Welcome to Kimo’s Vegas… The Players Edge!!

How much does it cost to have your favorite celeb at your birthday party or night club? The Rolling Stones will sing Happy Birthday for $5.2 million, Celine Dion $4 million, Elton John costs $1.5 million and Justin Timberlake will set you back $1 million. On the other hand if you’re a celebrity Vegas clubs will pay you to celebrate it with them…

Robbie Maddison rode into the New Year jumping his motorcycle 120 feet to land on the Arc de Triomphe at the Paris Las Vegas live on ESPN. At the same time Robbie Knievel made a 200 foot jump across the Volcano at the Mirage. If you were too busy doing aerials to see it live get clikc the links to see 'em now.
 
Officials estimate 290,000 celebrated New Year's in Las Vegas including a record 30,000 folks downtown.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said that this year’s New Years Fireworks show cost $600,000. Many complained that this year’s pyrotechnics set off from garages and the street were lame compared to last year… even worse than the strips worst show ever in 1999. The blame is being placed on new fire safety codes implemented after the Monte Carlo façade was ablaze earlier this year.

United Erectors was fined $3,500 for starting the fire atop the Monte Carlo…

May Day is fight day in Las Vegas… May 2^nd is the date of the “Super Fight” between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) and Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs). Thousands of fans from the Philippines and England are expected to make the trek to witness the biggest boxing match of the year and tens of thousands more will watch it on pay per view. Each fighter will hit their own little jackpot of $20 million for the fight.

Megabucks is just about at $16 million and statistically due to hit. After playing $150 in one machine Connie Thiele put a $20.00 bill in another and won $21,030,664.90 on her next pull at the Palms last May.

Sneak onto the 52^nd floor of the new Wynn Las Vegas and check out the private, high limit baccarat salon with floor to ceiling windows. If you get caught be prepared to bet the minimum $500 a hand.

Sign of the times… this year’s annual Consumer Electronics Show the emphasis will be on smaller, more connected and greener devices that save money. Last year there were 141,000 people at the premiere electronic show but officials estimate this year’s attendance to be around 130,000. The number of exhibitors has decreased from 3,000 last year to 2,700 this year.

Accident or design… also in play at the same time as the CES is the AVN (Adult Entertainment) show.

Phil Ruffin sold the Frontier Hotel to the Elad Group and used the proceeds of the sale to upgrade and get back into Vegas buying the Treasure Island from MGM Mirage. Before the opening his masterpiece Encore, Steve Wynn offered to pay to have what he called an eyesore (the Frontier sign) taken down… the last two letters to be removed from the sign, “TI”.

Steve Wynn has run two Marathons… that would be the Las Vegas and Honolulu Marathons.

Get more Kimo’s Vegas here online at Around Hawaii and in both issues of MidWeek.

© 2006 www.KimosVegas.com Kimo Akane