Results tagged “lasvegas”

Ever since last week's hyped announcement of federal funding for the MagLev train between Anaheim and Las Vegas, there's been a lot of talk and some updates. First, "the Federal Railroad Administration has made neither an award nor an announcement with regard to funding for maglev development in Nevada," said spokesman Mark Paustenbach on Thursday, the day after Governor Gibbons made the announceme

After a 21 month layoff from the sport, one of boxing's biggest names (and mouths) made a triumphant return to the ring Saturday night in Las Vegas as Floyd "Money" Mayweather easily defeated Juan Manuel Marquez in a one-sided welterweight bout by unanimous decision.

After three decades of dreaming and planning, it looks like the federal government is finally paying attention to an expensive MagLev train line that would carry passengers between Las Vegas and Anaheim at speeds up to 300 miles per hour along the 270-mile route. The Federal Railroad Administration will give $45 million in congressional earmarked dollars to the first phase of the route, which will go from Las Vegas to the state border in Primm, NV, according to the LA Times.

Some people are a bit suspicious of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's last two vacations. The first, a trip to Africa, was right after his inauguration. The second was to Iceland, ending earlier this month. No matter who you are, you deserve a vacation, right? "Since the mayor is mayor 24-7, he does not accrue vacation or sick time," said spokesman Matt Szabo in an e-mail to LAist. "He has the discretion to take time away from the city as necessary."

It began with the remains of a woman found stuffed into a suitcase left in a Buena Park dumpster on Saturday. Two days later, authorities made the connection between the corpse and the case of a missing model who had moved here recently from Las Vegas, Jasmine Fiore, a former stripper and current Playboy representative.

Last week, authorities raided Dr. Conrad Murray's office in Houston. Today, his other office and home in Las Vegas. Search warrants said DEA and police were looking for "items constituting evidence of the offense of manslaughter that tend to show that Dr. Conrad Murray committed the said criminal offense." Murray's lawyer told the Associated Press yesterday that he did not prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Jackson. Murray was paid $150,000 a month to care for the pop star and was at the Bel Air abode when he died.

With so many skateboard competitions struggling for national attention, only one has no trouble at all... The Maloof Money Cup. Why is it so loved by skateboarders? Several reasons. First of all, skateboarders are not "extreme sports athletes" they are just skateboarders. Why does ESPN and Mountain Dew want to lump skaters together with motocross and like... hang gliding. The Maloof Money Cup is skateboarding, nothing else.

       

A Los Angeles landmark is finally ready to expand to a second location...after 70 years in the business, but forget about the line...first you've got to get yourself to Las Vegas.

The 52-year-old Vegas performer--the man with many voices--died early this morning from causes not immediately known. The self described "musical impressionist" has been a Vegas mainstay since 1996 and last year earned his 11th consecutive Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year award. His usually sold out show just moved to Steve Wynn's Encore from the Mirage in February. "One of the most unique human beings and entertainers in the world has been taken from us in an unexpected moment," Wynn said in a statement.

Following up last week's conversation about Los Angeles' far flung suburb with KCET SoCal Connected correspondent John Ridley, here is the spot that aired. At one point, Robin Leach (you know him as the voice behind Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous) blamed President Barack Obama's mention of Vegas in the context of bailout money for the cancellation of 55 conferences. They have some extra videos, too, including the normally packed airplane from Burbank to Vegas:

Tonight on an all-new episode of KCET's award-winning news program, SoCal Connected, which airs at 8 p.m., correspondent John Ridley, takes viewers on a tour of the gambling Mecca that reinvented itself during good times only to now face new challenges during a tough economy.

KCET's Socal Connected last week looked into Death Valley National Park's pollution problem. Light from Las Vegas--but also some from Los Angeles--is encroaching in on one of the few places in the country that let's you experience true darkness. The Associated Press and National Geographic both recently looked into this issue, but KCET takes a different turn: they go to Vegas to see if anyone cares. Ha.

Next Saturday in nearby Sin City the legendary pairing of Siegfried and Roy will take to the stage in an event billed as both "a comeback and a farewell," explained LA Unleashed on Friday. The duo have not performed since Roy was mauled by one of the tigers in their show in 2003. Although there will be magic inside the Bellagio, there will be protesting outside, thanks to PETA, who have plans to "gather outside the Bellagio holding signs that read 'Retire the Tigers' and 'Make Animal Acts Disappear,'" in the hopes of urging the retirees to send their animals to a sanctuary. PETA elaborates: "Siegfried and Roy have made a fortune, and they owe it all to their exploitation of these tigers. The least that they can do is retire the animals to a sanctuary where they can live out their lives in peace and never be beaten, mistreated or caged again."

This is going to get old fast. In response to Barack Obama's big "State of the Union" like speech last night, the Republicans, via Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, had sharp criticisms of the President and stimulus bill including trying to reduce the MagLev train between Anaheim and Las Vegas to "bridge to nowhere" levels:

"Hanging out on the 15 N to vegas," tweeted GirlGamer.com founder and Kogi BBQ Social Media Guy. "Traffic completely stopped and people are chilling outside their cars."

