Another Full Moon August 1, 2012

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Full Moon
Full Moon

There will be yet another Full Moon Aug 1, 2012, 9:27 P.M. Las Vegas time.

From the Old Farmer’s Almanac:
“Historically, the Native Americans who lived in the area that is now the northern and eastern United States kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to the recurring full Moons.”

August’s moon is called The Full Sturgeon Moon

“Each full Moon name was applied to the entire month in which it occurred. These names, and some variations, were used by the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior.” read more about The Full Sturgeon Moon

“In August 2012, we will also enjoy a second full Moon on the 31st! The second full Moon in a month is commonly called a Blue Moon. This occurs about every 2.5 years.”

“Each month, we explain the names of the full Moon—plus, fascinating Moon facts:” The following video from The Old Farmer’s Almanac:

OUT WEST
Shoshone
Great Basin, Nevada, Wyoming
According to Western Washington University, the Shoshone word for August’s Moon is “guuteyai-mea'” meaning, “hot.”

BACK EAST
Mohawk
Eastern Woodlands
According to Western Washington University, The Mohawk word for August’s Moon is “seskehko:wa” meaning “time of freshness.”

Caesar’s gets key permit for Vegas Strip wheel

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550-foot-high observation wheel
550-foot-high observation wheel

“This artist rendering provided by Caesars Entertainment shows an artists[sic] rendering of a planned 550-foot-high observation wheel on the Strip in Las Vegas. The wheel is expected to be the largest in the world. The Caesars Entertainment is part of a planned $550 million development on the Strip. (AP Photo/Caesars Entertainment)”

Associated Press
By KEN RITTER

“LAS VEGAS — Caesars Entertainment Corp. announced Wednesday that it obtained a key county permit to build the world’s tallest observation wheel in a more than half-billion dollar retail, dining and entertainment complex it is developing on the Las Vegas Strip.”

“The Ferris-style wheel, dubbed the High Roller, is expected to stand 550 feet tall. It is the centerpiece of a planned $550 million development, dubbed LINQ, expected to open next year between the company’s Harrah’s Las Vegas, Imperial Palace and Flamingo Las Vegas casinos.”

“The height would eclipse the nearly 443-foot London Eye, which opened in 1999, and the 541-foot Singapore Flyer, which opened in 2008. Both were the tallest observation wheels in the world when they opened.”

“The Caesars project would also be taller than a 500-foot wheel called SkyVue currently under construction about 3 miles south on Las Vegas Boulevard. That wheel is also expected to open in late 2013″ read more…

“Support structures are now about 200 feet high for the rival SkyVue wheel, being built by developer Howard Bulloch and Compass Investments across the Strip from the Mandalay Bay resort, near McCarran International Airport.”

Bada Bing Bada Boom, here’s the review of Jersey Boys

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Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
Jersey Boys AKA Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons

Quite simply stated, Jersey Boys is one of the best audio/visual things I’ve ever experienced. The way more than apt individual who wrote/programmed the set-design/lighting hit a bases-loaded, home-run with me. The set design itself, in terms of walls, furniture, stage-lighting etc. was gorgeous, if not remarkable, but there’s another facet to the design. Large 1/4-stage size? planes of light at the back of the stage changed colors and danced to the music, in fact the phrase that came to mind was that the planes of light were the fifth instrument. For those of you – and you know who you are – the fifth instrument refers to 50s – 60s rock and roll groups that usually had only four instruments: Drums, bass-guitar, lead-guitar and rhythm-guitar. Often the planes of light were big blocks of artist’s blue.

The only iffy thing for me was that there was not one out of four, of the lead-actors in the show, with an Italian surname. In fact I recall only two or three Italian names in the entire cast of 20-30. And this is a musical about basically five or six American Italians from New Jersey. Having said that, the players that played the Jersey Boys couldn’t have been better. Not attempting to mimic or copy Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons’ voices, they just did their own thing, and their thing was good, very good.

