CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (also known as CSI: Las Vegas) is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It is filmed primarily at Universal Studios in Universal City, California.

The series follows Las Vegas criminalists as they use physical evidence to solve grisly murders in this unusually graphic drama, which has inspired a host of other cop-show 'procedurals.' An immediate ratings smash for CBS, the series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter and popular characters. The network quickly capitalized on its hit with spin-offs CSI: Miami and CSI: NY.

The Hangover (film)

The Hangover is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips, written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, and produced by Todd Phillips and Daniel Goldberg. The film was produced by Legendary Pictures for Warner Bros. Pictures. It stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Mike Tyson and Heather Graham. The plot follows four friends who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, only to wake up the next morning not remembering a thing and missing the groom, whose wedding is scheduled to occur the next day. The film was inspired by the filmmakers' real-life misadventures, and was released in North America on June 5, 2009, to critical praise and box office success, and going on to win awards including the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy .From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Caesars Palace

Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Harrah's Entertainment. Caesars is located on the west side of the Strip, between the Bellagio and the Mirage.

Caesars has 3,348 rooms in five towers: Augustus, Centurion, Forum, Palace, and Roman. The Forum tower features guest suites with 1,000 square feet of space.

In 1962, Jay Sarno, a cabana motel owner, used ten million dollars that had been lent to him by the Teamsters Central States Pension Fund to begin plans for a hotel on land owned by Kirk Kerkorian. Sarno would later act as designer of the hotel he planned to construct.



Building of the 14-story Caesars Palace hotel began in 1962. That first tower would have 680 rooms on the 34 acre (138,000 m²) site.

Sarno struggled to decide on a name for the hotel. He finally decided to call it Caesars Palace because he thought that the name Caesar would evoke thoughts of royalty because of Roman general Julius Caesar. Sarno felt that guests should feel they were at a king's home while at his hotel. It is called "Caesars" and not "Caesar's" because every guest is a Caesar.

Sarno contracted many companies to build the hotel, from the Roman landscapes it presents, to the water fountains that have been stages of various events and the hotel's swimming pools.

Rear of Caesars Palace

An interior view of the Forum Shops at Caesars

On August 5, 1966, the hotel was inaugurated, with Andy Williams and Phil Richards providing entertainment; they both played Julius Caesar at a play that night. Two days later, Latin bandleader Xavier Cugat and flamenco guitarist Charo became the first couple to marry in the new establishment.

On December 31, 1967, Evel Knievel unsuccessfully tried to jump the hotel's water fountain with his motorcycle.



On July 15, 1969, executives lay ground on an expansion area of the hotel, and they buried a time capsule in the area, but the time capsule was stolen days later.

In 1973, the Del Webb company was contracted to build a 16-story building adjacent to the Palace. That project was finished in 1974.

Many top performers, such as Liberace, George Burns, Diana Ross, Cher, Julio Iglesias, Judy Garland, David Copperfield, Gloria Estefan, and most notably Frank Sinatra have performed at the hotel.


1980s

In 1980, Gary Wells gained much media coverage, and much physical suffering, when he unsuccessfully tried to jump a motorcycle over a water fountain at the Caesars Palace. He sustained injuries to many different parts of his body.

In 1982 Ronnie Vannucci, now playing in Las Vegas-based The Killers, became the youngest musician to play with a band at age six in a lounge in Caesars Palace.



The Las Vegas Grand Prix car race (a Formula One World Championship event) was held at Caesars in 1981 and 1982. After Watkins Glen race course was removed from the schedule after 1980, Formula 1 put an event in Las Vegas for the 1981 campaign. The new race was not popular among the drivers, primarily because of the desert heat. The track was laid out in the parking lot of the Caesars Palace hotel and was surprisingly well set up for a temporary circuit: wide enough for overtaking, it provided ample run-off areas filled with sand, and had a surface that was as smooth as glass. Its counter-clockwise direction, however, put a tremendous strain on the drivers' necks. When Nelson Piquet clinched his first World Championship by finishing fifth in 1981, it took him fifteen minutes to recover from heat exhaustion. The 1982 race was won by Michele Alboreto in a Tyrrell, but the race was not renewed for the following season due to poor attendance.

