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Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com
Paris Hilton unveils her Spring 2011 shoe collection at MAGIC at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Aug. 18, 2010.
Published Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010 | 7:26 a.m.
Updated Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010 | 4 p.m.
Mugshots of Paris Hilton and Cy Waits after their Las Vegas arrests.
When 36 million visitors are beating a conga line to your city every year, you have to expect that some of them are going to suffer a lapse of judgment, if not consciousness.
That's true of you are heiress/socialite Paris Hilton or Stan from Paris, Texas. It can happen to a high-profile nightclub operator or a guy packin' his clubs from Akron who is celebrating a 2.5-day bachelor party.
This was evident in Las Vegas over the weekend, when Paris Hilton and her boyfriend, Wynn Las Vegas nightclub official Cy Waits, were arrested after a police stop on the Strip near the Wynn on Friday night.
It was apparent the weekend before, too, when the two sons of Michael Jordan spent nearly $60,000 at Aria hotspots Haze nightclub and Liquid Pool Lounge. This is a problem because the younger of the two men, Marcus Jordan, is just 19 years old (Jeff Jordan is 21) and sent out Twitter updates describing the brothers' now-famous spending spree.
Nevada Gaming Control Board enforcement officer Jerry Markling told the Associated Press on Monday that state regulators are investigating whether the resort violated the law by allowing drinking or gambling by a minor. Regulators gauge the circumstances of each incident before determining punishment for casino operators, Markling told the AP.
Assessing the unfolding daffiness from his perch as a vice president of public affairs for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Vince Alberta says these episodes are mere examples of what happens when people abuse the freedom so selflessly offered in our city.
"These circumstances are not unique to Las Vegas," Alberta said during a phone interview Monday afternoon. "When you are an international destination that hosts a large number of visitors each year, it's a fact of life that you are going to have incidents."
Alberta says Las Vegas, through the LVCVA, has marketed itself as an adult playground with the idea that the city offers freedom to have adult fun. How that adult fun is enacted depends on the individual.
"The Las Vegas brand is defined by each individual, and it means something different to everyone," he said. "For some, it might be a culinary experience that is high in fat (and) rich foods, where a person breaks his nutrition plan for a weekend. It could be shopping, a form of entertainment you can get only in Las Vegas, even wearing an outfit especially for Las Vegas."
It's all about freedom to have a good time — without violating any laws.
"We want you to be able to do something in Las Vegas that might not be in your comfort level in your hometown," Alberta said. "It's about independence of freedom, providing a safe environment for tourists to enjoy access to adult entertainment, whatever it is."
The key to that experience, of course, is to be an adult.
The Waits wait
At this writing, there has been no announcement from Wynn Las Vegas as to the status of Cy Waits at the hotel. He and his 34-year-old twin brother, Jesse, have been managing partners at Tryst at Wynn Las Vegas and XS at adjoining Encore. The two took over management of those clubs last week after it was announced that Steve Wynn formally was splitting with nightclub operator Victor Drai — who opened Tryst and XS and had a long partnership with Wynn — leaving the brothers to run Wynn's Vegas nightlife operation.
Over the weekend, E! Online and KSNV Channel 3 entertainment reporter Alicia Jacobs both reported Cy Waits has been fired, but again, nothing official has been issued by the hotel as to his status. What we can confidently report is Jesse Waits has been at his post Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Cy Waits has not been working in any capacity since the arrest.
Meanwhile, according to the incident's arrest report, Paris Hilton is claiming that bag she was carrying Friday night (housing a little less than a gram of cocaine, along with her ID, credit cards, prescription inhaler, a broken Albuterol tablet and some Zig Zag rolling papers) belonged to a friend. An officer uncovered the clear baggie of coke when Hilton was being detained at the hotel following the arrest.