The music was loud – good loud – and was note perfect. There was a drum set center-stage, rear and it was working throughout the night. It was difficult to determine what other – if any – instruments were plugged in as most of the soundtrack was prerecorded. If I’m wrong please let me know. It was a bit unsettling to discover the recorded soundtrack, but I got over it and really enjoyed the show.

All the great recordings from Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, starting with SHERRY were performed with great skill and expertise. And maybe, with great respect – I’m speaking of the viewpoint of the story writers.

“Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is a documentary-style musical, based on one of the most successful 1960s rock ‘n roll groups, the Four Seasons. The musical opened on Broadway in 2005, and has since had a North American National Tour, along with productions in London’s West End, Las Vegas, Chicago, Toronto, Melbourne, Sydney, Philadelphia, Auckland and currently in Brisbane. Jersey Boys won four 2006 Tony Awards including Best Musical.’

Marshall Brickman
“was a member of the folk trio The Tarriers in the late 50s, with Eric Weissberg and actor Alan Arkin. He played Bluegrass guitar on the 1963 album New Dimensions in Banjo and Bluegrass with Weissberg;” “this was later reissued as Dueling Banjos, a pseudo-soundtrack album for Deliverance in 1973. (The title track was the only piece that was actually used in the film.) IMdB;” “he sang with John Phillips and Michelle Phillips in The New Journeymen before they split off to become 1/2 of the Mamas and the Papas He was an American screenwriter, best known for his collaborations with Woody Allen. He is also known for playing the banjo with Eric Weissberg in the 1960s, and for a series of comical parodies published in The New Yorker.” – Wikipedia. Makes you wonder!!!

Rick Elice
“Elice earned his BA from Cornell University, his MFA from the Yale Drama School and is a Teaching Fellow at Harvard. He was the salutatorian graduate of Francis Lewis High School in Queens, New York (class of 1973). He is a charter member of the American Repertory Theatre. His partner is actor Roger Rees.”

Bob Crew comes out as the big winner/mover and shaker, record producer/song writer, ain’t it always so.

Get to the theater.

Jersey Boys
Buell Theatre
Denver, CO 80204

Tickets/Tours
303.893.4100 | 800.641.1222
TTY: 303.893.9582
Hours: 10am-6pm Mon-Sat

Live Support
Speak with a real person seven days a week.
1 – 888 – 546 – 8561

“Times for ‘Jersey Boys’ are at 7:30 PM from Tuesdays to Sundays. Matinee performances are at 2 PM on weekends with a special matinee on August 9, Thursday, at 2 PM.”

Box Office, Theatres, Seawell Grand Ballroom Speer & Arapahoe
Drop off location 14th & Curtis St.

Check out another post about The Jersey Boys

The Denver Connection: Jersey Boys/Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

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Frankie Valley & The Four Seasons
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

I was just invited to see Jersey Boys at the *Buell Theatre in Denver. I mentioned to the inviter that there is a Denver connection to Jersey Boys.

“Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is a documentary-style musical, based on one of the most successful 1960s rock ‘n roll groups, the Four Seasons. The musical opened on Broadway in 2005, and has since had a North American National Tour, along with productions in London’s West End, Las Vegas, Chicago, Toronto, Melbourne, Sydney, Philadelphia, Auckland and currently in Brisbane. Jersey Boys won four 2006 Tony Awards including Best Musical” more from WIKI

The Denver connection is a Green Eyed Lady. Denver’s own Jerry Corbetta (born September 23, 1947, in Denver, CO was a founding-member of Boulder, Colorado’s, 70s psychedelic-rock-band, Sugarloaf. Sugarloaf’s, Green Eyed Lady reached #3 on Billboards Hot 100 in 1970. Don’t Call Us We’ll Call You was another national hit by these inovative musicians. In the 80s, Jerry Corbetta joined the Four Seasons‘ line-up and the group became a sextet. “He [Jerry Corbetta] co-produced Frankie Valli’s critically acclaimed album “Heaven Above Me“, then was asked to join The Four Seasons for their Twentieth Anniversary Tour.” read more…