During the 1980s, the hotel opened an Atari game room that had over 60 Atari video game arcade machines.

In 1989, Robbie Knievel successfully completed what his father could not do years before by completing the fountain jump.



Several championship boxing matches were held in Caesars Outdoor Arena. Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran all headlined here, along with Larry Holmes against both Muhammad Ali and Gerry Cooney. Also three bouts between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe were contested here, one of which included the infamous "Fan Man" incident which saw a parachuter with a fan attached to his back parachute down to the ring in the middle of the fight. Michael Moorer also won the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World when he defeated Holyfield. The fight led to Holyfield's first of several retirements. Oscar De La Hoya also headlined several boxing cards here during the mid-to-late '90s, as did Shane Mosley.

1990s

he hotel's management wanted it to have a new, family-oriented atmosphere as the 1990s approached, a trend mirrored by many of the big Las Vegas resorts. This move was not strange to Las Vegas hotel owners, as most hotels there were planning to modernize anyway by adding more children features and making Las Vegas hotels seem more family friendly and less gambler oriented.



In 1992, The Forum Shops at Caesars opened; it was one of the very first venues in the city where shopping, particularly at high-end stores, was an attraction in itself. The fourth phase opened on October 22, 2004. It now has the 2nd built circular escalator in the USA. The other one is at the Westfield San Francisco Centre.

WrestleMania IX, one of the annual World Wrestling Federation spectacles promoted by Vince McMahon, was held here in 1993. The theme was "The World's Largest Toga Party".

In 1993, the NBC game show Caesars Challenge was taped here.

Magician David Copperfield was a headliner for several stints in the Circus Maximus Theatre.

Comedian George Burns had performed there a number of times in the early '90s and had stated that he wanted to perform there on his 100th birthday but could not due to failing health.

In the summer of 1996, a venue opened known as "Caesar's Magical Empire", showcasing major magicians such as Whit Haydn, Jon Armstrong, Jeff "Magnus" McBride and Lee Asher in a dinner theater. The show was profitable, but was eventually closed on November 30, 2002 to make room for Celine Dion's new venue.



Over the years, the hotel has been owned by various companies, including Sheraton and The Hilton International Corporation. Caesars Entertainment (originally known as Park Place Entertainment) bought the property in 1999 before it merged with Harrah's in 2005. That year, Caesars Palace was affected by a large flood.

2000s

Caesars has opened the Roman Plaza, an open-air area with a cafe on the corner, and the Colosseum theater, where Céline Dion (A New Day...) and Elton John (The Red Piano) are regular performers. The Colosseum was specifically built for Dion's show, A New Day..., a spectacular produced by former Cirque du Soleil director Franco Dragone. Dion's show was also notable for having some of the highest ticket prices for any show in the city, with seats as high as $200 each; nonetheless, the show regularly sells out.



On October 2, 2004, big-time boxing returned to the Palace, as Wladimir Klitschko and former Olympian Jeff Lacy headlined a card televised on Showtime.

Caesars Palace opened the Augustus Tower in August 2005. It stands 46 floors high and is perpendicular to the Strip.

In 2005, Harrah's Entertainment acquired Caesars Entertainment and became the owner of Caesars Palace.

On May 4, 2006, Mike Metzger became the first person to ever backflip on a motorcycle over the fountains.

Future

With the success of the Augustus Tower, Harrah's Entertainment is planning a $1 billion expansion and upgrade to the famed resort. The expansion will include another hotel tower and a sports complex replacing the events center.



New features include:
A new 29-story, 1,017-room hotel tower adjacent to the Palace Tower, which will frame the pool area at the back of the property along with an extension of the existing Convention Center.
An additional 37,000 sq. ft. of casino space and about 110,000 sq. ft. of added retail and restaurants will cover the area closest to the strip replacing the new outdoor Roman Plaza.
A “pedestrian promenade", with several decorative fountains surrounded by landscaping which will guide strip-walkers into Caesar's domain. Underneath the promenade, Caesars will excavate a parking garage, with 389 valet-parking spaces. The timeline for construction was undisclosed.



