So Long, So Good, So Far - Garrett Parris

Visit Garrett on MySpace.com to hear more of his music.

Visit Threadventures to find out more about clothes like Garrett's shirt. The steer skull on the back of his shirt is made of soft leather.

Garrett Parris interview

Interview with Garrett Parris

part 1
part 2
part 3

Airstream Inc. and Kampgrounds of America partner up

Three campgrounds across America are getting some new tenants, but campers need not be jealous of their shiny silver neighbors — the Airstream rigs are for rent.

Kampgrounds of America Inc. and Airstream Inc. are placing 25 of the company's most popular model trailers at KOA campgrounds in Las Vegas, Bar Harbor, Maine, and Key West, Fla., letting travelers rent the recognizable trailers like hotel rooms.

"A lot of people, frankly, don't know we're still in business because the trailers have looked largely the same over the years," Airstream chief executive Bob Wheeler said. "We know there's a demand — so it's just a matter of providing it in an easy and successful way in a great setting."
Airstreams are instantly identifiable by their long, rounded shape — imagine a giant aluminum Twinkie — and have been a historic part of American culture since the company began manufacturing trailers in the 1930s.

Wheeler said the company has been looking for years for ways for introduce potential customers to the iconic trailers. Until now, people have had to purchase an Airstream or know someone who owns one to sleep in its silvery confines.

The models at the campgrounds — the 25-foot Flying Cloud — retail for about $67,000, Wheeler said.

"It's a trial experience," he said.

Wheeler and Shane Ott, chief operating officer of Kampgrounds of America, said the Airstream rentals do more than just familiarize customers with the cushy amenities of a high-end recreational vehicle.

Read the entire story in the Yahoo Travel News.

After the ACM Country Music Awards in Las Vegas

Both pictures from j. bilde at the Tennessean newspaper.


Group photo from Sony BMG Nashville's post-ACM Awards artist and staff dinner at the Cili Golf Country Club in Las Vegas

I made this before the awards last night but didn't get it posted...enjoy

Country Stars descend on Las Vegas

(Photo is from Ana Dobrijevic/Cirque du Soleil)

Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson and Ronnie Dunn with the cast of "Love" at the Mirage hotel Saturday night.

Carrie Underwood went to see Cher's show at Caesars Palace on Saturday night.

Toby Keith was spotted in Pure in Caesars Palace and at Simon at the Palms hotel.

Justin Timberlake was spotted at Mix Lounge in Mandalay Bay with Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts.

Kenny Chesney was spotted with his girlfriend and family Friday dining at Nobu in the Hard Rock Hotel. Later, at Charlie Palmer Steak in Mandalay Bay, he joined Carrie Underwood, Kelly Pickler and Flatts singing Jackson Browne, Elton John and Billy Joel songs.

Toby Keith, partying with friends at Studio 54 in the MGM Grand.

Read more about the star filled weekend in the Las-Vegas Review Journal /Norm Clarke.

Can a Doorman in Las Vegas Make $500,000-a-year?

Getting into a Vegas nightclub often takes clout -- or big bucks. Vacationers routinely hire VIP services to help bypass hours-long lines at hot clubs.

Norm Clarke, man about town and author of the popular Vegas Confidential column for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has written a bombshell article saying that the IRS is looking into what door staff at Pure make. It could be as much as $500,000 a year, he writes, since wannabe clubgoers routinely slip doorstaff big bucks in hopes of getting past the velvet rope and Pure has huge capacity (more than 2,000).

Clarke writes that authorities raided Pure headquarters Wednesday and took computers. He has heard of door staff pocketing as much as $10,000 a night before sharing tips with fellow staffers.

Read the entire article HERE.

Willie Nelson: Twin Towers Were Imploded Like Condemned Vegas Casino Buildings

"I saw those towers fall and I've seen an implosion in Las Vegas - there's too much similarities between the two, and I saw a building fall that didn't get hit by nothing."

Listen to Willie's thoughts on the attack of 9/11. *audio comes from the website, BreitBart.tv*

The Palazzo Celebrates Opening with Style as Newest Luxury Las Vegas Resort

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall
Launching with a spectacular music, fireworks and light show and culminating with a concert headlined by Diana Ross, The Palazzo Las Vegas -- the new $1.9 billion luxury resort from Las Vegas Sands Corp. -celebrated its grand opening this past weekend with a star-studded series of special events. Celebrities, VIP guests and media from around the country joined Las Vegas Sands executives for the historic occasion as the first new resort on the Las Vegas strip in nearly three years officially opened.

