Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Stand-up Comedy in Las Vegas

Headliners play Vegas on an irregular schedule but usually at the same venue.

Jerry Seinfeld-Caesars
Jay Leno-Mirage
Dana Carvey-Orleans
Ray Romano-Mirage
Howie Mandel-MGM
David Spade-Venetian

The box office prices for big name comedy acts start from about $49 to a high end of $150 for Seinfeld. When scalped, prices have recently been around 2 to 2.5X the box office price. For example, the highest Dana Carvey box office ticket is $115 with scalpers offering in the low-mid $200 range.

There is usually an additional handling or service charge that varies from a few dollars to over $10. Sometimes the LET (Live Entertainment Tax) is not included. For a Fire Marshal rated capacity of under 7,500 LET will add 10% to the price. It is 5% for over 7,500. Most venues are under 7,500.

Vegas' Top resident stand-ups:

Carrot Top-Luxor
Rita Rudner-Harrah's
Vinnie Favorito-Flamingo
George Wallace-Flamingo
Amazing Jonathan-Planet Hollywood
Louie Anderson-Excalibur

Ticket prices start from $39.95 for the 2 Flamingo based comics up to VIP tickets for Louie Anderson that top out at $79. These acts are often discounted substantially or are comped to active gamblers. There are 2 seat filling organizations in Vegas that help fill out crowds and if you know a Vegas local, they may bring you as a guest.

Although most of these comedians have toured or done enough national TV to be recognized, Vinnie Favoritio a Don Rickles like comedian is a true undiscovered gem with a quick wit. Carrot Top is the prop comic with a tight show and excellent verbal humor that you may not expect that places him at the top of the list.

Top Vegas Impressionists are:

Gordie Brown-Golden Nugget
Terry Fator-Hilton

Although impressionists have very high levels of talent, their acts can have generation gaps where their humor appeals to either older or younger audience members at times. Terry Fator is the ventriloquist who won America's Got Talent and Gordie Brown was the opening act for Celine Dion's tour.

Gordie Brown pricing starts at $43.95 to $99.95 with Fator's pricing in his new venue at Mirage from $59 to $129.

Comedy Clubs:

Bonkerz-Palace Station
Comedy Stop-Tropicana
The Improv-Harrah's
LA Comedy Club-4 Queens
Riviera Comedy Club-Riviera

Quality of comedy varies with the lineup of acts. There will be at least 2 comics and rarely 4 with some of them still developing so you can see some great comics on their best nights or some not-so-great comedians on their less-than best night. It depends.

Ticket prices are reasonable at under $40 with frequent discounts to the under $20 range available from half price ticket booths to coupons in flyers or promo magazines. Often the best value, the comedy clubs are unfortunately also hit or miss.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Bar Hopping in Vegas

Las Vegas. The name says it all. Vegas is a town where you can be whoever you want to be and do (pretty much!) whatever you want to do. In that sense, the city is often overwhelming to those who are going; many of the great aspects of Vegas are overlooked by visitors simply because there is SO much to do there. To that end, we've made this article as a guide to those who wish to hit the best bars that can be found in the city of sin.

For those who wish for a touch of class and an old-school feel to their bar, visiting the Empire Ballroom is a must. This bar was modeled after a 1930's speakeasy-type bar, and its lush 16,000 square feet provide nothing but class and decadence. The bar has a number of private VIP rooms as well as a host of opportunities to get away from the dance floor with its outdoor patios. One thing to note about the ballroom: if you're not exactly ready for the night to end early, an after-party is hosted at the Empire that lasts from 3AM to 10AM, every weeknight!

For a traditional Irish styled pub, you can do no better than J.C. Wooloughan's Irish Pub. They have a wide selection of spirits, including 32 different types of triple-distilled single malt whiskey. The bar follows a theme of race-horses, with several authentic pieces of memorabilia scattered throughout. The pub also features an outdoor beer garden for those who wish for a breath of fresh air.

