Living in Las Vegas

Only hours ago, about 3 a.m. this morning, Las Vegas Entertainer Danny Gans died at his Las Vegas/Henderson home in his sleep. His wife called 911 at 3:44 a.m. to say he was having trouble breathing but by the time paramedics arrived it was too late. He was only 52 years old and the exact cause of this death is unknown at this point. He is survived by his wife and 3 children.

Danny Gans is known as the “Man of Many Voices” and has been the reigning Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year for the past 11 years. He has had a longtime comedy and musical show at The Mirage and I recently posted about how in February of this year he moved his show over to Steve Wynn’s The Encore. His marquee on the Strip is the largest freestanding one in the world.

Danny Gans’ manager, Chip Lightman, told Fox 5 News, “Obviously everyone is in shock, I apologize, I want to give you more information but right now I have to tend to the family.”

Steve Wynn is in New York, but stated over the phone, “Elaine and I and all of us in the Company are devastated at the loss of our brilliant, talented and loving friend. One of the most unique human beings and entertainers in the world has been taken from us in an unexpected moment. A profoundly tragic event that leaves us all sad and speechless. The loss of Danny to his wife Julie, his children Amy, Andrew & Emily is at this moment impossible to comprehend. We will all try to go on with our lives without our dear friend. At this moment it seems almost impossible.”

The Mirage said “All of us in The Mirage family are deeply saddened to learn of Danny’s passing. We all knew of his devotion to his family and our hearts and prayers are with his wife and children.”

Once again, Las Vegas as we know it is changing. I will keep you updated as new information arises.

It gets windy here in Vegas, real windy sometimes.  Today was one of the those days. It was just annoyingly windy outside.  Everything is dusty, trash is flying around and everyone is sneezing.

Unfortunately for two window washers, they did not get the day off.  Early this morning, two workers were outside the Encore up on scaffolding washing windows and doing maintenance.   At about 9:15 a.m., when they were at the 15th floor, a cable broke on their scaffolding.  30 to 40 mile an hour winds gusts pushed them as far as 40 feet away from the side of the hotel.  The men were blowing in the wind hanging from their harnesses and the scaffolding broke 15 windows on the south side of the building.  Firefighters rescued the workers by going inside the Encore and breaking several windows to secure the scaffolding and rescue the men.  Neither the workers nor any hotel guests were seriously injured.

Many questions remain about this incident.   According to an employee of another high-rise maintenance company, they will typically stop working when wind gusts reach 20 mph. There was a wind advisory was issued for Clark County all day today, and some wind gusts reached over 45 mph.  Why were these men working in such unsafe conditions?

I had originally planned to bash Wells Fargo for booking a huge employee appreciation conference at the Wynn and Encore for the end of the month, but apparently I won’t be able to.  I just learned they canceled the conference.

Originally spokeswoman Melissa Murray stated today, “Recognition events are still part of our culture.  It’s really important that our team members are still valued and recognized.”

A few hours later it changed to, “In light of the current environment, we have now decided to cancel this event as well.”

This almost became another $50 million jet for CitiCorp or spa trip for AIG.  Seriously, if you get bailed out, how to expect the public to react? When did getting bailed out by the U.S. government come to mean now you have money and it’s ok to spend it?

I would like a bailout. I have a few credit cards that would probably only take canceling a couple nights at the Wynn to get them paid off.

Unfortunately, there is a down side to Wells Fargo canceling their trip and that would be that Las Vegas could use the extra income.  If this trip was anything like their previous ones, then we are talking 1000 people for 12 nights that could generate a much needed few dollars.  So overall, we’re bummed for you Wells Fargo and hope you make it back soon!

Danny Gans, “Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year” for the last 11 years, will be performing his last show Saturday, November 22, 2008 at The Mirage . However, for all you Danny fans, the good news is that he will be coming back in February to perform at the Encore Resort at the Wynn Las Vegas .

Steve Wynn stated “Danny Gans’ continuing role as the star of the Encore Theater underscores the individual identity of our new resort and underscores our continuing, unqualified commitment to excellence in service and entertainment. I built the Danny Gans Theater at the Mirage in 2000 as a result of being convinced that he would bring to our family a standard of performing artistry unequaled by any other single star in Las Vegas. The result has been obvious, and he has occupied that singular position ever since. On a very personal as well as professional level, I am absolutely delighted to welcome him back into our newer family across the street. We are going to have a great time together — just like the audience.”

Danny Gans is known as the “The Man of Many Voices” and his show is basically comedy and musical impressions. He started at the Stratosphere, then moved to the Rio and then the Mirage. For the last two years he performed for a sold out crowd of 1,250. The Danny Gans’ Las Vegas Strip marquee is the largest freestanding marquee in the world.

In addition to performing on the Las Vegas strip, he also a Christian singer and has two CD’s out “Danny Gans My Lord My Life” and “Danny Gans Brand New Dream“.

Tickets for the Danny Gans Show will run you $100, it starts at 7:30 p.m. and is dark on Thursday. It doesn’t look like you can reserve any for his new show at the Encore yet, but I am guessing they will probably be even more expensive. Enjoy!

Ok, life has been hectic lately.  Maybe that’s not a good excuse for being MIA these last couple weeks, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! :)  I am going to try and rundown some of the  latest happenings here in the Las Vegas Valley.

Thumbs up to . . . . .

The housing market is remaining steady and the supply of single-family homes is down to 11.8 months from a 3 year supply.  Foreclosed homes are moving and nearly twice as many homes were sold this month compared to September last year.  Now’s a good time to buy if you are looking for a deal.

The new $2.3 billion Encore Resort and Casino is on schedule to open in December.  Encore is still accepting applications for the 5,300 available jobs in housekeeping, food and beverage, retail, security, casino operations , etc.

 The guys and girls from the E! Channel hit reality series “Sunset Tan” will be at the Palms all weekend.  And Jay Leno will be back in town to host the “Tonight Show” at the Mirage. Great weekend for star gazing!!

Thumbs down to . . . .

Washington Mutual Bank going under.  It was bought out by JP Morgan Chase who is now competing in size with Bank of America.  There are/were 37  Washington Mutual branches in the Las Vegas area.  The good news for customers is that it will be more like two banks merging and service will not be affected.

The Las Vegas Hilton Race and Sports Book was robbed this morning.  Allegedly the suspects may have taken over $500,000 in what looks like was a large organized operation. 

Bill Heard Chevrolet on Decatur Boulevard and Vista Chevrolet on Drexel Road closed on Wednesday.  Employees came to work that morning and customers’ cars were still in the service bays and they just shut the gates.  If you bought a car there, this closing will definitely affect you. You will have to get warranty repairs at another GM dealership and your loan will be refinanced with another company.

Just for fun . . .

Fright Dome at Circus Circus is opening October 3rd.  The website says it’s one of the top 5 scariest hanted attraction in the country.  Tickets start at $ 33.95 and it’s not recommended for kids under 12.  Any thoughts on if it’s worth the price?