In May of 2007, Bette Midler was announced in a press conference as Dion's formal replacement. Midler will reportedly only perform about 100 shows a year, with Elton John continuing to perform his popular Red Piano show 50 nights a year while Midler is on hiatus. There is also a widespread but unconfirmed rumor that Cher, now in semi-retirement following her very successful Farewell Tour, could also potentially return to the stage to alternate headlining with Midler for the remainder of the year.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New York-New York Hotel & Casino

New York-New York Hotel & Casino is a hotel and casino located on the famed Las Vegas Strip at 3790 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada. It is one of the largest casinos owned by MGM Mirage.



New York-New York uses the New York City theme of its name in many ways. Its architecture creates an impression of the New York City skyline; the hotel includes several towers configured to resemble New York City skyscrapers, such as the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. In front of the property is a pool representing New York Harbor, with a 150 ft (46 m) tall (half-scale) replica of the Statue of Liberty, a roller coaster, and replicas of the Brooklyn Bridge, Soldiers and Sailors Monument, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Grand Central Terminal, among other well-known structures. Within the resort, particular gambling areas, bars, eating areas and meeting rooms are named after New York City neighborhoods or landmarks. The main casino area, for example, is named after Central Park, while the "Village Eateries" food court is modeled after New York City's Greenwich Village, even including real menus from New York Chinese takeout restaurants taped to the doors of the mock apartment buildings. New York-New York uses the trademarked slogan "The Greatest City in Las Vegas".



The resort is located on the northwest corner of the Tropicana - Las Vegas Boulevard intersection. At street level, pedestrians are blocked from crossing by concrete barriers. Instead, New York-New York is linked by overhead pedestrian bridges to its neighboring casinos to the south (the Excalibur, across Tropicana Avenue) and to the east (the MGM Grand, across the Strip).

The property opened on January 3, 1997. The project, which was first announced in 1994, was a joint venture of MGM Grand Inc. and Primadonna Resorts.



After the September 11, 2001 attacks, people spontaneously sent various tributes to New York-New York, especially T-shirts from police, fire and rescue departments around the country. These are displayed along the fence in front of the "Lady Liberty" replica. Eventually, they added a permanent memorial. The twin towers of the World Trade Center are not included in the skyscrapers depicted in its facade.



The Roller Coaster at New York-New York, formerly known as 'Manhattan Express', travels through the property's interior and exterior, and has cars painted to resemble a traditional Checker Cab; the coaster is 203 ft (62 m) tall, has a maximum drop of 144 ft (44 m), and reaches speeds up to 67 mph (108 km/h). The ride has recently undergone a variety of enhancements including the introduction of a magnetic braking system and new trains from Premier Rides.



New York-New York is also home to Zumanity, the third show from Cirque du Soleil to take up permanent residence in Las Vegas and the first to be directed primarily toward adult audiences. It is the only permanent Cirque show to restrict admission to those over 18 years of age. The theatre is arranged as a cabaret, with sofas and bar stools complementing the standard theatre seats. The Master of Ceremonies for the show is Joey Arias, a drag queen hailing from New York City.



An ESPN Zone is located in the casino, accessible from street level.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Luxor Hotel

The Luxor Hotel is a hotel and casino located on the famed Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada (but like many other hotels on the Strip it uses a Las Vegas address) and was one of the resort city's first fully-themed megaresorts. Ground was broken for the Luxor in 1991, the same year that construction began on the Treasure Island and the current MGM Grand. It has an Ancient Egyptian motif and contains a total of 4,407 rooms lining the interior walls of a hollow pyramid and contained within twin ziggurat towers that were built as later additions. The hotel is named after the city of Luxor (ancient Thebes) in Egypt, the site of the Valley of the Kings, Karnak and Luxor Temples, and scores of other pharaonic monuments — but no pyramids.



In July 2007, owner MGM Mirage announced plans to thoroughly renovate the Luxor, spending $300 million to remodel 80 percent of Luxor's public areas, removing much of the ancient Egyptian theme and replacing it with more adult-oriented and modern lounges, restaurants and clubs.

The Luxor is located on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, opposite the McCarran International Airport. The resort is flanked by the Mandalay Bay to the south and by the Excalibur to the north; all three are connected by free express and local trams. All three properties were built by Circus Circus Enterprises, which later became Mandalay Resort Group.