Looking for a low-key, hip club that is only known to few? Beauty Bar definitely will meet your expectations. Discretely labeled "Salon of Beauty" by its sign outside, you should not let the name fool you. The bar features a retro-style design with antique hair-dryer chairs providing most of the furniture. It's a very unique experience that should not be missed by one who wishes for a special Vegas trip.

If what you're looking for from your Vegas trip is a let-it-all-hang-out, loose, wild experience, Coyote Ugly might be the bar for you. The bar is packed full of beautiful waitresses that spend their time pouring, laughing, and gyrating in an all-out show of a pure rock-n-roll sense. If you don't drink whiskey, you might want to skip this bar. The honky-tonk attitude and in-your-face antics of the bartenders is enough to provide a memorable experience for years to come, if you can remember it!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Top Vegas Shows - Donny and Marie at The Flamingo

Las Vegas travelers usually have a basic idea of what to expect in the true city that never sleeps. With plenty of casinos, all-night buffets, city-wide mafia tours and enough disrobed women to start a nudist colony, one may think that former child stars and clean-cut Mormons Donny and Marie would stand out in Vegas like a sore thumb.

However, the brother-sister duo has been headlining at the Flamingo for a few years now, and their act continues to grow in popularity. I guess, in Vegas, nothing's shocking anymore.

Donny and Marie have been famous for half a century. Marie, the younger of the siblings, began singing with her famous family of entertainers at only three years of age. Donny, crooner extraordinaire with his hit Puppy Love, was a star on The Andy Williams show at the tender age of five. Over the years, the duo has made a comfortable living entertaining.

Like most lifelong stars, Donny and Marie have a healthy fan base, who never missed an opportunity to catch them perform hits old and sketches. Many fans of the duo's show at the Flamingo bubblegum style, hoping to relive the magic of a bygone era. However, Donny and Marie show a little 'different from what most expect.

For starters, the show is more "adult". And this does not mean that the uber-religious couples have started to curse or bearing all over the stage. There is nothing to go on like this. It simply means that they have missedthe otherwise cheesy childhood antics and deliver real music performances while on stage.

Even though the Donny and Marie act has always been somewhat slapstick, their respective singing talents have never been in question. After about fifteen minutes of lighthearted comedy together, the duo splits up and each member takes about a twenty-five minute set to perform old classics and even some new recordings.

Throughout much of the show, fans see a completely different act than what they thought they were arriving for. There are no cue card acts like the Osmond's of old, and the teen angst that made Donny famous is nowhere to be found. But after the siblings' solo sets, they rejoin on the stage and bring it home with a little together time.

After the duo returns to the stage, they launch into a huge production of Rock This Town. There's also a hint of a striptease coming from Marie, but, of course, she's "rescued" in the nick of time by some costume-wearing Ballerini.

One of the highlights for fans looking for the "old" Donny and Marie-style, back-end of the event. Using his Dancing with the Stars appearance, Marie begins to dance, and she is from Donny, who said to a brother-sister-vs. Survival-of-dance-contest fittest.

All in all, the show seems to be decent, and Las Vegas in general is enjoying nice to have something the whole family.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Las Vegas Hotels - The Venetian Hotel

The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas is situated on the main strip on the Las Vegas Boulevard. It is located in a perfect place, and is situated where previously the Sands hotel used to sit. The Venetian provides its guests with one of its kind dining, shops, a spa, entertainment, art, and complete relaxation and fun. It is also residence for top class casino and gaming core, business center, and more than 4,000 rooms and suites to add ease to anyone's holiday.

The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, especially designed to give the guest an unforgettable renaissance stay, has the world's biggest average suites, and is also the city's most stylish casino. It lets the visitor escape into the romantic impression of this all-suite Las Vegas hotel.

The Venetian Resort gives an uplifting feeling of canals surrounding almost twenty restaurants, out of which six winning chefs, almost eighty international boutiques with tailoring and souvenirs. The Canyon Ranch Spa Club permits one to have a rest and unwind with an indulgent spa, fitness center, and rock-climbing wall. Gondola rides provided along the district mile canals make this the perfect romantic vacation for newlyweds or any couple. All these factors contribute in one reminisce about Italy.