Lonestar added to "Fest" bill
Add Lonestar to the list of acts at "Nevada Wild Fest," set for Oct. 15, 16 and 17 at Henderson Pavilion. Lonestar is slotted in the Oct. 16 lineup of Crossover Country artists, along with Jason Michael Carroll and Love and Theft. It's a brimming-with-talent showcase that also features Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers, John Ford Coley, Montgomery gentry, the Eli Young Band and Lee Brice.
Entertainment doubleheader at Cosmopolitan
The amenity I'm most looking forward at Cosmopolitan, when it opens in December, is Book & Stage. It has everything: A sports book by day, a lounge by night. Thus, it is the perfect casino hybrid venue.
Great hang update
Great recent, unexpected, moments onstage at Ovation showroom at Green Valley Ranch:
French horn virtuoso Beth Lano performing The Beatles' "For No One" with full string accompaniment. It was a brilliant performance of a song that is rarely played live, for the difficult French horn part. But Lano, a member of the "Sgt. Pepper" orchestra for the Cheap Trick performance of that album at Paris Theatre, aced it.
Also, on Saturday night, former Quiet Riot and Rough Cutt vocalist Paul Shortino climbed onstage with Yellow Brick Road for Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll." Shortino had just hung with Queen drummer Roger Taylor at Carrot Top's show, but couldn't quite entice Taylor to see Brody Dolyniuk and the boys at GVR. Too bad. It was a great, high-volume, experience.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.
Vegas hypes the whole 'what happens here stays here,' and we get a bunch of throw caution to the wind party types coming into town. Gee imagine that.
I don't doubt that the cocaine found in Ms. Hilton's purse wasn't hers. After all, when was the last time she ever picked up the tab for anything in Vegas? But the law reads "possession", not "ownership".
When will Ms. Hilton get it:
Holding designer shoes for women in your hand does not make you George Clooney,
who, btw, currently is slightly more into his house pig and into goats ...;-)
I am so sick of this chick, good god get a life, daddy gave you way too much you drug addicted BRAT. do us all a favor and just go away, your causing good kids to believe in you and the harm that it's causing is not a positive view.
Who wants the T-Shirt:
Hilton in Vegas
Come on vacation
leave on probation
'But the law reads "possession", not "ownership".
Exactly! So everything in the bag was her's except for this 'gum' Gimme a break.
And the dog ate my homework.
Put her in the slammer with OJ, he likes blonds.
"...Vince Alberta says these episodes are mere examples of what happens when people abuse the freedom so selflessly offered in our city."
HA! What a wonderful line!
Selfless Las Vegas? Ha!
I think the word you want is "Selfish". I bet you can't name 10 selfless acts somebody has committed in LV.
Oh yeah, the city doesn't want anything in return at all for so "selflessly" offering such "freedom".
I give the LVCVA credit for one thing, and one thing only. And that is that "What Happens Here, Stay's Here" campaign of many years ago. Pure marketing genius and perhaps one of the biggest scams ever.
"Selfless". Ha! That still makes me chuckle.
Obviously Hilton hadn't heard of the "come on vacation, leave on probation" aspect of Las Vegas.
'Paris Hilton is claiming that bag she was carrying Friday night (housing a little less than a gram of cocaine, along with her ID credit cards, prescription inhaler, a broken Albuterol tablet and some Zig Zag rolling papers) belonged to a friend. An officer uncovered the clear baggie of coke when Hilton was being detained at the hotel following the arrest.'
The dog ate my homework.
Jury determination of "intent" in relation to circumstantial evidence; the albuterol connection, the claim the purse was not hers even though she markets her own brand of purses and handbags, the attorney does not want the case tried in the media even though it is Paris Hilton and Las Vegas, for these discussions and others, see:
Paris Hilton Case--"Just the facts, Ma'am"
http://www.reconpresseusa.com
ok, let me get this straight, the purse isn't hers which is probably a high end $10k bag, but the $1300 cash is? hmmmmm, and since when does gum come in powdered form? is she really that stupid? yessssssssss... so this dude is probably out of a sweet job and Paris will if she hasn't already dumped his ass for another sucka!!