Sugarloaf with Jerry Corbetta
Sugarloaf with Jerry Corbetta, blue shirt

Read all about it here:

*Buell Theatre is located in the Denver Performing Arts Complex which is the second largest of its type in the world to New York’s Lincoln Center. The DPAC is located at 1031 13th Street on 12 acre site including ten performance venues connected by a tall glass roof. Buell Theatre Tickets used to be known as the Temple Buell Theatre.[sic]

Check back in a few days for the review…

LVH – A.K.A. The Las Vegas Hotel, formerly The Las Vegas Hilton

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This post is for those who may have missed the seemingly, seamless shift from Las Vegas Hilton to Las Vegas Hotel. Seems it was just a matter of a few letters, right Vanna White…

LVH AKA Las Vegas Hotel
LVH AKA Las Vegas Hotel

The hotel left Hilton at the end of 2011 and was renamed LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on January 3, 2012.

The LVH – Las Vegas Hotel & Casino (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton) is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Paradise, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent.[1] It has 2,956 hotel rooms and 305 suites. Located on 64 acres (26 ha), it has a 74,000 square feet (6,900 m2) casino and is also home to the largest sports book in Las Vegas read more from WIKI…

Here’s a link to The Las Vegas Hotels’ Official Website
Visit the LasVegasBuffetClubs’ page on The Las Vegas Hotel

Woman hits the streets to beg for money…for breast implants

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Monday, July 16, 2012, KFI AM Radio, Los Angeles

WATCH: Woman hits the streets to beg for money…for breast implants
Dressed in a bikini, Chrissy Lance staked out an Ohio street corner to collect money with a sign that read “Not homeless. Need boobs.”

(KFI 640 AM) In Akron, a panhandler is drawing a lot of attention. But in this case, it's not about money or food. Instead, one woman is panhandling for breast implants.

Dressed in a bikini, Chrissy Lance of Rittman, staked out the corner of Manchester Road and Carnegie Avenue to collect money with a sign that read Not homeless. Need boobs.
Dressed in a bikini, Chrissy Lance of Rittman, staked out the corner of Manchester Road and Carnegie Avenue to collect money with a sign that read "Not homeless. Need boobs."

Read more...

The Reserve Casino Hotel in Central City, Colorado

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Originally published June 21, 2012
New information/photo added July 12, 2012.
****New Gaming information below.

The Reserve Casino Hotel
The Reserve Casino Hotel

The Reserve Casino Hotel
321 Gregory St
Central City, Colorado
(800) 924-6646

In the space previously occupied by Central City’s long struggling FORTUNE VALLEY Casino Hotel, THE RESERVE Casino Hotel is making a stand – just a minute from the west-end of Central City Parkway, which is an entry point into the gaming, mountain-town of Central City, Colorado – 45 minutes from Denver. Fortune Valley struggled for years against the “big-boys” on the other-side-of-town (a five-minute drive) in Black Hawk. The big-boys were, at that time, The Ameristar and The Riviera.

Central City had the lock on mom & pop gaming until neighboring gaming-town Black Hawk started building Las Vegas-style casinos down the mountain. Then Black Hawk was getting the lion’s share of business – so… Central City – of Colorado Opera fame – fought back with a new road direct from I-70 into Central City: Central City Parkway (four-lane, 8.4 miles) which is an easy drive from I-70. It’s a safe(r), mountain-valley type, scenic road that passes by old, gold mines and gold/green pasture – and in the winter-time bypasses the sometimes dicey (when snow or other winter conditions are present) Highway 6, paralleling Clear Creek. Now Black Hawk is fighting back: building a four-lane road up/down Highway 6, but that’s another story for another day. I’ll report when the road is finished. The two main entrees into the area are: Highway 6 approaching from the east, paralleling Clear Creek, entering the east end of Black Hawk – at The Riviera! And from the west on Central City Parkway, down from I-70 east passing a few casinos then passing in front of The Reserve! As one can see, both are strategically located – hence the Highway Wars fighting for **the richest square mile on earth.