The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas provides its guests with sofa, marble entrances, railings, and large beds. Each bedroom offers marble baths, televisions, sunken living rooms and other features that consist of mini bars, private gaming facilities, and fax facilities.

The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas takes its guests security and comfort very seriously. The facilities it offers include a 24-hour security, safety deposit boxes, cleaning services, and valet Parking and ATM machines.

In addition this Las Vegas hotel has a gaming casino, which has more than 2000 games and slot machines. Offering more that 122 various gambling tables, there games also vary from Craps to Blackjack and so on. In addition, for those who love horseracing, the hotel has licensed betting office that accepts bets on any type of sport that is happening.

The live theater that opened in Las Vegas a couple of years ago had made Venetian Hotel's name internationally popular as well. Shows from New York, London and other theatrical capitals come here to put on a show to which is highly appreciated by the masses. Being a host to rock, jazz and other concerts, this hotel also presents dances in order to keep its guests entertained. The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas has a repute of being the top entertainment program for every age, every language, and every culture.

The recently opened Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, combined with well-known museums in New York and St. Petersburg, display a lasting collection within a huge, Dutch designed structure. The Vegas edition of the Madame Tussauds Wax Gallery accommodates American icons from Las Vegas and across the rest of the United States, everlasting wax figures of celebrities like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

For the daring family, the Treasure Island is a different and thrilling resort destination. Shows, shopping, restaurants, and a variety of entertainment found within walking distance of the Venetian Las Vegas hotel.

Treasure Island joins The Mirage by means of a tram and has bridges to the Palazzo at The Venetian on the east. The casual environments at Treasure Island give confidence so you feel right at home. Treasure Island is an amusement adventure for the family as a whole. The atmosphere of pirates that created can entertain the kids.

For those who just want to unwind, the Venetian has a huge swimming pool on five acres, located on its fourth floor, along with an enormous luxury spa, and one of the most excellent fitness centers along the strip. It also has elegantly landscaped gardens with a suggestion of Venice in them along with high-class beauty parlors.

This hotel ends its night by jamming a house full of partiers. Making sure that the Venetian meets every expectation a customer could have, this hotel was designed to be the best that there was.

The Venetian Hotel is amongst the top class Las Vegas hotels that promise comfort, luxury, entertainment and much more. With the target of making sure that their customers come back, this hotel meets every expectation that one could set.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Las Vegas Travel Options - Beyond Las Vegas Hotel Casinos

Las Vegas, travel options are more than just a Vegas Strip. Of course, many hotels in Las Vegas are spectacular views, especially when the sun goes down, everything is illuminated. However, the deserts of Nevada land of natural beauty like the Grand Canyon and not so natural wonders of the Hoover Dam. Then there is always the potential of the top lost in the wilderness, figuratively speaking, of preference.

The Grand Canyon isreasonable access of Las Vegas. The spectacular canyon carved from years of the Colorado rivers furious flow offering views seen nowhere else upon the Earth. Many options exist for exploration of the deep crevasse that is the Grand Canyon. Helicopters make the trek in as short amount of time. For further experience of the amazement jeep tours are available as well as horseback adventures. The magnificence of the canyon will leave an impression within your memory equal to the Impression left on earth, forever.

The lasting impression is known of human achievement in a large structure such as the Hoover Dam. A spectacular success, is in fact a modern miracle. See photo of this block is great, but standing is not the word that the enthusiasm that express the views of the gorge below. The feeling when you're under it is yet another incredible knowledge of hisawesomeness. The feeling of insignificance as a tiny creature at the base of so much potential energy waiting to destroy all in its path, if unleashed, is breathtaking and maybe just a little scary.