When it opened on October 15, 1993, the pyramid was the tallest building on the strip;[2] it cost $375 million to build. A theater and two additional hotel towers totaling 2,000 rooms were added in 1998 for $675 million. In June 2004, the Mandalay Resort Group was purchased by MGM Mirage, adding this hotel to its vast array of properties on the "Strip".

When the resort opened, it featured a more heavily Egyptian-themed interior, including a river that encircled the casino with a ferry that would carry guests to their inclinator core at the corners of the pyramid. The ride was then turned into a river ride that passed by many pieces of ancient artwork after people complained that the ferry service took too long. Most of the ancient Egypt theme and the river ride were taken away as part of a campaign to tailor the property towards more upscale tastes in 1995. According to the unofficial, albeit popular, ghost story, the Nile River attraction was removed because guests kept seeing ghosts of the three workers killed during the Luxor's construction whenever the river passed through dark tunnels.



The resort has been home to some very popular entertainment attractions in Las Vegas. The main level featured the nightclub, RA, which closed indefinitely on July 22, 2006. From 2000 to 2005, the Luxor Theatre was the home of the enormously popular performance-art show Blue Man Group, which has since moved to The Venetian. On February 15, 2006, the main theatre became the home of the musical Hairspray which ran until 2006.

In 2006, MGM-Mirage began renovating Luxor. Rooms in the East and West Towers have been refurnished. Two upscale restaurants, Isis and Sacred Sea Room, closed. The RA nightclub, which had previously been one of the most successful in the city but had been seeing reduced attendance in recent years, was shuttered. Replacing it is the Las Vegas branch of LAX, a Los Angeles nightclub, which opened on August 31, 2007, in an event hosted by Britney Spears. Also advertised yet unopened is a restaurant named Aspen 702.



Illusionist Criss Angel signed a deal in 2006 to film episodes of his TV series Mindfreak at the hotel. Angel currently has a production office and store in the Luxor. In 2008, Criss Angel will star in a new magic-themed Cirque du Soleil production at Luxor.

The Luxor is among the most recognizable hotels on the strip because of its striking design. Designed by renowned hotel architect Veldon Simpson, the main portion of the hotel is a 350-foot-high (106 meters), 30-story pyramid of black glass (in comparison, the Great Pyramid of Giza tops out at 450 ft, or 138 m). The hotel is marked by a large obelisk with the name of the property in lighted letters, while the porte-cochere travels underneath a massive recreation of the Great Sphinx of Giza.



The tip of the pyramid contains a fixed-position spotlight that points directly upward – it is the brightest beam in the world, and is visible from anywhere in the Las Vegas valley at night, and can be seen at flight level from above Los Angeles, California, over 275 miles (440 km) away.[citation needed] At ground level, on clear nights, the beam could also be seen as far south as Laughlin and even as far north as Mesquite or Beatty. It is directly straight ahead on US-93 in Arizona, north of Kingman, before reaching the Hoover Dam. In the spring, the bright light attracts huge numbers of moths into the light beam, creating a phenomenon that has been likened to snow. The beam is currently powered by 39 Xenon lamps operating at 7 kilowatts each at an hourly operating cost of $53 (lamps, repairs, and electricity costs). The beam's output is rated at 41.5 gigacandela. This translates to 30.2 billion lumens.

Paris Las Vegas

Paris Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the famed Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA , that is owned and operated by Harrah's Entertainment. As its name suggests, its theme is the city of Paris in France; it includes a 1/2 scale, 540 foot (164.6 m) tall replica of the Eiffel Tower, a neon sign in the shape of the Montgolfier balloon, a two-thirds size Arc de Triomphe and a replica of La Fontaine des Mers. The front facade of the building suggests the Paris Opera House and the Louvre.

The Paris is linked via an underground tunnel to its sister property, Bally's Las Vegas. It also is linked to the Las Vegas Monorail.

The project was originally announced by Bally's Entertainment, owner of the adjacent Bally's Las Vegas.



Ground was broken for the Paris on April 17, 1997. It opened September 1, 1999 with fireworks being shot from the Eiffel tower. French actress Catherine Deneuve flipped a switch, turning on all of the Paris' lights.