"This was a celebration not only of the opening of the most luxurious new resort on the Strip, but, when combined with The Venetian and the Sands Expo Center, the culmination of a vision to create the most compelling destination in all of Las Vegas," said Rob Goldstein, president and chief operating officer of The Palazzo. "The excitement, energy and positive response throughout the weekend provided a fitting opening for what is the new standard for luxury and sophistication in Las Vegas."

Read the entire article in CNN Money.

Today's cowboy isn't rugged and weathered

Josh Peek is a sponsor's dream: handsome, clean-cut, clean-shaven, polite.

And less than 30 minutes after tying for the National Finals Rodeo sixth-round calf-roping title, he looks like a Stetson ad and smells like a department store.

"Wait, tonight it's Cool Water," the calf roper and steer wrestler said, laughing at the fact that even a rugged cowboy can wear too much cologne.



This is a cowboy in today's rodeo.

Sure, the old guard is still here. Rough, tough, weathered, with a fat pack of chew and a snarl, there's no such thing as too much fun



Read more about today's cowboy in the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Celine's Last Night

Sights and sounds of Celine Dion’s last night of “A New Day…”

At the end of the historic evening, 100,000 red rose petals fluttered onto the stage as Dion received a standing ovation that went on for minutes.

A super-sized bouquet of 723 white roses was wheeled onto the stage, a gift from director Franco Dragone, who created the many Cirque-inspired pieces.

The significance of the 723: Dion performed 717 shows, two charity events and was to have finished with 723, but an illness caused her to cancel four shows recently.

While meeting with reporters during a post-midnight gathering in front of the stage, Dion left the door open to returning to Las Vegas as a headliner.

“I’d love to come back. I hope so,” Dion said, as she sat on the edge of the stage with Dragone. “The people of Las Vegas made us feel so welcome here. We loved it so much we are keeping our home. I grew tremendously. Five years ago I was very fragile."

This comes from Las Vegas Review Journal. Visit to read the entire story.

Celine Has Left The Colosseum

Celine Dion called it a wrap at Caesars Palace Saturday night, acknowledging on her final show that pregnancy and poor early reviews almost sank her titanic five-year engagement.
~~~
For her final show, Dion interspersed her usual numbers with emotion-filled monologues. Adoring fans cheered, stood and clapped all the way through.

After her last number, Dion invited husband Angelil and her son, Rene-Charles, now 7, on stage with her. Rene-Charles repeatedly reached down to grab rose petals that rained down on the final bow, giving them to her.

"Most of us have left our families behind to give ourselves every night," she said. "I can assure you it was worth it."

Since opening in March 2003, Dion's show, "A New Day..." grossed more than $400 million and was seen by nearly 3 million fans. Dion said one fan had seen her Las Vegas show more than 100 times.


Read the entire story at Fox News.

Evel Knievel, My Hero as a Child, Has Died

Evel Knievel, the red-white-and-blue-spangled motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over crazy obstacles including Greyhound buses, live sharks and Idaho's Snake River Canyon made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.

Knievel's death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Krysten Knievel. He had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs.



Knievel had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his bone-shattering spills.

Longtime friend and promoter Billy Rundel said Knievel had trouble breathing at his Clearwater condominium and died before an ambulance could get him to a hospital.

"It's been coming for years, but you just don't expect it. Superman just doesn't die, right?" Rundel said.



Immortalized in the Washington's Smithsonian Institution as "America's Legendary Daredevil," Knievel was best known for a failed 1974 attempt to jump Snake River Canyon on a rocket-powered cycle and a spectacular crash at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. He suffered nearly 40 broken bones before he retired in 1980.

Read the complete story at Yahoo News.

It's a Barstool With a V8 Engine

A company called Boss Hoss was offering one of the most unique rides in Vegas last week, and that's really saying a lot. Amidst the ocean of custom vehicles, this one seemed like just the perfect thing for covering the show, motoring over to one of the after-parties and bellying up to the bar. Compact and easily maneuverable, it also had a surfeit of power should one need to get somewhere in a hurry. We can say with some certainty that it had one of the best power-to-weight ratios of any vehicle in the convention center halls at SEMA, although the top speed is limited to 25 mph. Appearing to be a mounted display engine at first glance, a quick double-take brought the steering wheel and seat into focus. Sitting atop the small-block engine was... well, the driver's seat. Called the Hossfly, this novelty transportation device is available through California Boss Hoss as a kit or in turnkey form, and is essentially a V8 barstool. Little more than an engine on wheels with an elevated seat and steering wheel, it has a 5 gallon tank and is said to be capable of hauling up to 2,000 pounds.

If like us you think this would be fun for a very short trip, know that the kits start at $8,000 - minus the engine. One other note: it does have a radiator to keep things cool below the seat, at least partially.





Read more and find cool car info at Auto Blog.

Sinsational Celebrity Tales by Norm Clarke

I'm sure this will have some wild stories of all kinds and from lots of names that you will recognize.
~~~~~~~



Pre Order Vegas Confidential: Sinsational Celebrity Tales Norm Clarke's newest book, Vegas Confidential: Sinsational Celebrity Tales ($12.95, Stephens Press, February 2008), dishes up a feast from Sin City's Ace Insider on celeb's club hopping, spending sprees, outrageous behavior, big wins and huge losses.

