Wayne Newton Gets Vegas Reality Show
Talent Search Looks For Next Showroom Star
Posted: 9:21 am EDT October 25, 2004
Sin City legend Wayne Newton -- that's Mr. Las Vegas to you -- is set to star in a new reality television series for E! Entertainment Television.Don't worry, it's not one of those follow-the-celebrity-around-while-they-make-fools-of-themselves deals. Instead the show, titled "The Entertainer," will be a cross between "American Idol" and "The Apprentice," casting Newton as the leader of a panel of judges who will try to pick a fresh, new face to perform in his show at the Stardust.Open auditions are being held around the country this week to pick entertainers of all stripes to compete in a final group of 10 that will be whittled down by Newton and the other judges. The show is scheduled to debut in January.For more information on auditions, visit EOnline.com.
On one side is classic downtown Vegas -- Fremont Street and Glitter Gulch. On the other side is what is hoped will be the new downtown Vegas, a mostly empty 61-acre parcel of land where office buildings, entertainment complexes and condos will be built.In between is the venerable Plaza Hotel, a downtown landmark sitting at the head of Fremont Street.The problem is, how do you merge the old and new with a big building in between that the owners don't want to just tear down? Build around it!Barrick Gaming is proposing a land-swap deal that will allow it to build new hotel and condo towers, an entertainment complex, and new retail and restaurant space around the existing Plaza, turning it into a gateway of sorts between the two sections of downtown. The original building will stay in place, at least for now. If the city signs off on the plan, construction could begin as early as next year.
How do you move a marina?That's a question that officials at Lake Mead could be forced to answer if things don't change drastically in the next few months at the popular recreation destination near Las Vegas.Years of drought have sent the lake's edge on a steady retreat, with the surface down about 100 feet from its high point before the dry spell started. The receding waters have uncovered long-submerged ruins of buildings flooded out when they created the lake but are also forcing the marinas that scatter the perimeter to pick up and move to stay operational. One of the largest, Overton Beach Marina, is now threatened, and studies are under way to form a plan to relocate the marina by next spring.
When the Stratosphere was expanded a few years back, the owners added a spanking-new pool area on an 8th floor deck above the casino. That left the former pool deck atop one of the room towers unneeded and unused.Then someone thought, "Hey! Let's jump on the bandwagon and go topless!"A quick remodel later, the old pool area has reopened as Beach Club 25, an adults-only area where topless sunbathing is allowed. That remodel was mostly cosmetic -- new paint, awnings and landscaping, but quite frankly, who is going to be looking at the plants?To gain access you have to be a hotel guest and you have to be willing to fork over $10 for the privilege of using the area if you're a man. There is no cover for women.(I really crack myself up sometimes.)
As the new Wynn Las Vegas resort steams ahead toward its April 2005 opening, one of the biggest pieces of the "How do you open a $2 billion resort?" puzzle is about to be put in place as the company starts its search for the nearly 8,000 people needed to run a little joint like that.Applications for virtually all front- and back-of-house positions (that's the people you see and the people you don't, respectively) will be accepted starting Nov. 1 online at Wynnjobs.com. The company expectes 150,000 applications and will conduct as many as 50,000 job interviews over the coming months, hoping to have all the positions filled by February.Wynn Las Vegas is the new megaresort from Steve Wynn, the man who built the Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio. It is set to open April 28, 2005.
Yes, the Las Vegas Monorail is still closed. No, they still don't know when they're going to reopen it.
On one side is classic downtown Vegas -- Fremont Street and Glitter Gulch. On the other side is what is hoped will be the new downtown Vegas, a mostly empty 61-acre parcel of land where office buildings, entertainment complexes and condos will be built.In between is the venerable Plaza Hotel, a downtown landmark sitting at the head of Fremont Street.The problem is, how do you merge the old and new with a big building in between that the owners don't want to just tear down? Build around it!Barrick Gaming is proposing a land-swap deal that will allow it to build new hotel and condo towers, an entertainment complex, and new retail and restaurant space around the existing Plaza, turning it into a gateway of sorts between the two sections of downtown. The original building will stay in place, at least for now. If the city signs off on the plan, construction could begin as early as next year.
How do you move a marina?That's a question that officials at Lake Mead could be forced to answer if things don't change drastically in the next few months at the popular recreation destination near Las Vegas.Years of drought have sent the lake's edge on a steady retreat, with the surface down about 100 feet from its high point before the dry spell started. The receding waters have uncovered long-submerged ruins of buildings flooded out when they created the lake but are also forcing the marinas that scatter the perimeter to pick up and move to stay operational. One of the largest, Overton Beach Marina, is now threatened, and studies are under way to form a plan to relocate the marina by next spring.
When the Stratosphere was expanded a few years back, the owners added a spanking-new pool area on an 8th floor deck above the casino. That left the former pool deck atop one of the room towers unneeded and unused.Then someone thought, "Hey! Let's jump on the bandwagon and go topless!"A quick remodel later, the old pool area has reopened as Beach Club 25, an adults-only area where topless sunbathing is allowed. That remodel was mostly cosmetic -- new paint, awnings and landscaping, but quite frankly, who is going to be looking at the plants?To gain access you have to be a hotel guest and you have to be willing to fork over $10 for the privilege of using the area if you're a man. There is no cover for women.(I really crack myself up sometimes.)
As the new Wynn Las Vegas resort steams ahead toward its April 2005 opening, one of the biggest pieces of the "How do you open a $2 billion resort?" puzzle is about to be put in place as the company starts its search for the nearly 8,000 people needed to run a little joint like that.Applications for virtually all front- and back-of-house positions (that's the people you see and the people you don't, respectively) will be accepted starting Nov. 1 online at Wynnjobs.com. The company expectes 150,000 applications and will conduct as many as 50,000 job interviews over the coming months, hoping to have all the positions filled by February.Wynn Las Vegas is the new megaresort from Steve Wynn, the man who built the Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio. It is set to open April 28, 2005.
Yes, the Las Vegas Monorail is still closed. No, they still don't know when they're going to reopen it.
The Full Story
- Forum Shops Adds Three Stories, More High-End Shopping Wayne Newton Gets Vegas Reality Show Vegas Q&A: Is The Strip Safe For Teens?
In Next Week's Column
Next week: The latest from Las Vegas.Plus, don't forget to send your questions about Las Vegas. I've got room for more, so send them in today!Click here to go to the main page of Vegas4Visitors.com and see all of the fantastic resources Vegas4Visitors has to offer you when planning your next trip to Las Vegas.Rick Garman is the head writer for Vegas4Visitors
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