The Reserve sent me a hotel-room-comp with a chit-for-a-small-amount-of-playing-cash, food discounts and more. I graciously accepted the offer and took a break with the free room.

The hotel has been rethought as a vintage rock & roll showcase with scores (no pun intended) of 60s, 70s music-posters, such as The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Mothers of Invention etc. as well as (authentic) celebrity-autographs on guitars, like Eric Clapton’s, as well as someone’s Gold Record. I recall seeing a photo of Willie Nelson, can’t remember if it was autographed. Willie items are certainly appropriate since Willie Nelson used to live just over the hill near Evergreen, Colorado back in the day. I don’t think the guitars or the gold records are authentic, but was told that there is provenance with the autographs. Besides dozens of guitars, there are also American bike replicas like Captain America’s/Peter Fonda’s) American-Flag motorcycle from the great film classic, EASY RIDER. And to boot there is a huge 15-20 seat tabletop, video-poker bar shaped like a guitar, appropriately called The Guitar Bar (see below.) The Reserve is definitely an authentic, vintage rock & roll casino hotel. It’s a little bit like the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, but just to the extent that there are rock memorabilia everywhere. The theme seems to work and it seems to be the real deal. 60s and 70s groups like POCO, THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS and FOGHAT are currently booked in The Lava Room.

The Guitar Bar at The Reserve
The Guitar Bar at The Reserve

“Colorado’s Only Casino Showroom”
“This 300 person showroom is home to National music acts, local bands, comedians, UFC viewings, sports parties and club type feel in the evenings.”

“The Lava Room is fully equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system, HD TVs at every turn, dance floor, private bar, sunken stage with three levels of seating and standing area, specialty VIP sections, and new outdoor patio conveniently located opposite of the stage.”

The Lava Room
The Lava Room

The Reserve’s website shows basic room-rates from around $90.00 to $180.00. On the upper-end, suites run $140.00 to $200.00.

The rooms are definitely rock & roll: done-up in ***black/orange, yellow/black etc. That took a while to digest, but knowing the black/orange, black/red are all about the “color of fire” makes sense. The important things are that the rooms are clean and secure with flat-screens, coffee-makers, iron/ironing boards, hair dryers, shampoo/conditioner etc. and ice-makers/vending machines just down the hall, small refers and acceptable carpeting. It seems as though Fortune Valley was not in perfect condition when The Reserve took over. All in all it’s acceptable lodging, in my opinion. The beds are extremely comfortable.

Basic room at The Reserve
Basic room at The Reserve

The thing that’s more than acceptable is the little cafeteria/restaurant that serves, in my opinion, one of the best all-things-considered breakfast-buffet ever. $1.99 w/players card gets you: scrambled eggs – in several varieties, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, ham/sausage/bacon, hash-browns, fruit, muffins, bagels with a schmear and all of the rest of important basic American breakfast fare. The buffet is very compact compared to the bigs, but it’s really very adequate. I’ve not sampled the lunch or dinner yet but will in due time. Even if I stay at a different hotel, I’m sure I’d do The Chef’s Kitchen for breakfast.

Lil Buffet at The Reserve
Lil' Buffet at The Reserve

Here are the current prices and hours:
Breakfast: Monday through Friday, 7am – 11am, $5.99 – $1.99 w/players card
Lunch: Monday through Friday, 11am – 4pm, $7.99*
Dinner: Sunday through Thursday, 4pm – 8pm, $10.99*
Champagne Brunch: Saturday and Sunday, 7am – 4pm, $10.99*
Specialty-Dinner: Friday, Steak & Shrimp and Saturday, Prime Rib, 4pm – 8pm, $10.99*
*No discount with players card

There is also a little sandwich shop called Java Express that offers several Panini sandwiches for $5.99;
they also serve salads for about $4-bucks, beverages and Pizza slices ($1.99 or $.99 w/players card)
and whole pies for $5.99 and $10.99, or Calzones $7.99. Beer is available here by the glass or pitcher.

