Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007 | 7:18 a.m.
Las Vegas is on a roll.
Mayor Oscar Goodman, who claims to be the happiest mayor in the world, country or universe (depending on the event), was characteristically magnanimous Friday afternoon while describing the groundbreaking of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute. "This is the most important day in Las Vegas history - I don't know if people realize how big this is," Goodman said, gripping a martini glass at the event's post-party at the World Market Center. "It's incomparable. There is no comparison to anything we have brought to Las Vegas to what will happen on this site. We will cure diseases of the brain on a piece of land that, 7 1/2 years ago, was a contaminated railroad yard."
That's the 61-acre Union Park development that sits across from the World Market Center at Bonneville Avenue and Grand Central Parkway. During the ceremony Goodman was joined by institute founder and Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada senior managing partner Larry Ruvo, Newland Communities executive Dan Van Epp (whose company is overseeing the Union Park project), master architect Frank Gehry, Rep. Shelley Berkley and LRBI President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Zaven Khachaturian.
The center should be finished in about two years and Goodman said the facility, along with the Smith Center for the Performing Arts (which will also be built on the Union Park site) and the bright prospects for downtown development were significant reasons behind his decision to run for reelection. The mayor also seemed to slip - or maybe not - when he said he was looking forward to "when we get an NBA team here." He did not elaborate, but did repeat "when." Any official announcement on Las Vegas' prospects for an NBA team would come from NBA Commissioner David Stern, who will be in town this week in advance of Sunday's NBA All-Star Game at the Thomas & Mack Center.
NoteMart
More from the ceremony: Khachaturian said he was still grieving the loss of institute board member Dr. Leon Thal, who was killed Feb. 3 when the single-engine plane he was piloting plunged into the mountains near his home in San Diego. Thal, the chairman of the department of neurosciences at the University of San Diego, was a pioneer in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and helped convince Khachaturian to serve with him on the LRBI board. "I knew him for 30 years," Khachaturian said. "He was my best friend." ...
On the red carpet at the premiere of "The Producers" on Friday night, Brent Barrett acknowledged talk that "Phantom - Las Vegas Spectacular" might soon cut its weekly show schedule back from 10 to eight (two recent shows, one during the Consumer Electronics Convention and another on Super Bowl Sunday, were cancelled for slim audiences, and 10 p.m. performances on March 15, March 22 and March 29 have also been spiked). When I asked whether Barrett, who alternates the role of the Phantom with Anthony Crivello, was planning to stay in Vegas long-term, he said, "I think so, unless they decide to go down to eight shows. It's a matter of running numbers to see what they are going to do. We are under contracts through the middle of June, so we'll have to know soon." Barrett turns 50 on Feb. 28 and would like to know by then what his future in the show will be, saying, "Hopefully it'll be a good birthday present." ...
David Hasselhoff describes his proposed after-hours show, which would be at a Harrah's hotel and would start after his stint with "The Producers" ends, would be "an adult, sexy revue." Skeptics should not sell this guy short - he's a lot of fun in the Mel Brooks production at Paris Las Vegas, a highly entertaining production that is certainly in the same class as Broadway-styled shows that have worked here ("Mamma Mia!") and those that have not ("Avenue Q" and "Hairspray.") ...
Waiting to exhale: Las Vegas has voted against a proposed smoking ordinance. That's Las Vegas, N.M., which on Thursday voted against a resolution supporting a statewide ban on smoking in restaurants, offices and other public places. ...
Grand slam! An odd sighting on Thursday night, a wedding party of eight celebrating post-ceremony at Denny's across from the Stratosphere. ...
Terrible news: Plate on a gold Infinity G20, TARABLE.
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