Lastly, the Nevada desert itself is a step in the past. As one crosses a single range, the sight of civilization may be gone also. The further one ventures the more is felt the isolation from society. Easy it is, as the journey continues and the mind wonders, to consider what may have been only one hundred years ago. The lives lost in the attempts crossing the desert are many. The water drenched mountains seeming so close, yet one knows how far they are. The vastness of the wastelands is an apparent reality in a venture just a little distance from the protection of civilization. If you choose this exploration, I advise strongly to be properly prepared for every eventuality. Danger is everywhere where there is nothing.

Therefore, during your next

Friday, December 10, 2010

Finding a Las Vegas Wedding Gown Rental

If you need to find a Las Vegas wedding gown rental, you have many choices available to you. There are many Las Vegas businesses that specialize in wedding gown rentals and they are not the only ones. Several Las Vegas wedding chapels have jumped on the bandwagon and are also offering a selection of wedding gown rentals as a way of making their establishments even more attractive to brides-to-be.

Bridal Elegance is just one of the many Las Vegas businesses that offers wedding gown rentals. They offer over 550 gowns in stock in sizes ranging from 0 to 34. They also offer same day services, pick up and delivery of the gown, alterations, and a complimentary limo with your rental. Bridal Elegance also offers tuxedo rentals.

Las Vegas Formal Wear is another Las Vegas wedding gown rental establishment. They boast that they have over 1000 gowns to choose from in sizes varying from 1 to 42. They have wedding accessories including garters, gloves, shoes, and veils as well. Las Vegas Formal Wear also offers over 450 tuxedos to rent in all sizes and styles.

At Cupid's Wedding Chapel, their Gown and Tux Wedding Package includes a chapel wedding ceremony complete with the wedding gown and tuxedo rental, photographs, flowers, and more for under $500.

The Little White Wedding Chapel offers wedding gown and tuxedo rentals that can be added to any of their wedding packages. For $200 you get a wedding gown, shoe and veil rental. They offer sizes from 1 to 30. Their tuxedo rentals run $100-150.

These are just a few examples of what is available if you wish to find a Las Vegas wedding gown rental. In the city where over 120,000 weddings are performed every year, you can rest assured that you will have no problem finding the perfect wedding gown to rent for your big day!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A Family-Friendly Vacation in Las Vegas

Believe it or not, "Sin City" can be a great place to have a family vacation. While most people think of the girls and the slots when they think of Las Vegas, there are actually many family-friendly things to do, and these activities are surprisingly affordable. If you are looking for a great option for a family vacation and are traveling on a budget, consider Las Vegas.

All of the major casinos in Las Vegas have non-gambling attractions. Circus Circus, for example, has a working circus that kids can attend, complete with carnival games and midway. The best part of the Circus Circus big top is that it is completely free! This casino also has an indoor amusement park with a very affordable price tag.

The shows of Las Vegas are part of what makes the city so popular. While there are many shows that would not be appropriate for kids, the city is full of family-friendly entertainment. Excalibur offers a dinner show called the "Tournament of Kings," where families can step back in time to a medieval jousting tournament. Gregory Popovich's Comedy Pet Theater is a must-see attraction for families with children. Almost every major casino has a show that is family friendly.

Dining in Las Vegas is amazingly affordable. The many buffets provide a great value for your money, and several of them offer cheap or free children's plates. Be sure to choose some dining options for their themes. For instance, the Rainforest Café allows gests to dine underneath a beautiful 10,000-gallon saltwater aquarium.

If you are traveling with children, find out the rules of the casinos you want to visit. Most of them will not allow children to visit the gambling areas. Families can pass through the casino portions of the hotels, but they may not stand around and watch the people gamble. If you do want to gamble, several of the hotels have babysitting services and activities for the kids that you can take advantage of while you hit the slots.

If you do bring your children to Vegas, make sure you have a car or use taxis to get from place to place. Walking is not advised, because the streets are sometimes littered with propaganda that you would not want your children to see. By driving or taking a taxi, you can protect your children from some of the adult activities of the city. With a little planning and preparation, Las Vegas can make an ideal and affordable destination for your next family vacation!