Luxor is getting back into the Nightclub business again. After deciding the Egyptian theme wasn’t cool any more, they closed the RA Nightclub. Now as part of Luxor’s $300 Million renovation they are opening the LAX Nightclub, created by PURE Management, which everything they manage pretty much works out and designed by Thomas Schoos. The LAX Nightclub wants to draw the Los Angeles type crowd.

Here is the funny part, Britney Spears will host the grand opening of LAX set for Labor Day Weekend and one of the investors backing LAX is Christina Aguilera, I thought those two weren’t talking. Besides Christina, DJ AM is also an investor.

Here is the link: http://www.laxthenightclub.com

The Luxor is tired and now is getting a $300 Million face lift, body lift, tummy tuck etc… The Luxor may be changing its name to “The Pyramid”, which I do not like, but who am I?

The RA Nightclub is now called LAX and will be run by PURE Management.

Two more Clubs will open this fall called Flight and Cathouse

Along with all of that an Ultrabar called Liquidity which will contain three sperate lounges will also open.

A new Bar Called Aurora will be in the lobby across from the front desk (seems this is a new theme)

The spa will be called Nurture and the pool will be renamed “Restore”.

Well what we need is another Cirque du Soleil and we have got it, in the form of Criss Angel starting in 2008. Also, Criss has been filming his show at the Luxor for the past year.

So Vegas is ever changing its face again, but to keep up it was a good move on MGM’s part to keep current. I have always enjoyed the Luxor’s architecture and its them, but to draw the crowds it was time for a change. I am excited to see what they come up with but sad to see the theme go.

Was Brynn really a party girl during season one? I got The Real World Las Vegas Season One after it first aired for a B-day present. So I took some time and I went back and watch season one. I paid close attention to all the Vegas sights and sound first and secondly the character development, which is more important? I have been using my Tivo to record Las Vegas Season 2, so I am not that hyped about the show, but it is Vegas.

My Observations: Brynn kissed a girl and was a go go dancer but what else did she do that was so wild? She found her boyfriend and the second half of of season one she disapeared. I feel that MTV Hyped up the fact she was a party girl, just like they hyped Trishelle as a good girl. They are total polar opposites now from the way they were portraid. Brynn has settled down and has two children, Trishelle on the other hand is still carrying the torch of a single party girl. I do not discount the fact that Vegas may have changed Trishelle, I know it did me, but how much do you think she actually changed or was she already that way. In no way am I faulting either of the two for who they are or who they have become, they both have goals and I hope they acheive them, but the trailer for season one was better than the movie.

Also, I should stop counting all the product placements for The Palms and other things.

The Real World Las Vegas Cast is reuniting for another 6 shows that will span over a 3 week period. Filming is due to start today April 15th 2007.

Alton, Arissa, Brynn, Frank, Irulan, Steven and Trishelle will all be back in the Real World Suite at The Palms Hotel and Casino.

Touted as being the first Reality Show to be filmed in a Casino and knowing what The Real World shows were about, we had to watch the train wreck unfold. The original show slowly fizzled after our favorite character Brynn Smith went off to hang with her new boyfriend and barely got any TV time.

We believe that the reunion will have less excitement than the original series, because the cast is all grown up and actually have lives now, but we will have to watch because it’s VEGAS Baby!

The cast was contractually obligated to come back, but from what we have read The Real World Austin cast was asked first and when that fell through the Vegas cast opportunity presented itself.

The Palms Hotel and Casino Real World Suite is for rent, not during filming of course for around $10,000 a night that is up a bit from the last time we reported. The Palms renovated six rooms to create the original 3,000 square foot suite.

Of course the Palms has other suites like the Hugh Hefner suite, the basketball suite, the studio (which you cannot sleep-in, but they have packages) and a suite with bowling lanes. The Hugh Hefner designed Sky Villa with Infinity pool costs $40,000 a night so we hear.

NBC’s Las Vegas will continue its fifth season without two original cast members, James Caan and Nikki Cox.

James Caan wants to return to doing movies and Nikki Cox wants to take her career in a different direction.

To fill their shoes NBC is trying to bring Tom Selleck on to the show. We here a VegasHipster.com watched “Magnum P.I” all the time. We can’t wait to see Rick, T.C and Higgins (Higgy Baby) Make guest appearances that would be sweet! We are not sure how Tom Selleck will fill James Caan’s shoes, we like the old school that Caan brought to the table. It was our kind of Vegas no doubt. I hope they don’t go soft, or softer than they have been. How many times can his daughter get kidnapped?

Tom Selleck is reportedly to play the new owner of the Montecito.