The Reserve also sports a fine-dining Tuscan steak house. Ardore, the Italian restaurant at the casino and hotel, features a 500-bottle wine display. This upscale restaurant is open Friday – Sunday evenings. Dinners are $16.00 – $23.00 – visit the website for complete menus. “Tom Celani is one of the owners of Reserve Casino Hotel, and has a commitment to provide Ardore Tuscan Steakhouse-Seafood-Wine Experience with the highest quality wine, food and guest service. Celani Family wines are featured in Reserve’s gourmet room, named after the Celani Family vineyards prestige wine Ardore.”

****I really can’t comment on the gaming since I really don’t know the casino yet other than saying that they have the standard electronic slots, including video-poker, Keno, Double Bonus and all of the Micky Mouse machines that are so prevalent today. Live tables include poker, blackjack, craps and roulette. ****New gaming information below.

**”The Richest Square Mile On Earth:” “The Colorado Gold Rush began in 1858, leading prospective miners and settlers to discover modest gold deposits in the South Platte River and Cherry Creek in the modern-day Denver area.” “In May of 1859, a major gold strike was found close to Clear Creek in the Rocky Mountains, and Central City was born. By July over 10,000 people lived in the new town of Central City and the surrounding areas.” “By the end of 1859, between $1-1/2 & $2 million in gold was estimated as having been discovered, and the region quickly became known as “The Richest Square Mile On Earthread more…

***After spending another comped night at The Reserve, I was delighted to find that they also have more tastefully decorated rooms like the room with Robin-blue walls in the photo below.

****Well I finally tasted the gaming at The Reserve, and it tasted pretty damn good. Usually I don’t like to comment on gaming since it can be a dicey situation if someone reads an article and looses cash. I’ll just lay it out as it was, but please don’t “bank” on the information leading you to winning hands. I searched for a particular type of machine. I like to play Video Poker and Keno machines, usually in small denominations like pennies or nickels. I found a machine and it was smoke’n. In a two-hour stretch, I hit several four-of-a-kinds, one of which was four-4s which, as you may know pays pretty good. This was a Multi Game slot with variable coin choices of $.05, $.25, $.50 and $1.00. This could be a fluke or as is usually the case I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Whatever the reason, it’s always better to win than to loose. I reserve the right to not reveal the slot or the location – other than saying that I was on the lower floor. Are the slots in the Colorado mountains finally loosening up a bit?

The Reserve - Blue Hotel Room
The Reserve, Blue Hotel Room - photo by WCCarbone

On my last trip up to Central City I snapped this cool (and wet) photo with my little Canon SD 1200 IS. A very welcome rain was saturating the mountain-side. FYI: Those mounds of golden-hued earth are tailings from the gold mines.

Central City in a summer rain
Central City in a summer rain - photo by WCCarbone

Some photos are from The Reserve. See more photos on The Reserve’s website.

Visit The Reserve’s Official Website
Visit the Main pages of LasVegasBuffetClub.Com

CHESTNUT WINS 6TH STRAIGHT HOT DOG TITLE

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AP Associated Press

Nathans Top Dog, Joey Chestnut
Nathan's Top Dog - Joey Chestnut

Joey Chestnut – sets new record by eating 68 franks in annual contest.

NEW YORK – Joey Chestnut ate his way to a sixth straight win at the Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island on Wednesday, tying his personal best in a sweaty, gag-inducing spectacle.

The 28-year-old San Jose, Calif., man nicknamed “Jaws” scarfed down 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes in the sweltering summer heat to take home $10,000 and the mustard yellow belt. He bested his main rival by 16 dogs.

“I feel good, it was a great win,” Chestnut said after the contest, adding he wished he could have eaten a record number of hot dogs for the audience. “I tried my best. I’m looking forward to next year already.”

Second place went to Tim Janus of New York with 52 hot dogs, who received $5,000. Third place went to Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago with 51, who won $2,500 read more…

Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest – Official Page…