Discounted pre-orders are $9.95 and include free shipping.

Richard Branson's Next Challenge

Cara Roberts photo

On a day when his luck nearly ran out, like his friend Steve Fossett's, British billionaire Richard Branson moved a step closer to joining the superheated Las Vegas casino business.

Branson, the founder and chairman of Virgin Group, confirmed Wednesday that he's working on a Las Vegas deal.

"We had some meetings today and I think Virgin will be flying over Las Vegas within a couple years," Branson told me during a red carpet interview at Tryst nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas.

Rumors have been flying for several years that Branson, one of Europe's most successful entrepreneurs, has plans to take on Las Vegas .

Meanwhile, with his injured hand heavily bandaged and still sore from another bruising stunt, Branson, 57, was counting his lucky stars.

In one of his most dangerous outings of all, Branson survived a wild and windy 407-foot plunge from the top of the Palms' Fantasy Tower.

"I've never done a stunt like that before," said Branson, who took such a beating that his tuxedo pants were torn apart. "That was my first fall like that. I've done some mad things but I've never done anything quite like that."

Tricky 20 mph wind gusts kept slamming him into glass and concrete during his fall. He was wearing a full-body harness connected to a cable.

" You're going 100 mph and you're banging against the wall. It was slightly unnerving. But I'm well, everything's fine."

Read the rest of this story in the amazing Norm Clarke's column.

Sir Richard Branson to rappel off Palms tower

Sir Richard Branson has another adventure up his sleeve, this time in Las Vegas.

The British thrill-seeker, who founded Virgin Airlines, loves a challenge, from dangerous transoceanic hot-air balloon races to sitting in a swimming pool in the middle of a hurricane.

Today he plans to rappel 40-some floors off the Palms Fantasy Tower to celebrate his inaugural Virgin America flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas.

Comedy magicians Penn & Teller will emcee the stunt, starting at 6 p.m.

This comes from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In The Words of Bill Marriott: All I Can say about Macau . . . is WOW!!!

Give the Chinese a crack at capitalism and all heck breaks loose - that's my main take-away after seven days here in Asia. The consumer potential of this country is awesome. That's why Marriott is so bullish about our growth plans here.

China's economy is growing at the rate of 10 percent a year. If you think that's impressive, wait 'til you get a load of Macau. It's growing at more than 20 percent a year.

This tiny, little island is about one-sixth the size of Washington, D.C. and only an hour-long ferry ride from Hong Kong. About 100 million people are within a three hour car ride and 3 billion people are within a five hour flight.

No surprise that last year, Macau overtook Las Vegas in gambling revenue.

You should see the monstrous casinos at the brand new Venetian. It's the second largest building in the world after the Boeing plant in the state of Washington. They have an entertainment center under construction that will accommodate 15,000 people for major events like rock concerts and NBA exhibition games.

The lowest bet at the high roller tables is $3000. There are no slot machines - well there are just a few - some baccarat, a lot of roulette, blackjack and "sic bo," which means high-low in Chinese.

And talk about speed to market: the Venetian was a $2.4 billion project but only took 24 months to build.

Read the entire post in Mr. Marriott's blog, Marriott on the Move.

Not My Normal Kind of Post but Here is Britney Spears News

Britney Spears' disastrous appearance in Las Vegas killed a pending multimillion, 30-market tour deal, according to an insider.

"Everyone was waiting on that. The wild card was how she performed," said the source, an executive who was close to the deal with Live Nation, the world's largest producer of concerts.



"Everyone said 'no way.' She blew it bad," said the source.

Spears had hoped to launch her comeback, after a four-year hiatus, at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 9 at the Palms. Instead, she's not only back to square one professionally, but her continuing personal unraveling may have placed her on the music industry's radioactive list for some time.



This comes from Norm Clarke's column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal

Carrot Top and His Many Looks

If he keeps it up, Carrot Top will soon look like Eric Stoltz as Rocky Dennis in "Mask."

This is from TMZ.com