The big question is where the show will be. The deal is with MGM Mirage so that means one of their properties, which includes Aria, MGM Grand, Bellagio, Mirage, New York-New York, Monte Carlo, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur, but officials are not saying which hotel will play host. What they are saying is that the new show will not supplant any existing Cirque show, so that probably means either Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, and Monte Carlo. The Monte will not have a headliner past September with the closure of Lance Burton's show, but this feels too big of a deal for that hotel. Excalibur doesn't have a showroom that could support this kind of production. That leave Mandalay Bay, currently home to "The Lion King," which could be sent back to the jungle to make way for the Michael Jackson show.

Another option involves building a new theater at one of the properties (something they did at The Mirage for the Beatles themed "Love"), but the cost of that is probably prohibitive at this point so I'm guessing Mandalay Bay is the most likely option.

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Skybar, one of the hottest of all the LA hot spots, will open a sister branch at the Hard Rock Hotel as a part of its $750 million expansion. The new venue will be located overlooking the newly expanded beach area and will be open as a pool club during the day (complete with cabanas and a wading pool) and a nightclub after the sun goes down.

The Crown Theater and Nightclub is a new venture at The Rio from Darin Feinstein, the owner of the famed Viper Room on The Sunset Strip. Going into the space that once housed Club Rio, a showroom, and Prince's 3121 club, the Crown will focus on booking rock acts for concerts and then turning it into an all-night dance club after the shows.

Both are expected to be open before the summer.

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That number could drop to six if The For Sale Sign of the Week Award goes through. Harrah's is rumored to be seeking offers for their Rio property. Reported asking price starts around half a billion dollars.

The All in the Family Award of the Week goes to The Tropicana, which is reported to be working on a mafia themed attraction to open later this year. The Las Vegas Mob Experience would feature artifacts and exhibits on the inner workings of organized crime. It is not related to the ongoing efforts to open a Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas, a project that is still in the works and may open sometime next year.

The By Any Other Name Award of the Week goes to MGM Mirage, which is seeking permission from its shareholders to change its name to MGM Resorts International. Executives were quick to point out that this does not meant they are looking to unload The Mirage from their portfolio, but rather seeking to broaden their corporate profile to encompass the non-gaming properties that are going to be opening around the world including a non-casino version of the MGM Grand expected to open in China later this year.

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But Gilley's is back and that's good news not only for those who love all things country, but for everyone else as well since the new incarnation at Treasure Island is a terrific dining experience whether you appreciate cowboy hats or not.

Located right along The Strip, with great people watching opportunities, the main dining area of Gilley's is a light and bright affair with plenty of windows and a authentic, but not overdone, roadhouse theme. It's all rough-hewn wood and country-western paraphernalia with lots of TVs showing music videos from the Yearwoods, Gills, and Underwoods of the music world. I'm not a fan of the genre so to me it sounded like one very long song (something about a pick-up truck and dog), but the volume is kept at a decent level so it just becomes background noise after awhile.

And then there's the food to distract you from any of that. Lots of food; as in the portions are huge, the way that good-ole down-home cooking should be.

The menu is full of selections that would probably make your doctor write out a double-prescription of your cholesterol medication but really, who cares when it is this good?

Appetizers start with things like Buffalo wings, jalepeno poppers, nachos, a BBQ chicken quesadilla, and some perfectly breaded onion rings served with both a BBQ sauce and a yummy cilantro ranch.

But you may want to consider skipping that part and heading right to the chili. They have several types but it is their pork green variety - winner of a 2009 chili cookoff - that should be required eating. Done with hatch and poblano chiles and so-tender-they-fall-apart-on-your-spoon pieces of pork, this concoction deserves the award it won and a few others. Spicy but not overwhelmingly so and satisfying enough to almost make an entire meal out of.

They have some salads as a nod to more healthy minded eating but note that one comes with fried chicken on top and the other with pulled pork. Yeah, it's that kind of place. And we love them for it.

Speaking of pulled pork, that's one of the main events in their BBQ selections, which also includes short ribs, baby back ribs, hot links, and rotisserie chicken. The pork was darned-near perfect and their sauces, which include Jack Daniels, Carolina mustard, and smoked onion are fantastic. Each of their BBQ selections come with corn bread and a choice of two sides (potatoes, cole slaw, baked beans, corn on the cob, grits, fries, and more).

Main courses also get the sides and include fried chicken, a couple of different steaks (including a chicken-fried version with country gravy), and blackened salmon on white cheddar and green chili grits.

You can get the BBQ pork in sandwich variety also along with several burgers and chicken sandwiches. The Lone Star burger was huge, with a nice smoky charcoal flavor in the black Angus beef and perfect for adding their smoked onion BBQ sauce to.

Prices are moderate, which in Vegas standards means that most main courses are between $10 and $20. If you keep your appetizer and beer consumption to a minimum you can easily do lunch or dinner for around $25 per person, which is pretty good for a Strip restaurant and especially one that this serves this much good food.

The service was terrific from the famous Gilley Girls; friendly and chatty without being intrusive.

Once you're done with your meal, you can mosey on inside to the nightclub portion of the program, which includes a couple of bars, a dance floor (where they have line dancing lessons on select nights), and yes, the mechanical bull is back! Dare you!

Gilley's Las Vegas
Treasure Island
3300 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-894-7111
website
Hours

I give you this as context so that you will understand my answer when the very nice man at The Stratosphere asked me if I'd like to jump off the top of the building. In my head that answer was a polite "no, thank you" but I think it came out something like "there is not enough money or illegal narcotics in the world that would ever make me even consider doing that." There may have been hysteria involved as well.

SkyJump is the latest thrill ride at The Stratosphere, giving people with much more bravery (or perhaps mental illness) than me the opportunity to literally jump off the top of the tower. Why anyone would want to do this is beyond me, but if you do now you have your chance.

Jumpers are given instruction by their certified Jump Masters on the ground level (oh blessed, blessed ground). They are put into jump-suits and told to tie their shoes really, really tight because apparently they have the inclination to fly off your feet as you are plummeting toward earth. If you can't tie them tightly enough, they'll tape them to your body. It all disturbed me, but that gave me the proverbial "willies."

Then the crazy people are taken to the 108th floor of the tower to a glass room where another Jump Master checks all of their safety harnesses and equipment before they are escorted outside to a tiny little platform approximately 830 feet above the landing pad. A cable is attached to the jump-suit harness that is attached to two guide wires that run from the platform to the ground, which help to ensure that the high winds that are often a feature of Vegas don't blow you into the side of the building I guess.

A third safety check is performed and then... you jump.

This is not a bungee or a free-fall. Instead that cable attached to your back controls the descent, which can reach speeds of up to 40 mph. Whether you go down face first or feet first is up to you and whatever God you worship, but regardless you come down really fast - heart-stoppingly fast - and don't slow down until you are about 20 feet above the landing pad. The whole thing takes less than 15 seconds.

I talked to a lot of people who did it and they all report that it is the most thrilling, exciting experiences of their life, giving you the sensation of flying. They say thrilling and exciting, I say no way in hell. Potato. Potahto.

The cost of that 15 seconds of thrill is $99 and you can pay extra for things like a DVD, photos, or a t-shirt. Second jumps are discounted if one time was not enough crazy for you.

Note: there are weight and age restrictions and the ride is shut down during inclement weather and if winds are too high for the guide wires to keep you on course.

SkyJump
Stratosphere Hotel and Casino
2000 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
800-99-TOWER
website
Daily Noon-7pm
Price: $99

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