Building began under Hilton Hotels, which purchased Bally Entertainment in 1996; Hilton's casinos were subsequently spun off into Park Place Entertainment, which purchased Caesars World in 2000 and changed its name to Caesars Entertainment in 2004.



At the time of its opening, the hotel ran amusing television advertisements throughout the United States implying that it had ensured the authenticity of its reproductions of Paris landmarks, culture and cuisine by looting the real city.

When the scale model of the Eiffel Tower was built, it was planned to be full scale, but the airport was too close and the tower had to be shrunk.



Paris cost USD $785 million to build, and occupies 24 acres (97,000 m²).

The casino itself contains a sky painted ceiling, a popular choice among Las Vegas resorts. Another unique aspect of Paris Las Vegas is that a back leg of their Eiffel tower actually comes down through the middle of the casino floor.

In November 2006, the Paris sports book was temporarily shut down pending an investigation of its employees for allegedly underreporting tips.



In 2007, Paris Las Vegas premiered their new show The Producers, headlined by Tony Danza. In addition, the resort also contains the Anthony Cools hypnosis show, many praised restaurants, the dance club Risque and is also well known for having the absolute best bathrooms on the strip.

Las Vegas Is More Than Casinos

Did you realize most people that fly to Las Vegas never experience many of the great attractions the Las Vegas area offers? Most people that arrive by plane, take a taxi or shuttle to their strip area hotel, stay there two to three days, and then head back to the airport. The Las Vegas area offers so much more so get out of the casino for a little while and see everything else the Las Vegas offers.


Hoover Dam, originally called Boulder Dam and Boulder Canyon Dam is located about 30 minutes southeast of Las Vegas in Black Canyon on U.S. 93. Construction of the dam began in 1930 and was completed in less than five years. The dam is named after Herbert Hoover, America's 31st president. The dam generates 4 billion kilowatts of electricity every year from the Colorado River that feeds it.

Red Rock Canyon is located just west of Las Vegas and has some spectacular views. From the red cliffs and desert beauty to the abundant wildlife, Red Rock Canyon is an oasis of natural beauty just a few minutes from the Las Vegas strip. There is a 13 mile scenic loop which offers views of the geological history of the canyon and there are many, many spectacular photo opportunities.

Mt. Charleston is located west of Las Vegas and is about a 30-45 minute drive depending on where in Las Vegas you are. Mt. Charleston is a wonderful place to visit anytime of the year. In the summer, temperatures typically are 20-30 degrees cooler than the Las Vegas Valley area which means when you are trying to beat the 115 degree heat, its about 80 degrees at Mt. Charleston.

Mt. Charleston is part of the Spring Mountain Range which has peaks from 3,000 to 12,000 feet. Mt. Charleston is the eighth highest peak in Nevada. There are many activities on the mountain including hiking, camping for both tent campers and RV's, skiing, and more. There is also lodging available at the Mt. Charleston Hotel and there are cabins you can rent.

Lake Mead was created by Hoover Dam and is the 16th largest man-made lake in the world. The lake is about 1.5 million acres and has 820 miles of shoreline. The lake area is managed by the National Park Service and offers year round recreation including boating, hiking, and swimming. Lake Mead also offers campgrounds, motels, RV parks, five marinas, beaches, restaurants and more.

Laughlin, NV is located about 90 miles south of Las Vegas and sits right on the banks of the Colorado River. Laughlin offers stunning views of the mountains and its riverside setting offers an enjoyable and peaceful alternative to the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas. There are many casinos in Laughlin, but its main appeal is the beauty of its location, just ask any of the five million visitors every year. Laughlin is the third most visited casino and resort destination in Nevada.

Valley of Fire is a 35,000 acre state park located about 45 minutes to one hour northeast of Las Vegas where visitors can see breath taking views of a valley formed millions of years ago. A two mile drive through the park gives you the chance to stop and explore the beauty of the valley. The park offers a couple trails to hike. A quarter mile hike allows you to get a glimpse of a water basin that was used as a hideout for an American Indian in the late 1800's. The longer of the two hikes is a three mile hike through Fire Canyon. This hike has some awesome views so be sure to bring the camera.

So the next time you visit Las Vegas, get out of the casino for a little while and you will quickly find out why so many people are making the Las Vegas area their new home.