the Orleans Arena on June 1.

Dogs will compete for the Best in Show title from American Kennel Club judges.

All dogs are from the Lied Animal Shelter, and each dog can be adopted after the show.

The show will be hosted by Spamalot star John O'Hurley who will be joined by guests Robin Leach, Louie Anderson, and Zowie Bowie.

Last year, the dog show raised over $25,000, and like this year's, all funds will go to helping the animals in the shelter.

The event is $12.50 and runs 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at this link.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the what-will-they-think-of-next category, experimentation naturally goes hand in hand with Las Vegas.

On June 6 at 1 p.m., Assiter & Associates will auction off a unique industrial luxury house in Las Vegas (in Henderson, just south of 515).

And the auction will be online, with an opening bid of $500,000. Gather up your pocket change.

Pictured below is the gourmet kitchen (we're fond of kitchens), but the star of the house is the 6,500-square-foot garage and viewing mezzanine for prized automobile collectors. Or storing the mother-in-law.

Next weekend from 1 to 3 p.m., you can walk through the amazing 9,500-square-foot house on over 2 acres.

Other features of the house include a wine cellar with hidden spiral staircase and separate dining area, home theatre, granite staircase, stainless steel elevator (!), rooftop garden, and much more.

For more photos, visit this link.

The home is located at 320 East Paradise Hills Dr. in Henderson. Open house is May 18, May 25, and June 1 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First the news about Tropicana, now the sad news that the 99-cent shrimp cocktail is a goner.

For almost 50 years, Golden Gate in downtown Las Vegas had been holding steady its delicious shrimp cocktail at a cost of only 99 cents. We always enjoyed picking up two whenever visiting, both of which were cheaper than the higher priced jumbo shrimp cocktail (pictured above).

Not anymore. Our beloved shrimp cocktail is now $1.99.

We can't say we weren't warned. The first sign of a price increase came in reduced hours for the deli that's served over 30 million of the things. The next sign was part of the casino being purchased by the family who owns part of the Riviera and the Las Vegas 51s. And the last sign was no one playing the classy piano the past half-dozen times we've been there.

But we thought Golden Gate would keep the budgeted shrimp as a loss leader. It's a casino, after all, and enticing players with cheap shrimp gets 'em in the doors, then forces 'em to walk through the casino before reaching the deli.

Even us. We found ourselves playing a few hands of $5 blackjack after our bellies were stuffed with shrimp. Those "few" hands often resulted in ramping up our shrimp cost average to $100.

Fear not, there's still a bright side. If you flash your Golden Gate player's card, you'll save a buck and get the shrimp cocktail at the original 1959 price of $.99.

But heck. The shrimp is so delicious that it's a bargain even at twice that.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Las Vegas Tropicana casino owner, Kentucky-based Tropicana Entertainment LLC, missed a Friday interest payment on a $1.32 billion loan with lender Credit Suisse and the word in the street says the property will be in chapter 11 bankruptcy as early as today. What effect this will have on the day-to-day operation of the old Vegas property is unknown at this time.

Once the tropical jewel of the Las Vegas strip, the property has suffered the ravages of age in recent years as the new generation mega resorts have siphoned away the customer base resulting in the current financial woes. With $2.67 billion in debt this will be the largest corporate bankruptcy this year. The company has 11,000 employees at their small Mississippi River casinos and the Tropicana Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

Complete details are available at the Wall Street Journal Online.

Posted by flipchipro at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Las Vegan Steve Wynn, World Master Hotelier, talked about one of his current projects that promises to be the next quantum leap for Las Vegas resorts. During delivery of the 2008 1st quarter profit report on Friday, Wynn gave a brief synopsis of the non-gaming project slated for the 170 acres of the Wynn Golf. Strategically located behind the strip front Encore / Wynn Las Vegas, the properties neighbors include the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Sands Expo Center and the under construction Echelon. Wynn's newest creation is being designed to become the new world benchmark in convention and exposition destinations.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Twin hotel towers will offer more than 5,000 quest rooms high above the almost 2 million square foot ultra plush exhibition space. Free underground trams will transport convention goers between the Wynn and other exhibit centers making the Wynn project a good neighbor by reducing the surface street traffic. In typical Wynn fashion the grounds surrounding the hotel and expo will be the latest revision of Wynn's paradise fantasies and it will includes a lake with a Wynn 2.0 version of a Bellagio style water fountain show.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

The hotel will be full service with gourmet restaurants and all the amenities you'd expect from a multiple-star-rated Las Vegas resort; but, no gambling. Expo goers that want to wager a few bucks will have to stroll to the front of the house where the Encore and Wynn Las Vegas offer unlimited perpetual gaming action.

Las Vegans have become immune to the excitement that would typically accompany an announcement of plans to build a multi-billion dollar construction project. That's because most of the proposed projects are just so much blue sky; but, when the plans come from Steve Wynn we know it will become a reality. I've been taking photos of Steve Wynn's Las Vegas projects going back to the transformation of the downtown Golden Nugget almost thirty years ago. Every project Steve Wynn has announced has become a brick and mortar reality.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Read the full transcript of the Wynn Resort 2008 1st Q Earninjgs call on SeekingAlpha.com.

Posted by flipchipro at 5:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Attend tonight's advanced screening of Iron Man at the Galaxy Theatres at Cannery, and you'll receive free popcorn.

The Cannery Casino in North Las Vegas at Craig Road is one of our favorite places to go off-Strip, and we're not sure why. Maybe because of everything reminding us of a brewery, and cocktail waitresses dressed like bomber gals.

The Galaxy movie theater is relatively new at 3 years old or so, and it still looks new, with its all-digital screens in 14 theaters.

The advanced screening is at 8 p.m. tonight, then plays regularly beginning tomorrow. Of course, that's without the free popcorn.

Posted by R.C. Clark at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)