Las Vegas News

An artist's rendering of the World Resort Las Vegas Image from Kimo Akane

WELCOME TO Kimo’s Vegas … the Player’s Edge!

SEVEN OUT … The Echelon is officially a thing of the past. Boyd Gaming originally planned to build Sin City’s newest mega-resort before the economy went south. When they red-lighted the multibil-lion-dollar project, many complained the building’s skeleton marred the Strip’s skyline. All that’s about to change as the Genting Group (market cap $38 billion) which bought the blight plans to build Las Vegas’ first post-recession project. Featured attractions in “Resorts World Las Vegas” include the Great Wall of China, a live panda habitat, an indoor water park, tea gardens and more. But don’t hold your breath waiting on that new casino smell – they won’t be saying ni hao ma until 2016.

ALTHOUGH IT’S NOT as chickenskin as walking into Iolani Palace … The El Cortez has become the only Las Vegas casino (still standing) on the National Register of Historic Places.

IF THERE WAS a national holiday for comedians, surely April would be the most hilarious of months, since it hosts the year’s only official day of jokes and hoaxes. The TI is the place to check out comedians such as TV talk show staple Whoopi Goldberg April 5, and TV overnight sensation (she’s been paying her dues doing stand-up since 2007) Whitney Cummings April 26.

IT’S NOT AN April Fools practical joke, and you are not seeing things … The bulbs on the “Welcome To Las Vegas” sign are green, not with envy but in honor of Irish-American Heritage Month and the day that beer flows green in honor of the Apostle of Ireland, St. Patrick.

IN THE FIRST few hours, Cirque du Soleil sold more than $500,000 in tickets to its new Michael Jackson One show. The Lion King‘s Serengeti has been completely ripped out and a new theater built, designed specifically for the tribute to the King of Pop. Preview shows start May 23, and the finished product will premiere June 29 in Mandalay Bay.

CONGRATS TO Holly Madison on the birth of a baby girl. Obviously a first-time dad, Pasquale Rotella said, “Holly and I are looking forward to spending some quiet time with our baby”… Everyone who get keiki know there’s nothing quiet about babies.

YOU’VE PROBABLY seen that Progressive insurance commercial with Flo and the insincere sales guys who make false claims until their pants go up in flames … That’s what some folks are saying about the PokerStars claim that Caesars offered to sell them the Rio & the World Series of Poker brand … “No mas pantelones.

DID YOU KNOW strong winds can affect escalators? That’s what happened to the new escalator between the footbridge by the Cosmopolitan and City Center and Planet Hollywood – the strong winds kept stopping it … Better Mother Nature than kids hitting the emergency stop button.

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