*Yawns*
Less than a gram of coke! My goodness, why bother. Who cares if it was hers? How about going after the people who sell the stuff in Kilos.
And how do the Jordan kids spend 60K at Haze and Liquid Pool? What do you get for that kinda of money at those two venues?
Comment removed by moderator. Comment was in all caps.
That's Hot!
@PGelsman: Good one, although I would never let any dog eat my homework, not even as a kid.
I remember an ole buddy of mine, called himself "Banana_Joe", who could have easily provided Ms. Hilton with lots of fresh and juicey banana to stick it where the sun never shines. So, she would not have to use her gum or coke to stick around with it, you know.
The "Banana_Joe" regularily used to provide Ms. Angle with the freshest banana, for her to have some fun in her little campaign tour bus.
I wonder whether or not Ms. Hilton would like to take a seat to join Ms. Angle having some fun in her bus by sticking some fresh banana where the sun never shines...lol...good one.
Maybe I should just move my a%% again and play some roulette at the tables at "The Paris"...:)
I'm surprised she wasn't tasered all the way to the jailhouse. What a study in contradictions our rules and laws have become. She's not much different than most of her peers at one point or another in their youth.
I don't think Cy should have been driving under the influence, and if he was, he should have been arrested. It is not necessarily fair for him to lose his job though, he has not had a chance to defend himself.
I don't think we'll be hearing too much from PH in the next few months, she has to lay low now. The media seems to be turning on her. What a waste of human life she is.
It's not like she really IS a celebrity, she isn't an entertainer or anything, she's just rich with nothing to do. The perpetual party girl. Lock her up with OJ, he likes blonds.
Is Las Vegas a adult playground? Compared to many places in the world our laws are so uptight and confining they are ridiculous. The land of the free? I don't think so
Paris Hilton has NOT been found guilty and The Wynn kicks her to the curb. Do you really think Miss Hilton really cares? Her family has more money the the Wynns will ever hope to have! And there's plenty of hotels across the world that love having her as a guest.
Whenever I see the name "Waits" in the LV Sun, I always get excited, in the hopes that the living legend Tom Waits is scheduling a performance there or something. Alas, there's nothing here about him (which is a good thing I reckon). Instead, I end up reading about these two spoiled losers and their tawdry drug arrest.
Side note: I have resigned myself with the fact that we're going to be stuck with this Paris thing for a very long time. But how low must the lowlife be who would actually date her?
If her name was Plain Jane we would have never even heard about this "incident".....C'mon, seriously "less than a gram" was supposedly found in her purse? This is less than some people were found with in Vegas and just given a citation and released. Let's be REAL...
Why wasn't she drug tested while in custody? And since she was released without bail, why didn't they seize her passport so she couldn't pull a Roman Polanski on the law?
If she never left Slaveboy, this incident would have never happened.
Some comments here indicate an unhealthy hatred of wealthy "celebs". Such outrage seems to indicate green eyed envy more than a healthy respect for the law.
Personal consumption of coke is a victimless crime. It cannot be placed in the same category as rape, murder or assault. Non-violent, victimless crimes do not merit caustic responses such as "Put her in the slammer with OJ, he likes blonds." That's lynch-mob ugly.
Some people who post here need to know their own boundaries.
Maybe all this was a publicity ploy. After all, Lindsay "good time" Lohan seems to be hogging the headlines at the moment. And to an over-indulged, boring, egotistical airhead like Paris Hilton, thats not good. And good for the Wynn, banning her and her "boyfriend" from their properties. When will idiots like these grow up, and join the real world? Oh yeah, never, as they don't have to.
There are men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who are making sacrifices and doing such great things for our country that Paris and her garbage boyfriend would never consider doing in their pathetic, sheltered lives. They have not made any contributions to anything positive to our society. Thank you Steve Wynn for removing these cancers from your resort.