Although there is no specific mention of the high speed train between the Los Angeles area and Las Vegas, Republicans are crying foul.

As the iPhone commercial says, "there's an app for just about anything." Want to get bruised up by security guards in a dark room behind a casino for counting cards? Yup there's an app for that. Las Vegas Review-Journal reports, "California gaming authorities tipped off their Nevada counterparts to a blackjack card-counting program that can be used on either the Apple iPhone or the Apple iPod Touch portable music player." Counting cards is not illegal in Nevada casinos (just ask these guys) but using a device like an iPhone app to help count cards is considered a felony. The cleverly titled "Blackjack Card Counter" app is still available in the iPhone App store for $3.99.

                    

When visibly-shaken Digital Playground contract girl Stoya walked onstage to accept her AVN Adult Movie Award for Best New Starlet -- against a formidable lineup that included Lexi Belle, Tori Black, Faye Reagan, and Ryder Skye -- she concluded her speech with, "And thank you to just about everyone that jerks off to my smut."

                                   

Joanna Angel, nominated for 14 AVN Adult Movie Awards, including Jenna Jameson Crossover Star of the Year, blogged (NSFW) about her experience:

                                   

As mentioned previously, AVN's annual Adult Entertainment Expo and Adult Movie Awards took place earlier this month in Las Vegas, with the convention running for four days at the Sands Expo and Convention Center and the awards show taking place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

                                   

So what's the Adult Entertainment Expo like? Scenester photographer Igor from Driven By Boredom explained that "This is just a huge room filled with booth after booth of sex related things. Mostly porn companies in the front, but towards the back there are booths for hookers, strippers, sex toys and a lot of ugly clothes that only the biggest manor of scum bag would wear. (Discounting the rad kids at the I <3 Vagina booth)... I met a bunch of people and saw a lot of friends." It should be noted that while Igor didn't mention the marketplace on the lower level, his description of the upper level is mainly accurate.

                            

Longtime Adult Entertainment Expo patrons such as Dan Kartz also noticed the decline in business, stating that "'My girlfriend is Czech, so I really like European women, and because it has become so expensive to fly internationally, you don't have nearly as many international women here... Before, you could fly women over from the Czech Republic, from Germany, England, Spain, but it has gotten so expensive that it's mostly an American crowd. There are a lot less foreigners, a lot less foreign companies, too... There used to be a lot more free DVDs and free publications, but they've gotten pretty stingy. There are not a lot of quality giveaways this year.'"

                     

As mentioned previously, AVN's annual Adult Entertainment Expo and Adult Movie Awards took place earlier this month in Las Vegas, with the convention running for four days at the Sands Expo and Convention Center and the awards show taking place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

                     

As mentioned last Friday, the adult industry has gathered this week for AVN's annual Adult Entertainment Expo and Adult Movie Awards in Las Vegas, with the convention running through Sunday at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, and the awards show on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. And while Thursday, the first day of the convention, was only open to members of the adult industry and press, it will be open to the public from today onward.

                

Downstairs in the sportsbook of the Flamingo, casual fans and degenerates alike are placing their bets on Thursday's BCS Championship game between Florida and Oklahoma, two teams that aren't meeting because they knocked off foes in a playoff system to reach the championship round. Upstairs on the conference room level of the Las Vegas hotel and casino, more than 400 teams from across North America are competing in tournament for a championship.

       

Even though Southern California is the nexus of the adult industry, next week the industry and its fans will convene in Las Vegas for AVN's annual Adult Entertainment Expo and Adult Movie Awards.

       

It rained down here and it snowed up there. It's time for morning surfing and some nighttime skiing.

Take note Vegas travelers, Caltrans says leave early or stay late if you're traveling from the sin city back to Southern California this week. Southbound Interstate 15 will be shut down from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday to conduct blasting and rock removal along the artery. Northbound delays should be minimal, Caltrans says, but for those heading south, travelers who did not exit before Primm, NV at the state line will be directed off the freeway to the Primm Valley resort area where they'll be able to park until the freeway re-opens. If you know of any alternative driving routes, comment below! (Note: the highway was closed today due to snow)

Only in Las Vegas could a venue that opened its doors in 1995 be considered "historic." On February 7th, The Joint, the "historic" music venue located inside Hard Rock Hotel and Casino will close it's doors to make way for a brand new expanded and state-of-the-art Joint. Motley Crue will do the honor of shutting The Joint down with concerts on February 6th and 7th. The new Joint; which according the press release, will be "twice the size, feature an innovative sound and lighting system, and offer seven premiere VIP hospitality suites" is scheduled to open in April. Tickets for the finale with the Crue are on sale now.

Today the results of $25 million upgrade of a Las Vegas Strip icon will be revealed when the volcano outside the Mirage will erupt for the first time since going dormant in February.