Alan Arita and Paul Billand. Photo from Kimo Akane
WELCOME TO Kimo’s Vegas … the Player’s Edge! WHAT AN ODD coincidence … or is it? I’m reading Lior Suchard’s book Mind Reader, and Alan Arita (The Magic of Alan) sends me a pic of him and Paul Billand (America’s Got Talent mentalist) hanging out at Mindvention 2012 at Palace Station. It’s where the top mind readers from around the world had their annual “Meeting of the Minds.” Thanks for thinking of me, guys, but you can stop thinking of me now … get chickenskin on top my chickenskin already. SPEAKIN’ OF thinking … This year it was more difficult to find a retailer not open on the Friday after we eat too much. If Black Friday moves to Thursday, will Thanksgiving move to Wednesday? THE FEDS recently reviewed 87 cases of LV Metro’s use of deadly force. The report found that unarmed shootings were almost always initiated by the police … Keep that in mind next time you’re cruising and spock the red lights flashing in the rearview. MARTIN NIEVERA is back at the Suncoast Dec. 15 and 16. Didja know “The Concert King of the Philippines” is one of four celebrity judges on The X Factor Philippines? IT’S OFFICIAL … The newest Cirque du Soleil show Zarkana is now open for biz. If you are not one of the 1.5 million folks who saw the traveling show (in New York City, Madrid and Moscow), it’s now permanent and exclusive to the ARIA Resort & Casino at CityCenter. Like its predecessors, the story of Zark is told in a “visual vortex set in a twisted acrobatic fantasy universe.” THE NEW Tropicana’s executive host, Mark Bryan, checks in to say the property is undergoing a $180 million transformation. If you have some time, check out the comedy and magic of Murray at the Laugh Factory in the Trop. Rated players looking for a change in scenery or regular folks in need of a hookup should call him at 702-686-1597. ROBIN LEACH (Las Vegas columnist) says it’s gonna be a battle of the Las Vegas showgirls against the supermodels in the iconic Sports Illustrated February issue. Best known as the “Swimsuit Edition,” the 1964 debut issue ($600) is not as valuable as your first edition of Playboy ($10,000), but no collection of SI is complete without one. Just like Kate Upton last year, the cover and its model will be revealed to an anxious world on Late Night with David Letterman before the mag hits the street. THE SPLIT must be for real … Now through the end of January, Selena Gomez’s wax is on display (solo) at Madame Tussauds. SINCE I QUIT smoking, the price of a pack of the stinky stuff has gone up faster than you can burn through a Benji in a Vegas penny slot. But who knew you could get fined $250,000 and pull up to a five-year visit at the house with bars for buying illegit cigs? But that’s what happened to the owner of a Las Vegas convenience store who bought 48,000 smokes from undercover ATF agents. FOLLOW US on Twitter, like us on Facebook and get the latest Vegas news online at KimosVegas.com and every week here in MidWeek. Send me your Vegas questions, mana’o, photos and reunions to Kimo@KimosVegas.com.