Most Actors/Actresses meaning Nikki Cox who leave their respected shows usually end up not going anywhere. Don’t get me wrong there are exceptions to this rule and some of them star on this show. Nikki has dramatically changed her appearance. We do not think in a good way. She has gotten way to skinny, wafer thin, and hopefully not anorexic. We like Nikki and feel she is a very wholesome character on the show and hope they can find someone to fill her shoes.

James Caan, what can we say? We are sad to see him leave, but he will bounce back and make everything he stars in a hit. We have a very short list of favorites and he is on that list.

-Nick

Aladdin is finally showing that it is ready to move forward with their plans of becoming Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino..

I thought they had given up, ran out of money, lost their funding etc… A few months ago, nothing was physically changing.  There was some discussion and media hype about the change but nothing to see.  They did try and paint the outside blue, which they found ugly and painted over.  For our sake I hope their sake the change over isn’t filled with design hiccups like that.

Robert Earl co-chairman of Aladdin, said things have been moving slowly with construction and planning he was right.

Other name changes include: The Desert Passage is being renamed Miracle Mile.

I hope they fix the entrance from the strip to the casino. The sidewalk in front of Planet Hollywood is unavoidable and adds minutes to your walk past the casino because it leads you right up to their door and back out on the strip. Also, after you enter the Casino look at the wall with the peacock lights up towards the ceiling, I think the Aladdin ran out of ideas for that space.  The ceiling is also too high, there is no intimacy and it is a maze just to get back to the Miracle Mile.  Another thing there was always a pile of dirt and an empty lot next to the casino in front of the Desert Passage for years, was that supposed to be a representation of sand?

Movie memorabilia will not be in the casino but the hotel rooms with have themes from a particular film.  A model of the redesign hotel rooms was shown with movie memorabilia from “Pulp Fiction.”  The rooms will have upgraded flat screens and the remodeling of all the rooms is scheduled to begin in April.

A new $30 million, 30,000sqft is drawing to a close. The new 1,568-seat theater will house “Stomp Out Loud”.

Construction has started for the 50-floor residential towers on the corner of Harmon Avenue and Audrey Lane.

I never felt comfortable spending my money at the Aladdin.  I hope Planet Hollywood can turn it around but I am left with the feeling it will be just another restaurant.

The Tropicana Resort and Casino is a place of Casino legend. It opened 50 years ago on April 4th 1957 and shortly after that a failed mob assassination. The Tropicana was mob owned for decades but for those who don’t know Vegas hasn’t been in bed with the Mob in Years, just ask the Mayor, Oscar B Goodman, who used to defend mobsters back in the day.

Today the Tropicana is owned by Columbia Sussex which is headquartered in Fort Mitchel, Kentucky. Columiba Sussex is planning to revamp and destroy most of the property. Luckily the motel to the side of the main casino will be gone and new towers will be erected in their place which will take the room count to 10,000 by the year 2010. Coinless slot machines will now be the norm in the Tropicana. The Folies Bergere show and the Tiffany Theatre will survive, at least they haven’t forgotten their past.

The bad thing is that the 4,000 square foot stained glass ceiling that extends the length of the casino will be gone. It was installed in 1979 and estimated to be worth over a Million dollars.

I am sure there is more to come about the upgrade and we will get to it when it comes.

Sahara’s Speed the Ride Stopped April 6th due to a magnetic motor failure, Stranding 16 people for over an hour.

The riders were 15 feet in the air on a flat part of the track.  Firefighters were called around 3:30pm and a ladder truck was used to rescue the 16 people safely.  There were no injuries.

The riders said the cars slowed down before the loop and rolled backwards, came to rest and then were rescued. A short and sweet story!

Ron Garrett a Sahara spokes person said that the rides saftey features worked as expected.  This is the second failure in 8 years.

Thanks to our friends at www.whilelasvegassleeps.com

Sahara Hotel and Casino was sold to Sam Nazarian by his Los Angeles SBE Entertainment Group.  No Purchase price was released yet, but when it is we will update this article.  The rumor is the transaction was around $400 million for the land, casino and the hotel

From the information we have gathered by email submissions and news services, we have no information about redevelopment, upgrades or theme changes but again the rumor is that they have big plans.

Sam Nazarian is a movie producer, owns some restaurants and is a nightclub owner

SBE plans to manage the hotel and the food and beverage operations, but will hand off the casino management to Larry Woolf  a Nevada Gaming Executive and his Navegante Group Management company.

The Sahara Hotel and Casino is pretty far north on the strip for now.  What I mean about that is The Las Vegas Strip is growing but which way north or south is anyones guess.

Thank you, Las Vegas Review Journal and other News Sources

Thanks,

-Nick