June 10, 2009
Construction has officially stopped at Fontainebleau, the north-Strip megaresort that’s embroiled in a dispute with its lenders and recently had its CEO resign. Slightly more than two-thirds finished and towering above the Strip, it was scheduled for an October opening. F’Bleau follows in the footsteps of the Cosmopolitan and Echelon Place, both of which were stopped in mid-construction, along with several Strip casino and condo projects that never got off the drawing board, due to the economic hard times.
Cheap Drinks: From 4 to 10 p.m. on Fridays in June, all drinks at all bars at South Point are $1. It’s a good way to get a fast start on the weekend.
Cheap Trick: The rock band Cheap Trick has been signed for a September residency at the Las Vegas Hilton. Backed by a live orchestra, they’ll perform Sgt. Pepper Live. Show dates are September 13-15, 17-19, and 21-23, and tickets are priced at $65, $80, and $90.
Cheap Stunt: To promote the debut of Holly Madison as the new lead of its production Peepshow, Planet Hollywood blocked out the “wood” in its sign so it read “Planet Holly.” OK, not so cheap a stunt! Madison takes the stage for the first time on June 22.
Brewpub Closing: The long-running Brewpub at Monte Carlo will close July 12. It’s not a surprise, since the Brewpub actually stopped brewing back in ’06, when the CityCenter project took over the land that housed the former brewery. Still, it’s been a popular venue since the day it opened along with the rest of the resort.
Question: How has the economy affected attendance at this year’s World Series of Poker?
Answer: Once again, poker has proven impervious to these difficult times. The WSOP’s "Stimulus Special" tournament (with a lower-than-normal $1,000 buy-in) sold-out, drawing 6,012 players. It was the fourth largest field of all time, trailing only the main events in 2006 (8,773 players), 2008 (6,844) and 2007 (6,358). The winner was 24-year-old Steven Sung, who pocketed $771,106.
(Anthony Curtis weekly column is syndicated to all the above publications.)
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